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Special park for group with a Tablelands mission

By Lily PASS

JANE Cottee has been passionate about plants since she was five years old, collecting them and giving them names.

Now 66, she’s enjoying her retire ment through plants in a new role, president of the Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park (STEP), which has a dedicated garden in the north-west of the National Arboretum.

STEP started as an idea between the Australian Plant Society and Friends of Grasslands.

“The 2009 idea took a while to per colate, and the then Chief Minister Jon Stanhope agreed that this site, the Arboretum, would be great and so it all started to happen,” says Jane.

“So the first planting began, ready to show off at the Arboretum opening in 2013.”

Since then, STEP has grown to 2.4 hectares, including 28 different species of wattle and 16 different species of eucalypts.

“One of our recent initiatives is developing a wattle walk, so in spring people can come and it will be beautiful and golden and scented,” says Jane.

“If you were keen to learn about

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each of the wattles and where they grow in the Southern Tablelands there will be signage.

“Apart from being a regional botanic garden, we’re very keen on education so we really encourage members of the public, school groups, horticulture students, people who just are interested, to come and look

around the gardens.”

Jane says she is a plant person and a qualified horticulturist, but she wasn’t particularly familiar with a lot of the plants from the Southern Tablelands.

“When I retired I thought I needed to be able to give back, and work with like-minded people,” she says.

“I’m always interested in learning.

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I’ve learnt a lot from people through doing this work and I think it’s a fantastic resource for Canberra,” she

Every Thursday the STEP “working bees” do more than just plant trees, they choose plants for the nursery, harvest seed, mow, weed control or “just work where it’s needed”, but the real highlight of the day is morning

“It’s great camaraderie and everyone brings something along,” Jane

STEP is managed and maintained by volunteers from all walks of life.

“It really is quite a significant effort. We have members who do know quite a lot about plants, but others who know nothing, but just love being in

“On average we get 15 to 20 people weekly and there’s probably about 35 who are active all the time, but not everyone comes every week.

“We get a lot done in two or three hours and there’s always some new little thing coming along.”

Jane says she is a fairly recent addition to STEP, having joined in 2019.

“I have only just become president in the last month or so, and being able to make a difference is my favourite part,” she says.

“You can really see the difference for the work you’re putting in. Then

to bring people through and show them all the different leaves and see them touching and smelling is a great thing.”

But, she says, they have had a lot of damage done by the recent rain.

“We are trying to recover a lot of areas. There are gaps where trees had been, but have died from sitting in slush and mud,” she says.

“We’ve just had more pathwork done, but we’re always repairing paths and everywhere you look at the moment there are weeds.

“It goes along with the usual challenges of working outdoors, being careful of snakes and wearing appropriate clothing and footwear.”

Fortunately, droughts aren’t so bad.

“We did actually do a lot of planting, because you can water in a drought, but you can’t take water out of the soil if it’s raining all the time,” says Jane.

“We’re lucky we have rainwater tanks, so we do have access to that and taps so there’s a lot of bucketing that happens. We’re always on the lookout and wary of fires, too.”

But challenges aside, Jane says STEP has big plans for 2023 and beyond.

“We do have a new area just opened up that we’re getting signage for. It’s called the Gallery of Grasses, and we’re also going to have a Parade of Peas coming soon.”

Jane Cottee, president of the Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park at the National Arboretum… “Apart from being a regional botanic garden, we’re very keen on education.”

Photo: Lily Pass

Unspent cards worth billions Bushfire lessons ‘not learnt’, says union chief

AUSTRALIANS risk losing billions of dollars on gift cards by not redeeming them, according to new research.

Two in five people (39 per cent) have unused gift cards lying around with a national total worth of $1.9 billion, says comparison website Finder’s survey of 1086 respondents.

The research found those with gift cards have an average of $243 sitting in drawers untouched.

Graham Cooke, Finder’s head of consumer research, said gift cards are a popular choice for presents, but more than a third go unused.

“Gift cards are a practical gift if you’re unsure of what someone will like or use,” he said.

“However, by not redeeming them, you’re essentially giving that money back to the retailer, and losing out on a great deal of savings.”

The data shows three in 10 people (29 per cent) have been unable to redeem a gift card: one in five (22 per cent) couldn’t redeem their gift card as it had expired, six per cent misplaced it, and two per cent were unable to cash in on their gift card as the company was out of business.

That’s equivalent to 5.8 million people who have missed out on an opportunity to use their credit.

“Up until recently, retailers could issue gift cards with an expiration

date as short as six months. Thank fully, they must now allow you to use the card for a minimum of three years,” Cooke said.

“It is illegal for retailers to issue cards with an expiry date shorter than this. If a retailer rejects your card within a three-year period, lodge a complaint. If they still won’t honour the credit, reach out to your local consumer body. Additionally, retailers may not charge any additional fees to use the card after it is issued.”

Millennials tend to have the most unused gift cards – with half (49 per cent) holding on to them, compared to 31 per cent of gen X.

Cooke said there are ways to make

for when the card expires so you remember to use it.

“Take a picture of the front and back of the card with your phone. In many cases, the details on the card will be sufficient to use the credit in the future if you lose it.

“If you’ve been given a card you don’t think you’ll use, consider regifting or selling it to friends, family, or online marketplaces. This will help you recoup some of the value that would have otherwise been lost.

“Remember, if you decide to resell it online, don’t use a picture of the card’s numbers or else it could be skimmed.”

IN the wake of the 20th anniversary of the Canberra bushfires, the local firefighters’ union says the ACT’s Emergency Services Agency (ESA) has failed to learn the lessons from the January 18, 2003, tragedy.

Greg McConville, the United Firefighters Union’s ACT secretary said: “After the Canberra bushfires destroyed nearly 500 homes and took four lives, the ACT’s Emergency Services Agency has failed to learn the lessons of 2003.

“ACT Fire and Rescue remains short of equipment and trucks. The Acton Fire Station promised in 2021 remains a vacant block of land, and organisations set up to protect Canberrans from bushfires have been scrapped.

“Despite the near disastrous incidents of defective fire trucks during the 2003 Canberra fires, the newest fire trucks procured for ACT Fire and Rescue suffer from the same faults of flammable plastic air intakes and unprotected brake lines, leaving firefighters and the community no better protected.”

This is in contrast to Emergency Services Minister Mick Gentleman’s assertion that the ACT government had undertaken “significant reflection” and worked to learn from the lessons from the 2003 bushfires and implement a range of actions to ensure the territory was better prepared for bushfire and natural disasters.

“The community should be confident knowing that our emergency services agencies are more prepared for a bushfire emergency than ever before,” he said.

McConville also claimed that the ACT was desperately short of firefighters.

“Between 2013 and mid-2016, no firefighters were recruited at all. In the 2018/19 financial year, only six were recruited,” he said.

“That’s meant that firefighters continue to undertake unacceptable levels of overtime, and firefighters are being pressured into not taking their accrued leave to cover the gaps.

Mr McConville said important bushfire consultative bodies created to strengthen the ACT’s response and resilience to bushfires had been abolished without explanation.

“The Emergency Services Operational Review Group was established to bring together biannually representatives of all emergency services, staff and volunteers. However, without any announcement, it appears to have been abolished and has not been met since November 2020,” he said.

“The Bushfire Council was abolished in 2021 against the will of its members, including rural landholders and the Bush Fire Abatement Zone recommended by the McLeod report, and the coronial inquest was also abolished.

“Unforgivably, the coroner’s inquiry into the 2019 fires remains incomplete and will not reconvene until April, 2023.”

The day the bushfire textbook was rewritten – Page 11.

Gift cards... The research found those with gift cards have an average of $243 sitting in drawers untouched.

How spin sidelined Clay’s candid planning report

THINGS are serious when the senior ACT government planning bureaucrat uses interviews with selected local media to send a message to local politicians.

Over the Christmas New Year break, the chief planner was interviewed online and was featured in several well-placed media articles. The message was clear. Planning bureaucrats run the city’s planning and the elected politicians, especially ACT Greens such as Jo Clay, need to back off.

The bureaucrats, with the nod of the chief minister, remain keen to enable more developments that have been gradually changing the city from the bush capital to being an unattractive and massive heat island.

It was no coincidence that the interviews with the media were a week after the release of the Legislative Assembly Planning Committee’s report on the so-called reforms of the ACT government’s planning regimes. The report by the Planning Committee was not kind.

Committee members, Jo Clay (ACT Greens), Suzanne Orr (ACT Labor) and Mark Parton (Canberra Liberals), did their best to be constructive while reflecting the frustration and anxiety expressed by the community

through submissions.

There are 49 recommendations that collectively signal that the reforms as put forward by the chief planner are not acceptable. The work on planning reform has been a failure.

However, there is another perspective. If the ACT’s Greenslabor government is to continue the policies of de-greening, to continue with heat-island housing developments that are non-climate ready, to work against having good design and attractive landscapes, to continue reducing biodiversity and to have token interest in the city’s heritage, if the government is to maintain a low priority on social housing and affordability, then what is being proposed will be successful.

The new Planning Bill will allow for an increase in the laissez-faire approach to new and infill developments.

