CityNews 220929

OUT & FEED THE BIRDS AT CANBERRA WALK-IN

Old or unwanted, Rotary gives bicycles a new life

By Lily PASS

GOT a bike in the back shed you’re not using? The Rotary Club of Canberra would love to have it for the return of its annual BuyCycle fundraiser.

“The aim of BuyCycle is to look at a new and novel way to bring in some income for the club, but to also work within the community to get people out more on bikes, riding, doing healthy things,” says immediate club past-president Sandra Turner.

BuyCycle funds will go to Rotary’s “community fund,” to support future projects in the local community or internationally.

“From 2015 to 2019, BuyCycle grew every year but then, of course, we had to stop because of COVID-19.

“So 2022 is a perfect time to re convene. Spring is the best time for cycling and getting outside.

“We know that a lot of people did a lot of different exercises while they were in lockdown and bikes were one of the things that people bought and used and got some value out of.

“We expect that there’s probably a few people now who aren’t using them as much and so we’re encouraging the

well and we receive a small [commis sion] for the effort of selling the bike

a queue of “at least a good 50 people” ready well before opening time.

“Bikes have to be mechanically sound and in a safe working order

- and giving your bike a good clean before you drop it off will definitely encourage interest,” she says.

There are drop off locations on the north and south sides of Canberra, and donations should be made before October 14 – send an email through the Canberra Rotary Club website to organise a donation.

Alternatively, people can drop off their bike donation at the Fitters Workshop between 11am and 4pm on

“Previous events have shown that bikes sell in the range between $200 to $800, so that means there are some great bikes available for all riders and

“People can list their bikes now on the Canberra BuyCycle website, but we tend to see most listings closer to the event. In previous years, we typically have had around 200 bikes for sale on the day and we expect to have that many or more listed by this event.”

The owner of two bikes, Sandra says: “Canberra is a cycling city. I think Rotary has been known over many years for fundraising activities and so cycling was a logical option. You’ve got everything you need in Canberra for cycling.

“I’d love to see BuyCycle continue to grow, through bike contributions and community involvement.”

canberrabuycycle.com.au

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The BuyCycle line-up.

Why Harry, Meghan and me don’t like them!

FIRST, I need to set the scene:

Meghan Markle and husband Prince Harry have dumped the New York-based PR firm who helped, apparently, to “extract them from the British royals”. I know.

A tittle-tattle website called RadarOnline says it has confirmed “the unpopular Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry, have severed ties with their US PR firm; with Sunshine Sachs telling us, ‘we no longer work’ with the exiled royals.”

Sunshine Sachs spins things such as corporate-image programs, crisis communication, reputation management and issues management, public affairs and media relations.

Hold those thoughts. A few weeks ago, “CityNews” sharp-eyed streaming columnist Nick Overall spotted a local name in the cast of what is believed to be the most expensive television series ever made ($US1 billion and counting for five seasons), Amazon Prime’s “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”.

The local name is Sara Zwangobani, formerly of Cook, who plays a harfoot named Marigold Brandyfoot.

As I glazed over, the diligent Overall tells me a harfoot is one of three breeds of hobbit in

Middle Earth and Marigold is the mother of an inquisitive young harfoot named Nori.

The show is a prequel set thousands of years before the events in JRR Tolkien’s famous books “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”.

In an interview titled “Sara comes home a star” in June, 2011, “CityNews” arts editor Helen Musa hailed Zwangobani as “not a manufactured Canberra-girl-made-good –she’s the real thing”.

She wrote that Zwangobani was born in Canberra, raised in Cook and went to the local primary school.

“She enjoyed ‘a great drama program’ at Hawker College under theatre educationist and writer Frank McKone in what she regards as the college’s golden days,” waxed Musa.

“She’s a huge fan of her home town and still has family here… declaring herself ‘envious’ of friends who’ve been able to make their lives here permanently.

“Trained here as a hoofer at Betsy Sawers’ School of Dance, she worked with Human Veins Dance Theatre, then left in the early ‘90s for the Victorian College of the Arts.

“On graduating, she was headhunted by John Howard (the actor, not the politician) to work in Sydney.”

In film and TV, she found steady roles on “All Saints”,“Home and Away” and “Love My Way”, and parts in films such as “The Merchant of Fairness” and “Disgrace”.

writing a story on Sara Zwangobani and her new role in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ as a major feature story for our magazine.

“I’d be interested in asking Sara about growing up in Canberra, how she got into acting, and what it’s been like getting to work on this new series.

“I was wondering whether a phone interview could be arranged some time this week at a time suited to her…”

The reply was: “Nick, looping in Sara’s publicity team, Erin and Erica from Sunshine Sachs who will take this forward with you. Over to you, team! Nx”

Light-bulb moment: Sunshine Sachs; remember? The spinners dumped by Harry and her.

“Hi Nick, coming back to you here! Would the possibility of a cover be on the table for discussion?” asks Erin Piepenbrok , a senior SS account executive, based in Los Angeles.

“My editor would first have to see the images of Sara and read the article before making a decision on this, but I think this would make for a great cover,” wrote Overall encouragingly, but conceding the decision was above his pay grade.

“We’d need a guaranteed offer for the cover for sure,” came the response from California.

the little local rag that won’t be bullied into blindly agreeing to their terms.

Odd thing was, had we got the interview and knowing how well Nick would have written the story, it would probably have made the cover.

GOWRIE snout Bjorn Moore sent through a photo of a sign hammered into an over grown brush/grassland area behind his local primary school. It had piqued his curiosity.

“I walked the area to see for myself if there was an obvious problem,” he reports.

dirt piled around that makes a bit of a track for kids to jump their bikes over. It’s been there for years and years.”

For kids. On bikes. For years and years… and, he says, nothing appeared to be wrong.

“I was expecting to see some hazards that formed a dangerous environment.”

Given the sign threatens to “...remove the track”, Bjorn emailed asking what the ACT government’s requirements for a bike track are.

The Gowrie kids are in for a shock: to hang on to their bike track they’ll have to identify a separate proposal, design and construc tion stages, which will include site visits, nominating project managers, site map and documentation, demonstrating community support, identifying resources and evidence of funding, establish time frames, registering volunteers and completing safety training, entering a formal agreement with the government (to be covered for insurance purposes), engaging a qualified track builder and on-going maintenance upon completion.

“I suggest this may be the end of most makeshift local neighbour hood bike tracks with the flattening of such likely,” says Bjorn.

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews”.

Sara Zwangobani.

Back to reporter Overall, who has tracked down Zwangobani’s management and writes a polite request to her screen agent Naomi Hannan for an interview: “I’m interested in

Not how we do it, Erin. And that’s where we left it; like Harry and Meghan, giving Sunshine Sachs the flick, but sorry the localgirl-made-good, the “huge fan of her home town”, “the real thing” Sara Zwangobani has media representation that turns her back on

“It has worn paths with some mounds of

17 September – 3 December

Lose yourself in the work of influential Australian Chinese artist Lindy Lee. Slow down and take in shimmering, meditative and thought-provoking works in her survey exhibition, which draws on her experience of living between two cultures.

Exhibition organised and toured by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.

Above: Lindy Lee, Palace of Sunlight (detail), 2017, flung bronze, image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney and Singapore, © the artist.

Left: Installation view, Lindy Lee, Buddhas and Matriarchs, 2020, Lindy Lee: Moon in a Dew Drop, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 2020, flung bronze, image courtesy the artist and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, © the artist, photograph: Anna Kučera

Goodbye to the Gowrie bike track?

EVs are one thing, but plugging in is another

THE phasing out of internal combustion vehicles in the ACT by 2035 is a bold challenge for the Barr government.

The approach sees sales of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) being 80 per cent-90 per cent of the market by 2030 – just over seven years away.

But is our infrastructure ready?

Labor’s Chief Minister Andrew Barr and his Greens ministerial colleague, Shane Rattenbury, published a joint media release detailing many of the actions outlining the path to a zero-emission vehicle city over the next 12 years.

It is a visionary approach that goes well beyond the next election and builds on actions already undertaken by the government.

However, the lack of detail on issues to make a real difference are fundamental to a successful path as set out in the joint media statement. The additional challenge means going beyond the ACT. What can the ACT government do with regard to people who live in Queanbeyan and the national capital region? These neighbours play a key role in the way Canberra will be able to develop its ZEV strategy.

This recent example is illustrative. My neighbours took their electric car from Canberra heading to Bathurst and expected to charge when they arrived.

As the car is not a Tesla, they checked on the appropriate app to identify the location of the NRMA charging station. NRMA has been having trouble with vandalism of its units, and unfor tunately, the one suitable charging station was out of order. Close by were six Tesla charging stations – all being available at the time.

Although Tesla plugs do fit this car, they are

deliberately programmed to only charge their own brand of vehicle.

This restrictive trade practice is disappearing in Europe with Tesla recently opening some access for non-Tesla electric vehicles in around a dozen European countries and the UK.

However, the price for non-Tesla vehicles is

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greater and the owner is required to have the Tesla app in order to pay for their electricity.

ACT residents being encouraged to use electric vehicles need to be reassured that such restrictive trade practices will be eliminated not just in our own jurisdiction but across Australia.

For an effective transition to ZEVs the community must have the confidence there will be a significant increase in appropriate infrastructure.

In the example above, it was necessary to plug the vehicle into a normal power point over night in order to have enough power to get to a commercial charging station in another town – which would take about a half an hour for a charge.

The same couple had successfully driven to Adelaide and returned with very little problem only a couple of months ago. However, the problem of a broken charger in Bathurst was repeated on the journey home, turning an expected three-hour trip into one taking more than seven hours.

Appropriate infrastructure within the ACT and across Australia is a key to transition to ZEVs.

Barr and Rattenbury have been addressing this issue within the ACT. As far back as 2020 they announced increasing the number of stations by around a hundred.

They pointed out that they have prioritised emission reduction efforts in this area because, “transport currently represents

the largest source of emissions for the ACT, making up over 60 per cent. Of this, 70 per cent is from private car use”.

Other good news for ZEV buyers in the ACT includes stamp duty waivers, free vehicle registration and no-interest loans of up to $15,000 through the Sustainable Household Scheme (SHS) and even remov ing stamp duty on second hand ZEVs reducing average cost by around $1600.

The government is deter mined to be a national leader in this area. It has argued there will be a determined effort on “national advocacy”.

Another 180 new charging stations are being planned for 2025 with $2000 grants for other charging stations in apartment buildings. Hopefully, it will be enough to supplement home charging.

The ACT government has not been shy in taking on the challenges of climate change and working towards net zero emis sions. This is an important step to maintain the ACT’s world leading standards. However, there are still plenty of challenges ahead.

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.

Heading for Bathurst… What to do when the NRMA charging station is out of order?

Vacant Tesla charging points… deliberately programmed to only charge their own brand of vehicle.

What can the ACT government do with regard to people who live in Queanbeyan and the national capital region? These neighbours play a key role in the way Canberra will be able to develop its ZEV strategy.

WHIMSY / A vehicle is stolen in Australia every 12 minutes

Everything you need to know about stolen cars

IN 2021, Canberra had the second-highest vehicle theft rate in Australia per thousand vehicles registered (after the NT). That year in the ACT, 1432 vehicles were stolen.

A vehicle is stolen in Australia every 12 minutes. Queensland had the most stolen vehicles last year at 15,805. Victoria was next with 15,353. (The figures are based on local government and Australian Bureau of Statistics data for crime and vehicle registrations.)

Australia’s most stolen vehicles in 2021 were (in order) the Holden Commodore VE, Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger PX, and Holden Captiva CG. A few years ago, we had our Toyota Camry station wagon stolen from our Canberra driveway. Police found it a couple of days later at Narrabundah. It was damaged mechanically, includ ing a broken steering lock, and I had to spend over a thousand dollars to get it back on the road.

I subsequently found a timed receipt from a pharmacy in Kingston under the front seat from the period when it had been stolen. I gave the receipt to police so they could identify the thief through the pharmacy’s CCTV. They were reluctant to follow it up – and didn’t. I learned later that there were two major reasons for the

lack of follow-up.

Firstly, the perpetrator was believed to be from a local family that was regularly in trouble with police. Police management was reportedly concerned about being accused of racist targeting.

