CityNews 220602

JUNE 2, 2022

e rl w i t W , n a d

KEEPING UP THE ACT

This is Magda. A widow and a ‘nana next door’, the 84-year-old faces eviction from her Housing ACT home of 32 years because the grasping ACT EX-GOVERNM government is displacing more than 300 tenants, most of them women, to sell the land. Her neighbours love her and are going to fight for her to stay.

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COVER STORY / public housing evictions

Widow’s words to the minister: ‘You are heartless’

By Belinda

STRAHORN THE neighbours of an elderly Canberra widow have spoken out against her forced eviction under a controversial public-housing relocation scheme.

David and Jane Fordyce, who have lived next door to Magda for more than 30 years, are facing the prospect of losing their “surrogate grandmother” to the ACT government’s “Growth and Renewal” program in which 340 housing tenants, mainly women, are to be involuntarily relocated.

The Macquarie residents are coming to terms with the fact that their neighbour – who has been an adopted grandmother to their five children – will soon be evicted from her home of more than three decades, leaving behind a lifetime of shared memories.

“We have been living next door to each other for 31 years,” said David.

“My mum is in Melbourne and Jane’s mum died 22 years ago, so Magda has become a grandmother to our children. They have known her since they were newborns… she’s a part of our family.”

Not only has Magda, 84, raised two children of her own in the home she must vacate, she has also buried fam-

From left, Jane Fordyce, Magda, her son Andrew Wilkinson and David Fordyce…

“The neighbours I have are unbelievable. Every day I thank God for them,” says Magda.

Photo: Belinda Strahorn ily pets in the backyard making her departure all the more difficult.

“My home is everything to me, it’s my life, it’s where I feel comfortable,” Magda said. “‘This is your home until you die’, that’s what I was told when I moved in.”

According to data collected by Canberra Community Law, 87 per cent of the 340 Housing ACT tenants facing eviction from their inner-city homes are

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women living alone or with children.

The tenants are mostly over 50 (83 per cent), with 35 per cent of them over 70, and 61 per cent of tenants have chronic health conditions, physical or psychological disabilities or are caring for dependents who do.

For Magda – who emigrated to Australia from Argentina more than half a century ago – the move means she will be separated from the network of

Since 1993: Volume 28, Number: 22

Author Nigel Featherstone.

Photo: David Lindesay.

Story Page 24.

Well written, well read

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

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

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support she has come to rely on over the years.

“The neighbours I have are unbelievable,” said Magda.

“Every day I thank God for them because they are my family. They help me a lot and are fantastic support.”

In February, Housing ACT sent more than 300 letters to public-housing tenants informing them they will be moved to a new public-housing property because their homes had been earmarked for sale or redevelopment.

Tenants were previously told that the program would be on a voluntary basis.

Reflecting on the moment the lifechanging letter arrived, Magda said: “It was a nightmare, I couldn’t sleep, I was worrying a lot knowing I would lose my beautiful neighbours and friends.”

The retired embassy worker didn’t spare the government in her criticism of the scheme, condemning the insensitive way in which the policy was being enforced.

“You are heartless, you are cruel,” said Magda.

“I wrote to the Housing Minister [Yvette Berry] and I’ve had no reply.

“I don’t think the human factor has meaning for her. For some reason it’s only about the money they will get from the land, which seems to be worth a lot.”

The Fordyce family – who were emotional at the thought of losing

their neighbour and friend – said the trauma of relocating Magda was unnecessary, arguing that she ought to be able to remain in her home to see out her time.

“These people are not in big houses, the government does not spend a lot on them. They should just wait and do it as a voluntary process. It would be much more orderly,” said David.

“At first, I was angry and now I feel worried for people like Magda who are living in fear of what is going to happen to them… that’s a really terrible thing,” Jane said.

Magda’s son Andrew Wilkinson, who has many happy memories of living in the house, said a lot of the family’s questions about Magda’s impending relocation have gone unanswered.

“There’s a lack of clarity, and a lack of information as to why they are doing this?,” Andrew said. “It’s been a really stressful time.”

In response to community concern over the way the scheme has been implemented, a group of organisations – in an open letter to minister Berry and Rebecca Vassarotti (Homelessness Minister) – have called on the ACT government to abandon non-voluntary relocations.

“I am very disappointed and sad for myself and all the people who are suffering at the moment,” Magda said.

“The Labor I thought I knew, and I voted for, wouldn’t have done this.”

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SEVEN DAYS

To get a traffic problem fixed, it helps to die first THIS is the story of an accidentprone intersection that complaining Narrabundah locals can get fixed in a heartbeat.

They’re told (off the record, of course) that someone just has to die to get this moribund government to do anything about it. How shameful.

Why, I wonder, do all problem roads lead to City Services Minister Chris Steel? And there they seem to come to a shuddering halt.

In March last year a group of concerned residents went to see Minister Steel and his senior bureaucrats from Roads ACT about the “black spot” intersection of La Perouse Street and Carnegie Crescent. Not a month goes by without a collision there.

“There was lots of nodding and writing notes, but no action. We followed up with letters. No action. We pulled together a video and sent it to them. No action,” bemoans group member Timothy DeWan. And so the

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The May collision, left, at the Narrabundah intersection and one from March. accidents continued for another year.

So, what’s the obvious problem Mr Steel and his gnomes can’t see?

“Large building developments in the inner south are contributing hundreds more cars through this intersection,” says Timothy.

“Speeding vehicles, large trucks and traffic congestion are creating dangerous bottlenecks in the morning and the afternoon.

“Most worryingly, our young children from surrounding schools including Red Hill Primary [plus Canberra Grammar and Telopea Park] as well as local, elderly senior citizens are forced to attempt to navigate across this dangerous intersection every day, weaving through the traffic in the morning and afternoon to get to their destinations.

“This intersection was built in the early ‘60s for a much smaller Canberra community.

It is now unfit for purpose.”

Yet, despite smash after smash, the ACT government does nothing except promise to consider the matter, some time or other. We know this because Minister Steel, responding to a Question on Notice in the Legislative Assembly, offered a desultory four-line response to that effect.

The residents want the traffic congestion reduced, speed at the four approaches to the intersection reduced and improved capacity for pedestrians to safely cross the intersection. Not rocket science.

This year, as the collisions keep clocking up, the residents initiated a petition to the ACT Legislative Assembly. It attracted more than 650 signatures and, despite being tabled, the minister still has three months more before he needs to even respond to it.

Jesus would weep.

Next step, a professionally produced YouTube video that chillingly illustrates the traffic problem and the thundering trucks rolling through the suburb. There’s even a grab from the lollipop man in which he says motorists don’t take any notice of him (it’s here: youtu.be/7sBn1SLqARw).

“We are all just neighbours in our community who have come together to address this awful situation,” says Timothy. “We want the crashes to stop. We don’t want anyone to die. We thought this was the role of government.” You’d think so, Chris Steel.

“I DON’T usually talk about politics,” says a disingenuous though personally addressed letter from the 27th prime minister of Australia,”but there is someone I want to talk to you about today.”

If I tell you it was from Julia Gillard, you’ll know it was about the virtues of re-electing comrade Katy Gallagher, who was bringing out Julia to keep the senatorial aspirations of David Pocock a problem for Zed Seselja and not her.

It worked and it didn’t. It did, in that Gallagher survived a nearly six per cent swing against her but still had enough votes to pocket a full quota. And it didn’t, in that the letter arrived at its recipient’s Curtin letterbox on May 23, two days after the election.

And while Katy was able to get the electorate to endorse her continuing full employment, her long-time partner Dave Skinner has no such problems. As senior director of the Legislative Assembly’s Office of the Clerk, he recently picked up a certificate

from Speaker Joy Burch in acknowledgment of his service and commitment. He’s been there 25 years.

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and interview program, 2CC, 9am-noon. There are more of his columns on citynews.com.au

Walter Burley Griffin.

ONE-hundred-and-ten years to the date of this week’s “CityNews” publication, a prophetic word from one Walter Burley Griffin, who on June 2, 1912 said: “I have planned a city not like any other city in the world. I have planned it not in a way that I expected any governmental authorities in the world would accept. I have planned an ideal city, a city that meets my ideal of the city of the future.” But not to the ideals of the Barr progressives pulling the place apart.

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CANBERRA MATTERS

Feigning to care about the fate of mature trees TOWARDS the end of the Inner South Canberra Community Council’s forum last month, a question was asked about whether the chief planner could override decisions on urban trees.

Curiously, the answer was provided by the CEO of the ACT Conservation Council.

The question related to one of the themes for the night, being about the government’s new Urban Forest Bill.

A senior bureaucrat had presented on the new bill and this was followed with a perspective from the ACT Conservation Council.

The bill will nominally place new restrictions on tree removal from suburban developments, including where houses are being extended.

Sadly, for our planet, this bill includes offset payment in lieu of keeping the trees. I’ll let you work out how that will go!

The first half of the evening was about planning and included discussion about how little trust there is in the Planning Directorate. So, when the conservation council chief explained that it was natural for the chief planner to override decisions about trees, it was as if she had missed the discussions on the lack of trust.