The proposals will increase (not reduce) the irresponsible, vague decisions being made within the bureaucracy with less oversight and contribution by ACT elected politicians and very little opportunity for challenges by residents. Just forget

community engagement.

The chief planner and his boss, the chief minister, know exactly what they are doing. This is obvious from the chief planner’s spin during the December 30 interview (available on YouTube).

He knew that the interviewer would not ask difficult questions. Instead he was provided with the opportunity to blather on about stuff that sounded worthy, but is in complete contrast to what his own proposals will deliver.

On the surface at least, this Greenslabor government has announced some worthy sounding policies such as the one to have more greenery and porous surfaces (less concrete) in new and infill developments.

When questioned about these policies, particularly anything to do with climate, the answer is they were considered when drafting the planning reforms.

Anyone reading the documentation realises that little of the announced policies are meaningfully incorporated. Doing stuff for the climate remains the job of someone somewhere else!

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Andrew Barr would have been watching that interview with his developer spade in hand ready to shovel the chief planner out of his highly paid job if he gave away the game. These well-timed media events were about sidelining the select committee’s report. There has been no attempt to use the committee’s recommendations to challenge the chief planner’s spin.

What is being proposed is an even bigger mess that will be less transparent and people focused. Clay should consider herself on notice that she is about to repeat the experience of former chair of this committee, Caroline Le Couteur. Caroline’s planning committee made important planning recommendations only to have them rejected by the BarrRatt executive.

The city requires new 21st century planning and compliance governance structures that deliver liveable and climate-ready urban built environments – ones that bring back the owls and enhance the biodiversity and will be a fun place to live. The community needs to be engaged to encourage developments that deal with the complex equity and social is -

sues not being adequately addressed by the present Greenslabor cohort.

Liberal Mark Parton has said the proposed Planning Bill is anti-community and anti-environment, and should not be passed in its current form. He is stating the obvious and he is being polite. He knows that the chief minister and his chief planner are misleading the city’s residents over the future of the city’s developments.

The question for Parton, and his leader Elizabeth Lee, is whether they can engage with the residents with alternative and more meaningful planning and development policies, and can propose a more effective, transparent and equitable planning structure; one based on good governance.

Paul Costigan is a commentator on cultural and urban matters. There are more of his columns at citynews.com.au

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The message was clear. Planning bureaucrats run the city’s planning and the elected politicians, especially ACT Greens such as Jo Clay, need to back off.

‘Funny business’ on the way to the Assembly

The second P for Profit, the project certainly produced, but not for the People: government housing was demolished to provide profits for developers. Nor was much consideration given to the third P, the Planet.

THINKING of the tumultuous Roman farce “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, I cannot help but be reminded of political events in our age for which the title “A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the ACT Assembly” might be appropriate.

Here, in Canberra, a “funny thing” happened after the ACT election of 2012. The Greens lost three seats out of four, yet succeeded in shaping the face of Canberra and, more importantly, the finances of the ACT government from that time on until today. A new kind of democracy in action?

As I mentioned in an earlier article (“How Labor betrayed Canberra to stay in power”, CN December 22), the sole Greens MLA became the kingmaker. In return for keeping Labor in power with his vote, he was promised the light rail.

In April 2012, the company URS had produced a report for the government documenting that a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system would be half the cost of a LRT (Light Rail Rapid Transit)

system, bring roughly twice the profit and produce the same develop ment as LRT along the line.

The final sentence of the report states: “BRT is a cost-effective option, whilst LRT generates the best overall outcome for Canberra.”

Funny, because while other statements are well supported with facts and figures, “the best overall outcome for Canberra” appears without further explanations. Was it perhaps a last-minute addition when a government official reading the final draft, reminded the authors that support of the tram was essential?

Since the document was “commercial in confidence” at the time, this “funny thing” did not reach the public. Nevertheless, the then Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Simon Corbell, obviously thought the choice of LRT needed explanation. In an article titled “Light rail best choice for Canberra’s future” on the internet publication “My Gungahlin”, of July 30, 2013, Minister Corbell relying on the above-mentioned URS report

concluded that: “A triple bottom line evaluation undertaken of these options comparing their social, economic and environmental impacts to the ‘do nothing scenario’ has shown LRT to provide higher benefits due to its higher social benefits.”

The URS report compared three scenarios: LRT, BRT and “do nothing”. Yet in the above article the Minister compares LRT not with BRT, but only with the “do-nothing” scenario. Funny, isn’t it?

The “triple bottom line evaluation”, namely the three Ps, People, Profit and Planet, are the “social, economic and environmental impacts”. One might well ask what the project did for the People other than those living near a tram stop.

On completion of the line, many found that their bus stop close to home was eliminated, and long walks and changing buses exponentially increased their commuting time. Some even felt the need to buy a car.

Less greenhouse gases would have been produced without the massive amounts of highly polluting concrete, steel etcetera used for the infrastructure of the tram, plus importing the vehicles fully assembled from Spain.

Any government investing a large part of its budget in a fundamental change to its public transport system would surely call on experts for a report on technological developments in mass transit elsewhere in the world.

If the ACT government had done this, they would have learnt that in September 2010 the Chinese automobile company BYD rolled out its BYD K9, one of the most successful electric buses.

In fact, it was so successful that by 2013 the company started production at a plant in California to satisfy the demand of the North American market.

The company’s e-buses range from small six-metre vehicles to large articulated 18-metre buses. There is even a double decker at 10 metres.

The German magazine “Der Spiegel” noted that in 2012 the price for a BYD e-bus was €380,000 Euros ($A589,000), merely €100,000 more than a comparable diesel bus, apparently shocking

the German Daimler company similarly perfecting its e-bus. Since then, BYD e-buses have proven themselves so popular they are manufactured and used all over the world.

Funny that with these successful e-buses already available in 2012, the ACT government would go for a light rail system at multiple the cost and pollution regarding infrastructure.

Imagine Canberra today with part of the money spent on the Spanish tram invested in e-buses and the rest in essential public services, such as health, housing, schools, the police, etcetera. Moreover, the CO2 saved if e-buses had begun replacing the polluting diesel buses 10 years ago would be something the Labor/Greens administration could be truly proud of.

Soon Canberrans will be paying for a Board of Inquiry, the result of leaked correspondence between the public prosecutor and the police in the Higgins vs Lehrmann case. Judging from the endless stream of letters to editors, the local electorate might be more interested in an inquiry into the “funny things” that happened regarding the tram.

Historian Beatrice Bodart-Bailey is an honorary professor at the ANU School of Culture, History and Language and an emeritus professor of the Department of Comparative Culture, Otsuma Women’s University, Tokyo.

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Imagine Canberra today with part of the money spent on the Spanish tram invested in e-buses and the rest in essential public services, such as health, housing, schools, the police, etcetera,” writes BEATRICE BODART-BAILEY

The BYD K9… one of the most successful electric buses.

The final prize beckons again for Kevin

SCREENWRITERS often talk about their main character’s “arc”. I first heard it during my Fellowship to the Australian Film and Television School.

It’s a nifty shorthand to describe the principal’s role in the story, the ups and downs before the big climax and the happy ending.

Hollywood has a few favoured con ventions for that trajectory, but not one comes close to the wild parabola of Kevin Rudd’s journey to the latest plot point in his story: appointment as Australia’s ambassador to the US.

In 2007, I spent many pleasant hours with Kevin at his Brisbane home and in Canberra researching his biography. It was published by Penguin that year, and a second edi tion arrived in 2008 when he snatched The Lodge from the gnarled claws of John Winston Howard.

Since then, Kevin’s arc has taken some wild twists and turns. And part of the reason I divined from those long talks. For Kevin – like his successors Tony Abbott and especially Scott Morrison – believes he’s on a mission from God. It began in early childhood in a divided home where the young Kev was the favoured son of a devout Catholic mother to whom he was deeply attached.

They shared the horror of home -

as non-denominational, it was this religious passion that motivated his unrestrained outrage at Julia Gillard’s “coup” that ripped him from The Lodge.

Fellow God-botherer Tony Abbott was happy to turn the misogynistic screws until Julia was broken by Labor’s hard men and Kevin returned to “save the furniture”.

That was yet another plot point in the Rudd screenplay on the public

stage. But already a new prayerful pathway was taking shape. It was one that I suspected had long been dormant in his imaginings: he’d become Secretary-General of the UN. Now that was a big one. It would at last allow him to shout like Jimmy Cagney in the climax to his arc in the classic “White Heat” – “Made it, Ma,

So it was off to America where the former First Lady soon to turn presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, became the target of his undoubted charm. He even crossed the political line back home and lobbied the new PM, Malcolm Turnbull for support. But then, from the depths of hell came Donald J Trump and the whole delicate fabric collapsed.

By now Kevin’s arc was coming to resemble that of the Prophet Job

and he even appeared with a white beard to accompany Job’s anguished appeal in Chapter 30, verses 20-30: “I cry out to you God, but you do not answer… You turn on me ruthlessly; you snatch me up and drive me before the wind; you toss me about in the storm…”

But then, Hosannah! The latest rival God-botherer, Scott Morrison, surrenders to his own religious mania and gathers more ministries than even the Good Lord himself could juggle, then crashes to earth, almost squashing an eight-year-old boy.