Secondly, weak ACT legislation made car theft difficult to prove. Even when prosecutors took car-theft offences to court, the sentences awarded to repeat offenders amount ed to a weak slap-on-the-wrist.

The Camry was never the same again and I ended up giving it away.

Our next vehicle had its number plates stolen, also while in our driveway. I was told by police it wasn’t unusual for thieves to take the number plates to put on another vehicle to be used for ram-raiding or getting free petrol by driving off without paying (I have since secured our number plates with one-way screws from Bunnings).

In winter, it’s common for Canber rans to leave their vehicle unattended in their driveway with its engine running to de-ice the windows. If someone steals a vehicle when it’s

been left vulnerable like that, the owner’s comprehensive insurance will probably be voided – meaning, of course, no insurance payout.

Many modern vehicles have wing mirrors that fold in automatically when the vehicle is locked. Opportunity thieves, often drug addicts, look out for parked modern vehicles with the wing mirrors still extended because they know they’ve been left unlocked and they can readily access the contents. This is handy for thieves in car parks where trying lots of vehicle doors might attract attention. The most attractive contents for thieves are laptops, purses, and GPS units.

Sometimes, externally accessible parts of vehicles are stolen. Car wreck ing yards will pay up to $1400 for a catalytic converter, while some exhaust systems contain precious metals.

Vehicles with a keyless entry option unlock automatically when the vehicle’s key fob comes within a short distance of the vehicle. In typical key less entry designs, the car transmits a low-frequency (eg, 135 kHz) radio signal to wake up any wireless keys within range. When a key fob receives

this signal, it replies with a unique VHF (eg, 315 MHz) signal, and the parent car unlocks. It’s relatively easy for professional thieves to replicate the vehicle’s low frequency transmis sion and record a key fob’s response, even when it’s inside a house if kept near the front door.

Non-keyless entry vehicles are more difficult to steal unless the thief physically has the key. At home, many people leave the vehicle key conveni ently near their front door, making it a tempting break-in target (in 2020-21, 55 per cent of all Australian vehicle thefts occurred from victims’ homes).

All vehicle keys should be kept out of sight and away from the front door, preferably in a key safe. Keyless entry fobs should always be in a signalblocking pouch or container, such as a metal tin.

And remember to reprogram your key if you buy a secondhand vehicle!

What happens to all these stolen vehicles?

Most are stolen for joyriding and often end up being torched to destroy evidence.

Some get broken up for resale of parts. Vehicles are typically worth six to eight times more in parts than a

whole vehicle.

Some vehicles are stolen for rebirthing, while exotic vehicles may be stolen to order for re-birthing.

On the plus side, of the 39,900 ve hicles stolen in 2021, 72 per cent were recovered, with police in Victoria and SA being the most likely to locate missing vehicles.

On a lighter note. A police officer stops a vehicle and says to the driver: “It’s road safety week and I’ve been asked to award a $1000 gift voucher to all careful drivers. What will you do with the money?”

“Probably pay for a driver’s licence” says the bogan driver. “Don’t listen to him, officer” says his partner, “He’s been drinking”.

Then the son in the back seat says: “I told you we’d be in trouble if we took a car with keys in it”. And a voice from the boot says: “Are we there yet?”

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist.

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Weak ACT legislation makes car theft difficult to prove. Even when prosecutors took car-theft offences to court, the sentences to repeat offenders amounted to a weak slap-on-the-wrist.

Giving clubs’ green space a sporting chance

RESIDENTS’ groups have become reluctant to respond to ABC Canberra’s call for comment on the development decisions such as those for the Ainslie Group (Ainslie Football Club).

They hold back because of the ABC’s reputation of accepting the govern ment’s and developers’ spin as fact and that they go into battle on their behalf against the residents. For residents to be interviewed on ABC Canberra is not a friendly or useful experience.

While that is not acceptable, another worrying point is the attitude of these clubs towards residents when it comes to the use of sites regarded as being part of the community.

The clubs say they are community clubs yet they go out of their way to create an image of community representatives as being vexatious and NIMBYs. The sporting clubs when they transform into developers (as opposed to remaining community focused) rarely go out of their way to understand why the community groups feel forced to raise objec tions to proposals that result in the privatisation of open spaces and public land. This commercialisation is being done with the silent blessing of the Greenslabor politicians. It is their porous planning rules that en able developers to work with sporting

clubs to make money for all parties at the expense of the local community.

Canberra is not alone in experienc ing these battles when sports grounds, golf courses and community spaces are proposed to be redeveloped for housing – to make some quick cash. There have been wins for the community the likes of which people in Canberra can only dream about given the ACT’s Greensla bor’s broken planning regimes and the links to clubs as developers.

Camperdown Commons is a success story for an inner-Sydney former bowling club. The local RSL club worked with locals to come up with a mixture of new facilities – green spaces, cafes, venues for hire and venues for entertainment. Very popular on the weekends.

The Petersham Bowling Club was a decade ago in disrepair and unlikely to survive. The management had old-guard thinking and moved to have the site cleared for townhouses (sound familiar?). Locals moved in, joined the club, took over the management and now have a modernised club (no pokies) – one bowls area remains with the other a playground – with a community pub attached along with other facilities, including a library.

In Sydney’s north, locals opposed the Ku-ring-gai Council’s plan to sell off a former bowls club site and to re zone the land for development. Locals argued that once a green space was redeveloped, you don’t get them back and people need more green spaces – not less. The council has since

dropped its proposal and resolved to investigate alternative uses for the space as a community site.

Their federal politicians got involved and pushed for the retention of the site for the community. ACT federal politicians do not get involved with local stuff. They are busy with important stuff and would not want to dirty their hands with local urban and green space issues – matters important to residents.

The Canberra Racing Club is proposing to repurpose some of its land for residential redevelopment – make more cash as if they do not already get enough handouts from the ACT taxpayer.

The more sensible thing would be to move the racing club out of this central area and to rethink the

use of the site – possibly as a major green space and wetland with some innovative architectural townhouses attached. We wait to see if any local and ACT federal politicians are community-focused enough to push for such a community-based solution for the use of this valuable site.

Community groups continue to challenge these in-house developer moves by clubs to raise funds through selling of spaces that should other wise be community sites and open green spaces into the future. There’s plenty of infill underway and, as more homes and units materialise, there’s an equivalent need for more commu nity spaces, playgrounds, community facilities and parks.

As for the clubs themselves, maybe the old-guard suits need to be voted off the boards and replaced with residents committed to keeping clubs and their grounds open to the community.

Paul Costigan is a commentator on cultural and urban matters.

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

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Camperdown Commons… a success story for an inner-Sydney former bowling club. Photo: Paul Costigan

ACT federal politicians do not get involved with local stuff. They’re busy with important stuff and would not want to dirty their hands with local urban and green space issues.

Real truth about the Budget as deficits mount

THE recently released 202223 ACT Budget forecast a “headline” operating deficit of $483 million in 2022-23, improving to a deficit of $229 million in 2025-26.

The “headline” operating balance measure, which was adopted by the ACT government in media associated with the tabling of the Budget, includes returns on its superannuation fund investments.

However, under the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for Government Finance Statistics (GFS), which have been agreed to by all Australian states and territories and the Commonwealth, such returns are not, for good reason, included when calculating the surplus/deficit of the operating budget.

This begs the question, therefore, why Chief Minister and Treasurer Andrew Barr broke with convention and repeatedly referenced the “headline” operating deficit and not that revealed by recourse to GAAP in his public commentary on the Budget.

The most plausible answer is that the GAAP financial statements published in this latest ACT Budget (Page 295, Budget Paper 30), reveal a much grimmer real ity, namely a deficit of $701 million in 2022-23.

The ACT Budget deficit is bigger than the chief minister is letting on – $218 million bigger.

JON STANHOPE & KHALID AHMED reveal that Andrew Barr, as Treasurer, has now produced 11 consecutive deficits with at least three more to come.

That’s $218 million more than the headline deficit and a deficit of $500 million in 2025-26 or $271 million more than the headline number. Over the Budget and forward estimates period, the headline operating deficit is a cool $974 million less than that revealed through the application of the nationally accepted accounting standard.

Sections of the media, as they are entitled to do so, accepted the government’s Budget pronouncements at face value, and complimented the chief minister and treasurer for his management of the territory’s finances.

However, Opposition Leader and shadow treasurer Elizabeth Lee did raise questions about the history of deficits and the rising debt, and whether the Budget forecasts were credible given the history of forecasts over the last several years.

Quizzed by the media and in Budget estimates about the state of the Budget, Barr explained that he had had to deal with the impacts of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) when he first became Treas urer and notably also asserted that he had returned the Budget to balance before

the pandemic. In response to a question in hearings of the Select Committee on Budget Estimates, he said the GFC was a contributing factor to the territory’s increasing debt.

One was left with the impression that: (a) the unbroken chain of deficits in the decade before covid were precipitated by the GFC, which the treasurer had successfully addressed by the time of the pandemic; (b) the increase in debt in the past related to infrastructure invest ments, particularly on three hospitals; (c) the increase in debt in coming years relates to the impacts of the pandemic; and (d) the Budget is on track to return to balance in coming years. We were also advised that all state and territory budg ets had been impacted by the pandemic, and the state of the ACT Budget is not dissimilar to other jurisdictions.

Regrettably this rosy, nothing-tosee-here explanation of the territory’s “deficits and debt” is not supported by information from credible reporting sources, for example, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) or the Annual Financial Statements, which are signed off by the auditor-general.

Source: Government finance statistics; ABS Cat. 5512.0 released 26 April 2022.

FILL

Chart 1 Chart 1 highlights the depth of the ACT’s structural deficit and its laggard status compared to other jurisdictions. Unlike the condition of the Budget in the lead up to

the GFC, the territory’s operating budget was, in the years leading up to the pandemic, by far the worst placed in the nation to respond to an unanticipated fiscal shock.

Table 1

Table 1 compares the operating budget results for all states and territories from 2011-12 to 2020-21. The table is notable not only for the unmatched chain of deep deficits delivered by Andrew Barr as Treasurer, but that the last Budget surplus achieved by the ACT was in 2011-12, when Katy Gallagher was Treasurer.

Gallagher, in fact, also delivered a surplus in the two years before that, in three of the four years following the GFC. It is spurious to suggest the GFC had any role in the decade of deficits from 2012-13 onwards.

It’s telling that in the seven years 2012-13 to 2018-19, the ACT was the only jurisdiction in Australia not to have recorded a surplus.

Coincidentally, it is also the only jurisdiction in which, during that period, the treasury portfolio was held by the same minister. Fol lowing the most recent Budget, the ACT has now produced 11 consecutive deficits and has forecast a further three deficits in the out years.

Chart 2

Deficits of the order forecast for the out years are not dissimilar to those accrued by the ACT in the seven years before the pandemic. What this suggests is that the major structural deficit embedded in the ACT Budget for the whole of the last decade is still not being addressed.

Of serious further concern is the absence of any evidence to suggest that the ACT govern ment has a plan to return to a balanced budget beyond the forward estimates period.

In the second and final article in this series, former chief minister Jon Stanhope and former senior Treasury officer Dr Khalid Ahmed examine the credibility of the ACT government’s Budget forecasts along with reflections on the implications of the ACT’s rising debt.

Source: 2022-23 Budget papers; respective States and Territories.

Table 2

Table 2 provides the budget Net Operating Budgets for states and territories over the forward estimates period to 2025-26.

Revealingly, the ACT is the only jurisdiction in Australia that has not forecast a return to surplus in the out years. The state and territory sector, as a whole, is forecast to return to surplus in 2024-25. The ACT deficit, while improving from an estimated 9.9 per cent ($701 million) in 2022-23 to a deficit of 6.4 per cent ($500 mil lion) in 2025-26 seems set to persist beyond the out years.