It was odd that she thought she should answer that loaded question

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A stand of trees along a Dickson path…mature trees remain under threat.

Photo: Paul Costigan given the government bureaucrat who made the presentation was in the room.

The news is that in the future of significant and mature trees, this chief planner will decide what is best for the bureaucrats and developers.

Forget making trees the priority!

This is the case with the YWCA’s proposal for assisted housing alongside Ainslie’s Bill Pye Park. When the developer, the YWCA, was sent packing by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the planning rules were changed by the planning bureaucrats so that the large trees and their shade were no longer a solar issue.

The YWCA was free to consider cramming on to the small site their desired number of units to deliver the sought-after profits. This is the Planning Directorate at work today

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The ACT government is the biggest threat to mature trees, both through its enabling of more bulldozing and because of its preferred action – looking the other way.

and will be the same lot overseeing the new tree rules.

Despite many submissions asking for such practices to be stopped, greenery and trees are continually cleared for new suburbs and for redevelopments within established suburbs. The ACT government itself, through its own developer, Housing ACT, is good with bulldozing and putting back minimal greenery.

Which brings us to another charade by this ACT Labor/Greens coalition as they pretend to be serious about the fate of mature trees. Consultations have recently concluded on a draft action plan titled “Loss of Mature Native Trees Key Threatening Process”.

There are loads of so-called actions – monitoring, developing, collating, reporting, encouraging, seeking, linking and it goes on. What was

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overlooked is that the ACT government is the biggest threat to mature trees, both through its enabling of more bulldozing and because of its preferred action – looking the other way. Mature trees are still coming down to “Build a Better Normal” (thanks, ACT Greens).

The mature-tree document reveals that 6.2 per cent of mature trees, that is 14,455 mature trees, have disappeared over a five-year period.

Despite the urgency to deal with this crisis in biodiversity and climate change, there are no urgent “let’s stop this destruction” actions in this action plan. Mature trees remain under threat and will go while they have meetings, cups of tea, do more monitoring and file reports. It is an action plan by name only.

There’s yet another pretence of caring for greenery. This started life in late 2019 with the introduction of the draft Variation 369. This was mentioned often over the last two years as a wonderful government achievement to deliver 30 per cent tree canopy – later. Somewhere along the way, exceptions were included for certain suburban developments.

It gets better! Last-minute changes

signed by the planning minister mean that most of the city will be excluded from these hollowed-out rules. Despite the rhetoric from the ACT’s planning and environment ministers, nothing being proposed will deliver anywhere near 30 per cent tree canopy and a meaningful diversity of green infrastructure any time soon.

The ACT Labor and Greens politicians love making announcements, touting draft strategies, publishing plans and boasting about what they are achieving. It is hard to fathom whether they are lying, dumb or simpletons being taken for a ride by their bureaucrats and developer mates – or all of the above. Community groups remain polite and patient in dealing with the increased levels of deception by the planning bureaucrats and their obedient politicians. Let’s hope that the planet, its biodiversity and the next generations are just as patient.

Paul Costigan is a commentator on cultural and urban matters.

There are more of his columns at citynews.com.au

NEWS / dogs’ life

Trio of champions with something to bark about

By Lily

PASS MORE than 2000 dogs competed in the 2022 Sydney Royal Easter Show, and three Canberra dogs brought home prizes – a dachshund, a deerhound and a doberman.

In first place, Briala Whispering Jack. An 11-month-old, miniature, long-haired dachshund, Jack won the “Best Puppy In Show” title, beating out every other breed in the competition – under 12-months of age.

Its owner, Linda Stevens, of Casey, has been breeding and showing dachshunds for more than 40 years, and knew she was on a winner with Jack.

“He has the hallmarks of the breed, which are being long, quite low and he’s got a conical-shaped head,” she says.

Jack is one of four champion dachshunds in Linda’s home, and she says he is set to do well in the years ahead.

“Jack absolutely loves it, he’s very sophisticated and now he’s a little bit older he’ll be a bit more competitive.”

When the two other Canberra entrants had their wins, too, Linda said it was “terribly exciting”.

Melanie Crossley, of Gilmore, won “Best in Hound Group (Deerhound);

Canberra’s champion dogs… from left, “glamorous” Pip, Linda Stevens with dachshund puppy Jack and “pretty” doberman Kye.

Photos: Lily Pass Final Seven Best in Show”, with Pip, 2, (or “Australian Champion Eilrig Speed Bonnie Boat”).

Dianna Woods, of Flynn, won “Best in Utility Group (Doberman); Final Seven Best in Show”, with Kye, 4, (or “Supreme Champion Copperdobe Life of the Party”).

“We were all together at the show, we were ecstatic when we all did well,” Linda says.

“The dogs know when they’ve won, too.”

Pip is glamorous, says Melanie, which is how she won her competition in Hound Group against 209 others.

“She likes being in the show ring,

she’s a good representative of the breed. She’s also just got that little bit of glamour which helps,” says Melanie.

“Pip was by far the youngest, and she was the only female in the line-up, all the others were big, mature boys, so she’s got lots of future ahead of her.”

Pip came into Melanie’s life at 10-weeks-old, and immediately began learning.

“Teach dogs that little treats are fun and they learn to enjoy it. You don’t have a successful, happy show dog if they don’t enjoy it.”

Dianna says Kye, her doberman, loves cuddles, too, especially with “his special blanket,” and his treats of

choice are chicken nuggets.

“Kye’s got quite a presence and he knows he’s pretty. I think that helps.

There’s no brain there, but he’s got pretty good self confidence.”

Dianna started her hobby of showing dogs a little differently, and between the ages of seven and 18, the focus was on her.

She showed off her dog-handling abilities in junior competitions across Australia, while also showing her dogs in the conformation competitions.

“When I was nine I took one of Linda’s previous dachshunds, Arthur, to Perth to compete in a junior handler competition and I was selected as the

ACT representative to go to Crufts in England as a junior handler, I competed again in Crufts when I was 11.”

Unfortunately, she didn’t win, and now focuses solely on Kye. “When we’re practising at home I have to get someone – my mum, my brother, my husband – to pretend to award him Best in Show as a way to kind of gee him up,” she says.

“He jumps up and he’ll catch food and he’ll wag his tail and he’s so proud of himself when he thinks he’s won, and he loves someone clapping for him so it’s a stupid little ritual we do. We get someone at the show just before he goes in to say ‘the Best in Show is the doberman,’ and it’s just a nice way to reward him.”

“They are just the most beautiful breed to own, just big, gentle giants.

I’ve got a two-year-old daughter and she just loves him. I couldn’t see myself wanting anything else, they’re addictive and just so sweet,” Dianna says.

Showing dogs teaches people lessons about critical thinking, says Dianna, and she’s hoping her daughter’s passion continues to grow.

“I can sometimes get my daughter along because she’s all about puppies, and there’s other kids that she could form friendships with,” she says.

“They’re meaningful lifelong friendships. Even if I didn’t do dog shows, I know there would still be value there.”

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POLITICS / Canberra Liberals

Why Seselja and the conservatives need to go THE Canberra Liberals need to sack their management committee and start again. The only way for them to effectively heed the lessons of the last two elections is to make a fresh start.

A fresh start is needed both within the party and within the ACT Legislative Assembly members.

Without a clean sweep, the Canberra Liberals will remain complacent, building a political party that is not engaged and is out of touch with the vast majority of Canberrans.

For more than a couple of decades there has been a systematic effort to undermine moderates and to build a more conservative party.

It is simply not possible to turn the party around with leadership from the current Zed Seselja-dominated faction and management committee.

Senator Seselja was rejected by Canberrans and that rejection ought to be carried through to the management committee.

It is no accident that the Canberra Liberals have become more and more conservative. The management committee has been systematically rejecting applications to join the Canberra Liberals by people who have spoken out against conservatism before lodging an application.

Imagine the damage to be done by

It is simply not possible to turn the Canberra Liberals around with leadership from the current Zed Seseljadominated faction and management committee. someone applying to join a political party that is struggling for members and then being rejected! The concept of the “broad church” has given way to conservative values. Instead of building a party more in line with the values of the Canberra community, they have supported a narrow, right-wing agenda.

The conservatives in the federal parliament, including Seselja, demonstrated how out of touch they are with the rest of Australia when they rejected the right of elected parliaments of the territories to have the power to determine what is best for their own communities. This is despite the ACT being the first Australian jurisdiction to introduce legislation on voluntary assisted dying. Ironically, only the

territories, of all Australian jurisdictions, no longer have such legislation in place.

Being so far out of touch was further demonstrated by the revelations through the ABC RMIT “Fact Check” regarding conservative lobby group Advance Australia. Deceitful, dirty tricks politics in an attempt to save Seselja backfired. The directors and staff of Advance Australia in the ACT included Seselja’s close political allies and their staffers along with other group leaders who were directly related to the then senator.

The Australian Electoral Commission found that signage of Advance Australia was in breach of Section 329 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act.

