CityNews 230330

Look closely and light rail’s a bleak picture

MICHAEL MOORE

Welfare groups fall for ‘Mything Middle’ scam

PAUL COSTIGAN

Why humid weather makes you feel lethargic CLIVE WILLIAMS

GOING TO THE DOGS

Coverdog Cali is one of the canine stars in a book of local tails

“Who will benefit from your Will?”

Having a valid and up-to-date Will can help reduce stress for your family and friends, limit administration costs, and lessen the possibility for dispute over your estate. We ensure that your estate goes to family or friends of your choice.

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How Wendy Maree’s heartbreak turned to trauma

By Lily PASS

WENDY Maree Gunning attended Canberra Hospital on March 14 for a heartbreaking miscarriage, but rather than receiving care and compassion, she says she was left further traumatised.

“I received what I thought was my clinical diagnosis and discharge paperwork, but it was addressed to ‘Baby Gunning’, which was a punch to the gut,” says Wendy Maree, 31, of Kambah.

“I opened it up. ‘Baby Gunning’ is on the first page, and it says one of five pages, but half way through I came to another person’s clinical notes.

“So I stopped. I rang the number at the bottom of the letter and I spoke to Canberra Health Services, and the operator basically explained it was a misprint and it shouldn’t have happened, and she apologised.”

Wendy Maree, a foster care case worker and mother of three, says she tried to be understanding, and asked for the rest of her notes to be corrected and sent to her doctor.

“But then I got a call from my doctor saying they had received my own,

INDEX

time to rectify it, but they still didn’t proofread it or check back over it and they sent it incorrectly, again.”

On March 20, Wendy Maree posted on Facebook, reaching out to anyone who had received her clinical information.

She then received a voice message from Canberra Health Services, requesting she take the social-media

“The staff member stated that it was a mishap with the software, and that they’re dealing with it. She apologised, and that’s it basically,” says Wendy Maree.

“I explained to her that I don’t think she actually understands that I still didn’t have all my clinical records.

“I said they’re somewhere else, because you’ve now sent two copies

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“It’s as if nothing has happened, but I’m nervous because it has my address on it, and I have this other man’s address, and I have his very personal diagnosis and information, as he would have mine,” she says.

“I contacted his surgery to let them know I had received their patient’s details and I sent them on to them, but then they went on to tell me that they actually had received mine as well.

“Canberra Health Services has the nerve to tell me mine hadn’t been spread anywhere.”

Wendy Maree says it cant’t be the first time Canberra Health Services has mixed up personal documents,

administrative error during the discharge process.

“We are confident this was an isolated incident and will update internal procedures to ensure this does not occur again.

“We have reached out directly to the patient and unreservedly apologised for any distress caused as a result of this matter.”

Wendy Maree rejects the apology saying she felt they were ingenuine and were just trying to cover their own backs.

“I was passed off as if it was nothing. I caught them in so many lies,” she says.

Wendy Maree Gunning… “If I don’t speak up, Canberra Health Services will just cover it up, and they’ve already started trying.” Photo: Lily Pass

New chapter starts for Lions

By Lily PASS

THE future of the Lions Community Bookshop in Queanbeyan is secure after being told time’s up at its shopfront home on Monaro Street.

“The Queanbeyan Council has of fered us what used to be called the Treehouse in Queanbeyan Park,” says secretary Karen Abbott.

“It has been an empty cottage for about five years now, so we have also accepted an offer of $30,000 in NSW state grants to renovate.”

“We are so grateful to the Leagues Club. They’ve allowed us to be here for four and a half years at pepper corn rent, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to do what we do.”

The site is to be redeveloped.

Karen says it’s a relief to know they have a place to go, but admits there may be a period of closure.

“In the meantime, we have a halfprice sale on all books, and the last few weeks have seen that go really well,” she says.

“There has been a lot of community support, telling us they don’t

want us to close.”

ing that support and reinforcement through some unsure times.”

While Karen admits it is sad to be

new location will give them a chance to expand.

“It really does provide other op -

BRIEFLY

Whan wins back Monaro for Labor

TWENTY years after first winning the seat of Monaro, former Labor minister Steve Whan has defeated sitting Nationals member Nichole Overall in the fight for his old seat in the NSW election on March 25.

Whan stepped into the election in February after former Raiders captain Terry Campese pulled out of the Labor spot in a media storm over a party video.

Overall won the seat a year ago after the mercurial NSW Nationals Leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro suddenly resigned.

Kicking up Cuban heels

THE family friendly Cuban Latin Fiesta in Canberra, featuring music, dancing, food and drink, will be held at St James Church Hall, Curtin, from 6.30pm, April 1. All proceeds will go to the Las Tunas Children’s Hospital in Cuba. Tickets are $20 at the door.

Stalls and chickens

STALLS with pre-loved treasures, including jewellery, a white elephant stall with homewares, cakes, craft and Easter chickens are on offer at Market Day at Kangara Waters, Belconnen (off Aikman Drive), 8.30am-12.30pm on April 1.

Sustainable farming

some are a little dearer. We’ve raised $150,000 and that’s all gone back to the Queanbeyan community,” she says.

PROF David Lindenmayer is the speaker at the April 6 Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens “Thursday Talk”. His presentation is titled “Natural Asset Farming – key ways to integrate woodland conservation and agricultural production”. At the ANBG Theatrette from 12.30pm.

Bookshop secretary Karen Abbott… “There has been a lot of community support, telling us they don’t

Photo: Lily Pass

Welfare groups fall for ‘Mything Middle’ scam

IN 2011 the Dickson Residents Group asked the then planning minister, Andrew Barr, to consider a comprehensive eight-point plan for this inner-north precinct.

The key points included the building of affordable and sustainable housing, a diverse range of housing options and an integrated planning and development precinct plan.

The planning minister did not demonstrate a willingness to work with locals – even though he is an inner-north elected representative. The public meeting, called to talk with Barr on these issues, was interrupted by an ANU Young Labor group shouting at speakers who disagreed with the minister.

It was an introduction to how Barr operates against residents and those who disagree with his laissez-faire ideology.

There was so much that could have been achieved over the last 10 years if the planning minister, now chief minister, and his chief planner had engaged transparently with the community. Opportunities were lost because the Greenslabor culture does not respect residents or care for their aspirations.

In the last few years the planning bureaucracy and its hangers-on have imported a policy scam that states that housing affordability would

be improved if planning rules were deregulated to allow for the “Missing Middle” to be built in established suburbs.

The number of distorted facts and myths involved with this misleading propaganda is amazing. The ACT planning directorate is a muddled bureaucratic silo where facts are of little relevance.

Recently, things got even more weird. An odd alliance of organisations formed under the banner of Missing Middle Canberra. This cohort, with connections to the planning bureaucracy and Greenslabor, argues for the deregulation of housing approvals so that what they perceive, the missing middle, can be built throughout established Canberra suburbs.

Dickson and the surrounding suburbs have a diversity in age groups, cultural backgrounds and in those types of houses, townhouses and apartments. There is no missing middle. This mythical concept was developed many years ago in the US by money hungry developer groups. It is based on the neo-liberal, trickle-down ideology that fails to deliver affordability nor decrease homelessness.

Developers have profited by building what they like and have continued to boost profits. As for dealing with the housing crisis, affordability and homelessness, that’s not what the profit-developer sector does. The new “missing middle” houses and apartments have joined other expensive residences.

The result has been an increase in inequality with those in need missing out again while the cashed-up have more houses to choose from and to sell on to others. The trickle down rarely forms a drip.

This flawed planning response to affordability has been identified as a cruel myth (some get richer while others remain poor) and is referred to as the “Mything Middle”.

The same flawed messed-up concept has recently reached the opportunistic ACT planning bureaucracy and its loyal followers. Some have joined this alliance given the simplistic belief that implementing the missing middle addresses housing affordability and homelessness. Such naivety!

The local commercial for-profit companies joined for massive profit opportunities if the chief planner deregulates development. Forget climate and welcome to de-greening, less biodiversity, town cramming, more heat islands and increased inequity.

The presence of social and community groups on Missing Middle Canberra raises questions about their skill sets and motivations. They have been totally fooled by the scam and the myths.

A minimal amount of good judgement would have revealed that the Mything Middle movement does little for social and housing equity issues. This developer-driven movement increases inequality. It looks as if

these community groups place a higher priority on keeping in good with Greenslabor at the cost of equity values and the provision of social and affordable housing.

No matter what happens to the chief planner’s development reforms to de-green suburbs and de-regulate development, the on-going concern is how social-welfare groups were scammed. Meanwhile, residents who requested engagement on social and housing issues are sidelined and disrespected. The current planning bureaucracy has failed this city in the landscape. The city needs a design and urban planning leadership that transparently works with residents to implement innovative programs on housing and development.