Table 1: GFS net operating balance as a proportion of the Budget

Chart 1: State and Territory Budget before pandemic

Chart 2: Forecast net operating balance; ACT and State/Territory sector (2021-22 to 2025-26)

Table 2: Budget net operating balance forecasts in the 2022-23 Budget

Fundraiser to aid Ukraine

STAND with Ukraine – Canberra is hosting a fundraising dinner to celebrate Ukraine Defender Day and Ukraine Kozak Day at the Ukrainian Centre, Lyneham, 5pm-9pm, Saturday, October 15. Organ isers say all proceeds will go to trusted funds helping the Ukrainian people in their fight against Russian aggression. Book via eventbrite.com.au

Managing-money tips

“COVID has prompted many of us to find better ways to manage our money,” says CAP money coach Robert Ardill. He’s organised a free community course to assist participants manage debt, budget and have more control of their finances. It’s to be run over two Saturday mornings – October 15 and 22. Register by October 11 at capmoney.org.au or call Robert on 0402 007551.

Free pelvic workshop

A PHYSIOTHERAPIST from Canberra Health Services will lead a free pelvic workshop to provide information and self-help strate gies for women experiencing continence problems or wishing to prevent them. At Phillip Health Centre, 2pm-4.30pm, October 10. Book at 5124 9977.

HOUSING / shared home ownership

Ways to share the burden of home ownership

couples earning up to $120,000 are eligible for the scheme.

LONG established in the UK and by the WA government, a shared home-equity scheme was announced by the federal government before the May election and, since then, by the NSW government.

Under the federal scheme, some 10,000 home buyers each year could purchase a home with as little as 2 per cent deposit.

For new homes, the govern

ment could contribute up to 40 per cent equity, while existing homes could see the government contribute up to 30 per cent.

Participants don’t have to pay interest on the government’s share in their home, but must repay their equity share when on sale of the property or on death (unless beneficiaries would qualify for the property and can continue as homeowners).

There are income limits. Only individuals earning up to $90,000 taxable income and

There are also purchase price limits. In Canberra and Queanbeyan, it is $600,000. This will limit purchases to apartments.

The federal government would then own its stake, however homebuyers could pay it off over time.

Owning an apartment involves paying body corporate fees. Owners will be liable for the whole of the rates, repairs and body corporate fees, despite owning only part of the property.

TABLE 1: Australian and state governments’ shared home purchase schemes

Income

NSW $120,000 $90,000 $550,000

VIC $200,000 $120,000 $850,000

WA $155,000 $105,000 $550,000

SA $110,000 $85,000 $550,000

TAS $151,000 $83,000 $500,000

ACT* $151,000? $83,000? $700,000?

Australian Government $120,000 $90,000 $950,000*

1,100

The NSW scheme is due to commence in January. In Victo ria, a similar scheme resulted in a rapid take-up of places.

Issues to consider include preference for a two-bedroom apartment, rather than a one-bedroom apartment, for convenience and greater re-sale value.

Owners will have to ensure that the apartment is not beset with fire-safety or water-leakage issues, or other potential faults. An apartment with north-facing windows will provide greater energy efficiency.

Entry and exit costs of buy ing and selling are large so, if possible, buy a property to live in for the long term.

At the 2021 Census there were 35,000 shared home-owner households, and an unknown number of households who had been part-owners and had tran sitioned to full home ownership by 2021. It is likely that shared home ownership will become a growing part of the Australian housing scene.

Eligible Region Property Price Cap Maximum savings on new home purchase

NSW - capital city & regional centres

Maximum savings on existing home purchase

$950,000 $380,000 $285,000

NSW - rest of state $600,000 $240,000 $180,000

VIC - capital city & regional centres $850,000 $340,000 $255,000

VIC - rest of state $550,000 $220,000 $165,000

QLD - capital city & regional centres $650,000 $260,000 $195,000

QLD - rest of state $500,000 $200,000 $150,000

WA - capital city $550,000 $220,000 $165,000

WA - rest of state $400,000 $160,000 $120,000

SA - capital city $550,000 $220,000 $165,000

SA - rest of state $400,000 $160,000 $120,000

TAS - capital city $550,000 $220,000 $165,000

TAS - rest of state $400,000 $160,000 $120,000

ACT $600,000 $240,000 $180,000

NT $550,000 $220,000 $165,000

10,000

3 years. The scheme has seen 109 properties purchased by their tenants during its operation. Tel 133427 and Email housing.customerservice@act.gov.au

*In the ACT it must be a government house, applicants must have rented it

Dr Paul Kauffman administered national concessional home ownership and housing grants schemes for many years and is an independent consultant.

NOTE: Regional centres include Newcastle & Lake Macquarie, Illawarra, Central Coast, North Coast of NSW, Geelong, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Homebuyers will also avoid the need to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance, representing an additional saving, depending on purchase location, of potentially more than $30,000.

Your team of experienced, caring and friendly therapists.

TABLE 2: Australian government’s limits on cost of housing which qualifies for “help to buy” (shared ownership)

PAUL KAUFFMAN looks at the virtues of shared home-equity schemes.

It’s easy to underestimate the wily Albo

IT is easy to underestimate Anthony Albanese. Deceptively so.

Scott Morrison certainly did – he was perfectly sure that his “strong man leadership” would bulldoze his opponent into a political grave. No surprises there.

Same goes for Bill Shorten, who believed his factional manoeuvrings would put paid to Albanese’s leader ship ambitions, or that he’d cruel his chances by sniping at Shorten’s performance as Opposition Leader.

Wrong again.

So too, for many of the commentariat (myself included) who thought his own relatively mild-mannered opposition leadership and small-target campaign lacked the pizzazz needed to galvanise a Labor majority.

And I suspect the Teal reformers also felt that they’d have the political muscle to wag the Albo dog. Indeed, Albo’s real dog, a Cavoodle named Toto, is in many ways a simulacrum [imitation] of its owner – shortish, friendly, but with a snappy selfconfidence – and sharp little teeth.

The Teals felt the nip of the Albanese dentition with the surprise announce ment of new limits to their staffing even before they took their seats in the parliamentary chamber. He gave them a hearing a few days later but since then their gloss seems to have faded and with it the muscle behind their punch.

At the same time, the prime minister has lengthened his stride down that Yellow Brick Road with Toto at his heels. His colloquies with interna tional leaders, his double-teaming where necessary with Penny Wong, his adroit handling of the Jobs and Skills Summit, have all gone well.

But his instincts have been most vividly on display in his handling of the Queen’s departure and the consti tutional rearrangements to follow.

Many on the left (myself included) found the blanket coverage of the royal rites of passage overdone, and the high-handed attitude of the British ceremonial planners more than a little precious.

But Albo, whose republican instincts run deep, made not a single complaint

by word nor gesture. Indeed, by follow ing some rare “protocol” – unbeknown to either NZ or Canada – he suspended parliament entirely and declared yet another public holiday.

But it was his instant and decisive announcement that the referendum on the Aboriginal Voice to Parliament would be held in this term of govern ment, while the republic debate would not come to a vote until the next one that really showed his form.

Some of the republican enthusiasts (myself included) might have rushed in and conflated the two. But on reflection they (and I) would have twigged that we were playing right into the hands of the reactionaries. They would have hidden their racism behind a façade of colonial sentimentality and split the nation, even with the execrable Eric

Abetz leading the monarchical charge.

As it is, Albo’s decision to join the late Queen’s mourners allows him to mark the end of an era while at the same time earning the respect, and perhaps even the affection, of the generation she symbolised. This will stand him in good stead in the next election and the republican debate to follow.

So where, you have to wonder, did he learn to take such sure steps through that political minefield? Certainly, he’s had a long apprenticeship in the Labor left and earned a Master’s in the parliamentary profession.

But the real answer, I suspect, is hiding in plain sight. Indeed, he told us all where it came from so often that we stopped taking it seriously. We’d heard it all ourselves on that perilous journey through the childhood and adolescent years.

As he grew up in that council house in Camperdown, and long thereafter, he listened to his mother.

robert@ robertmacklin. com

Art with a heart

A DISPLAY of competitively priced, local artists’ work in aid of the Zonta Club of Canberra Breakfast will be held at the Old Barn, Pialligo, 10am4pm, on October 7-9 and 15-16. The club receives a percentage of each sale. Entry is free. Money raised sup ports projects that empower women. More from canberrabreakfastclub@ gmail.com

Advocates’ course

THE Health Care Consumers’ Association is offering free training in a two-day course on becoming a consumer representative. Partici pants will learn how to navigate the health system, how to stay safe in the health system and how to advocate.

The course will be held at Maitland House, Hackett, 10am-3pm, October 29 and November 5. Register via eventbrite.com.au, email at reps@ hcca.org.au or call 6230 7800.

Fundraising at Ziggy’s

CANCER-research fundraisers, the Bold Bandannas, will sell homemade jams, pickles, chutneys, lemon butter and marmalades inside Ziggy’s shop at the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets, 8am-5pm, October 8.

Albo’s instincts have been most vividly on display in his handling of the Queen’s departure and the constitutional rearrangements to follow,” writes “The Gadfly” ROBERT MACKLIN

Keeping an eye on kids' vision

How do you know if your child needs their eyes checked? Kids often don’t know that their vision is blurry. They don’t know what other people can see, and often just assume that everyone sees exactly the same as they do.

So, what should you be on the lookout for?

Some vision problems can present with symptoms that seem completely unrelated to eyes. For example, things such as headaches can be caused by many things, and vision is one of them.

Words that move on the page, trouble with letter and number reversals, trouble tracking from one line to the next can often be a vision problem, though not always.

If your child is noticing any of these problems, or if their teacher has noticed anything, it might be a good idea to have their eyes checked by an optometrist who is interested in children’s vision.

Even if there are no symptoms that you, your child, or your child’s teacher have noticed, it is still worth having their eyes checked.

Learning is an intense visual task, so any small problems can build over time and cause much larger problems in later years. It is with this in mind that we recommend all children have an eye test in their early years of school and then at regular intervals during schooling to try and detect any problems early.

Particularly of concern is childhood myopia. The worldwide trend is for more and more children to develop myopia, and for those who do to develop it at a younger age. This is of concern as myopia can lead to health problems with eyes later in life, and the risk increases with every increase in the amount of myopia.

At Collins and Lonergan Evolve Optometry we have access to spectacle lenses and contact lenses specifically designed to reduce the progression of myopia, as well as the equipment to accurately measure and monitor the progression and the health of the eyes.

Myopia is just one of the conditions that can affect your child’s vision. The best way to find out if there are any problems is to book an eye test. If there are no problems found then you get the peace of mind of knowing that, but if there is an issue discovered then something can be done about it.

Collins and Lonergan Evolve Optometry is an independently owned Optometrist in the centre of Gungahlin. We are conveniently located opposite Coles inside Gungahlin Village.

Call us on 6189 5891 or visit our website at evolveoptometry.com.au to book an appointment.

NEWS FEATURE

Taking a deep dive into depths of historic Scrivener Dam

ers drive on Lady Denman Drive above us.

Plastic buckets hang on one side of the tunnel – curiously analogue devices compared to the high-tech machinery we’ve gawked at so far.

IN 1964 a drought-struck Canberra anxiously waited for the heavens to open.

Lake Burley Griffin, seven months after finish ing its four-year construction, was all but a dusty bowl with a few pools of water that mosquitoes buzzed around.

A 33-metre-tall feat of German engineering called Scrivener Dam lay dormant. Barely a trickle flowed from its enormous floodgates.

So empty was the lake that a rowing championship slated for April that year appeared doomed.

It seems almost impossible when standing outside Scrivener Dam some 56 years later on a clear September morning – one where the megastructure is holding back 33 million cubic metres of water and discharging tens of thousands every second.

On a behind-the-scenes tour of Scrivener, National Capital Authority Lake and Dam manager David Wright tells us it’s just an average day of work for the dam.

“Weeks ago when we received that big rain event, flows at that time were the highest we’ve seen in around a decade,” says Wright.

“At the peak it was about 630,000 litres per second. That’s an Olympic swimming pool every four seconds.

“Over the course of three days we released 60 gigalitres of water through the dam and that’s over twice the volume of the lake.”

When the clouds finally erupted with the desperately-needed deluge in autumn of 1964, it took only six days for Canberra’s prized waterway to fill.

The lake was the architectural pinnacle of Walter Burley Griffin’s vision for Canberra. The key to all of it was Scrivener Dam – 55,000 cubic

metres of concrete built to trap the flow of the Molonglo River and keep Lake Burley Griffin at precisely 555.93 metres above sea level.