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The electoral commission pointed out that “it is an offence to publish… any matter or thing that is likely to mislead or deceive an elector in relation to the casting of a vote”.

The push-polling call many of us received on the morning of the election from Advance Australia was a pathetically amateur and blatant last-minute attempt to swing voters to reject David Pocock and to vote Liberal in the Senate. This also backfired. The Canberra electorate is more sophisticated than to fall for such a barefaced attempt.

Lack of trust in our politicians has been growing exponentially and dishonesty and deceit of this kind simply feed into that distrust. The Canberra Liberals need a fresh start. They must build trust. They need to put a broom through the management committee and reject anyone who played any part in this sort of behaviour.

Canberra no longer has Liberal representation at the Federal level.

However, the fall from grace goes further. The Canberra Liberals ought to have been able to replace a tired, long-term government at the last ACT election. However, for too many Canberrans the leader and the majority of

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candidates were just too conservative.

The only thing that provided a light at the end of the tunnel is that the Hare-Clark system with an enhanced Robson Rotation, as used in the ACT, did allow moderates to be elected in a disproportionate number despite the wishes of the leadership of the Canberra Liberals.

The importance of a strong opposition as a key element in an effective democracy ought not be underestimated. The party policy platforms that put restrictions around the current ACT Assembly Liberals need to be reviewed. This will provide an opportunity for the Liberal MLAs who have two years to prove that they have learnt the lessons and to rebuild the confidence and trust of the community.

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BRIEFLY

Danielle Porter.

Principal off to Harvard SELECTED from a highly competitive field of school principals from across the country, principal of Charnwood-Dunlop School Danielle Porter has been awarded a Harvard scholarship to a program designed to strengthen the skills of educational leaders.

The Public Education Foundation and the Harvard Club of Australia have announced that Danielle will undertake the education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education through the scholarship which is worth $16,000.

Danielle said she is thrilled to have been awarded the scholarship.

“Not only will it deepen my leadership skills and knowledge but also it publicly demonstrates my commitment to being a lifelong learner,” she said.

“Having a concentrated period of time to wholly focus on further developing the vital leadership skills a 21st century principal needs will be invaluable in my work moving forward.”

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THE GADFLY

Preserving our democracy with ‘bits of paper’ I DON’T believe in miracles, either literally or figuratively.

But sometimes there’s a conjunction of events so in tune with the times that it feels like some wondrous conspiracy of perfection.

I don’t mean the election result, but rather the down-to-earth components that permitted it, beginning with the greatest single bulwark of our political stability, the Australian Electoral Commission.

It administers Australia’s preferential system, which is the best in the world. But its task is much bigger than that. It helps that voting is compulsory; and we wouldn’t change that for anything. The contenders don’t have to worry about getting people out to vote; and it lessens the influence of the fanatical fringe groups.

But it does mean that the AEC has an enormous logistical task in establishing polling booths within easy reach to voters across an entire continent, and to staff them with pleasant and knowledgeable folk to guide us through the process. And with COVID-19 once again on the rise, they must mask and protect both them and the voters.

Our own experience, I suspect, was

Labor was making gains, but ‘minority’ became a catchword, until just after nine, when the cavalry came roaring in from the West.

That’s when, I suspect, the champus corks hit the ceilings over much of Canberra.

fairly typical. Maybe we got a little lucky in parking right beside the modest queue at our granddaughters’ school. But as usual the “how-to-vote” volunteers were perfectly polite.

We waited no more than 20 minutes before reaching the entrance, where we were each given a short, sharpened pencil and directed to one of at least four separate queues.

Ours led to a friendly woman who found the confusing surname (which follows Mac not Mc) in a trice; then

repaired to one of 12 cardboard booths to mark all the squares where the biggest question was who to put last.

Then came the “declaration” as we completed the vote, and I asked the lady collecting the pencils if I could keep mine as a souvenir. “Of course you can,” she smiled.

Back in the open air in multicultural Canberra, there were irresistible “democracy dumplings” on offer, and I also took a sausage for old times’ sake. Then it was home with a glow

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of pride and the purchase of a bottle of champus for one result, shiraz for another.

Meanwhile, the wonderful AEC was preparing the count that, in lesser hands, would be like plunging into a vat of live octopuses and adding up the suckers on all eight limbs.

Instead, when 6 o’clock rolled round and Leigh Sales appeared with her horn rims at the ready, Antony Green fired up his amazing touch screen, and David Speers played with his red and blue squares – and brown in the middle – while Tanya Plibersek and Simon Birmingham, the human faces of their parties settled in.

That’s when we started counting

the times someone said: “But these are only early figures…” while odds on the shiraz shortened and the champers started to sweat. Tassie looked crook, western Sydney worse, especially in Fowler. Country booths rolled in, and they were awful.

Tanya was “hopeful”, whatever the hell that meant. Simon was insouciant… and that looked scary. But then, as those Teal women mounted their charge on the Morrison ramparts, the AEC (unlike Antony) was totally unfazed. Up went the figures and they just kept rising. Labor was making gains, but “minority” became a catchword, until just after nine when the cavalry came roaring in from the West. That’s when, I suspect, the champus corks hit the ceilings over much of Canberra.

But not in the counting houses of the AEC public servants. They had a job to do: preserving our democracy with what someone called “bits of paper”. robert@ robertmacklin. com

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LA FESTA DELLA REPUBLIC / June 5 Positano.

Festival puts Italian history and c THE Canberra community will be able to experience a slice of Italy this week as Com.It.Es.Canberra hosts a free event to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the day Italy became a republic.

The Dante Musica Viva.

Festa della Repubblica (Festival of the Republic) celebrates the day when, in 1946, the Kingdom of Italy voted to replace its king with a president, to be chosen democratically by the citizens of a new Italian republic with a new parliament.

The institutional referendum, which took place on June 2, saw 54 per cent (about 12 million voters) choosing to remove their monarch.

Chargé d’Affaires of the Italian Embassy in Canberra Roberto Rizzo calls it “the birth of Italian democracy”.

“It was the first time all the Italian citizens, men and women, were called to vote and to decide on the form of government the country would have after World War II and the fall of fascism,” says Mr Rizzo.

“The event combines and celebrates two moments, the end of a terrible war and the birth of our new government system and a new republic.”

The first period of Italian democracy was based on a constitution, Statuto Albertino, agreed to by the King of Piedmont-Sardinia,

Charles Albert, in 1848.

Statuto Albertino was so important to Italy’s formation that the day it was signed became the first Italian National Day. This was always celebrated on the first Sunday in June, which hovers from year to year around its modern replacement, Festa Della Repubblica.

Here in Canberra, Com.It.Es.Canberra is encouraging people to experience and enjoy all aspects of the rich Italian culture at the festivities that will be hosted locally.

The event will be held at the Italian Cultural Centre, 80 Franklin Street, Forrest, on Sunday, June 5.

At 11am, the festival will be officially opened with a speech by Mr Rizzo, who will speak about the importance and history of the event.

There’ll also be a presentation from the president of the Council of Italian and Australian Organisations (CIAO), Giovanni Di Zillo, who will talk about the recent restructuring of the Italian Cultural Centre.

After the opening, the choir of the Dante Alighieri Society of Canberra, Musica Viva, will perform the national anthems, followed by a half hour concert of rousing Italian music ranging from traditional folk pieces to opera arias.

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Afterw througho artists in musician Australia keyboard All the open thro munity a it’s classic or traditio almond b choice. A maintena Guests

special feature

culture on display

wards, there’ll be music out the day from multiple Italian cluding the Majazzter Duo, two ns who have performed all around a, and local Italian singer and dist Joe Sorrentino. e while, food and drink stalls will be oughout the day to give the coman authentic taste of Italy. Whether cs such as Italian pizza or pasta, onal sweets, such as crostoli and bread, there’ll be no shortage of All funds raised will go towards the ance of the Italian Cultural Centre. s will also be able to get up close

to a Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, two iconic Italian cars that’ll be on display throughout the day.

“Festa Della Repubblica is a way to show the particularities of Italian culture in the ACT,” says Mr Rizzo.

“Anyone is invited to come enjoy the food stands, the music and the events.”

Mr Rizzo believes this year’s event has particular importance given the challenges presented in the last few years.

“Italy was hit hard by COVID-19 last year and this year unfortunately, we have the terrible war that is happening between Russia and Ukraine and the economic consequences Europe is facing because of it,” he says.

“But La Festa Della Repubblica has always been a moment from which we could draw strength against the difficulties the country is facing.”

Mr Rizzo says the Italian community is “incredibly proud” to have a strong relationship with Australia.

“We are both democracies, we both have protection of human rights, we are both facing difficulties and political and economic challenges,” he says. “We have many things in common and this event allows us to celebrate a moment of unity.”

Festa Della Repubblica, the Italian Cultural Centre, 80 Franklin Street, Forrest, Sunday, June 5.

The Colosseum in Rome.

FAST FACTS ON ITALY • Italy is one of Western Europe’s youngest countries, first becoming a nation-state in 1861.