In October 2024 ACT voters need to vote for politicians who will put in place a new design and urbanplanning leadership. Maybe by then Barr will have sacrificed the chief planning bureaucrat as he has done before to apparently shield himself from criticism.

The presence of social and community groups on Missing Middle Canberra raises questions about their skill sets and motivations. They have been totally fooled by the scam and the myths.

Andrew Barr… in 2011, as planning minister, there was no willingness to work with locals.

Pet photographer with a passion for a tail or two

By Lily PASS

MEET Cali, the “CityNews” coverdog owned by David and Vicki Berger, of Kingston Foreshore, and one of the 76 cute canine stars of a recent book, “Tails of Canberra”.

Pet photographer Ina Jalil, of Jer rabomberra, got the inspiration for the lavish, large-format, coffee-table book dedicated to Canberra dogs in 2019.

“I was listening to a podcast about photography and there was this pet photographer in Melbourne named Caitlin J McColl who started the Tails of the World Collective,” says Ina.

“It’s an international group of professional pet photographers, all celebrating their local dogs and fund raising for animal rescue.

“Caitlin started it with ‘Tails of Melbourne’, and now there’s a ‘Tails of Brisbane’, Adelaide, Sydney, Tasma nia and Perth, but there wasn’t a ‘Tails of Canberra’.

“You have to apply to claim a ‘Tails of the World’ book, so I did, but I’d only just started my pet photography and so my photos weren’t up to the right standard.”

Ina spent 2020 perfecting her skills with help from her three Havanese

and Ina has been able to pass on almost $2400 to ACT Rescue and Foster (ARF).

Once she recovers the cost of producing and printing the book, 10 per cent of any subsequent profits will be added to her donations to ARF.

Queensland home being broken into.

“The first thing Vicki said to me was: ‘If we had a dog it would have barked’, so to appease her we got Cali” says David.

Nearly 12 years later, David is de -

“I’d throw Cali in the car and go to a different spot and I’d get her to pose,” he says. “I’d get a treat out of my pocket and make her sit, and she wasn’t allowed to move until I gave her the word. She got quite good at just sitting still and waiting for her photo to be taken.”

Cali has since become one of the most popular pups in Kingston and with its move into the book, the dog’s

“Vicki saw on social media that someone was making a dog book, and they were inviting people who were interested to get in touch with her,”

So they did, much to Ina’s delight because she’d worried she wouldn’t

“I love dogs, my own and others. I love to see their differences and play with them,” says Ina. “Some dogs are quite challenging to photograph, most won’t sit still for very long, so I quickly

“My favourite Canberra backdrop is the Yarralumla English Gardens, it’s just beautiful. Lake Burley Griffin is another great location because you get to see Telstra Tower, and then on the

“I always photograph at sunset because you get the beautiful pastel sky, which is just my favourite thing, along with taking action shots. It’s when the dog’s personality comes out the most.”

Ina is now participating in “Tails of the World, Volume 2”.

“I’m looking forward to collaborating with photographers from around the world, and the money I raise will go to Canberra Pet Rescue,” she says.

“I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeve.”

Order a copy, or sign up to be notified on application openings for Volume 2, via inajphotography.com

Pet photographer Ina Jalil with Pippa, Rosie and James. Photos: Lily Pass David Berger and Cali down by Lake Burley Griffin.

BRADDON GUNGAHLIN MANUKA

Closer look at light rail presents a bleak picture

THE ACT’s financial and planning issues have been put under the microscope by the Assembly committees charged with examining the workings of the government.

Despite the committees being government-member dominated, it is a bleak picture. Examination of the light rail project, in particular, conjures up an image of a government drowning in its own ideology.

There is still no reasonable “estimated completion date and cost” for Light Rail Stage 2!

The recommendations of the Inquiry into “Annual and Financial Reports 2021-22” by the Standing Committee on Planning, Transport and City Services are telling. The messages are clear even if the language is relatively soft.

Stronger language would be politically challenging for the committee. The chair is Jo Clay, a member of the Greens; the deputy chair is Suzanne Orr, the Labor Whip. The shadow transport minister, the Liberal’s Mark Parton is the only non-government member on the three-member committee.

Despite this, and it is a credit to the committee members, the report calls on the ACT government to “announce the estimated completion date and

as practicable, as well as updating the estimated time frames after contracts are signed”.

The impression is one of a government that is just muddling through and “playing it by ear”. The ideological commitment to more effective public transport is well understood. However, careful planning and budgeting are simply a fundamental part of good government.

The costs of raising London Circuit on City Hill (RLC) have at least been estimated. The Minister responded to a Question Taken on Notice on November 9 saying more than $100million will be spent on this part of the project alone. But what about a completion date?

The committee commented: “The ACT government should provide more information to the people of the ACT, such as a clear expected

completion date”.

Any commuter recently heading to Civic or past the city centre area is well aware that the works are underway. Hang in there! There is no indication of when the project will be delivered.

The committee reported on a statement from Duncan Edghill, of Major Projects Canberra, that “the ACT government ‘did not put a date in the contract; rather, that was something for our tenderers to give back to the territory as part of the procurement process’”.

The report is broader than light rail. Twelve electric buses have arrived in Canberra with a commitment to 90 as part of the government’s environmental strategy. This is to be commended. However, the committee once again is forced to rap the knuckles of the government to “consider publishing the procurement date for the 90 electric buses to be acquired in the near future, as soon as practicable”.

Also tabled in this sitting of the Legislative Assembly by the chair of

the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Liberal Elizabeth Kikkert, was the committee’s report on its “Inquiry into Auditor-General’s Report: 8/2021 – Canberra Light Rail Stage 2A: Economic Analysis”.

Kikkert said: “The committee is of the view that the auditor-general’s audit report was important in identifying gaps in the business case for the project”.

She added, the recommendations made in this report were aimed at providing the community with more information to be able to more accurately assess the business case for Light Rail Stage 2A”.

The committee agreed with all of the recommendations of the auditor-general. Not surprisingly, the government-dominated committee also recommended proceeding with the construction of Light Rail Stage 2A. This was despite doubts by the auditor-general and the committee

about the level of application in government of the benefits to costs ratio in this project.

The auditor-general stated in his report: “I would argue that the concept of wider economic benefit has been introduced into economic analysis to take account of slightly more esoteric, perhaps, benefits to the community which are the responsibility of government and not strict commercial objectives”.

The committee has picked up on this comment and recommended (what ought to be standard process) “that the ACT government ensures that an economic analysis of a citywide network be provided alongside any single-stage analysis for the light rail project”.

The reports reveal a project that simply has had inadequate analysis and will cost ACT taxpayers close to two billion dollars.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legisla tive Assembly and an independent minister for health.

Examination of the light rail project conjures up an image of a government drowning in its own ideology. There is still no reasonable ‘estimated completion date and cost’ for Light Rail Stage 2!

The costs of raising London Circuit on City Hill have been estimated at more than $100 million. But what about a completion date?

Why humid weather makes you feel lethargic

IN mid-January Canberra friends were bicycling around Cambodia, so I looked to see what the weather conditions were like in Phnom Penh.

The air temperature was 24C with 85 per cent humidity. Not as bad as I had thought.

In Burma, or Myanmar as it now likes to be known, I had worked in temperatures in the mid-40s with humidity in the high 90s. There’s little chance of being productive when it’s that hot and humid. No wonder the British retreated to hill stations in the heat of summer.

In humid conditions, the air becomes populated by hydrogen and nitrogen as well as oxygen, and our lungs have to work harder to get oxygen from the air. This is part of the reason why we feel so lethargic in humidity, and why physical activity can be especially taxing.

The same day I looked into Cambodia’s weather I also looked into Canberra’s, and it was not a lot different to Phnom Penh’s. It was 25C, while our humidity varied during the day from a high of 94 per cent at 6 am to 47 per cent at 4 pm. I hadn’t realised it could vary so much in one day.

I went to high school in hot and humid Singapore when there was no air conditioning. However, the old

colonial buildings were designed for the climate, with ceiling fans and buildings sited to catch sea breezes, so the heat and humidity were not oppressive once you got used to it. Singapore weather was probably much the same as the weather in Darwin. Anyway, the colonial administrators decided we should only have school in the classrooms in the mornings. This was offset by sports outdoors in the afternoons, including cross-country running. I suspect therefore that the teaching scheduling was designed primarily to give the teachers a more pleasant lifestyle.

When autocratic Lee Kuan Yew became Singapore’s Prime Minister in 1959, he had all government offices air conditioned, and expected his

Chinese and Indian public servants to work much harder.

Whether it improved their productivity and lifestyle was hard to say. The suicide rate reportedly went up, but hard to know the extent because any negative media reporting about Lee or his draconian policies was censored in Singapore. Forcibly relocating residents from houses into high rises was also said to be a factor in increasing the suicide rate.