The engineering marvel began construction in 1960 and was named after surveyor Charles Scrivener, who recommended the location of the nation’s capital in 1909.

David tells us that the tens of thousands of litres we’re seeing discharged are from just one of the dam’s three sluice gates.

These sluice gates, each built to release up to 50,000 litres a second, are dwarfed by the five “fish-belly” gates that are 30.5 metres wide and discharge a minimum of 80,000 litres a second.

At full capacity, these gates together release eight and a half million litres of water every second.

The only time all five gates opened simultane ously was in the flood of 1976, an event that saw hundreds of Queanbeyan residents evacuated from their homes.

“Not many dams have fish-belly flap gates like these that allow the water to spill over the top of the gates,” says Wright.

“What those gates allow us to do is really carefully control the lake level. What comes in has to be released to maintain that level.”

Watching over this incredible torrent of water is a nearby control room. Inside, screens covering the walls display data from dozens of hydromet ric and weather stations located in the rivers and creeks throughout the water catchment.

“When it starts to rain, we [have] a team here on 12-hour rotating shifts so someone is here 24 hours a day to monitor how much water is coming in from the catchment,” says Wright.

A trip down a winding flight of stairs takes us underneath the dam where a long tunnel filled with hydraulic machinery stretches its length. Booming echoes ring out as Canberra’s commut

According to Wright, they catch overflowing hydraulic oil so that it doesn’t get into the drain age system and get pumped downstream.

“Quite often the simplest solution is the best,” he says.

“We could go down the track of getting something engineered and installed but the buckets collect things pretty effectively.”

Crouching through a few more confined and particularly muddy tunnels and we’re standing above the sluice gate we saw the water gushing from earlier.

The cascade is awe inspiring. It’s hard to mentally grasp just how much water is releasing even while standing mere metres from it.

And yet, when we turn around those huge fish-belly gates tower above us. It’s more than a little daunting to think that just behind them lies the might of Lake Burley Griffin.

While they’re engineered to be able to withstand a once-in-a-5000-year flooding event, Wright says a recent discovery will require new works to be undertaken to ensure the dam can continue to do its vital job.

“What we found is that under certain condi tions there’s a risk that flows from the floodgate could undermine the foundation underneath the dam and cause it to fail,” he says.

“It’s not an imminent risk, but there is a risk in the future.”

To prevent that from happening, the federal government has committed $38.5 million to maintain the lake for the next century.

Over the next few years, 700 anchors will be installed 15 metres down into the foundation rock to strengthen the dissipator slab, all while the dam continues to operate.

For if this incredible structure were to fail, residents along the Molonglo would be needing a little more than an umbrella to stay dry.

In another in their helpful columns on eyesight, Ross Collins and Damien Lonergan, of Evolve Optometry, focus on eye checks for children.

Ross Collins Practice Manager

Damien Lonergan Optometrist

NICK OVERALL reports from the hidden depths of Scrivener Dam and reflects on what the mighty structure means to Lake Burley Griffin.

National Capital Authority Lake and Dam Manager David Wright.

One of the fish-belly gates holds back the might of Lake Burley Griffin.

A tunnel filled with hydraulic machinery runs underneath the dam.

Tens of thousands of litres pump from one of the dam’s three sluice gates, left, and a general view of Scrivener Dam. Photos: Nick Overall

‘Complacent’ government is failing its people

THE September 15 edition of “CityNews” is very distressing.

Page 4 (“Children are dying, you’re the Health Minister”), points to a government incapable of lifting its head from the sand (or some other equally dark place), accept ing the truth and fixing the problems. And without any moral conscience about failing in their jobs, then accepting outrageously high salaries.

Page 5 (“Winning design lost to bigger development plan”), reveals the forked tongue of the ACT government and its complicit planning and development agen cies; promising one thing then blatantly going ahead with something else that the community does not want.

Page 10 (“Berry is wrong, housing cash promised to trams”), reveals that the Hous ing Minister is either ignorant about the ACT Budget, or incapable of telling the truth about ACT public housing funding.

Page 19 (”Numbers show the answer isn’t public transport”), Leon Arundell’s excellent letter on the carbon footprint of the light rail reveals yet again the Labor/ Greens government’s sickening obsession with Stage 2a and 2b of the light rail and the triumph of the government’s ideology over common sense.

We have an ACT government so comfort ably complacent in its position of power that it doesn’t care what these things mean to its community – to the homeless, those with sick children, those who have a long commute every day, those whose businesses suffer from the light rail extension traffic disruptions.

If not these things, then what on earth will it take for voters to choose honesty, transparency and basic good governance at the next election?

Dianne Deane, via email

People will continue to die

I WOULD like to extend my heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the family and friends of Rozalia Spadafora, who tragically passed away after waiting an inordinate time for medical treatment of their precious girl.

Following the loss of my daughter, Brontë in 2020, I was advised that an “internal review” would be conducted by Canberra Health Services. I was provided with several names and acronyms of the panels and committees that would be discussing the

for radical ideas

I AM writing this from far away Barcelona, Spain, and must commence by pointing out that radical thinkers such as architect

into focus”, September 21), especially Chart 1, which shows that the sharp shortfall in hospital beds coincided with the start of construction of Stage 1 light rail (2015-16) that, after start of operations, cost taxpayers

an initial slug of $375 million plus some $56 million to $60 million per annum thereafter

Max Flint, co-ordinator, Smart Canberra Transport Robert Macklin’s “The Gadfly” column, “Bat tle book sparks an author’s war for royalties”

The Lifeline book fair is a huge event and can hardly be described as part of a “whole by many hard-working people who spend much voluntary time for no personal return.

retailer in Curtin, well run and most useful for finding early editions and out of print books.

Jack Palmer, Watson

down, carrying out dangerous attempts to outrun them in stolen cars and the like.

And to make things worse, the offenders are often out on bail at the time of the new offence and have broken bail provisions many times over. Many of these drivers are, in effect, potential murderers on wheels. Not only should the sentencing and bail laws be reviewed, but the handing down of soft sentences by ACT magistrates should also be examined.

It may be time to actually consider man datory prison sentences for those who try to outrun the police if judges and magistrates are not willing to take action that will reduce the loss of innocent lives on our roads.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

All those millions, but nothing for a loo

RECENT media reporting of the World Health yet, but the end is in sight” for the COVID-19

UNTIL the ACT housing minister provides clear evidence to the contrary, many will be easily convinced that earnings from the sale of a large number of well-located public housing and other facility sites in prime city real estate areas were directed to the light rail piggy bank (“Berry is wrong, housing cash promised to tram”, CN September 15).

But it is not only new public, social and affordable housing that is short-changed by these massive “asset recycling” sales.

has declared the end of COVID-19” trying to And that’s probably because it sounds too much like a parent’s response to: “Are

Michael A Crowe, Hawker

Many of these prime, publicly owned sites were in the vicinity of the Dickson Interchange, the only such bus/light rail hub on the rail route between Gungahlin and Civic.

Yet despite hundreds of millions of dollars flowing from the sold-off sites into light rail infrastructure investment, the transport and city services minister still hasn’t set aside a relatively small amount to fund the provision and maintenance of a public toilet facility at this interchange.

refusal to launch a review into the territory’s This follows his refusal to have an inquiry disasters in the ACT and surrounds, the Orro ral Valley fire, which is now being examined by the ACT coroner.

The police have been putting up with people spitting at them, trying to run them

And while turning a blind eye to this basic, rail-linked infrastructure need, he continues to exhort locals of all ages and ACT visitors to make far greater use of public transport, and to take up other forms of active travel, which he claims “are at the centre of the ACT government’s plans to make Canberra an even more liveable and sustainable city.”

What about aiming for a civilised national capital with supportive civilised amenities, minister?

Sue Dyer, Downer

Luke Clews

About time to bring the bush back to the capital

I BELIEVE the ACT’s kangaroo culling activities are a scientifically-unjustifiable government habit and it’s time to kill the habit not the kangaroo.

As a zoologist, ecologist and ratepayer, I have previously written to Rebecca Vas sarotti, the Minister for the Environment, Minister for Heritage and Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction, about this very issue.

Firstly, her portfolios seem totally at odds. Protection and conservation of the ACT’s wildlife seems like a conflict of interest with building and construction. The construction sector has a voice and deep pockets. The kangaroos, and broader biodiversity of the ACT, have neither.

My response from the minister was unsatisfactory and rote. I live here partly because it’s supposed to be the “bush capital”, but that concept is increasingly being eroded.

Secondly, there is no transparency around the data, methodology and evidence-base used to justify the annual kangaroo cull, nor information on how it will be conducted.

Where is the annual evidence that kangaroos are creating an environmen tal and/or socio-economic problem for the ACT?

Is the ACT government undertaking

ongoing monitoring to map distribution and abundance of kangaroos in the region and ensure kangaroo populations are not being genetically compromised?

Please demonstrate to ACT citizens how kangaroos are doing more harm than good. Ratepayers deserve clarity, transparency and engagement.

Thirdly, instead of using ratepayers’ funds to invest in inhumane, violent actions (ie using shooters), why not invest

dose of dorin

‘Profits-before-people’ seems to be the policy

THE problem with social housing now is that the government sold all the social housing on Northbourne and in Civic to developers and, while the developers have built tens of thousands of units on these desirable blocks, they have not been required to provide one unit for social or even affordable housing!

The developers laugh all the way to the bank while the homeless numbers increase.

“Profits before people” seems to be our government’s major policy these days.

Catherine Cronan, via citynews.com.au

Time to name the trams!

TIME is overdue for better respect of our magnificent light rail system. Far too much negative energy has been expended bashing it and so little effort devoted to appreciating it and those involved.

visiting tourist than others might and a more cheerful colour would be an uplifting change after so much crippling criticism.

John Lawrence via email

Puzzling policy position on resources

I AGREE with Mario Stivala (Letters, CN Sep tember 22): the Albanese Labor government needs to explain to the people who elected it how they can reconcile the action on climate change policy that they took to the election with giving the go-ahead to new exploration for, and use of, new resources of natural gas and coal.

in ways to live side by side with nature and wildlife?

Create more protective and integrative measures, such as: planting wildlife corridors; eco-fencing; wildlife-friendly over- and underpasses for roadways; and the many other innovative approaches being used elsewhere.

Bring the bush back to the capital, and let both us humans and wildlife benefit and enjoy it!

Dr Gina Newton, Hughes

I urge the government to bring on a naming competition, fully embracing the community, with names being selected by an independent panel, so these can be professionally painted across carriages as a mark of public confidence.

Can I have first dibs on three carriages with the names of “Woof”, “Wham” and “Bang” with a suggestion that we rid ourselves of the depressing Eastern Bloc European Red colour scheme and repaint in a happier anti-graffiti colour?

These names could resonate more with the

This puzzling policy position seems even more strange when you consider Australia’s enormous resources of almost cost-free solar and wind energy. Add to those potential pumped hydro, and perhaps even nuclear energy, and one can only conclude that there are ulterior motives for pursuing even more exploitation of the very fuels that will cause still more global heating.

To me, the only explanation is that the fossil-fuel lobby has a tight grip on the govern ment’s climate policy.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

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Coming together to make mental health a priority

MENTAL health conditions are more common than asthma or arthritis, with one in 10 Canberrans having a longterm condition and one in five Australians experiencing mental ill health each year.

That’s why Canberrans are being urged to make mental wellbeing a priority this October for Mental Health Month.

Corinne Dobson, acting CEO of the Mental Health Community Coalition ACT (MHCC ACT), says that coming together to discuss mental health is even more important this year.

“Amongst the trauma we have experienced with the pandemic, we have realised just how important community is for our happiness and sense of security,” she says.

“We can all take steps to maintain and boost not just our own mental wellbeing but also that of those around us.”

This year, Mental Health Month ACT will focus on raising awareness of mental wellbeing, fostering a sense of belonging in our communities and networks, and developing connections to help us stay

happy and healthy.

Throughout October, there will be a wide variety of community events, including an online Mental Health & Wellbeing Expo.

Canberrans can also follow the Mental Health Trail of daily activities and make mental health a priority at work by host ing a Wellbeing Priori-Tea, either virtually or in person.

Anyone holding a Wellbeing Priori-Tea event can register to receive resources to help organise their event and make their workplace mentally healthy.