• Italy’s population, as estimated in 2022, is about 61,000,000 people.

• There are multiple theories about the meaning of Italy’s flag. A popular one is that the colors carry idealistic significance: green for freedom, white for faith, and red for love.

• The capital of Italy, Rome, is more than 2000 years old and is often known as “the eternal city”.

• Thirteen of Shakespeare’s 38 plays are set in Italy.

• With a median age of 46.5 years, Italy has the oldest population in Europe.

• Mount Etna, located on the coast of Sicily, is Europe’s most active Volcano.

• Italy is tied second as the most successful national team in the history of the FIFA World Cup, having won four titles (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006).

• Italy is the world’s largest wine producer, making about 4,250,000 litres every year.

King of Piedmont-Sardinia, Charles Albert.

Italian Cultural Centre, Forrest.

CityNews June 2-8, 2022 15

LETTERS

Write to us: editor@citynews.com.au

Time to clean out the ACT Liberal power brokers IT’S now clear that it’s not just letter writers who have despaired at the incompetence and tin-eared behaviours dished up by the ACT Liberal Party’s HQ and its Senate incumbent for far too many years.

Unable to learn from the pathetic antics they foisted upon the electorate at the last ACT election, they delivered a 2022 federal campaign devoid of intelligent and relevant content and communications, instead relying on tactics reminiscent of desperate and out-of-touch crusades and manoeuvres orchestrated by gung-ho strategists for Donald Trump and Boris Johnson.

Whatever the Liberal campaign team tried and touched fell afoul of standards and expectations held by a well-informed and educated electorate.

Too often the Liberals and their helpmates failed to show respect for the right of others to stand and work hard to compete for the second Senate seat here.

A complete clean out of the current ACT Liberal power broking machinery is needed before the party even embarks on trying to regain the interest and trust of more territory voters in the future. Tinkering at the edges won’t work.

Sue Dyer, Downer Michael Moore – Will the Liberals learn? Page 10

Pain of recruiting party volunteers NOBODY wants to talk about elections now, not even me. However, I do want to talk about voting processes in the hope procedures improve next time around.

In the 2022 Federal election there were 104 ACT polling booths open on election day. These all provided useful pocket money for Australian Electoral Commission volunteers who helped staff these outposts.

However, what about the political party volunteers, those who voters face outside these booths?

With polling taking place between 8am and 6pm, if each booth saw one party worker for the entire 10 hours – a big ask – 104 people would be needed. If a reasonable two-hour roster was in place, then 510 volunteers would be needed.

Certainly, some would double up but even with such dedication common sense tells us one person per booth upon any

roster is inadequate and, depending on the siting of the booth, at least three possibly four party supporters would be needed – a heavy demand upon what we are told is diminishing party membership and support – and increasing pressure as the ACT population grows and more polling booths are created.

This is despite some 45 per cent of voters either pre-polling or postal voting because there is still a need, apparently, on election day to provide party how-to-vote papers.

Democracy is not being served if people are not given a chance to vote for whom they want, even if they don’t know how to do so.

So we face a dilemma. We don’t have enough party volunteers to man all booths in future to show people how to exercise their democratic right and responsibility.

Or do we?

Why not introduce the 100-metre rule around polling booths that applies in Assembly elections also for Federal elections? People seem to manage okay without having sheafs of paper thrust at them and, in the absence of overdue improved voting methods, it would be a better result than the current system, which inevitably will break down.

It also would be fairer to small parties and independents who often have no chance of adequately manning polling booths.

And for once the politicians might listen.

Think of the votes they might lose if booths are unmanned under current rules.

current head of Foreign Affairs and Trade to follow him. She was head of the Department of Social Services when Robodebt was introduced and was subsequently promoted to DFAT by the Morrison government.

I hope the new federal integrity commission will examine the stacking of boards, tribunals and the like, along with the appointment of politicised departmental heads, ambassadors and delegates to various other Australian and international bodies, which need to be based upon merit rather than political favour.

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

HERE, in Canberra, the message is: “The ACT government is building light rail to Woden. We are investing in our city’s future by ensuring Canberra is a more connected, sustainable and vibrant city.”

A “vibrant city” with a slow, out-of-date tram that will take nearly twice as long as the new electric buses between Woden and Civic?

“Sustainable” when the building of the infrastructure for the tram with the necessary tracks and bridges plus importing 16 additional trams from Spain totally assembled will cause massive greenhouse gases? “Ensuring Canberra is a more connected …. city?” The authors obviously do not patronise Canberra’s buses otherwise they would know that on the R4 bus one can sit down in Tuggeranong and end up in Belconnen via Woden and Civic without getting up from one’s seat.

It is the rapid buses that are connecting parts of Canberra and not the tram. Even if after a cost of many billions of dollars a tram would eventually run that route, the ride would be so slow that it is unlikely anybody

Democracy well served by sausages “COMPULSORY” voting is undemocratic and next to useless as the only thing it does is force eligible voters to attend a polling station (or face a fine) and have their name crossed off the electoral roll. It does not necessarily result in a vote being cast.

You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink . The only good thing about “compulsory” voting is the democracy sausage!

Mario Stivala, Belconnen

Examine the stacking of boards SO Phil Gaetjens, who headed up the Prime Minister’s Department, has been relieved of his duties.

Now I look forward to Kathryn Campbell,

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Blind commitment to light rail THE blind commitment to light rail, a discretionary and unnecessary project, demonstrates the government’s incompetence and arrogance. Increased working from home and improved electric bus technology reinforce the stupidity of proceeding with light rail. A genuine review of Canberra’s land-use and transport strategy is required before more money is misspent on the project.

Mike Quirk, via citynews.com.au

The ‘vibrant’ slow, out-of-date tram

would opt for it.

And, of course, never tell the public the cost. The $3 billion the short stretch from Civic to Woden is likely to cost would upset them. Better to have them ride on a virtual tram in a wonderland of neatly trimmed lawns so they forget about the years of traffic chaos ahead.

Robin Underwood, via citynews.com.au

Deep hole draws down buckets of money THE ACT government will renew talks for further light rail funding from the new federal government, after federal Labor sensibly walked back its $200 million promise during the campaign.

The ACT government will request Commonwealth support for stage 2B through the Parliamentary Triangle.

Max Flint (Letters, CN May 24) states that Light Rail Stages 1 and 2 will cost around $5 billion if not more.

While I recently voted for a change of federal government, I hope Anthony Albanese with his strong background in infrastructure can see this ACT project is a dud that hasn’t stood up to scrutiny by the Auditor-General to date.

If the federal government wants to use funds wisely, it would be far better employed in bolstering the struggling health system in the ACT. The tram is a deep hole that keeps on drawing down large wasteful buckets of money.

Murray May, Cook

It’s elder abuse RE “So broke, the ACT government turns on widows” (“Seven Days”, May 19): Let’s call this out for what it essentially is – elder abuse of the highest order by the ACT Labor/ Greens government.

Vesna Strika, Gungahlin

Remember your words, prime minister DYING with Dignity ACT would like to remind Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that he opposed the euthanasia laws bill proposed

by Kevin Andrews with the following words in the Federal Parliament in 1996: “I oppose this Bill because I support human dignity. I oppose this Bill because I

support freedom of choice. I oppose this Bill because I support civil liberties. I oppose this Bill because my Christian upbringing taught me that compassion is important. I oppose this Bill because modern medical practice should be open and accountable, not covert and dishonest. I oppose this Bill because I believe that the national parliament should only intervene against the state or territory legislature when there is overwhelming public support to do so on a national level.”

We call on Mr Albanese to remember his words and to act immediately to repeal the 1997 Euthanasia Laws Act. Jeanne Arthur, president, Dying with Dignity ACT

Pricing ourselves out of existence DURING the election we often heard the call for affordable housing. Few understand how the problem is deeply rooted in the prevailing culture and the pursuit of so-called success and wealth to the extent that it now raises a question of survival.

Since World War II we have gradually built up vast social security and welfare schemes on which millions of Australians now depend (expenditure is about one third of the Australian government’s total expenditure).

These schemes have effectively displaced the family as stewards of social welfare but now they are unsustainable simply because there are not enough children being born to fund them going forward.

Australian fertility was 1.9 in 2010 and 1.58 in 2020. The price of housing, pursuing a career and maintaining a certain standard of living are all factors in the birth dearth.

We’ve become addicted to affluence. Family and children get in the way of our addiction.

Australia’s declining fertility is papered over with immigration. While large-scale immigration increases the number of skilled workers, it suppresses wages, especially for the unskilled.

It also increases demand for housing, driving up property prices along with competition from investors and now inflation. Housing prices are becoming prohibitive for young people, discouraging family formation.

At first, people did not have children because they wanted more (materially).

Today it is because they cannot afford them (financially). We are pricing ourselves out of existence.

John L Smith, Farrer

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SPORT / Katie Mack

Why Canberra is the cricketing captain’s pick WHEN you take a look back at the last 12 months of cricket, selecting Katie Mack as the new captain of the ACT Meteors was a no-brainer.