When I first worked at Russell Offices in Canberra in 1968, the older Defence buildings lacked both heating and cooling. Public servants adapted by bringing in electric bar heaters in winter, while in summer they brought in desk fans and opened the windows.

In the military there was no concession for the weather. We changed from winter to summer dress on a set day – which often seemed to be the coldest day of the year.

Years later, when I was in the Defence Intelligence Organisation, the building’s cooling system was not very efficient, but you needed a special tool to open the sealed windows. Fortuitously, the governmentissued scissors also opened them. If someone on the other side of the building opened a window it could create a sudden cross-draught and classified documents could float out the window, leading to a frantic rush downstairs to retrieve them. Fortunately, the director’s office was on the sixth floor with a lake view so the secret documents slowly floating downwind were not seen by senior management.

Canberra’s weather seems to have improved with climate change. It used to get unbearably hot and dry or cold and wet – but now seems quite manageable.

Perhaps Canberra having better designed houses with efficient heating and cooling has changed Canberrans’ perceptions about Canberra’s weather.

It’s now possible to empathise with W Somerset Maugham’s observation: “It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up.”

Britain’s climate is also changing for the better. Journalist Jeffrey Bernard was once quoted as saying: “I have to go out. It’s so cold in my flat that I think it may snow in the kitchen this afternoon.”

And I recall a conversation in the ‘50s between a civil servant and Prime Minister Churchill: “Prime Minister, I have to report that a minister was found half-naked with a guardsman in Hyde Park last night.” “Last night? The coldest night of the year? Makes you proud to be British!”

I have certainly seen fewer people wearing suits on the beach in Devon in recent years, and as British talk show host Jonathan Ross commented: “If it gets much hotter in this country they’ll be doing benefits for us in Africa.”

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist.

Singapore’s old colonial buildings were designed for the climate, with ceiling fans and buildings sited to catch sea breezes.

Photo: Expedia.com.au

I don’t do the failures, just the shiny new stuff

With April 1 on the horizon, THE CHIEF* exclusively reveals being a genius is hard work and that, praise be, he has a compliant ghostwriter for his upcoming political memoir, “Serious Big-Boy Thinking”.

BEING a genius means putting up with a lot of crap. Just ask Paul Keating. Getting up and holding forth on how China are our good buddies only to have a bunch of journalists ask a lot of impertinent questions such as “how?” and “why?”

It’s the same with me. Every time I get up and ponder some groovy new thing for the ACT, I have some journo query me on one of our many ACT government failures. As I’ve told them a thousand times, I don’t do the failures. I only do the shiny new stuff that can’t yet be questioned.

I was beginning to despair that I would ever get a good news story until I met the journalistic love of my life – “Canberra Morning Herald” reporter Jacques Potte.

Finally, there was a man who understood that, as ACT chief reporter, it was his job to provide flattering stories of me, the ACT Chief.

Jacques and I have been shamelessly flirting ever since. It simply wouldn’t cross Jacques’ mind to question any of my goofy pondering. Like, when I shared with him my recent thought-bubble on the ACT government funding a new theatrical company to produce progressive political plays.

Jacques never sought comment from

others. Nor did he raise any questions about the appropriateness of funding partisan political works, or that Canberra already had several established theatre companies begging for funding. Instead, Jacques just lovingly crafted my words into a lavish front-page story!

That’s why I have chosen Jacques to ghostwrite my upcoming political memoir, “Serious Big-Boy Thinking”. Why “Big-Boy?” Well, growing up in parochial Canberra, I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder that I’m not as cool and smart as the real political big-boys.

You see, my father was a head-sherang in Treasury and we used to go on camping holidays with treasury secretary Ken Henry and his family.

Sitting around the campfire, Ken often sought my view on issues such as macroeconomic reform or quantitative easing, and I would be forced to bullshit some answer.

That’s when I came up with the concept of banal catchphrases. “I’m for increased Gentle Urbanism, Ken,” I would say or “it’s all about the Missing Middle”. Ken would scratch his head, but wouldn’t dare confront me for fear of looking ignorant.

Ken was once again scratching his head when I became ACT Treasurer. This really showed my dad and all the

old Treasury crew that I was at last one of them; an ego-gnomic wiz with all the numbery thingos. I’m not sure if Ken’s hair loss has coincided with my rise, but those head scratches have certainly taken their toll on his scalp.

Still, having misplaced confidence and a series of catchphrases isn’t enough to make you a political big-boy. No, for that you need to arrogantly weigh in on national issues, too.

Fortunately, I have uninformed views on everything. Lately, I’ve been giving Albo and Katy lots of progressive ideas about how to turn the country around.

Sure, they all have to do with trams and funnelling the Mint into ACT coffers, but the point is I’m stepping up to big-boy politics like a glorified council mayor should. In fact, I even had Albo tell me to keep all my brilliant ideas to myself. Probably, to stop the Liberals from poach ing them.

Anyway, I don’t want to spoil all my secrets for big-boy success. For that, you will need to buy my book. Although, thinking on that now, that doesn’t seem fair to poorer ACT residents.

Maybe I should use ACT rates to fund a copy for everyone? Or maybe I could seri alise it in OurCBR? Or perhaps it could be read aloud as the opening one-man-play for my ACT Government Theatre Troupe?

Ay Caramba, so many things to ponder! Better give Jacques a call.

*Not really, not at all, actually.

Friday 7 April 7pm

Saturday 8 April 2pm & 6pm

Sunday 9 April 11am & 2pm

Monday 10 April 2pm

Tuesday 11 April 11am

Wednesday 12 April 11am

Thursday 13 April 11am

Friday 14 April 7pm

Saturday 15 April 2pm & 6pm

Sunday 16 April 11am & 2pm

Tuesday 18 April 10am

Wednesday 19 April 11am

Thursday 20 April 11am

Friday 21 April 7pm

Saturday 22 April 2pm & 6pm

Sunday 23 April 11am only

quantitative easing and a public statue of himself. –With apologies to Auguste Rodin.

Voters don’t want return to ‘Big Australia’ plan

THE “CityNews” front page of March 16 is deeply concerned about the planning implications of Canberra’s “cancerous growth”. Fair enough.

But there’s only one way the Canberra organism can mutate to “700,000 people by 2050”. That is, via a knee-jerk return to the federal government’s ruinous “Big Australia” program.

To be sure, this endless-growth program has always been a hit with Mr Albanese and Mr Barr. Not with Australian voters generally. In every reputable poll taken during and since covid, they don’t want a return to massive levels of migration.

Remember also, that the ACT Treasury “forecasts” incorporate data, only as far as October 2022.

At that stage, Albanese was “only” admitting to a net migration target of 235,000. Which is already higher than the annual average, in the “Big Australia” years from 2005 to 2020. Which is also three times the long-term or historical average.

As we now know from the March ABS release, between them Morrison and Albanese somehow engineered 300,000 net migration, in the year to September 2022. This is a huge turnaround, from negative 85,000 migration, over 2020-21.

Albanese even shows signs he’d like to leave 300,000 in the dust. If “CityNews” is to be part of Canberra’s planning solutions, not problems, don’t sit on the fence about this.

Stephen Saunders, O’Connor

‘Yellow bits’: Looking forward to the stoush

OUR Labor/Greens government has confirmed its delusions of grandeur along Melbourne Avenue in the Draft Canberra Plan for Deakin and Yarralumla.

Seven diplomatic sites, two ovals and Canberra Girls’ Grammar Junior School are all in the “yellow bits”. I look forward to the stoush.

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

Kowen was down for 200,000 residents

ONE thing that puzzled me about Jon Stanhope’s exposure of the Barr-Rattenbury hypocrisy on land development (CN March

16) was his failure to mention Kowen.

In an article published in “CityNews” on October 2, 2019, Jon Stanhope quoted Tony Powell, a former commissioner of the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) – the original planning body for the ACT – that in early planning work by the NCDC for the city it had assumed a population of 200,000 for the Kowen area.

In 2019, Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the Kowen forest would not be developed. He said the city needed to be developed, but in a way that had less physical impact on the environment, making higher-density housing the preferred option.

Barr and Rattenbury have yet to produce a convincing argument that their higher-density housing strategy is, in the wider scale of human development, better for the environment.

More likely, the more greenfield development there is in Canberra, the more ridiculous the concept of a light rail network becomes. Or am I being too cynical?

John L Smith, Farrer

What about a women’s Voice to parliament?

THE proponents of recognition of the Voice to parliament misunderstand the purpose of the constitution.

They talk as though it was supposed to be a grandiose statement about the national identity, or about the significance of this or that group. It isn’t.