This year, five community ambassadors with lived experience of mental health conditions and five high-profile sup porters have come on board to promote positive mental health.

Mental Health Month Community Ambassador Yenn Purkis is an author and advocate who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1995.

“I spent 10 years of my life in various institutions: hospitals, residential mental health services and prisons. It took me a long time to accept my diagnosis, but I have become mostly okay with it,” Yenn says.

“I am now an author and public servant. I am living proof that a person

with schizophrenia, and all my other diagnostic labels, can overcome great challenges to lead a good life.”

Mental Health Month Supporter, Ngunnawal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan, believes we need to consider the

language we use when we discuss mental health conditions and stop reinforcing negative stereotypes and stigma.

“It makes people scared,” Aunty Violet says, “and then they don’t get support, and things get worse.”

According to Corinne, one way to com bat this stigma is to speak about mental wellbeing as we do physical health.

“We can all prepare ourselves to prevent or minimise potential injuries, seek treatment when we’re hurt, and take time to care for ourselves and others while recovering,” she says.

“Unfortunately, most focus and government funding are on acute care, instead of programs designed to stop people from getting to crisis point or helping them recover and lead fulfilling lives in our community.

“We all have a role in making mental health a priority, by looking after ourselves and our loved ones and raising awareness of the need for a shift in focus.”

Funded by ACT Health and run by MHCC ACT, Mental Health Month ACT is held each October to raise community awareness and understanding of mental health, reduce the stigma and discrimina tion associated with mental health conditions, and promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

The Mental Health Month ACT calendar of events is at mentalhealthmonthact.org/ calendar

‘We can all take steps to maintain and boost not just our own mental wellbeing but also that of those around us’

From left, community ambassador Yenn Purkis, supporter Aunty Violet and acting CEO Corinne Dobson… “Amongst the trauma we have experienced with the pandemic, we have realised just how important community is for our happiness and sense of security,” says Corinne.

MENTAL HEALTH MONTH

Month inspires people to tune in to mental health

CELEBRATED in October each year, Mental Health Month encourages people to think about the importance of mental health in their everyday lives.

In 2022 the theme for the month is “Tune In”, which means being present, being aware of what’s happening within you, and in the world around you.

Over the coming four weeks, businesses and organisations throughout ACT and NSW will host events to inspire people to think more about their own mental health and the mental health of those around them.

A “Tune In” calendar is also available on the Mental Health Month website, which features tips to help people with their own happiness each day.

To celebrate the month, “CityNews” spoke with a number of local businesses and organisations who are passionate about improving mental health.

Looking after Australia’s mental health Film festival shines light on mental health

WORLD Mental Health Day – October 10 – is a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy, says Mental Health Australia CEO Dr Leanne Beagley.

“This year’s theme of ‘Awareness, Belonging and Connection’ speaks to our desire to build and maintain healthy relationships for our wellbeing and good mental health,” says Dr Beagley.

“Our October calendar contains an A-to-Z of helpful tips to practice mindful habits for our mental health.”

Dr Beagley says signing up for this World Mental Health Day offers an opportunity to embed mindful habits to help people gain and maintain a sense of wellbeing.

“Inviting others to join in also provides that sense of community and helps us look after ourselves and each other,” she says.

“For some people, looking after your mental health may involve taking a daily walk. For others, it’s about finding time to have fun; getting in some muchneeded rest; or taking time to connect with others. Everyone is different.

“Mental health can be a difficult subject for many people to talk about and engage with because of stigma

and a lack of awareness, which is why campaigns like World Mental Health Day are so important.

“Relatively simple commitments to do something small – like acts of self-care, mindfulness, reaching out to others, enjoying the outdoors, or random acts of kindness – can go a long way to increase wellbeing,” she says.

Mental Health Australia, call 6285 3100 or visit mhaustralia.org

THE Canberra International Mental Health Film Festival will this year feature 26 films that look to break the stigma surrounding mental health and illness, says founder and director Tim Daly.

Run by charity organisation This is My Brave Australia, Tim says the film festival is a way of sharing stories that are an alternative to the mainstream media’s normal portrayal of mental health.

“Usually you only hear the sensa tional or the tragic stories,” he says.

“We want to show the other side of the story of people living with mental health issues, show that life with a mental health issue is not the end of your life. That there is hope.”

Now in its fifth year, Tim says the festival has received films from all over the world which span all sorts of genres.

“We’ve had submissions from countries like Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, Ukraine, Italy and even Botswana,” he says.

“This year we’ve got a lot of anima tion and I think that had to do with covid. People had trouble getting out and making films but they still made them with animation.”

used as important guides for people living with mental health issues.

“Creatives have wonderful ways of expressing themselves, which are usually different from what you see around normal coverage of mental health,” he says.

“This is real life, this is authentic and it’s really important that we get these stories out.”

Canberra International Mental Health Film Festival, at AIE Theatre, Canberra Technology Park, Watson, October 9, visit thisismybraveaustralia.com

Sign up now

www.lookafteryourmentalhealthaustralia.org.au

Invite your family, tribe, mob, friends and colleagues to join this October. mhaustralia.org

sign up to our news letter for more information

Founder and director Tim Daly.

CEO Dr Leanne Beagley.

ACT Health implemented by Marymead, says Mental Health and Wellbeing Unit manager Carley Thomas.

It is run for young people, parents and carers who are seeking youth (0-25) mental-health-related support, services and information.

“One function of MindMap is to close the gap between help seeking and clinical allocation through Active Hold,” says Carley.

“Active Hold is a holding space designed to maintain the support of the person while they are on a serviceprovider waiting list.”

Carley says MindMap increases understanding of mental health information and services.

“By putting all services and information in one place, young people and their caregivers can feel confident that the results received are of a high quality,” says Carley.

provided crucial interventions for young people with diverse circumstances.

“MindMap’s vibrant team is relatable and accessible, attempting to break down the power imbalance that is often felt when accessing mental health services,” says Amy.

“MindMap is not a crisis service. The team links people to services in a supportive and empathetic way and the anonymity of the live-chat function has seen young people disclosing information that a bricks-andmortar operation might prevent,” Amy says.

MindMap is accessible 24/7 and is supported through a team of “youth navigators” from 11am to 10pm each day, with some variations on public holidays.

MindMap. Call 1800 862 111 or visit mindmap.act.gov.au

Mental Health and Wellbeing unit manager Carley Thomas, left, and MindMap team leader Amy Kelley.

Welcome

Canberra’s best brews INTERNATIONAL COFFEE

Local, ethical and fresh coffee roasting

VILLAGE Coffee Roastery is a locally focused roaster with a passion for producing ethical and fresh coffee, says owner Mike Pailthorpe.

THERE’S nothing like the taste of a well made coffee to start the day.

It’s no secret that Aussies love their coffee, with around 19 million people enjoying a brew every day.

Coffee lovers can rejoice this October 1 as International Coffee Day rolls around for another year.

The day promotes and celebrates the centuries-old beverage, with events now occurring around the world each year.

While the exact origin of Coffee Day is unknown, it’s believed to have been celebrated for around 40 years.

In celebration of Coffee Day, here are a few of the best places for Canberrans to grab their caffeine fix.

Based in Bungendore, Mike says the business only roasts ethically sourced, speciality grade coffee that’s then supplied to cafes, local shops and home coffee enthusiasts.

“The passion for roasting began about six years ago when I was just roasting on my back verandah,” says Mike, who also serves as Bungednore’s local Anglican vicar.

“I used to roast coffee for the op-shop here and then it started to grow from that to the farmers market and then it just grew more and more.”

Now a popular source of coffee making a diverse range of single origins, blends, and decaf, Mike says they roast

Celebrating World Coffee Day

80/20,

Joe Cafe.

Cap’n Joe Café is a winter wonderland of fabulous Black Mountain coffee, the best hot chocolate in town and a mouth watering all day breakfast menu. Cosy, comfy, warm, and friendly. Come join us!

Village Coffee Roastery owner Mike Pailthorpe.

for international day the world salutes coffee advertising

How to score three free coffees

TO celebrate International Coffee Day, The Coffee Club is offering Canberrans three free coffees.

To claim the offer, people only need to download and sign up to the new Coffee Club rewards app on their smartphone.

Franchisee Hayden Ramsey says it’s part of The Coffee Club’s dedication to providing good food, great service and excellent coffee.

“Our blend is 90 per cent arabica and 10 per cent robusta, which gives a great crema and it’s made by skilled barristers who have extensive training,” he says.

“Having been around since 1989, we are always developing new ways to try to make a more consistent cup of coffee.”

It’s just the start of what people can find at The Coffee Club, says Hayden.

“We have a new, extensive menu that has everything from your smashed avo to burgers to our popular big breakfast and, this year, we’ve also brought in a vegetar ian big breakfast,” he says.

“Our stores have also gone through some extensive design changes so that we can provide even more ambience and comfort to our customers when they come in.”

*New App users only for a limited time. Full T&Cs available at coffeeclub.com.au/3freecoffees

VILLAGE COFFEE ROASTERY transforms clean, green coffee beans into a heavenly aroma Fresh. Local. Ethical. order at villagecoffeeroastery.com.au

The Coffee Club, visit coffeeclub.com.au

Enjoy excellent coffee and an extensive menu at The Coffee Club.

Exploring Belconnen’s bustling business scene

THE district of Belconnen is one of the original 18 districts of the ACT, and today, some 56 years after it began development, remains one of Canberra’s most populated.

With more than 100,000 residents, the area has become home to one of the capital’s most thriving business scenes.

This week “CityNews” heads northside to chat with the Belco businesses proud to share their skills and services.

Gift shop that highlights all that Australia offers

WOMBAT Cards and Gifts is a small family business started by Monica and John Rolls in 2015.

“We started as a small market stall selling homemade greeting cards that I started making when I retired,” says Monica.

“But we stopped doing markets during the COVID-19 lockdown.”

And, while Monica says she loved that markets gave her a chance to see more of Australia, and she loved meeting all the interesting people along the way, it was time to put down some roots closer to home, and opened the Wombat Cards and Gifts store in Belconnen in July.

“We offer cards, children’s books, puppets and plush animals, coasters and gifts,” says Monica.

“My husband, John, wanted to do metal art, too, and it took off.

“I love what I’m doing and I love that I’m achieving something by introducing people to our Australian animals.

“I love the Australian animals, I just think they’re so unique and I love expressing my joy through the store. It makes me feel happy when people come in and see the products that we have.”

wombatcardsandgifts.com.au

in an expansion that’s allowing the centre to facilitate even more creative opportunities and experiences.

“As Belconnen grows, our beautiful spot by the lake continues to be even more important as a place for the community to connect, be inspired and fuel their love of the arts,” says a centre spokesperson.

“We hope everyone who visits Belconnen will round their day out with a visit to Belco Arts – with free entry, four wonderful exhibition spaces, and a range of great drop in activities, it’s always a good time to stop by.”

On November 4, 5, and 12, visitors will be able to experience “Utopiate”, a show with a mixed ability cast that asks

Arriving at Belco Arts on October 7 is “Curses to Newton”, an all-ages science circus performance with Brett Hop penbrouwer that will be on for families during school holidays.

From October there’ll also be new exhibitions opening at the centre, as well as a number of creative workshops led by professional artists.

“Belco Arts is special because there’s always something new, different and surprising to see,” says the centre spokesperson.

“We want your experience to be unique each time you visit.”

Belco Arts, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen. Call 6173 3300 or visit belcoarts.com.au

B

C O A

Owner Monica Rolls.

Exercise classes help people of all abilities

ARTHRITIS ACT offers a range of group exercise classes for people of any ability and any background, says CEO Rebecca Davey.

“Exercise is the very best medicine for chronic conditions, however not all exercise is the same,” she says.

“If you are a person living with myalgic encephalo myelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) or even some people living with long covid, exercise might just comprise moving all your larger joints a couple of times a day to ensure you maintain your mobility.

“For someone living with osteoarthritis, you might want to strengthen all the structures around the joint, and someone with type 2 diabetes needs some help ensuring their body releases the energy it needs at the right times.”

Rebecca says it doesn’t matter if you haven’t been exercising for a very long time, it’s never too late to start.