And Lo! The happy warrior Anthony Albanese, whom Kevin had made Deputy PM while saving the furniture, is now in The Lodge.

Redemption!

So, from ambo to Washington DC and the final prize beckons once more, the golden orb atop Jacob’s ladder –the UN Secretary-Generalship.

Hollywood hasn’t seen an arc like it since Cecil B DeMille.

robert@robert macklin.com

Government stumps up for ice sports hub

THE ACT government will commit $16 million towards the development of a new $45-50 million ice sports facility –the Canberra Arena – in Tuggeranong by 2025. “The new facility will feature two international standard ice sheets that will support the needs of figure skating, broomball, speed skating and ice hockey, as well as dedicated curling sheets – the first of its kind in Australia –and capacity for up to 3600 spectators,” said Sport Minister Yvette Berry.

Senator Molan dies

NSW Liberal senator Jim Molan has died at the age of 72, nearly two years after being diagnosed with cancer. Senator Molan served four decades in the Australian Army, reaching the rank of major general, before entering politics in 2012 and being re-elected to the Senate at the 2022 federal election. He and wife Anne lived on a rural property in Royalla, just outside the ACT border.

Failures in aged care

MORE than half the aged-care homes in the ACT aren’t meeting their nursingcare minutes, with one provider missing their 38-minute minimum benchmark by 22 minutes. That’s according to the analysis by ACT senator David Pocock of the star ratings of the ACT’s 23 residential aged-care facilities, under a new federal government framework. “Despite recent reforms, big improvements are still needed to lift the standard of care being provided,” he says.

Nothing comes close to the wild parabola of Kevin Rudd’s journey to the latest plot point in his story: appointment as Australia’s ambassador to the US.

Terrible day the bushfire textbook was rewritten

failures in 2003 is now becoming normal due to climate change.

TWENTY years ago, we saw things that none of us ever expected to see.

Canberra’s emergency managers –every one of us – felt uniquely helpless on that day. Despite our best efforts – despite our training – despite our equipment, we lost over 500 homes in one afternoon. Four lives were lost and hundreds injured.

The subsequent enquiries sought to direct blame. If we had the people, if we had the training, if we had the equipment, why was the outcome so bad? It had to be someone at fault.

The loose ends were never brought together. Many involved on that day were left in limbo.

“How could that have happened” they ask themselves – still to this day. I have heard them ask this in recent years in Sydney, in Launceston and in Canada.

I was the planning officer for the Incident Management Team.

I am also a scientist. I kicked off a scientific endeavour that is still going strong today.

Having retired recently from ESA, I am now an adjunct professor at UNSW Canberra – a local campus with a legacy of bushfire science spanning many decades.

We discovered the major cause of damaging blow-up fires globally – by looking at fire behaviour around Mount Coree. We documented the first ever fire tornado event – an F2 tornado that ran from Mount Coree into Kambah.

We have worked with collaborators on many things. Low oxygen burning produced purple flames and surface flows of ember storms, seen by many on the edge of Weston Creek. After being contacted by the US Naval Research Laboratories in Washington DC, we focused on fire thunderstorms. Twenty years ago, these clouds, called pyroCbs for short, were a rarity in Australia.

In three hours we saw vast pyroCbs from the Broken Cart Fire, the Stockyard Spur Fire, the Bendora Fire and from the McIntyre’s Hut Fire.

This was close to the most intense

Day turns into night as the bushfire looms on January 18, 2003… “There is a compelling case that our 2003 fires are the most scientifically important wildfires ever,” says Rick McRae.

fire activity ever recorded – globally. We saw a black sky in the afternoon, we saw pyrogenic lightning and we saw black hail.

If a fire is doing things new to science, if a fire is disrupting 15,000 cubic kilometres of the atmosphere, and being photographed by astronauts in the International Space Station, if a fire has a power equal to almost half the global electricity generating power, if a fire is releas -

ing energy equivalent to the 1989 Newcastle Earthquake, then you cannot do much with a crewed fleet of fire trucks, however well resourced.

The 2003 fires validated the Nuclear Winter Hypothesis. What was novel in Australia in 2003 has now happened in eastern Australia in 2006, in 2009, and during Black Summer, as well as in Tasmania and in WA.

What was seen by the coroner as outcomes arising from operational

We came perilously close to a repeat right here in early February, 2020. Had the rain been delayed by a week, the outcome may have been inevitable and unthinkable. The novelty of what we went through in 2003 has been experienced afresh in recent years in Portugal, Bolivia and Kazakhstan.

There is a compelling case that our 2003 fires are the most scientifically important wildfires ever, producing learnings of global importance.

From that perspective, January 18, 2003, is a day that we should remember as the day when more than a thousand homes were saved from an unimaginable fire by our emergency services and by our community –working together.

The tragic losses must be remembered and learned from. But we Canberrans – along with the rest of the planet – are facing unimaginable climate change impacts and we must get on to the front foot to adapt to this. This memorial is a fitting foundation for us to do that.

Rick McRae is an adjunct professor with the Bushfire Research Group at the School of Science, UNSW Canberra. He contributes to a website that updates aspects of the 2003 fires at highfirerisk.com.au/

Kerstin

“This was close to the most intense fire activity ever recorded – globally. We saw a black sky in the afternoon, we saw pyrogenic lightning and we saw black hail.” RICK McRAE was at the centre of the fight against the terrible bushfire of January 18, 2003, and this is the presentation he gave at the 20th memorial ceremony.

Women shouldn’t have to put up with the perves

FOLLOWING some discussion in “CityNews” in 2022 about women in the local construction industry, it is concerning to realise how little has changed over past decades.

Many male construction workers, at least those of a certain age, continue to maintain the traditional masculinity attitudes and beliefs that they were obviously brought up with. These include the notion that the sexual objectification of women is natural and acceptable.

True story: while walking through an ACT shopping centre, where they are doing construction work, a group of these male workers observed a number of female shoppers who were scantily dressed, including some allegedly with “no knickers and skirts half-way up their bums”. The men proceeded to comment to each other in detail about these women and their manner of dress.

When this event was discussed later that day with a worker’s family members, a heated argument ensued. Female family members argued that women should not have to put up with being perved at because of how they dress on a hot day, and the male worker was absolutely adamant that the men had done nothing wrong, that women know exactly what they are doing and if they do not want that sort of attention, they should not

dress that way.

The male worker claimed that if the subject of this attention was his daughter or granddaughter, he would talk to them about how they should dress when out in public – and in no way would he blame the men for reacting the way that they did.

I had to remind myself that this is 2023. Would be interested to know what others think.

Karina Morris, Weetangera

Tuggeranong needs own hospital

I’M with Tim Walshaw, of Watson (Letters, CN December 22), regarding the foolish action of Labor/Greens going ahead with this blatant waste of taxpayers’ money, on Stage 2 of light rail.

Apparently common sense no longer rules in this mob.

As the Belco Party’s Bill Stefaniak welcomed Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee slamming this outlandish project, particularly when there’s no business case, I couldn’t agree more with both of them.

The Liberals need to keep the pressure up on this “never-wrong mob” as the majority of Canberrans clearly want billions spent on more police, hospitals, roads and our homeless!

As for the mention of hospitals, Tuggeranong is in desperate need of its own hospital, even before the Canberra Hospital expansion.

It makes perfect sense to construct a new Southside Hospital in Tuggeranong, where there is plenty of land and plenty of car-parking space.

Tim Walshaw was spot on with his assessment of this as well.

Ros Thomas, Gordon

Bouquet for volunteer gardeners

IN a city studded with pocket parks, one stands out in Wanniassa.

Congratulations to the locals in Halfrey Circuit who have planted out, and maintain, a beautiful flower-filled edge to this small park.

For those who keep fit by walking the neighbourhood, as I do, it sparks joy to see these patches in full bloom, like jewels decorating the crown of this hill.

My thanks to those special Canberrans who are sharing their passion for gardening, to lift the lives of others.

D Giannakakis, Wanniassa

tired of our government catering to these octogenarian yahoos – their walking strollers and caravans jamming our pathways and city streets.

If that’s not enough Commonwealth Park is jammed to bursting with young couples and families taking selfies.

And through the whole month we’re overwhelmed with the stench of flowers, pollen and endless, endless sneezing.

I say it’s high time our government packed up the mountains of compost used to build this annual nightmare and send the manure back where it came from!

Rob Thomas, via email

Have Australians voted for Socialism?

SO, Andrew Barr is calling for more federal assistance for the failing ACT health system.

If he was not wasting billions of dollars on useless light rail he could well improve our disastrous health system.

However, his imploration to federal Labor, like the other Labor governments, is potentially more sinister than that.

Fallen branches, some dead, ignored

ON November 30, I wrote about the disfigured state of the trees along my street, Macgregor Street, in Deakin. Unsurprisingly, little has changed.

The sawn-off stump is still there, several branches, some dead, some alive, have fallen. These include a large eucalypt branch at the corner opposite the Deakin shops, and a large wattle branch on my street, near the gym. Both have lain there for several weeks.

FLORIADE is a menace to our fair city and it needs to go!