The purpose of the constitution is merely to explain how the machinery of federal government is to work, eg by specifying the subjects on which the federal parliament may legislate, and the powers of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

In other words, it is merely a technical legal manual, not a piece of rhetoric or a potted history of Australia.

This is why it doesn’t mention a host of people who have been significant in Australia’s history. It doesn’t mention such people as Capt Cook or Governor Arthur Phillip and the convicts, or famous explorers such as Bass and Flinders – not because we’re trying to belittle their work, or pretend that they never existed, but because the constitution isn’t the place to discuss their activities.

If you are going to have a special Voice for Aboriginals on the basis of their supposed worthiness, then every other group with a high opinion of itself will jump up and demand the same thing.

For instance, why not have a multicultural Voice to parliament and recognition of multiculturalism in the constitution? Why not have a working-class Voice? And seeing that we keep hearing about women being the victims of domestic violence and other disadvantages, should there be a women’s Voice to parliament, and recognition of women in the constitution? What about a disabled people’s Voice? There is just no end to the groups who could claim they deserve recognition.

Malcolm Brandon, Merimbula

Got the buses, what about the chargers?

IN response to Dr Douglas Mackenzie’s letter (“Better still, how about electric buses?”, CN March 9), I have been informed by a friend that the ACT Barr government has already bought, in 2022, a quantity of electric buses.

However, according to my source, there are insufficient charging stations and available on-site electricity to charge them all.

Therefore, the ACT government has to install additional alternate methods of electrical supply. This is going to cost residents.

So much for Andrew Barr’s direction of an all-EV territory by 2035!

Ross E Smith, Richardson

More accountability from service providers

l’VE been working in the drug and alcohol sector for more than 25 years, assisting young and older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

During this time I’ve made numerous visits to the old Belconnen Remand Centre, the Quamby Youth Centre and, now, the Alexander Maconochie Centre.

We had issues with the lack of services then and it continues today.

I was transporting individuals and families to interstate rehabilitation centres in parts of NSW, Victoria and Queensland. On most occasions, our mob would’ve failed in completing their program.

In early 2003, the Ngunnawal Elders Council approached then chief minister Jon Stanhope to fund and establish a rehabilitation centre in the ACT.

Over a period of 20-plus years, we finally got the funding from the ACT government with support from the federal government to start the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm.

Along with Roslyn Brown and our late senior elder Aunty Agnes Shea, I had numerous meetings with the ACT government Health Directorate and the local farmers.

We were given the run around for years, but we finally got our healing centre. We need to make the service providers to be more accountable.

Fred Monaghan, via email

No religious recruiting on the streets, please

I AM appalled at allowing the Islam community to recruit for new members to join their organisation on the streets of Gungahlin Village.

They have their mosque in a prominent position in Gungahlin. If they want to recruit they put signs up at their building to allow prospective members to look it over.

It’s against my principles to see religion on the streets. I believe it’s wrong. You don’t see other religions promoting, why should they be allowed?

BJ Pearson, via email

We have the technology to ditch ‘the fossils’

PAUL Costigan (“Welcome to heat-island hell, biodiversity forgotten”, CN March 23) warns us of heat islands and loss of biodiversity that today’s version of urban and suburban development is remorselessly foisting upon us.

He mentions in particular “outrageous clearances”: the total removal of vegetation by today’s developers to make room for unnecessarily enormous houses sited so that they almost touch each other.

Mr Costigan should also have mentioned the removal of soil, in some cases down to, or even into, bedrock. Soil is a living ecosystem and takes many decades to form. Without it, no useful or productive plant will survive, let alone grow.

The heat-island effect will only become worse as global heating continues relentlessly: we may have passed the point of no return. CSIRO scientists have found that Australia, and therefore much of the world, has warmed by 1.47±0.24°C since records began in 1910. We have already passed, within the margin of error, the 2015 Paris Accords limit of 1.5°C by 2030, and are fast approaching the absolute limit of 2°C.

By 2060, or even 2050, humans could be suffering a near-permanent heat wave, and heat-related fatalities. As the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns, we must cease burning fossil as soon as possible. We already have the technology to replace “the fossils”: renewable energy with the latest versions of battery storage.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Cartoon: Paul Dorin

Cut through the noise, Voice is a moral imperative

“What could be fairer and more reasonable than constitutionally acknowledging the totally unique role played by First Australians for 65,000 years,” writes former journalist and reader ERIC HUNTER , of Cook.

group of 250 was invited to gather at Uluru to thrash out a considered overall response. It resulted in the “Uluru Statement From the Heart”.

played by First Australians for 65,000 years, added to by the past 240 years of now well-documented denial, illegal discrimination and criminal brutality imposed with the complicity of the British Colonial Office, colonial and postcolonial local governments and, if we’re honest, white Australia generally?

word). The “how” isn’t mentioned, let alone prescribed. This is how the constitution works, thus enabling a capacity for later legislative changes to be made should circumstances warrant.

Meanwhile, the integrity of the enshrined principle is preserved and can only be changed with difficulty (Sec 128). The same parliamentary-led processes would apply for the Makarrata (truth telling and treaty).

“An indigenous Voice to Parliament is not only a worthwhile project, but one that is consistent with the nature of the constitution and the values that underpin it.”

There’s not enough space to cover Michael’s specific queries (I believe some, such as indigenous identity, are irrelevant to the discussion). I’m happy to discuss them separately, but I will deal here with the more critical overall picture as I (and others, more expert), see it.

We might briefly re-visit the background. In 2015, the Turnbull government charged the Referendum Council to consult with indigenous Australians over what was felt needed to give adequate constitutional recognition (the Coalition obviously thought then it was a reasonable proposition).

In 2017, following two years of Australia-wide community consultations, a representative indigenous

“Anyone OPINION / The Voice

And Turnbull’s reaction? Peremptory rejection with him presenting the big, never substantiated lie: “The Voice will simply be in danger of becoming the third chamber of government”.

The coming referendum is about one thing only: do we want indigenous Australia acknowledged in the constitution with the parliament obligated simply to listen on matters affecting them (the legislated vehicle will be known as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice).

The proposed three-point amendment is straightforward and all we have to do is answer yes or no to the important moral question that has been hanging over us for the past 120 years.

What could be fairer and more reasonable than constitutionally acknowledging the totally unique role

Any argument that such acknowledgement opens the way for other groups to seek similar “advantage” doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

The peak body for Australia’s ethnic community organisations has, for instance, stated very clearly it is not relevant for its members to seek similar recognition but fully supports the “Uluru Statement”.

Following the implementation of the amendment, the parliament would debate the structural and operational processes surrounding the advisory Voice before legislating its implementation. That will be the time for discussion about the “details”. Besides, the constitution does not deal in “detail”. It is concerned only with setting the principle. For example, Part V, Sec. 51 lists 40 matters ranging from defence to weights and measures, but none of them do anything more than briefly describe the “what”( sometimes with just one

Will it work? We can never be totally sure with politically-based processes but there are safeguards, so can there be any doubt we have an obligation to try?

Furthermore, can the doubters guarantee that voting “no” would result in significant betterment in the lives of indigenous Australians?

Additionally, many well-established organisations strongly support the Voice, indeed the full “Uluru Statement”, including, but not limited to, the Business Council of Australia, BHP, the AMA, the Australian Law Council, the ACTU, many big corporates and much of academia. Heads of every State and Territory government have also added their signatures. What, therefore, do the dissenters know that the very impressive list of supporters across the spectrum apparently don’t?

To conclude, former chief justice of the High Court Murray Gleeson says:

Fellow former chief justice Robert French, addressing a recent high-level legal symposium, said: “The Voice is a big idea but not a complicated one. It is low risk for a high return. The high return is found in the act of recognition, historical fairness and practical benefit to law-makers, governments, the Australian people and Australia’s First Peoples. It rests upon the historical status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as Australia’s indigenous people. It does not rest upon race”.

There’s much more in French’s comprehensive address including that it would be highly unlikely that the Voice would be judiciable. Both chief justices were noted for their legal conservatism, certainly not given to any “risky” interpretations.

What more is needed before we apply our much vaunted “fair go”?

Eric Hunter worked 20 years in journalism for ABC television and radio and is a former long-term journalism lecturer at the University of Canberra.

“CityNews” welcomes all opinions on the Voice to parliament to editor@citynews.com.au

members have access to nearly 300 courses and activities which are delivered by our members using the skills and knowledge acquired over their lifetimes.

You can attend a lecture, discuss a book or current affairs, learn to play an instrument or join a choir, improve your computer skills, work on drawing your first masterpiece, and so much more.

stops learning is old whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young”

– Henry Ford

ROAD TRIPS

Prepare to discover magical destinations close by

THE taste of a fresh, morning coffee, loading up the car, pulling out of the driveway – it all adds to the magical feeling of heading out on a road trip.