The team’s former captain Ange Reakes is taking a break from playing commitments as she prepares to welcome her first child in August, and stalwart Erin Osborne announced her retirement earlier this year.

The Meteors have lost a wealth of experience for the upcoming season, but despite these losses the new skipper comes into the leadership role at the peak of her cricketing career.

The last time Mack spoke to “CityNews” she was in the midst of a career-best season.

She was the second highest run scorer in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) before returning to Canberra and leading the scoring for the Meteors during the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) season, including a stunning century against SA in March.

Following her strong performances, Mack was selected by Cricket Australia to represent Australia A in a tour series against England A, and was in the conversation to make her debut for the country’s first XI. Mack believes she is ready to take on the important position in the

Katie Mack… “I know what I need to do on my end to be successful.” organisation, and credits a shift in her approach to the sport for her recent success.

“I have changed a lot over the last few years, and my priorities have changed,” said Mack.

“I have figured out the type of cricketer I am and I know what I need to do on my end to be successful.

“I still train hard, but I know what needs to be done and don’t need to think about it as much as I used to.

“Taking that away has freed up

time and mental space and I can be more invested in how my teammates are going and even how Cricket ACT is going as an organisation.”

The appointment comes at a time when the organisation has fully committed to Mack, signing her to a new three-year deal during the off-season which will keep her in the capital until the 2025/26 season.

It also comes as the WNCL expands to feature a full home and away fixture, with each

team increasing from eight matches a season to 12.

After such a successful season, Mack had options on the table and could have signed elsewhere, but Canberra is where she wants to be.

“I was at the end of my ACT and Adelaide Strikers contracts, so there had been a few negotiations,” said Mack.

“The nice thing about re-signing with the Meteors was that I had a pretty strong offer somewhere else, but I chose to be here.

“Five to 10 years ago ACT was potentially somewhere people went when they couldn’t crack other teams.

“That shows that the organisation is turning a corner. We have got a lot of people who are choosing to be here over being somewhere else.”

New high-profile signing Holly Ferling is an example of that appetite for players to move to the capital. The former Australian fast bowler will link up with the Meteors this season after moving from her home state of Queensland.

“Holly is choosing to come to the ACT, and I don’t know if that would have happened 10 years ago.”

At 28, Mack still has plenty of her

best years ahead, but also has more than a decade of experience in the cricketing world.

Her representative journey started in NSW in the 2011/12 season, before she made the move to the capital two years later.

She takes the reins of a young squad, but knows through her own experience that some of her teammates will take the same steps forward that she took over the last few seasons.

“There are girls in our team that have been there for a couple of years and it is their turn to be the experienced players – whether they are ready or not,” said Mack.

“They are no longer fresh faced around the group, and it will be good for them to have a bigger role in the group.

“It was one of the reasons I was keen to get an official leadership role in the group – I have been in their shoes and I feel I can offer advice so they don’t make the same mistakes as me, or help them get through if they do.”

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

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No matter the project, here are the insights from the Canberra region experts who can help bring that dream home to life.

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It’s just one of the valued services that Ebsworth Upholstery offers, says Robyn.

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“We customise the size of a particular piece to meet the customer’s requirements and they choose the timber,” he says.

OWNER of Duck Duck Goose Design Emma Miles believes interior design should create a space that reflects the charm and creativity that is an extension of you, your family and your lifestyle.

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Included is a range of Tasmanian Blackwood, says Tony, one of Australia’s most beautiful and sought after timbers.

“Tasmanian Blackwood is a prestigious hardwood with a warm and natural colour,” he says.

“It can adorn different rooms of the house, and can be complemented by any piece of furniture.

Duck Duck Goose owner Emma Miles.

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Established in 1970, and still a family run business, Endeavour will this year celebrate its 52nd anniversary.

Taylor says Endeavour has maintained its original objective of displaying exceptional choices of carpet, timber, laminate and hybrid flooring, vinyl, vinyl planks and rugs.

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

“Our showroom is so great that other retailers send their customers to view our huge range of top-quality

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

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Mahonia lomariifolia… a hardy evergreen shrub with fragrant yellow flowers and mature, dark-blue berries.

Arisarum vulgare is a sweet ground cover for a shady area where not much else grows.

Photos: Jackie Warburton

Shrub that doesn’t fear the frost AS the cold weather starts to bite, here’s a plant that’s not bothered by frost – Mahonia lomariifolia, a hardy evergreen shrub with fragrant yellow flowers and mature, darkblue berries.

It’s one of the tallest of the mahonias and is a striking foliage and perfect for a large garden.

The leaves are sharp, and this should not be planted on a pathway but a backdrop plant that doesn’t need pruning.

IF there are any dahlias in the garden, they should be lifted and stored under spent potting mix or sawdust and left to sit dormant for the winter. Ensure you leave at least 30 centimetres of stem with the tubers and keep them dry and away from frosts.

I leave most of mine in the ground because I am lazy, but I put extra mulch on the crowns to protect them from the frost. The other advantage of leaving large stems is that it’s a reminder where they are planted and not to dig in that area.

KEEPING the water up to the garden in the winter is important to make sure the soil doesn’t dry out and become hydrophobic.

Once an area of soil has dried out it can take a lot of effort to get the soil working again. Frost will draw moisture out of the plants and soil, so mulch is important for minimising the fluctuation

of temperature in the soil.

If there are any new shrubs from autumn planting, remember to keep the water up to them so they don’t dry out.

IN my mini-orchard, I have a self-fertile cherry “Stella”, a grafted three-way plum composed of Santa Rosa, Satsuma and Mariposa. They are all compatible and flower at the same time.

Different varieties have different growth rates so the tree can look unruly at times, but for space constraints it is worthwhile.

Don’t prune stone fruit now as we move into winter because it causes gummosis disease, a bacterial canker. Cherries, apricots and almonds should all be pruned after fruiting in summer.

For now, feed the soil with manure. Any manure is good, but chook manure is readily available to me and is high in nitrogen and good for fast spring growth. Later in spring I will switch over to potassium and phosphorus fertilisers for fruit-tree growth when the soil has warmed up.

ALL berries should be pruned now, including young berries and raspberries. Prune autumnfruiting berries to the ground and for summerfruiting berries, only remove old canes, leaving canes that haven’t fruited and tie them back to a

trellis. Keep the base of the canes weed free and feed with compost and mulch for the winter.

NOW’S the time to ensure branches of deciduous trees are not overhanging the house or causing damage to buildings. Engage a qualified arborist for any work over three metres tall as it’s dangerous and should not be carried out by the home gardener.

Deciduous trees are easier to prune when they are dormant and the branch structure of the tree can be clearly seen. Tree pruning work will be required if there is dead, diseased or damaged wood (the three “Ds”). This is one of the basic principles of all pruning.

ARISARUM vulgare is a sweet ground cover for a shady area where not much else grows. Once planted, you have it for life so place it on its own.

I have seen it underplanted in large areas of dry shade, where it disappears in spring and summer, and emerges in the cool months of the year. jackwar@home. netspeed.com.au

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ED IS N

Darth Vader’s younger self steps into the spotlight

NICK OVERALL

Lano and Woodley promise a whale of a time

By Helen

MUSA “IT really should’ve been called ‘Moby Dickheads’,” comedian Colin Lane opines about his part in the spoof version of Herman Melville’s classic novel by popular duo Lano and Woodley.

In a fast-moving exploration of the story, first seen at the Melbourne Comedy Festival and about to hit the whale-sized stage of the Canberra Theatre, Lano sets himself up as the straight man to Frank Woodley, who attempts to undermine him at every point even as, accompanied by creepy music, he tries to tell the tale as a serious narrative. Fat chance of that.

“Moby Dick” is one of the greatest novels in world literature, both in significance and sheer size, but strangely enough, it has always attracted actors wanting to do it on a smaller scale.

Lano mostly inhabits the larger-than-life figure of Captain Ahab – Gregory Peck in the 1956 movie – a byword for obsession as he circumnavigates the globe in search of his nemesis, the great white whale, Moby Dick.

You get to know an awful lot about whales when you read the novel, as the two

Lano and Woodley… “Frank has been my nemesis for the last 20 years – he’s my white whale,” says Lano. of them found in preparing for their show.

“I’m not sure how many literary editors there were in 1851,” Lano wonders, “but in the 700-odd pages [and 135 chapters] of the original, it covers religion, philology, zoology and weather science… There’s a reflection on

how white is possibly an evil colour, as with a polar bear, so that it can attract its prey”.

No wonder the duo, as they did in their previous show about the Wright Brothers, had to burrow down deep to find the essence, but as they did, a certain grand comic

madness emerged in the Melville novel, which reeks of doom and gloom, as Ishmael the narrator unveils the themes of revenge and madness and shows how the crew is seduced into Capt Ahab’s quest.

And because Woodley tries to sabotage Lano at all turns, it’s led him to reflect: “Frank has been my nemesis for the last 20 years – he’s my white whale.”