“Every person needs a certain amount of exercise each week,” she says.

“We can help you no matter where you are in life, with one on one support, group classes spe

cialising in things such as back pain, or programs to help you if you’ve been having some falls.

“Give us a call and have a chat to our friendly team about what might be best for you.”

Arthritis ACT, Building 18, 170 Haydon Drive, Bruce. Call 1800 011041 or visit arthritisact.org.au

Thousands of flavours to discover at local creamery

GOODBERRY’S Creamery is Canberra’s original frozen custard and best dessert destination, says owner Chris Maley.

“Our product is delicious, all natural and has no preservatives,” he says.

“The frozen custard is made and tastes the way ice cream used to be in the olden days when you brought it straight from your local dairy.”

Operating from 11am to 10pm seven days a week, Chris says Goodberry’s has an endless selection of delicious flavours to discover.

“We are best known for our fantastic Frozen Custard Concretes. Goodberry’s can create any flavour combination to suit any taste,” he says.

“You choose your base flavour, vanilla, chocolate or flavour of the week, then you get to choose

whether you want Oreo, Violet Crumble, caramel fudge, chocolate, and so much more.

“Our flavour of the week is really popular. Last week it was Whittaker’s Blondie, this week it’s Biscoff Cheesecake, then next week it’s Mars Pods.

“Our frozen custard is also gluten free with a wide selection of gluten-free toppings and mix-ins.”

Over its 20 years of operation, Goodberry’s has become something of an institution in Canberra and it’s still growing, says Chris.

“Keep your eyes peeled for a Gungahlin Good berry’s next year,” he says.

Goodberry’s, 4/25 Lathlain Street, Belconnen and 2/20 Gartside Street, Erindale.

Visit goodberrys.com.au

1,

concrete

1

Arthritis ACT CEO Rebecca Davey.

PAIN MANAGEMENT

Gwen Estigoy – Exercise Physiologist

Gwen instructs Tai Chi for our Falls Prevention program and also supports people to meet their exercise goals within our gym or hydrotherapy program.

Gwen works with individuals, groups, and also leads our LGBTI program.

Gwen has a four-year degree as well as extensive industry experience working with people with chronic pain conditions.

Sophie Bullock – Exercise Physiologist

Sophie has post graduate qualifications in hydrotherapy, and as a non-sports centred Exercise Physiologist, helps clients who struggle with engaging in exercise due to a lack of sports participation. Sophie’s goal is to improve clients health via our hydrotherapy program, gym instruction and in-home visits.

Sophie also is known for her passion for working with children.

Natasha Perry – Exercise Scientist

Tash takes a wholistic view of all her clients, considering their mental wellbeing as much as their physical needs. Tash delivers our Nordic Walking, Pilates and Tai Chi programs, all of which have a mental as well as physical component.

Tash also leads our strength and balance program, supporting those with lower levels of mobility or have concerns over falls to regain their confidence, whilst also meeting a great bunch of fellow exercise class participants.

Blake has expertise in improving clients mobility and decreasing their pain through appropriate exercise. Blake delivers our ‘My Exercise’ program, targeting the relief of lower back and sciatic pain, shoulder and upper body concerns as well as leg, hip and and ankle interventions – for those who do not qualify for physiotherapy-led GLAD programs.

Blake provides individual & group exercise for younger people with a disability. Blake treats clients in-clinic or via our hydrotherapy program as well as attending your gym with you.

Jacqui Couldrick – Physiotherapist

Jacqui has a particular interest in hip and knee osteoarthritis. Jacqui delivers the GLAD program designed to reduce the need for joint replacements, or if a joint replacement is unavoidable, to prepare you thoroughly for surgery and recovery for day to day tasks. Jacqui is studying towards a PhD in the outcomes of the GLAD program.

Holly Hazelwood – Exercise Physiologist

Holly is a former sports journalist who believed so strongly in the power of exercise to heal and nurture that she undertook her 4 year degree in Exercise Physiology. Holly is be able to work with people directly to support them through their pain journey and regain independence and a joy for living again.

Holly provides one on one and group exercise classes both on land and at our hydrotherapy centres to support people to gain freedom from chronic pain.

• Occupational Therapy – Assistance with the planning and modification of your home, workplace or car. Applications for NDIS, the Disability and Housing Support Pension, and also driving assessments.

• Physiotherapy – including the GLAD program for knee and hip osteoarthritis, sports injury prevention and rehabilitation, and pain condition support.

• Exercise Physiology – Individual exercise prescriptions, small group classes to increase strength and improve rehabilitation, strength and balance classes, hydrotherapy support.

• Dietetics – meal planning, weight management support, food intolerance support.

Blake Dean – Exercise Physiologist

BRILLIANT BELCONNEN

Marina’s new salon makes customers ‘feel and look good’

MARINA Belibassakis opened her own hair salon, Artistry M Hair, earlier this year.

“I’ve been hairdressing for 20 years, freelancing for the past three years and it was just time to open up my own salon and do my own thing.

“This is my journey, this is a step into doing my own thing, control my own decisions and have more freedom and flexibility, which is the dream,” she says.

“It’s nice seeing your work walking around on people, and just making people feel and look good. I like meeting people from all walks of life and making and keeping those relationships.

“We do cuts and colours, and we’re good at it,” she says.

Marina has a freelancer working with her at Artistry M Hair.

“We’ve been working together for a while, Hair by Genevieve is her business name,” says Marina.

“We provide a safe environment, we’re professional, we do the best that we can and we love what we do, and we make it fun.

“We know what we’re doing, we’re making Artistry M Hair inviting and we’re approachable.”

Artistry M Hair, Shop 70/27 Wiseman Street, Macquarie. Call 5105 7304 or 0422 348694, or visit artistrymhair.com.au

ANYONE looking for a great deal on major brands of wheels or tyres, don’t go past Transtate Tyres, says CEO Adrian Heffernan.

“We’ve got all the major brands you know and trust, so you won’t need to shop around to find what you want,” says Adrian.

“Our feature brand is Toyo Tires which is very competitive in performance and price in the 4WD range. We also sell Pirelli, Continental, entry level tyre brands and much more.”

With their Belconnen store having been in operation for more than four decades and two other stores operating in Tuggeranong and Queanbeyan, Adrian says Transtate’s affordable pricing represents some of

the best deals around.

He also says they’ve got a new workshop operating in Belconnen, where they’re specialising in suspension, logbook servicing, 4WD lift kits and brakes – services that are available across all their locations.

“We also have a big range of new trailers for personal use at Belconnen and we’ve got some tradesman trailers too,” he says.

“We pride ourselves in providing a high-quality and professional service to our customers, all at an affordable price which won’t break your wallet.”

Transtate Tyres, 2 Egan Court and 16 Weedon Close, Belconnen. Call 6253 2244 or visit transtate.com.au

Artistry M Hair owner Marina Belibassakis.

Owner of Transtate Tyres Belconnen Adrian Heffernan.

School for rock ‘n’ roll’s in a class of its own

COVER STORY

By Helen Musa

FROM “Sunset Boulevard” to “Legally Blonde” and “The Bodyguard”, there’s a long tradition in showbiz of famous cult movies being made into musicals.

Now Dramatic Productions in Gungahlin is taking on one of the most accessible of them in “School of Rock”, which originated in the 2003 film of the same name, where outof-work Dewey Finn, who fancies himself as a great rockstar, pretends to be a substitute teacher at a school.

The musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Glenn Slater and Julian Fellowes, opened on Broadway in 2015.

It sounds like a sure-fire hit, but the pro ducers have made life difficult for themselves by double casting – partly to offer roles to talented young kids in the Gungahlin area, but also to make sure that the production doesn’t fall foul of covid – there’ll always been someone else to play the role.

I caught up with director Marty King, who’s been working overtime to rehearse the double cast to ensure that each actor has an equal opportunity to shine. A graduate in straight acting from university in Ballarat, he

has a strong track record in Canberra musical theatre, having worked on “Anything Goes”, “Shrek the Musical” and “The Producers”.

“It’s interesting to see new musicals popping up based on films I grew up with,” he says.

“Now that I’m older, I see it as a different way of telling the stories for a new genera tion, in a new context.”

Lloyd Webber fans, he says, will warm to strains familiar from “Jesus Christ Superstar”, adding that it’s well known that the story of a wanna-be rockstar is right up the famous composer’s alley.

Although “School of Rock” has adult themes, he believes it’s definitely a show the

young audiences will connect with, too.

“Dewey has this unstoppable desire to be a rockstar, often to the detriment of other people, but as the musical progresses, he comes to realise that the idea of stardom isn’t everything – there are other people and other things in life.”

The musical component, obviously, is very important, and under the directorship of Kat Tang, there will be a big sound coming from the pit.

But, King emphasises, music will also be played live on stage by Max Gambale and Zach Raffan, who double as Dewey, and by no fewer than eight children on stage

playing instruments, too. These are serious music students who study either at college or with private teachers in Canberra.

King says it’s the very first show for some of them, so learning to play their instruments in front of an audience while playing a character is impressive.

“It’s something to see, it’s something to hear,” he says.

Enter Zach Raffan, best-known in Canberra as a classical and jazz trumpeter but also, unlike most of his musical peers, an accomplished actor who played the lead in 2015 in “High Fidelity” and the murderer in “Wait Until Dark” in 2017.

Dewey is a dream role for Raffan, who’ll play the part on opening night.

“It’s all about wanting to be famous and wanting more. I love this character. Oh my god, it’s me,” he says.

Raffan, who started out doing air-drum ming in his bedroom to the Rolling Stones before he trained as a classical musician, is definitely sympathetic to the musical style of “School of Rock”.

“I teach rock music in a high school and I often break the rules in order to give my students the best,” he says.

“I think Dewey is so fantastic… sure, he thinks it’s all about him and that people will go crazy for him, but he genuinely cares about the kids he’s teaching, even though he hates the bureaucracy of the school.”

Raffan has recently been changing from being a trumpeter to a guitarist and it’s something new for the classically trained instrumentalist.

“I’m trying very hard to turn guitar into my main instrument, a huge step,” he says. “This is my debut performance as an official rock guitarist.”

Admitting that he’s no Jimi Hendrix, Raffan says most of what he plays is rhythm guitar, even though he wishes he could go crazy with the instrument – but he does get to play one solo, and that’s his big moment.

by Jonathan Harvey

“School of Rock”, Gungahlin Theatre, October 7-22.

The “School of Rock” cast with Max Gambale in the lead role of Dewey Finn.

Photos: Janelle McMenamin

The “School of Rock” cast with Zach Raffan in the lead role of Dewey Finn.

Marilyn, up close and shocking

By Nick OVERALL

“BLONDE”, Netflix’s new Marilyn Monroe biopic, is the first original film on the platform to be slapped with an NC-17 rating (R18+ in Australia).

It’s no surprise. Clocking in at an exhausting 166 minutes, this glossy barrage of melodrama explores the star’s troubled life in uncomfortably graphic detail designed to shock streamers.

Monroe’s lurid rise to stardom is portrayed right alongside her crip pling addiction to barbiturates and the sexual exploitation she suffered throughout her sadly short life.

It’s a demanding watch, one where the audience is resigned to see Monroe become the powerless plaything of the Hollywood elite and a victim of fame.

Some scenes, including one with a portrayal of JFK, are so uncomfort able they border on unwatchable.

It’s clear the movie wants this reaction, whether it needed to go this far is another question.

The reception has been split right down the middle.

For those who believe Monroe a figure of more agency than what’s portrayed here, the film is likely to leave a bitter taste in the mouth.

Others may find its brutal

approach a confronting, yet much needed exposé of the entertainment industry’s treatment of women.

Whichever side viewers find themselves on, the indisputable highlight of “Blonde” is its lead actress Ana de Armas, who commits to the role without an emotional inch held back.

She charmed audiences in her supporting roles in films like “Knives Out”, “Blade Runner 2049” and even as a Bond girl in the most recent 007 escapade “No Time To Die”.

In “Blonde”, she’s stepped into a dazzlingly bright spotlight with a role that she totally embraces.

Spending 12 months with a dia lect coach in order to get Marilyn’s accent right is just the beginning of her dedication. De Armas is also reported to have spent hundreds of hours studying photographs, videos, audio recordings and films of the star in order to prepare for the performance.