And, luckily for Canberrans, the nation’s capital is surrounded by picturesque landscapes, historic communities and fascinating events. Whether looking for a holiday or just a quick weekend getaway, here’s some premier, nearby destinations.

AFTER being closed for more than a decade, Eden’s Hotel Australasia reopened in 2022, after a two-year renovation, says sales and marketing manager Hanna Marshall.

“We have eight boutique hotel rooms, all individually styled and decorated to pay homage to the building’s heritage with luxury and upmarket finishes.

“Downstairs we have a wine bar and bistro called Pikes. Our bistro will soon be undergoing a name and style change to authentic Italian. Our pizza chef, Pietro, is from Sardinia and is injecting his flavour into our new menu.”

Explore the past, present and future of the Snowy Scheme

Hanna says the new menu will be launched on April 3, as well as a new breakfast menu.

“There is nothing like Hotel Australasia in Eden, it offers the region something more luxurious than what is currently on offer,” she says.

“Hotel Australasia has a long history in the town and our renovation has touches throughout to pay tribute to the fishing history and the local, founding families.

Hotel Australasia, 142-144 Imlay Street, Eden. Call 6496 1560, or visit hotelaustralasia.com.au

THE Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre has experiences for everyone, from a virtual flyover of the Snowy Mountains to archival photos from the construction era, 1949-1974, says a Snowy Hydro spokesperson.

“The virtual flyover takes place in our immersive theatre, with a 14-metre wide screen and floor projections,” they say.

The spokesperson says whether you walk, drive or fly, the Discovery Centre is easy to get to, and is just over an hour’s drive south of Canberra.

“Visitors are encouraged to stop for lunch

at their Discovery Cafe, for pies, sausage rolls, cakes, sandwiches, coffee or milkshakes,” they say.

“There’s plenty of space to stretch your legs and free wifi available, as well as their Discovery Shop.

“There are caps, books, keyrings and DVDs available to learn more and keep as memories from your visit.”

Snowy Hydro, Monaro Highway, Cooma. Call 1800 623776, or visit snowyhydro.com.au

Eden’s new boutique hotel is now open along the sparkling Sapphire Coast. With elegantly furnished rooms and a bistro-pub, it’s sure to provide an extraordinary experience for holidayers and locals alike.

hotelaustralasia.com.au

@hotelaustralasia

EDEN 278kms

COOMA 128kms

Regional dairy shed with history

BODALLA Dairy opened in 2008 to make dairy products from “amazing Bodalla milk,” say mother and daughter co-owners Jane Stuart and Sandra McCuaig.

“Cheese has been made in Bodalla since 1860, and you can see it being made in our factory today, along with milk, ice cream and yoghurt,” they say.

“We opened on the highway in Bodalla so you can easily stop on your road trip for an old-fashioned milkshake, ice cream, delicious coffee or a cheese toastie.”

Jane and Sandra say they have beautiful gardens for people to relax in, while the kids bottle-feed calves.

‘Magical’ Orange, a place to visit all year round

ORANGE is proving more and more to be an enticing destination to visit all year round, says Orange 360 general manager Ned Sweetapple.

“Orange is renowned for its highly regarded restaurant and cafe scene, and award-winning, coolclimate wines, but every season in the region brings a unique feel and drawcard,” she says.

“With charming villages nestled in the open countryside, an abundance of natural beauty that is on full display no matter what time of year, outdoor adventures, luxurious accommodation, seasonal festivals and a burgeoning retail sector, it’s no wonder the region is attracting so many visitors.”

Ned says Orange and neighbouring villages offer a robust retail and art scene that is well and truly flourishing, and Orange hosts an array of rich landscapes

and dramatic views to explore at Mount Canobolas.

“If you time your visit right, you might even catch the 2023 Winter Fire Festival, August 4-6, with local producers and venues putting on unique events showcasing everything the region has to offer,” says Ned.

“It may be a little crisp outside during the cooler months, but that only adds to the nostalgic appeal, cosying up by restaurant fireplaces, in gorgeous accommodation, being romanced by brilliant red sunsets and warming up with a delicate shiraz in hand at one of over 40 cellar doors.

“Orange is such a unique and magical place this time of year. It’s the perfect time to indulge yourself.”

Orange 360, Orange. Visit orange360.com.au

“Calf feeding is at 10am and 4pm every day, it’s free and there’s no bookings required,” they say.

“Mum loves Australian native flavours and has come up with delicious combinations to incorporate into cheese, ice cream, and yoghurts,” says Jane.

“Think coffee and wattleseed ice cream, outback saltbush cheddar and lemon myrtle and honey yoghurt – we even naturally smoke an ice cream with gum leaves called ‘Let’s Go Camping’ which has been a real hit.”

The mother, daughter duo want to ensure the cheese and yoghurt making skills, taught since 1860 continue to thrive.

“We are a family of three generations and we’re so delighted to chat to adults reliving memories they had on road trips through Bodalla as kids. They come with their parents, grandparents and kids to make new memories.”

Bodalla Dairy, 52 Princes Highway, Bodalla. Call 4473 5555, or visit bodalladairy.com.au

A Wombat welcome to try new brews

WOMBAT Brewery opened only three months ago, but local support has been overwhelming, say Aaron and Julie McKay.

“It’s a family owned and operated nano brewery located on the stunning south coast,” says Aaron.

“It’s still a baby, but I’ve been a long-time home brewer.

“Even on long weekends and holidays, it’s 90 per cent locals that show up, but we’re hoping to welcome more people in.”

Julie says Aaron has always been passionate, and opened up Wombat Brewery to share his hobby, and beers, with people.

“We’re in industrial Ulladulla, but there’s beaches, rivers and local restaurants nearby,” she says.

“And over Easter, Ulladulla has the Blessing of the Fleet and fireworks on Sunday.”

They say the focus of Wombat Brewery is familyoriented, with a laid-back, relaxing vibe.

“Kicking back with a few friends, you can sample a few of Aaron’s signature crafted beers made on site,” they say.

“We have rotating food vans, and music every weekend.”

“We’re open Thursday to Sunday, midday to 8pm, and would love everyone to come in and try our brews.” Wombat Brewery, Unit 6, 1-3 Coller Road, Ulladulla. Call 0429 814328, or visit wombatbrewery.com.au

BODALLA 195kms

ORANGE 273kms

ULLADULLA 193kms

VIA European-style cycle touring options with Central West Tours, owner Nicole Moroney says discovering Cowra, the Lachlan Valley and Central West by bicycle is easier than one might think.

“Our e-bike tours guarantee the exhilaration of the fresh air, the breeze on your face and the excitement of finding roads less travelled,” she says.

“We cater for cyclists of all abilities, interests, and fitness levels.”

Nicole says with its rich heritage, culture, welcoming hospitality and unique visitor experiences, the Lachlan Valley could very well become a favourite cycling destination.

“History buffs will love the many heritage sites, tracks, and townships; food lovers will enjoy local produce and coffee stops and lovers of adventure will simply relish every single aspect of the great outdoors. Join us as we

explore hidden gems and uncover key attractions in towns of all sizes,” she says.

“Whilst casual and novice riders will love the adaptable pace of guided tours, serious bike riders will welcome the challenges of long rides, varying landscapes, and hundreds of kilometres of painstakingly mapped out trails for their own use.”

Nicole, and cycle-tour guide Jo, are willing to pass on a plethora of tips, tricks and insider information.

“Central West Tours also conducts an annual bus tour to the Parkes Elvis Festival,” says Nicole.

“Central West Tours is the first and only eco-tourism certified company in the Lachlan Valley region.”

Central West Tours, 7/3 Macquarie Street, Cowra. Call 0459 155845, or visit centralwesttours.com.au

NO matter what the season, reason, or excuse for a trip to Cowra and the Lachlan Valley, the charming Cowra Motor Inn is a convenient and comfortable place to stay, says owner Nicole Moroney.

“Located in a peaceful but central location, Cowra Motor Inn is situated near shops, cafes, bars, takeaways, and restaurants,” she says.

“With a variety of renovated rooms to suit families, couples, and singles, there is bound to be a room to suit your needs.”

Nicole says she fell in love with Cowra 15 years ago, and since buying the motel in 2014 she enjoys nothing more than welcoming visitors to the region and encouraging them to explore Cowra’s heritage

TURN A DAY INTO AN ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME

and visitor experiences.

“These include the Japanese Gardens, the prisoner-of-war Camp, the heritage-listed Lachlan Valley railway, art gallery, museum and wineries,” she says.

“With complimentary continental breakfast, great tips in regard to what to see and do, and some fabulous insight into country road bike trails and e-bike tours, it’s easy to see why Cowra Motor Inn is a favoured stop over for lovers of genuine country hospitality and fun times.