Every spring our peaceful bush capital is overrun with silver-haired flower obsessives needing their tulip fix. I, for one, am

We could well be looking at nationalisation of health. We already have nationalisation of the electricity system well under way.

What will be next? Have Australians voted for Socialism?

Max Flint, Erindale Centre

Some areas of tall grass and weeds have been mown. Others, some in prominent places, remain waiting for a careless cigarette butt.

It seems that it will take a serious injury from a fallen branch or an uncontrolled conflagration to spur ACT City Services into action.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Grumpy about Floriade, it needs to go!

Little faith in anything learnt since 2023 bushfires

DESPITE all the hoo-ha on the anniversary of the 2003 fires, I have little faith that the government and emergency services leadership have learnt much since 2003.

After all we have had several major fires since then that the government struggled to contain, particularly Pierces Forest and the Orroral Valley fires.

The fact that the Chief Minister, together with Shane Rattenbury and Emergency Services head Georgeina Whelan determined that no inquiry was necessary into the fire started by a Defence helicopter, engenders no confidence in me at all.

As someone who flies a helicopter from time to time, I would like to know why it did not land as soon as possible to inspect dam age and why it did not radio or telephone in the location of the fire.

Both the government and emergency services management need a complete overhaul if we are not to have another 2003.

Of particular concern to me and bushfire scientists, is the forest on Narrabundah Hill in Duffy. This, according to Coroner Doogan’s report, is supposed to be open woodland.

However, with the drought the exotics have died and eucalypts and pines have once again taken over the area with the buffer zone reduced to 20 metres in parts.

Bushfire scientists claim this buffer zone, which would still contain suitable trees and bushes, should be 150 metres wide rather than the 70 recommended by government.

If houses are lost once more in upper Duffy, I hope residents will run a class action against the government for ignoring the dangers presented by this forest on the urban fringe.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Canberra poorer for government failure

THE Centre for Population’s “2022 Population Statement” projecting the ACT’s 2033 population to be 550,000, up from 454,000 in 2021, has raised questions about how this growth can be best managed.

Historically Canberra’s growth was well managed through strong metropolitan plans based on the detailed assessment of alternative futures in the context of the demographic, environmental and fiscal parameters shaping the city.

Until the early 1990s growth was accommodated primarily by new towns, each with substantial employment and facilities supported by a high-quality transport network. This strategy substantially reduced travel and largely met the then overwhelming preferences for low-density living and car use.

The strategy was progressively refined to address an increased preference for apartment and townhouse living, an increased awareness of environmental impacts and a reduced ability of the ACT government to influence employment location. The need for a level of infill was recognised to reduce travel, use underutilised infrastructure and widen housing choice.

Unfortunately, the current urban strategy, essentially an infill share of 70 per cent with redevelopments largely concentrated at centres and along the inter-town public transport route serviced by light rail, was determined without detailed assessment of alternative urban futures.

The government claims the strategy is designed to provide Canberrans a choice to live close to work and amenities and have access to high-quality, frequent, reliable and sustainable public transport. There is little evidence it is delivering these outcomes.

The strategy needs urgent review as it is resulting in (a) an undersupply of detached and townhouse dwellings, (b) poor design and build quality in redevelopments, (c)

insufficient employment in Gungahlin, (d) inadequate facilities in Molonglo, (e) increased car dependent growth in the region and (f) poor utilisation of public transport.

Furthermore, its validity is undermined by its failure to investigate housing preferences, consider strategies to disperse employment and evaluate bus rapid transport as an alternative to light rail.

Canberra is the poorer from the failure of the Barr government to base its urban development decisions on evidence.

Mike Quirk, Garran

Build a steel bridge, if you must

SINCE my last letter saying that Commonwealth Avenue Bridge will not last 10 years if a tramway is built upon it, due to corrosion, I have been impelled, sigh, to talk about the plans I have heard to strengthen the bridge.

What I have heard is that it is intended to place a catenary [a curve that describes the shape of a flexible hanging chain or cable] shaped tube on each side of each road bridge. These tubes will support the tram bridge and the road bridges by placing metal straps under the road bridges.

The straps will, of course, corrode despite anti-corrosion paint. But what is more important, when the internal steel cables

supporting the road bridges are corroded through, and they will be, the bridge will collapse anyway.

The weight of the collapsing bridge is likely to force one or more of the tubes out of their sockets, like a spring. Yes, those on the bridge will probably be saved from drowning, but the bridge will be wrecked anyway.

Again I say, if the ACT government wishes to build this wretchedly expensive bridge, they should build a separate steel bridge.

Tim Walshaw, Watson

‘Deplorable’ state of the suburbs

I AM writing to express my disgust over the deplorable conditions widespread throughout Canberra’s suburbs.

Among the many defects, weed infestation is rife, tree roots have forced slabs of footpaths to lift dangerously, trees long dead remain standing, tall dry grass (some of it shoulder high) proliferates along fence lines and fallen branches together with dumped and decaying rubbish litter tree-lined corridors.

Because vast sums of money have been spent on building light rail, the ACT government clearly lacks sufficient funds to fulfil all its responsibilities.

Relative to Canberra’s population overall, light rail is used by very few people yet one way or another all must pay, not least with having to put up with ongoing neglect and dilapidation in the suburbs.

Unfortunately, it seems highly unlikely that unless ratepayers challenge the government “collectively and forcefully” it will do little or nothing to address the problems.

Frank Reade, Macquarie

Time to embrace, not kill kangaroos

IT takes courage to admit to the shameful act of recklessly killing our indigenous kangaroos (“The Gadfly”, CN January 19).

I wonder if columnist Robert Macklin’s admission has pricked the conscience of others who have so egregiously snuffed out the life of our precious wildlife.

While acknowledging the “thrill” of killing, the article fails to recognise the widespread shooting of kangaroos in Australia that continues to this day. At the time of printing, the ACT “Greenslabor” government

is gearing up for the 2023 kangaroo “cull”.

It is impossible to reconcile the government’s position for killing kangaroos with the facts. Their alleged science was exposed as nonsense during the 2009, 2013 and 2014 ACAT hearings, and in numerous well-researched submissions made during “public consultations” on the 2010 and 2017 Kangaroo Management Plans.

The CSIRO Plant Industries Report in 2014 confirms the expert opinion expressed at those hearings: That is, the ACT government’s use of grass mass as the indicator for diversity is patently absurd. It is the number and variety of plants and animals, not mass of vegetation that gives all species the best chance to live and thrive.

Shouldn’t 2023 be the year that Canberra moves away from the wholesale slaughter of kangaroos and embraces them as an important part of the Bush Capital?

Robyn Soxsmith, Kambah

Take me to Not in Service!

VISITORS to the National Capital, not very familiar with the English language, let alone the names of suburbs, might be inclined to ask locals a few questions about the destination names they see on ACTION buses.

Where is “Not in Service” located in the city? Why does it have such frequent services, especially during the week and yet there appear to be no passengers? I observed five buses in a row headed for that suburb, a visitor noted! Meanwhile, other suburbs, I am told, get a very infrequent service particularly on weekends, they added.

The visitor noted that another suburb with an excellent, frequent service is “Returning to Depot”.

Colin Lyons, Weetangera

CORRECTION

ALBERT Oberdorf’s letter “Set up for more social injustice” (CN January 19) incorrectly stated that the ACT government diverted $1,580,305 from the sale of ACT public housing to fund the Light Rail Stage 1, not the construction and purchase of new public housing.

Albert writes: “The correct total from the sale of ACT Public Housing plus incentive payments from the Commonwealth was a MASSIVE $1,580.305 million, all of which was used to fund the ACT Light Rail Stage 1!”

Cartoon: Paul Dorin

From the ‘clean waters’, a growing city grows GREETINGS FROM QUEANBEYAN

IT is believed that the traditional Aboriginal people first arrived in Queanbeyan around 20,000 years ago, according to the QueanbeyanPalerang Library.

Its website says that with two major rivers flowing through the area, it was an ideal settlement point with the rivers providing rich food sources in the form of fish, shellfish, waterfowl and edible roots.

The interfluvial country provided good grazing for emu, kangaroo and wallaby. Queanbeyan is on Ngambri/Ngunnawal land.

While searching for the Murrumbidgee River, Joseph Wild, James Vaughan and Charles Throsby Smith came across the present location of Queanbeyan. They were the first non-indigenous people to see the present location of Queanbeyan when they discovered the junction of the Molonglo and Queanbeyan Rivers about two kilometres from the present town on December 8, 1820.

The first use of land at Queanbeyan was by an unauthorised occupant Timothy Beard, who called his property “Quinbean”, which is thought to be an Aboriginal word for “clear water”. This gave the city its modern name, Queanbeyan.

With the increasing population during the 1830s, agitation for the establishment of a courthouse and post office led to a post office at Queanbeyan being established in 1836, followed by the appointment of a resident magistrate and the establishment of a court in 1837.

Queanbeyan was formally proclaimed as a settlement on September 28, 1838.

In 1841 there were three brick buildings and seven

Proclamation Order for Queanbeyan from September 28, 1838.

wooden buildings in Queanbeyan. There were 372 residents in 1851 and 526 in 1861 and Queanbeyan was the service centre of the district. There were three large stores and two hotels. Another six inns were doing business on the roads leading out of the town. There were two steam mills and a new hospital was being erected.