The film is an intriguing turn from director Andrew Dominik, whose movies before now have centred on hyper-masculine subjects such as “Killing Them Softly” and “The Assassination of Jesse James”.

With a filmography made up of gangsters and cowboys, it’s clear Dominik is not as at home with a female lead, let alone one of the most iconic feminine figures of the 20th century.

Regardless of the divide that will be caused by his approach to telling their story, “Blonde” will be a boon for Netflix and one of those intrigu ing films watched sheerly for its crash landing in the pop-culture canon.

WINDING the clock back a few centuries and Stan is sporting a stylish new period drama called “The Serpent Queen”.

This eight-parter centres on the 16th century Queen of France Catherine de’ Medici (Samantha

Morton), one of the most powerful, yet detested figures of the 1500s.

Married at just 14 to Prince Henry, the second son of King Francis I, a decade of infertility would lead to speculation that de’ Medici was a witch, just the start of a life of deri sion she’d face until her death at 69.

Most famously, de’ Medici was blamed for the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre, a concocted string of assassinations against the Hugenots during the French religious wars that attempted to take out all of her enemies in one fell swoop.

While this all sounds heavy to say the least, audiences may be intrigued to find “The Serpent Queen” decorated in a dark sense of humour.

Fourth-wall breaking glances at the camera and a raunchy repartee mocks the absurdity of the time period it’s set in. “The Serpent Queen” wields this comedy in a way that stops its intense subject matter from collapsing in on itself.

It’s the latest in a string of modern shows attempting to reinvigorate the period drama with a meta spin to suck in modern audiences. “The Great” (on Stan) and “Bridgerton” (on Netflix) are two other examples that have successfully hooked viewers who would otherwise be uninterested in their historical settings.

It’s an approach that won’t appeal to all viewers, especially more hardline history enthusiasts, but the irreverent manner of “The Serpent Queen” makes it one series that’s unafraid to leave a bite.

Nevena lives one life after another CINEMA / reviews

By Dougal MACDONALD

“You Won’t Be Alone” (MA)

THE provenance of Australian-born writerdirector Goran Stolevski’s debut film is unusual, to say the least.

Taking a pragmatic view of a community that the rest of the world has left behind as its violence, gore, nudity and sexual assault spreads across the screen, “You Won’t Be Alone” depicts 19th century Macedonia before revolution or machinery made agriculture a commercial venture operated for profit.

Its unnamed characters have no names, just identified by their limited experiences.

An ancient witch makes a pact with a recently widowed mother not to drink the blood of her newborn babe Nevena on condition that she can take possession of the girl.

The mother tries to bargain with the witch, getting a 16-year extension, hoping to save her daughter somehow in the intervening years.

Raised inside a mountain, protected by Christian icons painted on the walls, Nevena grows up in contact with only her mother.

When the witch reappears to claim her, she leaves the mountain with a more abusive maternal figure ready to interfere or interrupt her growth.

Inheriting her mother’s ability to shapechange, she begins to live one life after another, sometimes female (Noomi Rapace initially, Alice

Englert eventually), sometimes male, sometimes (almost) old, sometimes young, learning the pleasures and pains, the gains and losses, the joys and grief inherent in the human condition.

“Will I like this film?” do I hear some readers asking? It’s not a film to like or dislike. It’s one to experience, to think about. And why not?

At Dendy

“Hunt” (MA)

IT took me a while to decide whether this South Korean movie was satirising parody or parodying satire. Or a lampoon of its subject matter (Hol lywood movies from no particular era and every era for more than a century) in praise of itself by presenting itself at its most fatuous.

Some commentators suggest that “Hunt” deals with actual historical events in Korea in the ‘80s. That’s as may be. What comes to the screen is a no-holds-barred send-up of more actioner movies than you can shake a stick at – before TV took possession of the genre, Hollywood churned out scads of B-grade movies.

In the ‘80s, when the military dictatorship reached its peak, KCIA Foreign Unit chief Park Pyong-ho (Lee Jung-jae who also wrote and directed) and Domestic Unit chief Kim Jung-do (Jung Woo-sung) were tasked with uncovering a North Korean spy, known as Donglim.

When top-secret intel that could jeopardise national security begins leaking, the two units are each assigned to investigate each other.

In this tense situation where if they cannot

find the mole, they may be accused themselves, Pyong-ho and Jung-do slowly start to uncover the truth and become aware of a plot to assas sinate the South Korean president.

Now, that sounds pretty serious stuff for a movie. And it is. Last month, Lee Jung-jae re-edited “Hunt” after Cannes for screening at Toronto International Film Festival for its North American premiere. Which one is screening here now, I cannot tell. And it doesn’t greatly matter. What does matter is how Lee structured it.

It runs for 131 minutes, crammed with firearms of many shapes and sizes spraying its environ ments and characters with brio and not much else (other than muzzle flashes).

Some characters have lines to speak, others are there simply to fall down playing dead. The actors are difficult to identify or separate other than by sex. The dialogue is bizarre – a character says that something must be so – so it is so. Cars get wrecked more often than not – well, Holly wood has always been good at that. Towards the end, the film threatens to stop many times before actually rolling closing credits written mostly in Korean characters so beyond the comprehension of non-Korean viewers.

Did Lee Jung-jae intend his film to be so imitative of Hollywood potboilers from a bygone era of movies? Does he have a subtle sense of the ridiculous founded on awareness of his film’s stylistic antecedents? I don’t know. But it’s tolerably watchable and you might even enjoy the experience.

At Dendy and Palace Electric

Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in “Blonde”.

Food adventure with lots of ‘yum’

By Wendy JOHNSON

THIRTEEN kilometres north of the city, in the heart of Casey, is a new restaurant well worth the trip (if you don’t live in the area, that is).

Myanmar Corner is delightful and a true food adventure, with the menu changing every three months.

Owners Aye and Ko, who ran Sukothai and Red Hill Tea House for many moons, have popped up in Casey with an inspiring menu celebrating the vibrant flavours, colours and textures of Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisines.

That universal word “yum” applied to every dish we ordered on our first (but not last) visit.

Our Myanmar Corner foodie adventure began with prawn spring rolls ($9 for three, although the restaurant happily added an additional so we could have two each). They were super light and

crispy on the outside and the plump prawns on the inside cooked perfectly.

is the tea leaf rice with chicken ($20). The rice was slightly smoky and mesmerising. Textures included crispy mixed nuts sprinkled on top and the pickled tea leaves were gorgeous. Not to be outdone, the chicken was moist and super crispy.

We adore slow-cooked goat, but

ART / Canberra Art Biennial

“village style” is promising in our books, $23). It was deep and complex, and the lemongrass and lime leaves made their presence known. The beef was slow cooked and melted in the mouth. We soaked up the intense, thick gravy with soft pieces of fluffy roti.

My friend is wary of what she calls “gudgy” dishes (which means mushy ... think overcooked eggplant). She was at tracted to the spicy crispy zucchini ($25), holding her breath that all would be good. It was a stunner of a dish, visually and on the taste scale. The deep fried battered zucchini was firm and crispy. Once again, lime leaves featured, and the homemade chili jam rocked it.

Myanmar Corner’s décor features rich royal blues and golds, with stunning photographs hung along one wall. Light wood square tables and classic Bentwoodstyle chairs add to the open, airy feel.

Service was superb and the staff were visibly excited about serving tasty food, including delicate soups, stimulating stir fries, other rich curries and Myanmar specialty dishes.

The menu comes through on its promise to take diners on an “adventure to the market food stalls and bustling tea shops of Yangon, Mandalay, Mawlamyine and many other places”.

Myanmar Corner is BYO. The restaurant offers two levels of banquets – $40 per person or $60 per person (minimum four people).

Still a numbers game for the new biennial

By Helen Musa

ONE of Canberra’s most successful art initiatives of recent years, the installation festival Contour 556, has morphed into the Canberra Art Biennial, opening in early October.

Originally themed around the height above sea level of Lake Burley Griffin, Contour 556 has now been joined by two other contours – 606, the Univer sity of Canberra’s and 656, the National Arboretum’s.

I caught up with director Neil Hobbs as he put the finishing touch to plans for the burgeoning festival, which is now funded by ArtsACT and EventsACT and is expected to extend across more public, private and gallery spaces in the inner north and south of Canberra.

Hobbs says the change of name, as he

and his collaborators considered how to cope with the quick expansion of Contour 556, locked into the contour of the lake and city only.

“We thought, let’s have three slices of the Canberra, layered landscape,” says Hobbs, himself a landscape architect by profession, add ing, “the whole point of the biennial is to uncover the history of Canberra’s layers and how they are placed in the land.”

There’s a lot of Canberra’s history involved, a great deal of which is hidden, he says. “For instance, the lake hides the Molonglo River Basin. So much of what we’re doing is about what’s hidden.”

Bringing this idea to light this year will be “Both shall row (O Waly, Waly)” by Ian Marr, a pair of undulating slabs placed on supports just below the water surface of the lake, so quite literally hidden.

The inclusion of the National Arboretum’s Contour 656 in the wider biennial works very nicely numerically, Hobbs notes, but it’s also an institution he’s always wanted to have involved in the event, too.

Right now, the National Arboretum is in the first flush of its new Forest Sculpture Gallery, unveiled on September 9. Works of a more substantial nature, now collected by the Arboretum, have special relevance to the old Contour 556.

Jeremy Blincoe and Michael Van Dam’s huge stainless steel chain sculpture, “Cloak”, exhibited at the 2020 Contour 556 at the Civic Pool, for instance, will be installed permanently in the Himalayan Cedar Forest.

Marr’s “A Literary Map of the Molon glo”, from the 2016 Contour 556, has been acquired and goes on permanent display in the Pin Oak Forest.

Contour 606 works quite nicely numerically, too, Hobbs says, and as

with the Arboretum, there is a contour 556 link as Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens’ sculpture “Second Skin”, shown at the lakeside event in 2018, has been taken into the University of Canberra collection.

“So, there’s a nice link that shows how our festival is not just a temporary event,” Hobbs says.

The line-up of 61 contributing artists is a who’s who of contemporary Canberra creativity, including several dance artists, and takes place over a broad range of venues, including Springbank Island, Henry Rolland Park, Thor’s Hammer Mixing Room Gallery and King O’Malley’s pub.

Among the more visible highlights will be Adam Norton’s “Giant Badges”, a series of large round colourful text-works looking like old school lapel badges of over a metre in size and installed around the lake.

Canberra Art Biennial, various locations around Canberra, October 1-29. All details at contour556.com.au

ARTS IN THE CITY Jukebox musical that’s full of cruel intentions!

By Helen Musa

“CRUEL Intentions: The ‘90s Musical” sees the cult classic 1999 film turned into a jukebox musical jampacked with music from artists such as the band NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, The Verve Doubt and more. Canberra Theatre, October 5-8.

CELEBRATE Gungahlin Festival will be presented over four events across Gungahlin Town Centre, opening on Gungahlin Enclosed Oval, 11am-3pm, October 8, and continuing until October 22. More at celebrategungahlin. com.au

THE National Gallery celebrates 40 years since the opening of its building with a program of art and events throughout October, from a futurist opera by Australian artist Justene Williams on October 14-15 to a new figurative bronze sculpture by British artist Tracey Emin in the Sculpture Garden.

“WELL Built: Simmie & Co” is an exhibition marking the work of pioneering building company Simmie & Co which built, among other structures, the Institute of Anatomy (National Film and Sound Archive), and the Australian War Memorial. National Capital Exhibition, Regatta Point, October 5-December 15.

“SOUL Trading” is Kate Walder’s eye-opening sci-fi play about our rapidly evolving relationship with technology. Directed by Jena Prince for Canberra Youth Theatre, it’s at the Courtyard Studio, October 5-8.

MUSICA Viva has Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital and Italian cellist Giovanni Sollima presenting four centuries of culture from opposite sides of the sea, featuring traditional Salento, Bulgarian, Turkish, Sephardic and Macedonian music. Llewellyn Hall, 7pm, Wednesday, October 5.

“WHO Are You: Australian Portraiture”, the first exhibition to bring together the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria and the National Portrait Gallery, features 130 works by Australian artists. Sitters including Albert Namatjira, Queen Elizabeth II and David Gulpilil. National Portrait Gallery, October 1-January 29.