But considering what’s funny, “Moby Dick” is full of what he calls “comic fodder”, with Ahab’s pegleg, the motley crew, the skull and crossbones elements and the fact that every time they turned on the TV for some reason they saw “Moby Dick” references, so firmly has it entered popular culture.

Mind you, one of their friends asked recently whether Capt Ahab dies.

Spoiler alert here – he does. Only Ishmael survives to tell the tale and anyway, they pretty well tell the whole story in a song at the beginning.

Woodley pretends to bridle at my suggestion that he represents what Lano calls “tomfoolery and naivete”, but is happy enough to be described as an “everyman”.

“I hadn’t read the book, but I loved the Gregory Peck film and watched it lots of times on Bill Collins’ ‘Golden Years of Hollywood’ as a kid.”

So, when Lano suggested it to him, he thought it was a good idea, but then he had to read it.

“There are around 700 pages and

probably only about 150 are covered in the film – it’s a pretty bizarre book,” he says.

To Woodley, the novel is “a cross between a natural-history documentary and a thesis about whaling,” but he also thinks that “these days there would be an editor who would come down hard on Melville, I think that at the time in the 1850s, they needed to have a great figure in literature.

Once into the book, he, like Lano, discovered that obsession and madness are very close to comedy.

“We both knew that we could use the dark moodiness of Capt Ahab as a counterpoint for our own silly nonsense,” Woodley says.

“For the first 20 minutes Colin tries to set up a serious literary mood, but I’m there to undermine that.”

So how does he do that?

Well even the first line, “Call me Ishmael”, one of the most famous lines in literature, is up for grabs. “Is that an actual name?” he interrupts, then goes off at “a crazy tangent, which results in my using a pigeon as a telephone”.

“Colin’s been scarred by his relationship to me,” Woodley confides out loud. “By the end of the show, possibly he himself has become mad like Capt Ahab and is determined to kill me – if he can.”

Lano & Woodley’s “Moby Dick”, Canberra Theatre, June 8-11, Book at canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

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CityNews June 2-8, 2022 23

BOOKS / Nigel Featherstone

Discovering matters of the heart on the Monaro

By Helen

MUSA A TINY settlement in the magnificent Monaro, caught between the alps and the coastal escarpment, is the source of inspiration for Canberra region writer Nigel Featherstone’s second novel, out this month.

Not so much inspired by the lush Southern Highlands, where he has also lived, it was a trip to Bobundara, population 13 and 138 kilometres south of Canberra, that moved him to write “My Heart is a Little Wild Thing”, a gentle look at Australian masculinity.

But as I find, when we catch up, writing a novel is no straightforward matter and the intervention of fate helps.

Featherstone, one of the driving forces in the Canberra writing community, now commutes between Goulburn and the ACT, where he advises writers and works as a dramaturg at The Street Theatre.

He says he was inspired by time he spent on the Monaro – “that landscape really burrowed beneath my bones,” he says.

Written as a fictional memoir, it’s a very different kind of work from his 2019 success, “Bodies of Men”, set during World War I, but it is nonetheless a novel, a creative work of the imagination.

Author Nigel Featherstone… “I had my first draft in 14 days, I knew something had clicked.”

Photo: David Lindesay It is also a work of his mature years, for Featherstone’s protagonist, Patrick, is a man nearing middle age whose relationship with his increasingly demanding mother necessitates change.

“I first had the idea in 2007 of someone who is troubled going back to a place that means a lot,” he tells me.

“There he sees a strange animal and that’s the core story. It predates ‘Bodies of Men’.”

In early 2020, while working on another manuscript in need of editing, he met writer and photographer Trisha Dixon, author of several gardening books published by the National Library, who lives at Bobundara.

“I want to stay in the Monaro,” he wrote to her. To his amazement, Dixon replied, inviting him to stay in the “steading”, the out-building of her farm.

“After the horrible 2019 summer, we’d got

to February and there was smoke everywhere, so I said, I’ll come.”

The moment he walked through the door into a comfortable room where other artistic people had also stayed, he felt he’d come to the right place to edit his manuscript.

But almost immediately, he thought, “this manuscript doesn’t work”, so spent a week wandering and sitting around Bobundara chatting with Trisha’s son-in-law and Trisha herself, eventually deciding on a completely different direction and a different story.

Here’s the gist of it. A troubled man who lives in the same street as his fast-dementing mother, finds himself committing a violent act. To find a better way of living, he decides to go back to the Monaro where he and his family spent happy times in a rented steading, and there’s a strange animal lurking around.

“I had my first draft in 14 days, I knew something had clicked.” By contrast, it had taken him 40 drafts to get “Bodies of Men” finished.

Affirmations quickly followed. Canberra novelist Karen Viggers told him, “get this to your agent straightaway,” then he and fellow

authors Julie Keys and Robyn Cadwallader won a Write North Writers’ Group Residency with novelist Charlotte Wood and spent a week in the hinterland near Byron Bay. “It was just fantastic. We talked about artists’ strategies and then at the end of the week, Charlotte said: ‘I think you’ve got something quite special’.”

Featherstone came back, did 12 more drafts, then found that his publisher Robert Watkins had left Hachette and gone to the new Ultimo Press, an imprint of Hardie Grant, who told him: “I’m very keen to stay with you”. Featherstone felt the same and has ended up with Watkins and his old editor, Ali Lavau.

Fate played a part in other ways, too.

Caroline Stacey at The Street Theatre had told him of Chekhov’s advice to start a story after the bad things happened, Canberra poet Melinda Smith introduced him to the Spanish poet Lorca’s theme of the “devilmuse”, to which he could relate, and then his mother died.

Featherstone describes the Monaro as “the perfect place, turning up just after the death of a writer’s mother.”

But there is much more to the novel than just a mother-and-son story. There’s also a love interest, set against changing attitudes to same-sex love and marriage equality and the promise of a new life in a natural setting.

And there’s that mysterious animal.

Nigel Featherstone, “My Heart is a Little Wild Thing”, Ultimo Press/Hardie Grant Publishing ($32.99).

9 - 11 June

When the profound, transformative nature of creativity is combined with unconditional love, it becomes an unstoppable force

THEQ.NET.AU 24 CityNews June 2-8, 2022

DINING / No. 9 Palace, Dickson

Regal food, pity about service

By Wendy

JOHNSON PALACE style meets artful Chinese fusion at No. 9 Palace in Dickson.

Ambitions are high with promises of food fit for a king or queen.

The menu flags recommended dishes and uses chillies symbols to rank heat. Fresh ingredients are sourced as much as possible from local farmers’ markets.

We were off to a royal start with the entrees.

The traditional duck rolls ($14) were light and crispy on the outside, packed with succulent pieces of roasted duck and crunch came with the cucumber. The house-made earthy hoisin was delish. No. 9 Palace was accommodating with the number of pieces provided for our party of five.

The “Salmon Royal Boat” featured cubes of moist fish, slightly fried ($16), perched on lettuce and the dish ramped up with lime, honey, ginger and Thai chilli sauce.

Stunning presentation followed with dumplings shaped to look like goldfish (which promise good fortune at Chinese New Year). The eyes are steamed red beans and the glorious goldfish, stuffed with a steamed fish and prawn mixture, swam in a creamy, green bean and vegetable sauce ($8 for two pieces).

For mains, we applauded the generous service of Wagyu teriyaki beef cubes with the king oyster sauce adding that umami factor ($32).

The popcorn chicken was fun and lively, but not heavy on the heat. Grandma’s yummy chicken

Dumplings shaped to look like goldfish… the eyes are steamed red beans and the “goldfish” stuffed with a steamed fish and prawn mixture.

Photo: Wendy Johnson lived up to its promise of a mighty hot three-chilli (green and red) rating. The dish is cooked with Szechuan pickled peppers ($26).

The Palace roast duck was crowned for its beautiful presentation, arriving in an impressive red-lacquer box decorated with flowers. The duck was full of flavour and served with salty flying fish roe ($36).

The dish that made us yawn was the Dancing Eggplant ($22). It was bland and we agreed the batter was a bit heavy.

Traditional dishes include the Mao Xue Wang ($38), served with duck blood, beef tripe, pork intestine, clams, prawns and a spicy broth.

Banquets start at $55 per person and rise to $225

per person.

The wine list is compact and reasonably priced with glasses as low as $14. Our award-winning Austrian white was $35 a bottle and the Beaujolais French red $33. No. 9 Palace is also BYO. A bottle of Chinese liquor sets customers back $398.

The royal treatment didn’t extend from food to service. We repeatedly had to call the person waiting on us to ask for the obvious – wine glasses, water, clean bowls, the bill and more.

No-one asked if we enjoyed our food and there was a fair bit of confusion when ordering.

On a final note, avoid sitting near the kitchen area. It’s noisy and visually unattractive when the dividing curtain isn’t down.

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ARTS IN THE CITY

Indigenous art goes Van Gogh

By Helen Musa THE National Museum of Australia has got together with Grande Experiences, creators of “Van Gogh Alive”, to create “Connection”, a new digital experience, made up of more than 300 images from First Nations’ artists, including Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Albert Namatjira, Tommy Watson and Gabriella Possum. The digital spectacular opens at the National Museum on June 8 for a limited season.