There were three churches – Christ Church, St. Gregory’s and the Methodist Church – and schools were in existence at both Christ Church and St. Gregory’s. A newspaper, “The Golden Age”, was founded by John Gale in 1860. The new courthouse was built in 1860 on Monaro Street.

During the 1860s communications were improved by the extension of the telegraph line from Braidwood to Queanbeyan which opened in 1864 and the approach of the railway which reached Goulburn in 1869. In 1869 the Queanbeyan Post and Telegraph offices were combined and the first permanent post office was opened at the corner of Monaro and Lowe Streets in 1880.

The library website writes that the first official train reached Bungendore on March 4, 1885, but engineering difficulties and the need to construct two

large bridges delayed the opening of the section to Queanbeyan until September 8, 1887.

Queanbeyan’s fourth church, St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church opened in 1874 and its second bank, the Bank of NSW, opened in 1878. A new public school was built in 1877. Construction of St. Benedict’s convent and boarding school run by the Good Samaritan sisters was begun in 1880.

In February 1885 Queanbeyan was proclaimed a municipality and at the first elections in April, 1885, nine aldermen were selected from 14 candidates and John James Wright became the first mayor.

The first bridge across the Queanbeyan River was opened in 1858 but closed in 1899. Another bridge opened in 1900, which was later replaced by a new bridge in 1974. The adjacent weir and the Suspension Bridge were opened in 1901. The Suspension Bridge was destroyed by the flood of 1925 and a replacement was built in 1938.

The building of Canberra created new avenues for employment and stimulated business and housing development. The recommencement of the building of Canberra in 1921 resulted in a second boom in Queanbeyan when many new buildings were erected.

Benefits resulting from the expansion of the early 1920s included supply of electricity (1920) and water (1926).

By 1972 the population had risen to more than 15,000.

The city had proved that while it was in close proximity to Canberra it was an independent entity and Queanbeyan was proclaimed a city on July 7, 1972. Now, in 2023, the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council has a population of 64,000.

New developments at Googong and in the Jerrabomberra Valley make Queanbeyan one of the fastest growing centres in NSW.

Crocodile rocking down by the river

DARREN Percival, from Bungendore, and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, will make up Queanbeyan’s own Elton John tribute band when the QueanbeyanPalerang Regional Council (QPRC) hosts the seventh annual “Music on the River” at Queen Elizabeth II Park.

Community events officer Melissa Aitchison says: “This year we are bringing a slight twist to our usual performance from the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.

“The catchy melodies of Elton John will take over our annual open-air concert”

There will be opening performances from Durella Street Dudes, Canberra Harmony Chorus and Woodface.

Melissa encourages people to have their next “family day out” by the Queanbeyan River at 3pm, on February 4.

The next day at 10am the QPRC is hosting the first Bungendore Multicultural Festival at Mick Sherd Oval to “celebrate the diversity and vitality of the area”.

“This will be a smaller version of the Queanbeyan festival with lots of food and lots of amusement, activities for the kids and market stalls,” says Melissa.

The “original” Queanbeyan Multicultural Festival will also have food, dance, music and markets at Queanbeyan Park, 10am, on March 5.

“At this year’s festival, there will be two stages of performances,” says Melissa.

qprc.nsw.gov.au/Community/Events

Delivering cost of living relief

Authorised

Kristy leads the charge for ‘integrity and honesty’

QUEANBEYAN’s federal member of parliament Kristy McBain says that in the lead up to the last election, people across her electorate, Eden-Monaro, and across the country were “loud and clear about their desire to see integrity and honesty restored in Canberra”.

“Since Labor formed government, we have been working tirelessly to ensure integrity and accountabil ity is brought back to the centre of our democracy,” she says.

“The Albanese government delivered in its commitment to legislate a powerful National Anti-Corruption Commission before the end of 2022. By the middle of this year, that body will be in action – a powerful, independent and transparent commission with the powers of a royal commission to investigate serious or systematic corruption across the federal public sector.

“For too long we have seen bodies like the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, there as a check on government decisions, be subject to partisan appointments and the potential for politicisation. Our government has made a tough decision to scrap the body to provide and will move to establish a new tribunal with merit-based appointments to ensure, not only a transparent approach but to help restore this important function for review of decisions.

“This is part of our commitment to never waste a day in government – there is simply too much to do. I look forward to continuing to stand up for our community and deliver for the people of Eden-Monaro.”

Get in touch with Kristy McBain on 6284 2442 or email kristy.mcbain.mp@aph.gov.au The

advertising feature

Mitchell Showroom Darling Street, 6241 1557

Queanbeyan Showroom 100 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan 6297 4510 rivoland.com.au

member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain.

Traditional tile finishes make a comeback

TILE trends have turned to warmer colours and textures blended with classic chevron, herringbone and encaustic looks, says Rivoland Tiles general manager James Hibberson.

“Finishes often seen as traditional are making a comeback, with reinvigorated style and colour,” he says.

“Terrazzo and marble styles are available with so many great options and attributes that they can work with almost any space.”

With showrooms and trade stores in Queanbeyan and Mitchell, the flagship store in central Queanbeyan sits across from a beautiful park, close to cafes, restaurants and shops, servicing people from regional NSW and the coast, James says.

He says Rivoland Tiles is a proud family-owned business, built on a strong ethic of customer service and product choice.

“We’re one of the largest stockists on the east coast importing unique and exclusive products from Italy, Spain and China, allowing our customers the best choice and competitive prices,” he says.

“If customers have found something they like online, ask us about it. We’re more than happy to help them source that perfect tile.

“Our customers make what we do, what we love to do. Working on all aspects of tiling from repairing a sill tile to supplying developments, no two days are ever the same.

“Best of all, the people of Queanbeyan are great.”

Rivoland Tiles, 100 Crawford Street.

Call 6297 4510 or visit rivoland.com.au

BAKER Deane and Nutt (BDN) is one of the oldest law firms in NSW, having been established for more than 160 years and providing expert advice with a personal touch, says partner Lorraine White.

With two offices, one in Canberra and another in Queanbeyan, BDN operates across NSW, ACT and Commonwealth jurisdictions.

Lorraine says the firm prides itself on being accessible, responsive, and innovative.

“Excellent staff, technology and systems ensure clients receive prompt, reliable and effective legal services,” she says.

Lorraine says BDN has managed the business of the firm through the COVID-19 pandemic well.

“Our systems and skilled staff have allowed us to continue providing legal services

to our clients throughout the pandemic, including when our staff have been working from home,” she says.

“We have not needed to close our doors at all, and have been busier than ever.

“Our staff were already set up to work remotely. Over the past few years we have effectively conducted client meetings and court attendances from both our offices and from home.

“BDN has embraced the new and hopefully ongoing efficiencies that have been developed during the pandemic.”

Baker Deane and Nutt, Level 1, 1 Farrell Place, Civic (call 6230 1999) and 260 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan (call 6299 3999), bdn.com.au

TOSCAN Glass was established in 1999, but Nigel Denford took ownership three years ago.

“Not only do we specialise in colourful splashbacks, we also do shower screen repairs and replacements and general window repairs,” he says.

“Basically, if it has glass I can sort it out.

“I’ve been in the industry for the past 25 years and have extensive knowledge of new and old trends.”

Nigel, who can also do leadlight repairs, says Toscan offers work in residential or commercial settings, and undertakes “special projects” including feature panels and water features.

“It’s custom and one-off work,” says Nigel.

“We work with architects and interior designers for

Digital printed splashback creates a tile effect on glass.

If it’s glass, Nigel can sort it out

Baker Deane and Nutt partner Lorraine White.

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Kitchen Splashbacks

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work

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at what people want.”

“We went heavy on entertainment, selecting shows that are gripping and exciting,” she says.

The Q’s membership program “saves on every ticket of the season with 10 per cent off at the bar,” she says.

“In this season there is lots of comedy.

“‘Puffs’ is silly and fun and ‘Garry Starr Performs Everything’ is ridiculous and fun.”

For the kids, Roald Dahl’s “The Twits” is brought to the stage.

“I am very excited to introduce a book I loved as a kid to the younger generation,” says Jordan.

There is a focus on local and smaller projects with “Little Women”, “Legacies” and “Triceratop”.

you away!

“The 2023 season “has something to suit everyone.”

Here it is:

• “Prima Facie”, April 19.

• “Puffs”, May 11-20.

• “Little Women”, June 8-17.

• “The Twits”, July 13-15.

• “Gary Starr Performs Everything”, June 3.

• “Legacies”, August 2-5.

• “Triceratop”, November 24-25.

The Q, 253 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6285 6290 or theq.net.au

Bursting with colour, they have dark, glossy leaves with large clusters of red, bell-like flowers.

Slow growing, it has fibrous roots that need to be kept moist. It will grow in full shade. If looking at the nursery, it’s also sold as Vireya Rhododendron or Rhododendron lochiae

A native to Queensland tropics, it could be tricky to grow in the ground in our climate, but it’s a small shrub that can be easily grown in a pot and brought inside for winter.