Cowra Motor Inn, 3 Macquarie Street, Cowra. Call 6342 2011 or visit cowramotorinn.com.au

COWRA 184kms

COWRA 184kms

Where there’s ‘beauty in every season’

COWRA is a hidden gem located only two hours from Canberra, says marketing officer Stassi Austin.

“There is beauty in every season in Cowra, especially at the Cowra Japanese Gardens as we head into autumn,” she says.

“We also, in September, have the Cowra fields of gold that locals and visitors alike look forward to, our canola fields.”

Visitors are encouraged to start their day at the Cowra Visitor Information Centre.

“There is a nine-minute presentation on the tragic events of The Cowra Breakout, through the eyes of Claire, a young Cowra local,” says Stassi.

“It’s the best way to start your historical journey through the region.

“Then explore the Cowra Peace Precinct, home

to the prisoner of war camp, and stop at the signage dotted around the site.”

Cowra also offers wine and forage tours, says Stassi, that offer visitors the chance to enjoy delicious food and wine of the Cowra and Canowindra region.

“People can also meet the makers of our wonderful, boutique and 75 per cent organic wines at the farm gates and cellar doors, learning along the way.

“Wyangala Dam is perfect for camping and water sports, including boating, fishing and swimming, and located just a short distance from Cowra.

“When at capacity, it is 2.5 times the size of Sydney Harbour.”

Cowra Visitor Information Centre, Cowra. Call 6342 4333, or visit visitcowra.com.au

COME OUT, WE'RE

COWRA 184kms

‘Beautiful’ and ‘iconic’ Parkes

PARKES sits in the central part of NSW, only three hours drive from Canberra, and surrounds itself with beautiful landscapes and bushland, says visitor service lead for Parkes Shire Council, Lisa Moon.

“Home to the Parkes Radio Telescope, which is famous for being Australia’s key player in the Apollo moon landing and star of the movie, ‘The Dish’, it’s the perfect place to stay whilst exploring Central NSW,” she says.

“The Parkes region also offers historical adventures, agricultural experiences, and amazing events like the Parkes Elvis Festival and Trundle Abba Festival.

“If you love cycling, the Parkes region has some of

the best gravel riding in NSW. Come and explore and soak up the country ambience by riding one of our 14 fully mapped, gravel cycling trails ranging from 20-120 kilometres.”

Geographically, Parkes sits in the middle of many other regions, including Orange, Forbes and Cowra, says Lisa.

“This makes us the perfect home base to explore Central NSW.”

Parkes Shire Council, Parkes. Call 6862 6000, or visit visitparkes.com.au

Adventure of the Lachlan Valley cycle trail

RICH in culture, heritage and hidden gems, the Lachlan Valley delivers riders varied terrain and trail options, along with experiences that will long be cherished, says owner of Lachlan Valley Cycle Trail, Nicole Moroney.

“Escape the everyday and enjoy the adventure, fun, history, and beautiful sights that await, when you cycle the gorgeous Lachlan Valley,” she says.

“Mapped as recently as 2022, the Lachlan Valley Cycle Trail is designed to attract European style cycle touring, and with 1500 kilometres of fully interactive maps that unveil picturesque scenery, peaceful champagne gravel roads, and a generous peppering of country hospitality it is no wonder why cyclists are raving about their Lachlan Valley Trail experiences.”

Made up of two premier cycle trails, Nicole says the Lachlan Valley Cycle Trail criss-crosses the Lachlan Valley region linking major towns, quaint villages, and hidden gems in an immersive and wonderfully memorable way.

“The historical towns of Cowra, Forbes, Canowindra, Eugowra, Parkes, Trundle and Grenfell provide key rest, refreshment – great coffees – and exploration settings, in addition to renowned experiences and attractions, such as the murals at Eugowra, fossils at Canowindra and an overall abundance of history in what was once prime bushranger country.”

Lachlan Valley Cycle Trail, 7/3 Macquarie Street, Cowra. Call 0459 155845, or visit lachlanvalleycycletrail.com.au

COWRA 184kms

PARKES 285kms

ESCAPE THE EVERYDAY ESCAPE THE EVERYDAY

THE legendary Grenfell Henry Lawson street parade and festival is back this June long weekend, says festival president Belinda Power.

“The 2023 festival is gearing up to be the best yet,” she says.

“The Henry Lawson festival is a major event for Grenfell, located in the central west of NSW.

“The festival has been running for 65 years and is seen as one of the oldest rural festivals still operating in NSW.”

Belinda says Lawson (1867–1922) was born in a tent on the Grenfell Goldfields and the festival was established to commemorate his contribution as a bush poet and writer.

“Thursday will include the official opening of the festival and the art exhibition, along with the

announcement of the 2023 Festival King and Queen,” says Belinda.

“The line-up will also include a family fun night on Friday the 9th, featuring food and wine, family friendly rides and entertainment.

“The popular street parade will return to the Saturday of the festival, along with the addition of an authentic country street party.

“Catch the Grenfell Car Show on the Sunday of the festival before heading out to the Caragabal Camp Oven Cook Off and finish the weekend up with a visit to Iandra Castle.”

The Henry Lawson Festival, Grenfell, June 8-12. Call 0413 306973, or visit henrylawsonfestival.com.au

GRENFELL 204kms

VISIT RAGLAN GALLERY UPCOMING EVENTS

COOMA 128kms

THE Raglan Gallery and Cultural Centre has been operated as a not-for-profit gallery since the mid ‘80s, says public officer Merilyn Minell.

“But it’s been open as Cooma’s first inn, and then a bank, since 1854,” she says.

“We’re running our annual art competition in June, and before that we have a ‘Motoring On’ exhibition running from April 5 to May 14.”

Merilyn says the exhibition is run in conjunction with Land Rover’s 75th anniversary, and entrants are invited to enter up to two artworks, fitting the “Motoring On” theme in any medium.

Merilyn says the gallery has a heritage garden for visitors to explore.

“It’s of special interest because it’s been restored and maintained by volunteers,” she says.

“Of particular note are the bay tree and the Irish strawberry tree, both of which are more than 100 years old. The wisteria is also a beautiful feature, especially in spring if it escapes a Monaro frost.”

And, Merilyn says, the gallery embraces the community.

“The gallery is a much-loved part of Cooma’s fabric and people, visitors, love it when they come and visit,” she says.

“We embrace the community, we highlight and run exhibitions by local and outside artists.

“Raglan Gallery also holds art classes on Mondays each week, too.”

Raglan Gallery and Cultural Centre, 9-11 Lambie Street, Cooma. Call 6452 3377, or visit raglangallerycooma.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

INSIDE What’s with the sniffiness over chardonnay?

RICHARD CALVER

Gina walks the talk when it comes to folk music

By Helen MUSA

NOONGAR singer-songwriter

Gina Williams has a crystal-clear picture of what the music is all about and that makes her the perfect advocate for the upcoming National Folk Festival at Exhibition Park.

I catch up with her while she’s at the boutique Blue Mountains Music Festival and find an artist who is passionately dedicated not just to music, but to the revitalisation of the Noongar language of WA, which she had to go back to TAFE to learn as an adult.

Behind every good lead singer there’s a great guitarist and in this case it’s her music partner of many years, Guy Ghouse, known for his “twinkling instrumentals” and with her, the co-creator of a major work last year for WA Opera.

Williams and Ghouse are no strangers to what they call “the Nash” – the National Folk Festival. They headlined the festival launch in 2014, and have been back since.

This year they’re taking on the lion’s share, performing in the Budawang Theatre at EPIC on the evening of April 7, the Flute and

late at night also on the Saturday and at the marquee in their own show on Sunday night, April 9. They’re hosting a “to learn to talk Noongar” workshop at lunchtime on April 9.

A highlight of their presentations, she tells me, will be numbers from the kids’ album “Koorlangka”, based on their core principles of Koort (heart), Moort (family), Boodja (land) and Koorlangka (children/legacy).

“Guy and I both understand the importance of family… it’s much more than DNA. It’s about the people that we choose to spend time with and our responsibility to that community – I think folk festivals do that really well,” she says, adding that a large part of what they do is simply sharing the love of good music and powerful storytelling.

Williams and Ghouse didn’t waste any

time during covid-related WA isolation and they staged a commissioned work, “Koolbardi wer Wardong”, for WA Opera, taken from an “old time” story about the magpie and the crow.

There’s a Canberra connection. They wrote the libretto and the music, then handed it over to Chris Stone, a member of Canberra’s Griffyn Ensemble, whom they’d met at the Nash, to do the orchestration and arrangements.

They’ve just finished writing a new opera to be staged in Perth during next year and again Stone has done the orchestration. Meantime, they’re always doing school sessions, connecting with upwards of 1000 children and students a week.