THE National Portrait Gallery is calling all glam-punks, royal-rebels and glitzy-queens to help celebrate “Shakespeare to Winehouse: Icons from the National Portrait Gallery, London” in a night of frivolity featuring live music from Glitoris, performances by burlesque queens Jazida and Rosie Rivette, compositions by Tanzer and a drag queen act by MC Aaron Manhattan on June 10.

IN the family show, “Robot Song”, 11-year-old Juniper May befriends a discarded robot. Based on writer-director Jolyon James’ experience parenting a child on the autism spectrum, the show, staged

by Arena Theatre Company with digital technology, animatronics and an original musical score, celebrates differences in children. At The Q, Queanbeyan, June 9-11. Book at theq.net.au and 6285 6290.

“Connection”, a new digital experience made up of more than 300 images from First Nations’ artists.

AS part of ACT Hub’s inaugural season, Free-Rain Theatre Company director Anne Somes is staging “Emerald”, one of David Williamson’s biggest hits, in which screenwriter Colin, newly in Sydney, is seduced by its obsession with success. Causeway Hall, 14 Spinifex Street, Kingston, June 8-25.

PHOENIX Collective‘s “Enlightenment” concert will explore ideas of liberty, progress and individualism at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre, June 9 and Wesley Music Centre, June 10.

SHORTIS and Simpson are marking 50 years since Don McLean’s landmark song “American Pie” with their new political satire cabaret of the same name, a social and political history of Australia and the world in 1972. At Belconnen Arts Centre, June 10-11.

THE Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, under the direction of Nicole van Bruggen, will be in town with “Sounds of Vienna”, a pairing of Schubert’s octet for winds and strings and Joseph Leopold Eybler’s quintet. At the National Portrait Gallery, June 7.

CityNews June 2-8, 2022 25

STREAMING

CINEMA / Reviews

Darth Vader’s younger self steps into the spotlight

No bells, no whistles, but a no-nonsense treat

By Nick

OVERALL TWENTY years ago if Hayden Christensen came up in conversation about his role in “Star Wars”, odds are it wouldn’t sound pretty.

The actor had the hate piled on when he portrayed the light-saber-wielding and sand-hating Anakin Skywalker, a young Jedi doomed to become Darth Vader in George Lucas’ widely detested trio of prequel films in the early 2000s.

Christensen’s performance copped so much criticism that it entered the realm of comical. The actor was even nominated for “worst supporting actor” at 2002’s Razzie awards for his performance.

Fast forward to this week though, almost exactly two decades since Christensen first appeared in a galaxy far far away, and one will notice a complete 180 in the way he’s received.

Fans have rolled out the red carpet for his highly anticipated return as Anakin Skywalker in Disney Plus’ newest “Star Wars” mini-series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi”, a spin-off set smack bang in the middle of 2005’s controversial “Revenge of the Sith” and the 1977 classic “A New Hope”.

The series will see frontman Ewan McGregor also return as the show’s titular character. He reprises his role as the Jedi master who watches from afar as a young Luke Skywalker grows up on Tatooine in the years leading up to their fateful meeting in that film that 45 years ago changed pop culture forever.

Fans were always more adoring of McGregor as Obi-Wan and are excited to see him return to the screen, but it was

By Dougal

MACDONALD “Maigret” (M)

Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader.

the announcement of Christensen back as Darth Vader that truly set the hype into warp drive.

One could never have predicted that one day there’d be this kind of craving for content from the prequels. Somehow, in all their “lameness”, for lack of a better word, it seems a new, almost ironic enjoyment of the films has emerged.

Their cringeworthy dialogue has become the subject of an endless slew of memes and jokes that has created a new and truly bizarre love-hate relationship with the movies.

“It’s been so heartwarming for ‘Star Wars’ fans to finally embrace me,” Christensen said in a recent interview. “I guess the moral of the story is patience.”

It will be interesting to see whether in another 20 years this will also become the case for “Star Wars” episodes seven, eight and nine, released in the last few years by Disney and which have now become the new object of fan’s ire.

Hard to say. No one hates “Star Wars” like “Star Wars” fans, after all.

FOR streamers who prefer to stay down on earth, Binge has brought together the talent of home-grown hero Toni Collette and British star Colin Firth into a new true-crime crime thriller that’s bound to be another hit.

It’s called “The Staircase”, and it dives into the 14-year-long murder trial of Michael Peterson, a novelist who one night found his wife dead at the bottom of their family home’s staircase and who would spend more than a decade fighting for his innocence in the aftermath.

Collette is unsurprisingly excellent as Kathleen Peterson, but Firth’s performance is the linchpin of the drama here. He walks a tightrope between narcissism and likeability, keeping the audience questioning the truth behind

his character, similar to the way the real case mystified its juries.

What may confuse viewers is that Netflix also has a series titled “The Staircase” about the same trial. However this is a documentary about the notorious case, rather than a dramatic recreation.

Whether you prefer a doco or a drama series, this is a compelling true crime tale that’s worth checking out.

JEAN Smart has carved herself as one of modern television’s most diverse talents.

She played a chilling matriarch of a crime family in season two of the oddball crime-comedy series “Fargo”, a show that’s easily one of Netflix’s best offerings.

She was also the mother of Kate Winslet’s hangdog detective in last year’s excellent “Mare of Easttown”. In “Watchmen”, Smart even threw her hat in the superhero ring as FBI detective Laurie Blake, a former masked vigilante turned special agent.

But it’s undoubtedly Stan’s comedy series “Hacks” where she shines the most.

Here Smart stars as Deborah Vance, a Las Vegas stand-up comedy diva struggling to stay relevant and who teams up with a twenty-something comedy writer who’s been “cancelled” after an insensitive tweet.

The series’ first season took out some of the most sought after awards in the TV industry, awash in Emmys for outstanding writing, directing and of course an acting gong for Smart.

Season two hits the highway for a road trip that’s got similar vibes to the ‘90s classic “Thelma and Louise”. Rest assured though, based on the excellent first few episodes of the new season, “Hacks” certainly isn’t going over any cliff anytime soon.

WHEN I settled down to watch what French writer/director Patrice Leconte has confected with Georges Simenon’s tale of his good friend Jules Maigret as developed into a screenplay

by Jérôme Tonnerre, it took but a few minutes to realise that I was in for a bit of a treat.

Not outstanding cinema; just a nononsense movie that avoided bells and whistles, told it like it was and showcased Gerard Depardieu in the title role.

Plot? It’s 1953, an attractive young woman (Simenon called his story “Maigret et La Jeune Fille”) clad in an expensive-looking ball gown now covered in blood. She’s dead. No name. Find who she is, how she came to be found and where. And who dunnit. A stolid, well-built movie. I liked it.

Simple ingredients, filmed sometimes in monochrome, other times in colour, populated by characters, some helpful, others determined to obfuscate.

And towering over the whole thing, a massive man mourning the recent death of his daughter, driven by a professional urge to discover whodunit in the best tradition of the genre.

Now 73, with 248 titles in his filmography, Depardieu moves like an overweight behemoth. An uncharitable observer might wonder, did he get the role as a farewell gesture after a stellar movie career that began when he was 19? I met him briefly at the Sydney Film Festival long ago. Some moments escape one’s cognitive impairment.

At Palace Electric

“Top Gun: Maverick” (M) IT’S 35 years since Tom Cruise launched the “Top Gun” aerial circus playing US Navy aviator Lt Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.

This sequel runs, including credits, for 131 minutes.

A couple of Uncle Sam’s admirals think the US Navy’s pilots should destroy an unnamed enemy Tom Cruise in the and an unnamed “Top Gun” sequel. target.

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Gerard Depardieu in the title role of “Maigret”.

The flight plan sounds and looks crackers, requiring every “Top Gun” rookie (the top pilots in the greatest air force anywhere on the planet – don’t ask me – that’s what the dialogue says!) to fly at high speed and dangerously low altitudes. But can it be done?

Well, it’s going to be done. And at the US Navy’s Flight Training School, now Capt Pete Mitchell is going to teach them how to do it. In all those intervening years, he’s only gone up one rank – he’d rather fly an aircraft capable of flying at Mach 10 than a desk.

I’m no physicist with knowledge of how Mach numbers are measured and why they’re significant, but I understand that they do not on their own measure how fast an aircraft is flying. The film’s first serious flying sequence involves Maverick flying at a speed reaching Mach 10. Twaddle and buschwah. For me the rest was a waste of time and space that didn’t get any better after that.

And what idiot would ride a powerful motorbike bare-headed – no helmet – and wearing Levis, not leathers? Maverick would!

As the movie wore on, an impression began building in my mind. It looks like an advertisement for a US Navy recruitment campaign. I’ve read that all the flying sequences were shot for real. Watch them. Get a buzz from them.