One of the best activities to do on a summer’s day is to walk through the Botanic Gardens’ rainforest gully to admire the lush plants from diverse rainforests in Queensland to Tasmania, and see this plant in flower as well.

THE red and green hybrid kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos) are putting on a show.

These days there are many varieties, big and

plant, it is tolerant of ink spot and rust resistant. However, it might be hard to source at the nursery, but worth a try.

Once stems from old clumps of kangaroo paws have finished flowering, they need to be cut out at the base or removed. Like irises, they flower only once. Clean out all the old leaf litter to help the sunlight to get into the centre of the clump and form new shoots. As well, trim foliage to 10-15 centimetres and feed with a native, organic fertiliser.

IN Australia, we have adopted Proteas as our own because they grow well in our climate and soils. Native to South Africa, they are in the same plant family as many of our natives such as Banksias and Grevilleas.

Coming into flower soon, Protea flowers have long-lasting blooms and make a long-lasting cut flower as well. Their colours range from whites and creams to pinks and reds. They like full sun and good drainage with slightly acid soil.

Proteas can be difficult to propagate and are slow to flower. For example, king proteas can take up to six years to flower, so a little patience will be needed.

Preparation of the soil, in anticipation of planting proteas, can be done now by turning over the soil and adding sand and gypsum to the ground.

lizard called Shinglebacks or bobtails.

Near black in colour, they look heavily armoured with a triangular-shaped head and a bright blue tongue. They don’t have venom or poison, but this slow-moving skink can hurt if it bites you.

They live for about 20 years or more and mate for life. Shinglebacks are omnivores and feed on a diet of plants and insects, but being slow-moving, they catch only a small number of bugs and snails.

Shinglebacks quite like the strawberry patch, so physical barriers might be needed if they are spotted there.

If you’ve seen blue-tongue lizards in the backyard during the day, they would more than likely be sunbaking and minding their own business. At night, they retreat to leaf litter and sleep under logs. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone.

But leave a strawberry or two where you see them, along with a shallow dish of water, to keep them around eating all the snails, slugs and bugs.

jackwar@home. netspeed.com.au

A shingleback or bobtail lizard… heavily armoured with a triangular shaped head and a bright blue tongue.

Photo: Jackie Warburton

A veteran at 23, director Caleb takes on ‘Dogfight’

COVER STORY

By Helen Musa

EVERY year, when the Canberra Critics Circle meets to deliberate on nominees for its annual arts awards, questions inevitably surface about what musical directors do.

Curious, I dropped in on a Dramatic Productions’ rehearsal of “Dogfight The Musical”, which is about to take the stage at Gungahlin Theatre.

Caleb Campbell is the music director and I found him working alongside co-director Kelly Roberts and choreographer Nathan Rutups in a perfect balance of directorial input.

“Modern” musicals, such as “Dogfight”, are a far cry from the old Broadway musicals where the role of actor, singer and hoofer were clearly defined and separated. Now there’s an ensemble approach that makes every artistic decision a perfect balance of talents.

“Dogfight The Musical” is derived from the 1991 film starring River Phoenix; it follows a narrative of a dubious sort. The setting is ‘60s San Francisco, and a bunch of marines are shipping out to Vietnam.

They compete to bring the ugliest date to

their party that night – yes, that’s sexist, but the plot, focused on one couple, Eddie and Rose, deals with that, asking questions that probe the characters as human beings. place.

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• Chaos Project (8-18 yrs-old) - create a new dance work, connect and share with other young people, work with professional choreographers, perform at the Canberra College Theatre. Auditions in August. Rehearsals SeptOct. Performance season Term 4 week 1

• YGen to IGen - an intergenerational project in partnership with Australian Dance Party

• Festivals & Touring - Australian Youth Dance Festival, Meet Up, DaCI. Touring within Australia and overseas each year.

without any one of the directors.

Campbell is not quite 23, but he is undoubtedly a veteran. He’s been taking piano lessons since he was five and he was quickly drawn into musicals at Lyneham High then Dickson College.

He went on to the ANU School of Music, majoring in jazz and linguistics, winning the university’s Terry Miles Prize in Jazz, the Winifred Burston Memorial Prize and the Erika Haas Prize, while also contributing original compositions on graduation days.

He has survived as a working musician on corporate gigs, which died off when covid came along, and now he’s a busy permanent piano teacher at Burgmann Anglican School in Gungahlin, very useful, he believes.

“Now I know how to deal with kids, how to incorporate them into a group when everyone is at different levels, and how to get people to do things while not talking down to the people who already know,” he says.

His connections with Canberra Philharmonic, for whom he has played on many shows and been musical director on “Beauty and the Beast” and “Jersey Boys”, began when his piano teacher asked him to play at an audition. There he met director Jim McMullen.

“Repetiteuring [accompanying] in rehearsals can be a bit challenging, because piano books in jazz are often written chord symbols, so that you don’t have to play all the notes,” Campbell says,

His personal taste in jazz runs to intellectually difficult jazz pianists Mehldau, Gustavsen and Hamasyan, but their music is a far cry from what he does in musicals.

“Of course I’ve done all my classical grades and then afterwards I moved to jazz,” he says.

“Later I found musical theatre, which brought in all sorts of hybrid influences, so that I’ve now done jazz, pop, rock and light classical… musical theatre is the only place where you can do all of those.”

It’s been quite a learning curve. His musical direction of “Jersey Boys”, a “stand up and sing” show with numbers in eightpart harmony, was totally different from “Dogfight”, which looks into the lives and emotions of ordinary people.

“Dogfight” may be dealing with tough issues, but the numbers are hauntingly memorable and they’re written by the winning duo of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, best known for their work on “La La Land”, “Dear Evan Hansen” and “The Greatest Showman”. He’ll be conducting (mostly with one hand) a band of six from the keyboard. He did have some private lessons in conducting from McMullen and recently did a masterclass with CSO director Jessica Cottis, so doesn’t rule out full conducting in the future.

Creative Development Programs

Young Choreographers Programs

• Giant Steps (9-12 yrs-old) - create your own work with support from QL2 mentors. Rehearse and perform in June in our QL2 Theatre to family & friends.

• Stepping Up (11-14yrs-old) - create your own work with support from QL2 mentors. Rehearse and perform in August in our QL2 Theatre.

• Hot to Trot (Quantum Leapers) - Quantum Leapers create their own work with support from experienced mentors. Rehearsals Sept-Nov. Public performance season in our QL2 Theatre.

• On Course (Tertiary dance students) - Tertiary dance students return to create and perform their own work over 2 intensive weeks in Dec.

Training Programs

Our training programs are tailored to prepare our young artists physically and creatively for our performance projects and for tertiary study in dance should they wish to follow that path. Each program has a set schedule, from one to six classes per week, that includes some or all of the following classes depending on the number of classes per week in each program: Contemporary, Classical, Stretch & Conditioning and Yoga. Plus several workshops and masterclasses each year.

In our classes you will work on your technique as well as develop your creativity and collaboration skills in a caring and non-competitive environment. Our teachers are experienced working professional dance artists. Training programs for ages 5-26.

Lorna Sim Photography

“Dogfight The Musical”, Gungahlin College Theatre, January 27-February 4.

Music director Caleb Campbell… “I know how to get people to do things while not talking down to the people who already know.”

There’ll be jaws on the floor!

By Nick OVERALL

FOR a long time, the film industry has peered down its nose at its younger video-game cousin.

A lot of that is for good reason. Hollywood has heinously cashed in on popular computer games with third-rate adaptations that exist for no other reason than to make a buck.

Take atrocities like “Sonic the Hedgehog”, “Tomb Raider”, “Pixels” and to really scrape the bottom of the barrel, “The Angry Birds Movie” –all of which have helped entrench the perception that video games represent a shallow medium of entertainment.

This year cinema screens are also set to suffer a “Mario Bros” movie that Chris Pratt has lent his voice to.

At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if “PacMan” was next to get mutated into some kind of modern film franchise. I don’t know how they’d do it, but I’m sure they could find a way.

Why am I listing off this torturous roster of movies? Well the question needs to be asked: Is there any hope for video-game inspired movies or TV shows? Hell, at this point should they even be bothered with at all?

Well, just when the answer to that question seemed at its most dire, along comes “The Last of Us” on streaming service Binge.

This devastating and cinematic tale of a journey across a pandemic-ravaged America is based on a 2013 video game of the same name and is generating all kinds of buzz.

It’s not only being lauded as the best video game adaptation of all time, but some critics have been so bold to herald it as a contender for best TV show of the year. Yes, in January.

This kind of reception to a production inspired by a computer game is unheard of. What’s it all about?

Well the good news is audience members need not even have turned on a Playstation before to enjoy this new, nine-episode series.

“The Last of Us” is the story of a gruff smuggler named Joel (here played by “Game of Thrones” alumni Pedro Pascal), a man trying to make his

WINE/ India

way in a world that fell to a devastating virus 20 years earlier and which also claimed the life of his young daughter.

Now is probably a good time to mention the show isn’t for the faint of heart. Horror blends in with action here to give viewers a thrill, but what makes this story special is the relationship Joel forms with Ellie, a teenager who is immune to the virus and humanity’s last hope.