Williams is adamant that their music and their language work is a revolution, but not

she heard that British enfant terrible Billy Bragg was touring to Port Fairy, Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay, Brisbane and Fremantle, so engaged him for Easter Day, April 9.

A rare “play” in the festival this year is “I Don’t Go Shearing Now”, a musical ode to shearing and the wool industry devised by British singer Martyn Wyndham-Read,

The trio will also go “shearing” in Gunning, Braidwood, Carcoar, Dalton and Goulburn.

Likely to arouse a few tears will be Ukrainian bandura player and singer, and Riverina Conservatorium of Music vocal teacher Larissa Kovalchuk, known to Canberra audiences for her hypnotic mezzo-soprano voice.

Most familiar of all will be laconic Canberra bard Fred Smith, who, with his band, will present material from his back catalogue and from his new collection of story-songs, appropriately titled “Folk Songs”.

2023 National Folk Festival, Exhibition Park, April 6-10. All details at folkfestival.org.au

The twisted family of feral lions STREAMING

IN an age where news media is more contentious than ever before, it’s no surprise that “Succession” has grown into the hit that it has.

For those not in the know, this satirical drama series comes from TV production powerhouse HBO and this week is streaming its fourth and final season on Binge.

It follows the trials and tribulations of the Roy family, a smarmy and cunning ménage who fight for the inheritance of their father’s monolithic news and entertainment company.

Ring any bells? It just so happens “Succession” was originally planned as a feature film about the Murdochs. Go figure.

Complete with one of those opening credits sequences that are visually stunning and always just slightly too long, “Succession” represents some of HBO’s finest work.

The show kicks along at a breakneck speed thanks to director and producer Adam McKay who audiences may know to be behind “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix) and his oscar-winning take-down of Dick Cheney, “Vice”.

McKay’s style features zooms and quick pans on top of snappy and often vulgar dialogue. It can make the corporate world feel like it’s going to give one whiplash. In “Succession” it’s as if the camera is swinging off a hinge. Stylistically it’s almost like a slicker, richer and more cynical version of “The Office”.

Those who have little patience for annoying characters probably won’t have gelled with “Succession” thus far.

The Roys are like a pack of feral lions. A thin veneer of majesty struggles to hide their killer instincts. On the exterior these siblings pretend they’re a family, but in

reality they’d kick each other down the stairs if it meant they got their head on the cover of “Forbes” magazine.

As the show goes on their depravity has only got worse, making for some truly addictive telly that’s been described as “exquisite agony”.

The most compelling part of “Succession” is Logan Roy, the head of this dysfunctional family and owner of Waystar Royco. When he’s in the room there’s a sense of gravity made tangible by Brian Cox’s performance.

All of his offspring are constantly scrimmaging to get in his good books. In the show’s excellent first episode, they vie to buy him the perfect birthday gift.

“It needs to say that I respect you but I’m not awed by you and that I like you but I need you to like me before I can love you,” says one of his eldest in search for a watch that’s worth twice that of a four-seater

It’s a funny and almost tragic introduction to Logan Roy and the relationship with his children. Make no mistake though. There’s nobody to like here. Where the Logan family go, non-disclosure agreements follow, funded by the pile of money that’s as tall as the skyscrapers that make up their wheedling world.

Over its three seasons thus far, “Succession” has done a fine job in making its plot more twisted and its characters more insane but what will really secure its legacy is its decision to call it quits now.

Since 2018 when the show first aired, it’s rapidly grown in popularity. In 2021, season three racked up almost seven million viewers, many of whom from Australia.

All this is to say that it would be easy to pad the show out for more seasons.

It could have been a long-winded series that tracks the dynasty of the Roys, but by dropping the curtain now “Succession” has proven it has confidence in its 39 tightly written episodes that don’t stretch out the story longer than it needs to be.

This week it culminates in an ending that has fans eager to see which of the Roys is going to come out on top.

This family’s devious battle for the throne gives even the Targaryens a run for their money.

Gallery aims to be Bega’s ‘cultural heart’

By Helen Musa

THE South East Centre for Contemporary Art

is a purpose-built art space to be unveiled in Bega on April 29.

Gallery director Iain Dawson expects SECCA to cement the Bega region as the cultural heart of the area.

The 30-year-old property was formerly the Bega Valley Regional Gallery, already home to the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award and the Bega Valley Arts & Crafts Society.

But now both the site and the collection have undergone a $3.5 million redevelopment and expansion, creating a completely new space, partly funded by $1.67 million from the Australian

exhibitions, a new façade and spaces for exhibitions, archives and workshops.

The former Council Chambers’ meeting room has been renamed the Chamber Gallery and the curved walls of the original building are to become a virtual canvas for Australian artists working in digital media.

Native indigenous plantings around comfortable public seating transforms the forecourt.

The gallery’s first exhibition, “Perforated Sovereignty”, is intended to create a snapshot of a contemporary regional community, its impact on the world, with participating artists to include former Canberra dancer-turned-visual artist, Dean Cross and Four Winds

Vivid inspired by ‘mother nature’

By Duncan Murray in Sydney

ORGANISERS of this year’s Vivid Sydney are promising the most “culturally relevant” program yet with the annual light festival taking inspiration from mother nature.

Running from May 26 to June 17, the event will include a new Vivid Food program, featuring curated street food offerings and high-end dining experiences.

Free and ticketed events will be held as usual at locations across the city with the centrepiece being works of 95-year-old Australian artist John Olsen projected on the Opera House sails in tribute to his illustrious 60 year career and fascination with Australian landscapes and nature.

First Nations and Australian voices are at the heart of an extensive live music program including a tribute night for the late Archie Roach and a 12-day free music program at Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park with shows by Yothu Yindi and Dan Sultan.

More than 40 Australian and international artists will perform at the Opera House throughout the festival including José González, Yaeji, Ella Mai, Cat Power and Devonté Hynes.

Vivid Sydney Festival director Gill Minervini said now in its 13th year, it was important the festival evolves to stay relevant to the creative industries and what that

means to people today.

“We are truly proud of this year’s program. We have raised the bar on the size and scale of the events and activated new parts of the city,” she said.

“Audiences should be prepared to be blown away by the calibre of talent and a program that has been inspired by the beauty and diversity of nature.”

Festival locations include Circular Quay, the Sydney Opera House, The Rocks, Walsh Bay, Barangaroo, King Street Wharf, Darling Harbour, Darling Quarter, Darling Square, The Goods Line, Central Station, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Carriageworks, Taronga Zoo and more.

Last year, a record 2.58 million attendees injected $119 million into the NSW visitor economy across the festival.

NSW Tourism and Arts Minister, Ben Franklin said with international borders fully reopened this year’s festival is hoped to be the biggest and best yet.

“Vivid Sydney is NSW’s biggest annual event and makes a significant social and economic contribution to our state,” he said.

“From our creative industries to entertainment and hospitality venues, accommodation and retailers, Vivid supports and creates jobs across our economy.”

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW government’s tourism and major events agency. –AAP

Brian Cox as Logan Roy in “Succession”... “When he’s in the room there’s a sense of gravity.”

What’s with the sniffiness over chardonnay?

MY friend Todd, who loves chardonnay, was visiting Canberra. He’s long praised this varietal as the queen of grapes and hailed the diversity of styles that it can produce.

His view stands in stark contrast to the ABC drinkers: the “anything but chardonnay” crowd, who applaud the Kath and Kim “cardonnay” assignation: for classy ladies.

I’ve experienced this bias during a work lunch where one of my female colleagues actually used the phrase “anything but chardonnay” as I asked for white-wine preferences after being nominated as the person to choose the wine.

I find this stance puzzling given that some of the highest-quality French Chablis wines are one hundred per cent chardonnay, as is PouillyFuissé grand cru, which comes from the Mâconnais subregion of Burgundy in central France, a wonderful wine. And let’s not discount the elegant and expensive Yattarna, the Penfolds “white Grange” as some have designated this extremely wellbalanced wine.

We decided to meet for lunch in Manuka at a moderately priced Chinese restaurant where mate Tom also joined us. Three retirees looking to enjoy life, but on a budget.

Fortuitously, the wine media were awash with the news that Taylors Wines’ 2022 Jaraman Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley Chardonnay had won the “Best of Show Australian white wine” at the prestigious Mundus Vini international wine competition held in Germany in February.

I say fortuitous because we could drink an award-winning wine at an advertised $26 a bottle: I’d purchased a bottle from Prohibition on the Kingston foreshore for $26.99 and Tom found an advertisement where it was selling for as low as $20 a bottle.

The international wine competition held in Germany appears, from the reports that I have read, to be rigorous in its scrutiny of submitted wines. It’s reported that 7500 wines were tasted by a panel of 240 tasters, makers and retailers. There were 46 different nationalities represented on the judging panel. So it was no mean feat to win the best Aussie white in show.