TO celebrate the ANU Law Revue’s 50th anniversary, the student legal eagles are kicking off with a 2022 show featuring a cast of current students only, at Canberra Rep Theatre, September 29-October 1. A second, bigger show will be at The Playhouse on October 20 and will see students and past alumni performing content from over the Law Revue’s 50 years.

REPLACING the postponed production of Tommy Murphy’s “Holding the Man”, Everyman Theatre is staging “Beautiful Thing” by Jonathan Harvey, to be directed by Jarrad West. Set in the summer of 1993 in south-east London, it sees Jamie and Ste realising there’s something more between them than just friend ship. ACT Hub, Kingston, October 5-15.

Village-style beef curry… slow cooked with flavours of lemongrass and lime leaves.

Ping-pong way to beat butterflies

By Jackie WARBURTON

WHILE visiting a 90+ yearold gardener, I was excited to see her insect decoy methods on her cabbages.

This non-insecticide idea used white pansies planted between the cabbages and a string of ping pong balls around the patch and no netting.

A clever little decoy, it lets the cabbage butterflies know that this plant is taken and there would not be enough of a food source, and they move on.

My cabbages have been growing strongly and really beginning to form a head now, despite struggling through wet winters. But they are a long-lasting vegetable in summer and have many uses in the kitchen.

So far, I have had the most success with “Savoy” because they’re the most hardy in frost. Plant them out in autumn and they grow through the winter.

GROWING most vegetables and salad greens by seed is an economical way for growing food. Use a seed-raising mix from the nursery or fine compost and sand for the seeds to grow in.

Choose a small container or seed tray, water and keep moist, but not wet. Plant out half the seeds and a few weeks later, plant the other half and this will extend the yield and slow the glut of one vegetable when they are ready to be picked.

Hopefully, over winter there has been soil preparation and the ground is weed free when growing edibles. Most vegetables will need at least 5-6 hours of full sun to grow quickly and strong, but there will still be a little frost.

Crop rotation planting choices will depend on what was growing in that space last year. Plants such as tomatoes, eggplants and capsicums should not be planted in the same spot to prevent fungal diseases that might still be in the soil. Instead plant legumes, such as beans and peas.

Sprinkle a little gardeners’ lime, dig the area over lightly and plant out. It is still a little too early to plant summer vegetables such as tomatoes, pumpkins and capsicums.

AS the weather warms, the pest and insects will be about as well. Try encouraging predatory insects to the garden with plants that attract them to create biodiversity in the garden.

Use a wide variety of attractive plants that flower throughout different seasons and plants that can be seen by the insects. The Bagworm Moths are inconspicuous insects to look for in the garden and are not a nuisance at all.

They like to eat many natives such as eucalypts, tea trees and ornamentals, but not in plague proportions. They are a group of moths and caterpillars that make mobile homes from silk, a great native insect to have in the garden.

AS growth starts, hedges

will need a trim continuously throughout spring and summer to keep them neat and tidy.

Prune evergreen hedges after flowering. Most hedges need pruning little but often and the smaller the leaf the better the plant for a hedge.

If planning to plant a hedge, make sure the size and growth is suitable for where it is to go. A poor choice of plant will create maintenance implications down the track. Hedges are a long-term choice, so a bit of research will be needed for the right hedge for the right spot.

My favourite go-to hedge plants are Luma apiculata, Viburnum tinus or camellias. They are all evergreen and tough when established.

Preparation for where they are to be planted will need to be done a few weeks before planting and digging over the soil, adding organic matter to a trench rather than individual holes. Turn over the soil and keep it weed free until planting.

A good hedge should be 1-2 me tres tall with plants 70 centimetres apart. Choose all the plants at the same time so there is consistency in the growth. Keep the water up to them for the next few months and keep the soil moist, but not wet.

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au

A non-insecticide way to keep cabbage butterflies at bay… white pansies planted between the cabbages and a string of ping pong balls.

The Bagworm Moth…a great native insect to have in the garden. Photos: Jackie Warburton

Your week in the stars

By Joanne Madeline Moore October

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Harmonious partnerships and creative coupledom are highlighted as the Full Moon and Jupiter (in Aries) plus the Sun and Venus (in Libra) rev up relationships and joint ventures. If you combine diplomacy with dynamism (and Ram charm with a sense of adventure) then you’ll sail through challenges. Balance is the key. Your motto is from actress Claire Danes (who has Sun in Aries and Moon in Libra): “Relationships are a constant negotiation and balance.”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Expect a rather intense week as the fiery Full Moon stirs up inner compulsions, submerged secrets or hidden resentments. You could also become obsessed about someone from your complicated past. If you’re a bright Bull, you’ll learn from your mistakes, let go and move on. Inspiration for the week is from actress Kate Winslet (who turns 47 on Wednesday): “The good and bad things are what form us as people… change makes us grow.”

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

This week the Full Moon focus is on friendships: how to nurture them, keep them… and then let them go if you have outgrown each other. You’ll find mutual interests are essential to long-term platonic relationships. Attached Twins – stop being scatterbrained and superficial! Mercury (your patron planet) is moving forwards again, so your sweetheart is looking to you for some sensible and balanced advice. Singles – love and friendship are linked.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Are you making the most of your mind? With Pluto and Mercury (which is now di rect) activating your communication zone, detailed research and strategic thinking will take you far. Courtesy of the Full Moon, it’s a good week to increase your public profile, complete a professional project, give a speech, launch a website or start a social media campaign. But don’t underestimate the hard work and patience it will take to keep the wheels of progress turning.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

The Full Moon and Jupiter rev up your gypsy gene and activate your adventure zone. So it’s a good time to escape somewhere special, whether it’s a muchanticipated holiday or a spontaneous weekend getaway. With Mercury moving forwards in your money zone, don’t let fleeting whims and luxury fever get in the way of long-term financial planning. Your motto is from fellow-Leo, artist Andy Warhol: “Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Mercury is moving forwards in your sign so communication, travel and relation ships should all start to improve. But the big lesson to learn is how to diversify and delegate. No one (not even a super-effective Virgo) is indispensable. And expect some dramatic developments to do with lust or loot, as the Full Moon stimulates your sex and money zones. Single? It could be difficult to differentiate between a dream date and a disappointing dud, so tread carefully.

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Expect some relationship rumbles, as the Full Moon stimulates your partnership zone. Singles – look for love with an amorous Aries or an adventurous Aquarius (but don’t let them walk all over you). If you’re attached, now is the time to stand up for what you believe in. Otherwise your proactive partner could take the reins and ride the relationship in the direction and manner they prefer, with little input from you. A shared vision is vital for romantic longevity.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

You have strong likes and dislikes, and you don’t do things by halves. Especially when there’s a Full Moon! You love to call the shots and be in control, but you’ll find another ‘c’ word – co-operation – will get you a lot further, with fewer tantrums and tears. Positive Pluto aspects promise group activities, intense communication and powerful conversations. Don’t overthink things, though! As Bill Gates (a fellow-Scorpio) says, “Often you have to rely on intuition.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

The Full Moon and Jupiter light up your drama zone so expect a week of extremes – everything from passion and flamboyance to arguments and dummy-spits. A troubled teenager or a feisty friend could push your buttons. So try to keep your composure, and don’t give them the satisfaction of a response! Professional projects are favoured – as long as you’re not a Sagittarian smart-aleck. Listen to the wise advice of a trusted colleague, teacher or mentor.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

The Sun’s visiting your career zone, which boosts your ambitious streak. You’re keen to get ahead but don’t trample over others on your climb to the top! Aim to get the balance right between your personal and professional lives. Relationships will be complicated this week when passion is combined with power plays, and romance is coupled with responsibility. So expect some domestic dramas, as the Full Moon triggers prima donna moments or a family fiasco.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

It’s a good week to expand your world via exciting local friendships and international contacts. If you link up with like-minded people, then it will open up new doors of opportunity. But be careful what you post online, as a casual comment could lead to controversy. And expect the sparks to fly on Sunday when the Full Moon and Jupiter fire up your adventurous, spontaneous side. If you must be rebellious, then aim to be a rebel with a worthy cause.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

With Mercury moving forwards in your partnership zone, you’ll feel more motivated to sort out relationship problems than at other times. And you have a good chance of success, especially if you are proactive about finding solutions and are prepared to compromise. But money matters could come to a head on the weekend when the Full Moon lights up your financial zone. Maybe it’s time to boost your cashflow or redesign your dreams?

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2022

Across

1 Name an ancient ruined city in upper Egypt, on the Nile. (6)

8 What do we call the oak that serves to line the walls of a room? (8)

9 Which person flees from one’s native land to avoid persecution? (6)

10 Joining with others in a cause, is doing what? (8)

11 What is a duplicating machine known as? (6)

12 Name the capital of Fiji. (4)

13 What are borders, or margins? (5)

16 Who, in Biblical times, liberated the Hebrews from Egypt? (5)

19 Name a child’s flying toy. (4)

21 Which musical direction suggests “in a leisurely manner”? (6)

22 What is another name for skittles? (8)

23 What are decrees issued by a sovereign? (6)

24 Which term describes that which is characteristic of the Middle Ages? (8)

25 The sign Libra is known as the what? (6)

Solution next editionDown

2 Name an Australian soprano, born in NZ, Dame Joan ... (7)

3 Name a South American dance in bolero rhythm. (7)

4 When one utters profanities, one does what? (6)

5 What is a transposition of the letters of a word or sentence to form a new word or sentence? (7)

6 Who were those who formerly made copies of manuscripts? (7)

7 What are marks of disgrace? (7)

13 What is a means of thrifty saving? (7)

14 Which small explosive shell is thrown by hand? (7)

15 Who is the captain of a ship? (7)

17 Which simple musical wind instrument is shaped like an elongated egg, with finger holes? (7)

18 What is a written communication? (7)

20 Which tripods are used for supporting blackboards? (6)

FREE PUZZLES EVERY DAY AT citynews.com.au

Sudoku medium No. 325

Navigating through the aged-care maze

ANYONE moving into residential aged care will, most likely, be faced with many personal and financial decisions. Here, we go through five key areas to help make the transition in care easier.

Planning

A useful first step is to plan early. Start this process by having a family meeting to make shared decisions. Use the meeting to have frank and open discussions about:

• Care options and preferences.

• Potential concerns or issues.

• Who needs to be involved in any planning.

Accessing options

To access subsidised aged care, register with MyAgedCare and arrange a free assessment by the Aged Care Assessment Team. This team will help grant approval to access subsidised aged care services such as home, respite or permanent residential aged care.

Understanding the costs

What you pay for residential aged care will be divided into contributions towards accommodation, care and additional services. How much you have to pay will depend on:

• The choices you make.

• Your assessable assets and income.

The total payable can be hard to calculate without good advice. Eveyone's is different. There is no "one-size-fits-all" cost.

Covering the costs

Before making a move, a complete review of your financial situation is ideal to ensure you create sufficient cash flow and maximise your estate.

At Phillips Wealth Partners, we work with clients to review their full financial situation. We develop an appropriate strategy to help them make a decision on how best to pay for their aged-care fees on arrival, the first year and projected several years ahead.

Moving

When you accept a place in care you will be required to sign a residential agreement. This agreement includes information about rights, obligations, and aged-care fees.

The fees will commence when you accept to enter permanently, but you get 28 days to tell the aged-care home whether you will be paying a lump sum, a daily fee or a combination of both. There are always options to change the payment structure down the track.

For the best outcome, start planning early, involve your trusted advisers and look beyond just the first year implications.

To learn more, call us on 1300 10 22 33 or book a 15-minute call (at no cost) via our website phillipswp.com.au

Disclaimer: This column

general

do not rely on it.

you require specific advice on this topic

In this column LUISA CAPEZIO and CRAIG PHILLIPS, of Phillips Wealth Partners, outline five key areas to consider when planning to move into aged care…

Luisa Capezio, Aged Care Adviser | Craig Phillips, Director, Principal Adviser

Jo Twible Principal Kerstin Glomb Special Counsel Estate-planning

Craig Phillips Senior Financial Planner

Luisa Capezio Aged Care Advisor