Played by Bella Ramsey (who will also be familiar to “Game of Thrones” fans), the 14-year-old must be escorted by Joel across the decrepit US in order to be delivered to a mysterious buyer. The profound bond that forms between the two builds towards an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.

The talent isn’t just in front of the camera, either. Craig Mazin, best known for 2019’s miniseries “Chernobyl”, leads the writing team.

“The Last of Us” has pulled off a remarkable feat. It may single handedly represent a turning point for video-game inspired television and open up a whole new world of story ideas. That is if the “Pac-Man” cinematic universe doesn’t come along and ruin all the progress.

STAN is kicking off 2023 with a homegrown murder mystery that has quite the hook. In “Black Snow”, a small town in far-north Queensland is cast into turmoil when a time capsule is unearthed at a local school and reveals a clue into the murder of a student.

pretty by-the-book stuff but it’s still more than enough to give crime drama junkies their fix.

The highlight here is certainly getting to see the action play out in Australia, which is why it warrants a mention.

Down Under is sorely lacking in good original drama. “Black Snow’’ doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it is a step above the majority of trite nonsense that’s on free-to-air telly.

CRICKET fans rejoice. Amazon Prime Video has just released season two of “The Test” – the compelling documentary series that examines the politics of Australian Cricket both on and off the pitch.

Whereas season one followed the national team in the aftermath of 2018’s infamous balltampering scandal, season two picks up during the departure of captain Tim Paine and the ousting of controversial coach Justin Langer.

“The Test” has pulled off a true miracle by even getting people who don’t care about cricket to watch.

Yes, it is a sport doco, but the way it’s shot and paced almost makes it operate as a psychological drama.

With season two even better than the first, it looks like we may even get a third yet from “The Test”. Fingers crossed. It’d be a shame to see it declare this early.

Australian wines looking for love in India

By Richard CALVER

I LOVE a good Indian curry, especially as the weather warms up.

An internet search on the phenomenon of hot food leading to a cooler body temperature derives the proposition that, given the right ambient temperature conditions (especially lower humidity), the ingestion of hot food or a hot beverage is more likely to lower your body temperature than a cold equivalent.

But curry comes with its own issues if too hot. In that case, it’s like throwing yourself at someone who has no interest in you: you get burned in the end.

Recently, the embrace of all things Indian has taken a big step: implementation of the Australia/India free trade agreement occurred from December 29. This news means that Australian wines have a better chance of landing a market in India.

That said, the agreement does not end the current high-tariff regime imposed by India on Australian wine. Instead, the current 150 per cent

import duty for wines will be reduced in a decadeslong phasing down over different price points.

A New Delhi journal, the “Business Standard”, in a January 3 article described the reduction thus: “Tariffs on wine with a minimum import price of $5 per bottle will be reduced from 150 to 100 per cent once the deal is implemented and subsequently to 50 per cent over 10 years. The duty on bottles with a minimum import price of $15 will be reduced to 75 per cent, and subsequently to 25 per cent over 10 years.”

No wonder the applause from Australian winemakers was muted, with one winemaker indicating that the opening up of this market was no silver bullet for the loss of exports caused by the 2021 China import penalty of up to 200 per cent. This was particularly the case, he was reported as saying, because a large percentage of the population of India doesn’t drink alcohol.

Another Indian journal mentioned that the growing Indian middle class was responsible for an upsurge in wine drinking, especially during the pandemic, and that locally “the industry is expected to grow by $274 million by 2026, with a 29.3 per cent year-on-year growth in 2022, thanks to a rosé renaissance, a focus on sustainability and a growing base of enthusiastic consumers.”

But, on the other hand, given the prevalence of Hinduism in India, it is unlikely that alcohol consumption will grow at a great rate. One website said that some Hindu sects forbade its consumption while others gave it an ambivalent nod.

So is there really a growing “enthusiastic base of wine customers”?

I decided to ask Pooja Ahuja (love the way her name rhymes), one of the owners of a curry spot, Bollywood Masala, in Kingston, who came down on the “no” side.

She said: “As being born in India, I can vouch that India is not dominated by wine lovers.

“They will always prefer hard liquor over wine any day and the reasons could be their tight budget limitation and easy availability of hard liquor.

“Also, India has a handful of vineyards only. Because of that the wine culture has not been popularised. And it is axiomatic that an uncorked wine bottle won’t taste as good as an opened bottle of hard liquor because hard liquor remains viable for a longer period.

“Even though wine is a fermented alcohol there’s a visible dichotomy in the mindsets of people as wine is considered elite and this is also one of the many reasons why wine is not popular in the Indian culture.”

Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal in “The Last of Us”.

When the mighty chorus steps into the spotlight

By Helen Musa

IN an unusual move that shifts one of its major assets from the sidelines to centre stage, Opera Australia is about to stage a production entirely devoted to its chorus.

I have long been a fan of this extraordinary assemblage of top singers, of the mighty sound that they can produce and of their increasing involvement in the art of acting, making them genuine participants in the mostly tragic actions of the operatic repertoire.

I caught up with Matthew Barclay, the director and choreographer of the coming show, “Chorus!” to find out just how his production will differ from some of the “great hits of the opera” nights with which we are bombarded.

Barclay is well known as the former senior resident director at OA, but these days he’s artistic adviser for Sydney Catholic Schools, for whom he’s directed “School of Rock’’ at Olympic Park with 3000 kids.

A multi-skilled graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, the Australian Ballet School and Deakin University’s arts management course, he is also a freelance director who has been making directorial waves as far away as Shanghai, Beijing and Hanoi, of which he says, people “don’t get to see professional western opera very often. It felt like missionary work, a trailblazer.”

After around 10 years with OA revising

the covid-besieged company jettisoned many of its artists, but says to have been quite relieved as he’s still mourning the death of his wife in 2019 and needed a break. He’s come back on contract with a lot more energy and excitement.

“The power of the chorus is so powerful,” he says. “It’s all about the way they selflessly come together as a group, all working towards the same end so that the whole is bigger and better than any individual parts.”

With that in mind, he and chorus master Paul Fitzsimon have put together a program of 18 “numbers” telling 18 different stories.

There are no costume changes and the chorus sings non-stop – for that reason, the show is only about an hour long.

The 48 choristers come together to sing Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Tchaikovsky and more, with highlights such as “The Pilgrim’s Chorus” from Tannhäuser, Madama Butterfly’s “Humming Chorus”, and the “Anvil Chorus” from Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”.

Barclay makes it sound as if the chorus is indeed the star, but don’t some of them feel they’re in the shadows?

“There are those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, but some are working towards a solo career, when their voice is mature enough and they get enough roles under

their belt,” he says.

“Meantime, they have this wonderful job where they can sing every day.

“It’s a tribe full of very different personalities – all sorts, including school teachers and bus conductors, but they’re a real community, they are us.”

But chorus members, as trained singers, often have a limited understanding of what theatre is about and that’s where the director comes in, “making sure they don’t have to worry about looking good, giving them good things to do and building up trust.”

“A good opera director doesn’t make the chorus do things that are physically impossible,” he says.

Initially he and Fitzsimon were daunted by the gargantuan challenge of devising a show for nearly 50 people, but now they’d like to do it every couple of years.

Their answer was to devise a work using music as a starting point but not telling a literal story, rather taking a journey through humanity in people’s experiences.

“The audience will get to see the chorus really stretch themselves, pushing the limits of what they can do physically,” he says.

“We don’t want it to be too specific in terms of the theatre but we do go for the impact of the music, so that in the ‘Anvil Chorus’ there is the feeling of being downtrodden – the chorus embraces the present feeling.”

Towards the end of the show, they have fun with the very question of whether to be a chorister or a soloist in a scene from “Carmen”, they search among themselves for a leading baritone to sing Escamillo, each contender trying on his sunglasses in competition. It’s a little moment.

Then there’s the lament from “Dido and Aeneas”, which ends with the necessary soloist retreating back into the chorus, celebrating the group over the individual and it all winds up with “Make our Garden Grow” from the end of Bernstein’s “Candide”.

“That says we are best when we embrace each other in support of one another, and we can achieve that height of music when we work as an example, that’s my concept,” Barclay says.

“Chorus!”, Sydney Opera House, February 4-March 10.

ARTS IN THE CITY Cosentino’s cutting-edge magic

By Helen Musa

INTERNATIONAL Magician of the Year, Cosentino, will perform death-defying escapes, stage illusions and cutting-edge magic in a 90-minute live show “Decennium”. At Canberra Theatre, 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Saturday, February 4.

RAVE reviews are in for “Urinetown: The Musical”, still running at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre. One review says the show, which originated in Canberra, has been “snappily directed by Ylaria Rogers”, it also awards high praise to protagonist Joel Horwood and to Karen and Natasha Vickery as “a fun mother-daughter double act”.