Here’s what “Sight and Sound”, as reliable a movie magazine as any, more so than most, said about “TGMAV”: “The new ‘Top Gun’ mission is pretty much an analogue of … ‘Star Wars’ as Mav and pals have to launch a strike against a ground-based Death Star… soap sub-plots are presented in basic, straightfaced-but-gigglesome fashion that often feel like sly spoof. Less ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ than ‘Hot Shots! Part Trois’.”

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Your week in the stars

By Joanne Madeline Moore

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General knowledge crossword No. 832

June 6-12, 2022 ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

Mighty Mars (your patron planet) and Jupiter are both jumping through your sign.

So have the courage and confidence to be the real, authentic you. Draw inspiration from movie star (and birthday great) Judy Garland: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” The Venus/Uranus conjunction (on the weekend) will boost your self-esteem, as you view yourself through a less critical and more accepting filter.

AT TAX TIME, RECORD KEEPING IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Venus, Mercury and Uranus are visiting your sign, which enhances your Taurus charisma… and you’ll need every drop of it! People will be unpredictable, so power up your communication skills and turn the charm factor up to 10. And do you have to make an important professional decision? Saturn is slowing proceedings so be patient and wait for a more opportune time. The weekend is wonderful for love-at-first-sight, bohemian fashion and quirky projects.

With tax time looming, Jordyn called to ask if there was anything different he should know about his 2022 tax return.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Hey, Twins – this week the two sides of your personality will be on show for everyone to see! With the Sun in your sign, you’re keen to communicate and circulate. However – with Mercury, Venus and Uranus visiting your solitude zone – you also require plenty of time to spend on your own as you relax and regenerate from within. So try to balance socialising with contemplation and meditation.

Friday favours intense thoughts and powerful conversations.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

You’re keen to retreat into your Crab cave as the Sun visits your contemplation zone. So solo activities like meditation and yoga are favoured. But a close relationship could veer off-course and shake you out of any sense of complacency. Your inner voice will help you to navigate your way back home. Be inspired by Princess Diana (who had Sun in intuitive Cancer and Moon in rebellious Aquarius): “I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.”

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Leos are creative creatures with fiery, fertile imaginations. And – with Mercury, Venus and Uranus transiting through your career zone – it’s time to show the world how creatively fabulous you can be. So this week, dig deep, connect with your inner muse and express yourself! Be inspired by music icon (and birthday great) Prince: “To create something from nothing is one of the greatest feelings, and … I wish it upon everybody. It’s heaven.”

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Virgos are certainly clever and capable. The question is – are you confident enough for big-time success? The Sun’s shining in your career zone, but you won’t get ahead if you waste time making mountains out of molehills. Networking is favoured, as you expand your international connections. A wonderful opportunity is heading in your direction, but you must grab it when it appears, or it will pass you by. So stop over-thinking things and instead, start doing!

Down

4 With which name did Van Gogh sign his paintings? (7) 8 What is the mutton-fish also known as?

(7) 9 What are irregular patches in the sky? (7) 10 To have engaged in discussion, is to have done what? (7) 11 Which spotted, leopard-like cats are found in the Americas? (7) 12 What is an overshoe of a waterproof substance? (6) 14 Name a renowned Australian former tennis player, Patrick ... (6) 18 Which term describes vehicles coming and going in a street, town, etc? (7) 21 Which trees are usually known as wattle, in Australia? (7) 22 Name a high-ranking army officer. (7) 23 To compel obedience, is to do what? (7) 24 What are seats for two or more people?

(7)

1 What do we call soft material used for stuffing, packing, etc? (7) 2 Name an African snake whose bite causes almost certain death. (5) 3 Which term describes horses not expected to win?

(7) 4 What is a seller also called? (6) 5 To be stately, is to be what? (5) 6 Name an Australian runner who won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1960, Herb ... (7) 7 What are layers or levels? (5) 13 What is a small folded sheet of printed matter, as for distribution? (7) 15 What is another name for lucerne? (7) 16 Which term might describe a Sydney City NRL player?

(7) 17 What is a weighing-machine called? (6) 18 Name a group of blood-sucking mite like animals. (5) 19 To practise swordplay, is to do what? (5) 20 Name a jewelled ornamental coronet, worn by women. (5)

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

The week starts with gung-ho Mars and adventurous Jupiter jumping through your relationship zone. So proactive partnerships and exciting joint ventures are favoured, as you spark ideas off each other. Then, courtesy of the Venus/Uranus hook up, you’ll find love, passion, friends and/or finances will become increasingly unpredictable. So hold onto your hat, expect the unexpected and prepare for a wild ride this weekend! Life certainly won’t be boring.

Solution next edition

Across

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Sudoku hard No. 316

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

This week Mercury and Pluto boost your business brain, as you feel more positive about your financial and professional future. But resist the urge to be precious about possessions and possessive of loved ones. Give family and friends plenty of freedom to do their own thing. Attached Scorpio – resist the temptation to keep a big secret from your partner. Unhappily single? Venus and Uranus encourage you to look for a lover who is outside your comfort zone.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Mars and Jupiter (your power planet) are charging through your self-expression zone. So it’s time to fire up and be proactive about being creative! Your motto for the moment is from this week’s birthday great, music icon Prince: “I want to tell people to create. Just start by creating your day. Then create your life.” The Venus/Uranus conjunction (on the weekend) favours mixing with inspiring work colleagues, bohemian friends and artistic acquaintances.

If you need advice on your tax returns or any other tax-related matter. Contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd on 02 6295 2844.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

With Pluto still visiting your sign, you’re passionate about getting ahead. But the more you try to control and rush others, the more they will resist. So, slow and steady wins the current race. When it comes to loved ones, you’ll find communication, consultation and active listening will get you a lot further than bossy behaviour. On the weekend, plan a romantic escape (with your partner) or a heavenly holiday (at your dream destination) for sometime soon.

Disclaimer This column contains general advice, please do not rely on it. If you require specific advice on this topic please contact Gail Freeman or your professional adviser.

Authorised Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFS Lic No. 229892.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2022

Solutions – May 26 edition Sudoku medium No. 316

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

Do your best to assiduously avoid Piscean passivity and procrastination. With Mercury, Venus and Uranus all activating your learning and local environment zones, it’s time to be confident and courageous as you proactively set ambitious goals, attract mentors, and expand your world in exciting new directions. Study, observe, listen and learn! So your motto is from birthday great (and music legend) Prince: “I like constructive criticism from smart people.”

Solution next edition

Crossword No. 831

Taskmaster Saturn continues its journey through your sign (until March 2023). So, you can expect ongoing problems, disruptions, delays, difficulties and general shenanigans. Don’t let that deter you Aquarius! If you are flexible and adapt to constantly changing circumstances, then you can still make progress in pleasing and satisfying ways. As actor/activist (and birthday great) Michael J. Fox observes: “Our challenges don’t define us, our actions do.”

"Well, not so much different but the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has announced its areas of concern and what they are expecting to see so it is opportune that you asked," I told him.

"The first concern is record keeping. You may be aware that the ATO receives a lot of information about things such as car sales and purchases, property sales and purchases, share sales and purchases and crypto-currency sales and purchases.

"So it's really important you have proper records that can substantiate your claims so that they match up with the ATO information.

"The ATO also recommends that you don’t lodge too early as they may not have received all the information in early July.”

I told him that the second concern related to working from home.

There were three different ways that he could claim his workingfrom-home expenses.

"These are the actual costs method, 52 cents an hour and 80 cents an hour," I said.

"The record-keeping requirements are different for each method. If you use actual costs you need to apportion the costs very carefully and your calculations must be available in the event of an audit.

"You can’t just say it’s about 1/3 of the house, so that's my claim. If you claim 52 cents an hour you need to keep a diary for one month that you then extrapolate over the year and if you claim 80 cents an hour, you need a record of every day worked from home and the number of hours you worked each day. If you use this method you cannot claim any other costs, such as computers or phones.”

Jordyn said: “Goodness, Gail. I didn’t realise how complex this is.”

I said: “There's more, I'm afraid: next are the phone claims, you need to keep a log for one month of your phone usage split into business and private use, as well as separating data useage.

"Those ratios are then extrapolated across the year for your claim. Some of the telephone companies will send you itemised bills, which makes it easier for you to work out which calls are for business.

"If you cannot provide a business percentage then your claim is limited to $50 for the full year for the phone and $50 for the full year for data. This is probably much less that you would have been able to claim with proper records.

“The next item the ATO is checking is rental income and deductions.

The ATO is interested in correct apportionments if you do not rent the whole of the property.

"For example, where there are two properties on the same block.

They are also concerned that insurance payouts are correctly recorded in your tax return.

"I have had a few instances of clients receiving insurance monies to cover loss of rent and not realising that needed to be included in their returns. The other thing that is often missed is when someone receives part of the bond back to cover repairs or lack of notice on vacating. That is also required to be included in your tax return.”

On that note, Jordyn set off to assemble his documents for tax time.”

02 6295 2844

Unit 9, 71 Leichhardt Street, Kingston ABN 57 008 653 683

(Chartered accountant, SMSF specialist advisor and Authorised Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFS Lic No. 229892)

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