LEXI Sekuless’ Mill Theatre at Dairy Road, Fyshwick, has announced details of its 2023 season, starting on February 15 with PJ Williams in Nassim Soleimanpour’s “White Rabbit Red Rabbit”, followed in April by Sarah Haddock-Carroll’s staging of Neil LaBute’s play, “Reasons to be Pretty” and in July, Julian Meyrick’s production of Nick Enright’s “Good Works”. The “Rockspeare’’ series, directed by Sekuless herself in October and November, will see the Bard’s history plays presented “in a rock universe”. An intriguing move is that “Reasons to be Pretty” will have Kim Beamish, the noted film director and former “CityNews Artist of the Year”, as the Mill’s first “shadow director”.

IN the next “Geoff’s Jazz at Smiths”, Canberra-trained trumpeter and former general manager of the Canberra International Music Festival, Alex Raupach, returns for a hard bop session with the Tom Fell Quintet at Smith’s Alternative, Civic, February 1.

EXPRESSIONS of interest are due to events.canberra. com.au by February 12 for grants between $5000 and $20,000 to support events and activities as part of a new winter festival, July 7-16.

“THE Lonely Spirits Variety Hour‘’ is the first film of the Southern Tablelands Arts’ Screen 2023 season. In it, verbose radio presenter Neville Umbrellaman hosts a late-night variety show full of existential musings from a studio built in his parents’ garage. The cinematographer-editor is local filmmaker Brian Rapsey, who will be in conversation with STA Screen creative director Gary Vehtic after the screening at the Goulburn Performing Arts Centre, 4pm, January 29. Tickets at southerntablelandsarts.com.au

Magician Cosentino… Canberra Theatre, February 4. Photo: Michael Edney

The chorus at full tilt in “Ernani” (2021) at Sydney Opera House… “The power of the chorus is so powerful,” says director Matthew Barclay. Photo: Prudence Upton

By Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Uranus boosts your tendency to make hasty remarks and unintentional blunders, especially involving finances and friends. Remember, Rams - it takes a short time to burn bridges and a lot longer to mend them. Then Sunday’s Full Moon fires up your romantic, imaginative side. So you’re in the mood for fun, creativity and lashings of love. Be inspired by Aries writer Emile Zola: “If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud.”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Avoid getting stuck in a rut. Unique Uranus is still barnstorming through your sign, and this week it links up with mercurial Mercury. So it’s time to be the real you, express your authentic self, and speak your truth. Be inspired by singer and actor Harry Styles (who turns 29 on Wednesday): “I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I’m not.” Tread carefully with a frustrated family member on Sunday when the Full Moon fires up your home zone.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Next Sunday’s Full Moon fires up your brainpower. So it’s a good week to focus your mind, research a subject that has always fascinated you or enrol in a course of study. Mars (charging through your sign) also trines the Sun, which pushes you to pursue more adventurous options, especially involving international travel and personal goals. Your motto is from birthday great, writer James Joyce: “To learn, one must be humble. But life is the great teacher.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

When it comes to sex, secrets, taxes, joint finances or close friends, expect the unexpected – especially on Saturday! So do your best to be a flexible Crab with a pliable plan. Then the fiery Full Moon (on Sunday night) shines a spotlight on self-esteem, finances, core values and trust issues. It’s also time to don your detective cap and turn on your X-ray vision, as you zero in on the cause of a lingering problem and come up with a satisfactory long-term solution.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Lions love to hog the limelight and be the centre of attention – especially when the Full Moon’s in Leo. But this week (with Saturn, Mars and the Sun activating your relationship zone) try to get the balance right between your pending needs and those of the significant people in your life. Perhaps it’s time for your lover, best friend or business partner to sparkle and shine? With disruptive Uranus squaring the Sun (on Saturday) keep your plans flexible and open-ended.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Your days are often organised with military precision. But this week there’s a fiery Full Moon plus Mercury (your ruling planet) linking up with unpredictable Uranus. So strive to be more spontaneous as you toss your usual timetable out the window and stretch your adaptability muscles in unfamiliar directions. Whatever happens, expect the unexpected and prepare to pivot! Unhappily single? You could meet your soulmate via an introduction from a friend.

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

For some loyal Librans, a romance that’s been rocky (or a friendship that’s been floundering) could head off in a promising new direction. And a fresh approach sees a tricky family relationship turn around. The late week Full Moon highlights your hopes-and-wishes zone, so it’s a suitable time to expand (or revisit) your goals for 2023. Don’t be half-hearted. Aim high, go for gold, and make your dreams as big and beautiful as you possibly can!

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

The late week Full Moon sees you swing between being sexy and secretive and being passionate and possessive. You could also be thrust into the public spotlight, so make sure you’re putting on a good show. But are you stuck in a career slump? If you resist changes at work, then you’ll just be left behind in the backwash. Look for creative ways to adopt fresh ideas and pivot in your professional life. Aim to include loved ones and colleagues in your plans.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

With restless Mars in your relationship zone and the fiery Full Moon activating your adventure zone, it’s a terrific week to travel or plan an exotic escape for sometime soon. However, if you blurt out something when you’re in a rush or feeling stressed, then you’ll regret it later on! So think things through before you speak (especially with loved ones and work colleagues) and realise that the first thought that jumps into your head isn’t necessarily the best one.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Monday’s stars favour some vigorous exercise in the great outdoors. But are you worried about your current bank balance? Avoid going on a spontaneous spending spree or lending money to dubious, irresponsible people. You’re liable to make impulsive decisions based purely on your emotions (which are fluctuating courtesy of the volatile Full Moon). It is a good week for reading, writing, research, kindness, cooperation and convivial conversation.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

The stars favour communicating from the heart and saying what’s on your mind. But – with Uranus and the Full Moon loosening your tongue – resist the urge to tell tall tales and spread salacious gossip. Slow down, think things through and try to speak as tactfully as possible. It’s a wonderful week to promote a joint venture, catch up with a friend or organise a romantic rendezvous. Unhappily single? Sparks could fly with a person from another country or culture.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

Venus and Neptune are in your sign, so you’ll be at your quintessential Piscean best as your creative, compassionate and spiritual sides kick into top gear. Then the weekend Full Moon highlights your ‘being of service’ and ‘helping others’ zones, as you concentrate on the needs of those around you. You’re keen to get involved with a project from behind-the-scenes but be careful you don’t get lost in a fantasy world. Keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2023

Across

Name the capital of Colorado USA. (6)

Springfield is the capital of which central US State? (8)

What are large glossy black, omnivorous birds? (6)

Which instrument measures electrical resistance? (8)

What is lodestone? (6)

That which is the most firmly fixed is the what? (8)

What is an act of retaliation? (8)

18 What is a building devoted to instruction by lectures? (6)

19 Name an intensely sweet carbohydrate occurring naturally in honey. (8)

21 Which gifted songbird belongs to the turdidae family? (6)

22 What do we call one skilled in artful management? (8)

23 To enlist oneself, is to do what (US)? (6)

Solution next edition Down

1 Name a renowned prison in Devon, England. (8)

2 What is the capital of Austria? (6)

3 What are small fried balls of minced meat? (8)

4 What is a squalid dwelling called? (4)

5 To turn upside down is to do what? (6)

6 Name the muscle on the upper arm. (6)

12 Who invented a safety-razor? (8)

13 Name a white marble mausoleum in Agra India. (3,5)

15 What, colloquially, is an eavesdropper? (6)

16 To remember, is to do what? (6)

17 Who records points made by competitors in a match? (6)

20 What are blind, permanently larval forms of salamanders? (4)

FREE PUZZLES EVERY DAY AT citynews.com.au

In the market for a new pair of frames?

Now could be the perfect time to update your glasses, say optometrist DAMIEN LONGERGAN and practice manager ROSS COLLINS

DO you know when your private health cover changes benefit years?

"Most health funds have moved to changing at the end of the calendar year," says Ross Collins, practice manager at Evolve Optometry.

"For members of those health funds, it means that we are now in a new benefit year and your extras are available to use again if you used it last year.

"Most of the funds don't allow your benefit to accrue, so you can’t have an increased benefit by not using your cover the year before. This means now could be the perfect time to update your glasses."

Optometrist Damien Lonergan says that having an accurate pair of spectacles is very important in making sure you get the maximum benefit from them.

"Equally important though is having spectacle frames that you like.

"The most accurate spectacles possible won’t make an uncomfortable frame comfortable, nor will it make a frame you no longer like the look of look better.

"If you aren’t happy with your current glasses, why not have a look at new options and see if you can find something that suits you better?"

Ross, who has spent years in the optical industry gaining the experience to be able to find suppliers with quality products and support, personally chooses all the frames Evolve stocks.

"So you can be comfortable that we are confident in both the quality of the frames and the support, should anything go wrong," he says.

"Our frames were not chosen by someone in Sydney or Italy or England, rather the range of styles and colours we have were selected by me, onsite, here in Gungahlin, in order to better meet the needs of our local clients.

"Why not come and see our range to see for yourself. We might have the perfect frames that make your spectacles work for you.

"If you have private health cover, mention this article and get $50 off complete spectacles*."

Collins and Lonergan Evolve Optometry is an independently owned optometrist located opposite Coles, inside Gungahlin Village.

Call 6189 5891 or visit evolveoptometry.com.au to book an appointment.

*Terms and conditions apply, ask in store for details.

Ross Collins Practice Manager

Damien Lonergan Optometrist

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