Tom had brought another Aussie 2022 for comparison, a Stonyfell The Cellars

Wine, cheese, lovely lake view

IS there a better way to enjoy Lake Burley Griffin than at a Europeaninspired, alfresco boutique bar right on the water, with a quality wine in hand?

Margot Espresso Vin and Fromage (call her just “Margot”) is the latest place to pop up on the shores of the lake. It’s pretty. It’s chic. It’s unique for Canberra.

Margot’s blue and white striped outdoor chairs are attractive and comfy. The small white picket fence that encloses the bar area is super cute. And Margot holds a prime position at West Kiosk, Queen Elizabeth Terrace.

Margot doesn’t have a kitchen but offers yum items that can be served simply and efficiently, with everything carefully selected to go with a verre ou deux de vin. We sat back, relaxed and nibbled at Australian brine-cured olives ($8) and two types of roasted nuts (almond and cashew, both $8), sourced from The Nut Shoppe, operating since 2008 at Fyshwick Markets.

Cuca sardines are on the menu, served in their original tin. We selected those canned in highquality, extra virgin Spanish olive oil, but Margot also serves tins of this aromatic fish paired with a classic tomato flavour and a “picantes” version with the olive oil infused with chili.

Taylors Wines’ 2022 Jaraman

Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley Chardonnay… “Best of Show Australian white wine” at the German Mundus Vini international wine competition.

unwooded chardonnay.

We tried the Taylors first. It had a light yellow colour with good clarity, a nose with just a hint of peach and a short but pleasant stone fruit finish.

It was not a standout, but it was pleasant, especially as March has produced unseasonably hot weather. Well chilled, it suited the hint of spice in the chicken dish and calmed the heat of the day. As it sat in the glass it opened up and the stone-fruit flavour was more prominent.

Todd hadn’t said anything until we’d pontificated along those lines but then said: “Yes, I drink this when I can. It’s been a consistent favourite over the years. I’m not surprised it won an award.”

In contrast, the Stonyfell was more complex with a much more acidic finish than the Taylor’s but at $18 a bottle even better value. The acid presaged that it would keep well. Plus, it was good for cutting through the heaviness of the kung pao chicken, whereas the Taylors was more suited as a complement to the vegetarian dish.

The positive side of the ABC movement seems to have been that Australian chardonnays are on the market for very reasonable prices, even award-winning chardies.

The lack of love for this varietal is something that is a boon as well as a bane. As retirement and high inflation means that personal finances get tighter, wines that are this good in the value-for-money stakes become the drink of choice.

“Love conquers all things, except poverty and toothache.” – Mae West

These famous, traditional sardines are caught exclusively off the Galicia-Portugal coast and are packed quickly to preserve taste and freshness. Margot serves them with fresh baguette and Spanish golden peppers ($14).

Our small, curated fromage box featured a selection of three cheeses, and dried fruit ($35).

smooth and creamy. My friends preferred the award-winning cheddar, a traditional clothbound cheese that matures for about a year at family-run Bay of Fires (Tasmania). Also in the fromage box was Monte Rosso, handcrafted by Section 28, Adelaide Hills.

Quality wines are the focus and Margot refreshes its list regularly. French and local and regional wines are available, with whites starting at $14 by the glass, rose $13 and reds $15. Cheeses also change regularly, to ensure top pairing with wines and to celebrate Canberra’s four seasons.

A prosecco from Tumbarumba kickstarts

ARTS IN THE CITY Lawyer on wrong side of the law

By Helen Musa

HOT on the heels of “Julia” at The Playhouse comes Suzie Miller’s one-woman show “Prima Facie”, an indictment of the Australian legal system’s failure to provide pathways to justice for women in rape, sexual assault or harassment cases. Sheridan Harbridge stars as Tessa – a criminal lawyer who loves to win, but when she finds herself on the other side of the bar, the tables are turned. This is Griffin Theatre Company’s original production by Lee Miller, but a British production was staged at London’s National Theatre in 2022. At The Q, Queanbeyan, April 19.

LUMINESCENCE Chamber

Singers present “Of The Body”, an unusual musical dissection of our relationship to flesh and blood. It features the premiere of a new song cycle by tenor and composer Dan Walker. In addition to home performances at ANU Drill Hall Gallery on March 30 and All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie, on March 31, “Lumi” will sing at Wollongong Art Gallery and Sydney Opera House’s Utzon Room.

CANBERRA Theatre is bringing a genuine Broadway hit, “360 All -

stars”, to its mainstage, April 4-8. It’s an urban street culture show exploring BMX riding, basketball, breakdancing, rap, acrobatics and drum, complete with music and video projections.

MUSICIAN Tim Meyen of the much-awarded Canberra band Super Rats, a master of the cimbalom (an instrument from the dulcimer family), has been guesting at WOMADelaide with Romanian band Taraf de Caliu. Meyen will travel on to NZ with the band.

MEANTIME, nearby in Tharwa, 33-year-strong choir Rhythm Syndicate is presenting an autumn afternoon concert of jazz and popular songs in four-part harmony. Cuppacumbalong, Naas Road, Tharwa, 2pm-4pm, Sunday, April 2.

THE Friends of the Classics Museum is hosting a Romanthemed dinner to be served by chef Janet Jeffs, accompanied by a talk from Prof Alastair Blanshard. The menu has been inspired by recipes attributed to the Roman gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius. ANU Research School of Social Sciences Foyer, 6.30pm, April 14. Inquiries to 0407 665359.

Valley and Vaucluse (France), and Eden Road. One rose from Nick Spencer is on the list and a French option. Reds are from Mount Majura, Ravensworth, Collector and Rhone Valley (France). Mornings start at 7am at Margot. Enjoy quality coffee and pastries from well-known Wildflour while soaking up the view. Hats off to Margot for no cash, but no surcharge. We hear plans are underway to weatherproof Margot for the cooler weather, a smart move indeed.

A curated fromage box… featured a selection of three cheeses, and dried fruit.

Australian brine-cured olives.

Photos: Wendy Johnson

Giving stone fruits a big spray

such as lime sulphur.

Stone fruits, such as peaches and nectarines, can be treated with copper oxychloride at leaf fall and bud swell, that is now and in spring.

Removal of all leaf litter under trees is helpful to prevent spores spreading and another spray at “bud swell” in spring, when there is a slight colour on the flower buds, is crucial for the flowers to form.

Peach leaf curl is a fungus that only affects the first set of leaves in spring. The rest of the leaves are normal throughout the season and the fruit is unaffected by this fungus.

Some years the fungus is worse than others and only needs to be sprayed if more than 50 per cent of the leaves are affected.

Copper oxychloride is also useful for spraying other stone-fruit trees as well, such as cherry, plum and apricots, for a condition called “shot hole”. This is a visible, circular small hole in the leaves in summer.

It’s a dual insecticide/fungicide and should only be sprayed when trees are in dormancy, not to mention it stinks of a rotten-egg odour and can be quite off-putting. However, this only lasts a day or two.

Spraying should be done when the air is quite still. Importantly, lime sulphur must not be used on apricot trees or it will result in a massive dieback of shoots.

Right now, fruit trees could do with a good shovel or two of manure – cow, sheep or chicken is good. Give them a good watering and mulch with forest litter or straw and they’re all ready for winter.

IF there’s a spot in the garden that gets six hours of sun, a dwarf peach or nectarine tree could fill the spot.

There are two main stone-fruit varieties to look for – clingstone or freestone. Clingstone fruits are perfect to eat straight from the tree and good for cooked dishes. But it takes a little longer to prepare for cooking as the flesh clings to the seed. It is said to have more taste

the flesh when cut open) and these types of stone fruits are best for preserving or baking and, of course, eating straight from the tree.

My favourite nectarine to grow is the Golden Queen clingstone, which is super sweet and perfect for stewing.

THE gazania, an old-fashioned plant that’s coming back into vogue with new hybrid varieties, is flowering well in the garden at the moment.

They are part of the Asteraceae family and have big, wide flowers that are great for attracting pollinators to the garden. They cope with tough conditions, such as nature strips or driveways and will grow on natural rainfall after being established.

In the past they’ve been considered an environmental weed because they readily self-seed, but some newer varieties are bred to be sterile. They’re used for soil and embankment stabilisation.

Varieties to look for are: Double Gold with big beautiful yellow

flowers or Gazania Big Kiss Yellow and Big Kiss Red. Their colours are vibrant and will flower nearly all year round.

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au

Jottings…

• Keep watering pumpkins, tomatoes and the last of the summer vegetables.

• Trim box hedges now before the cold weather sets and fertilise with dolomite lime.

SPRAYING fruit trees is important as it helps the yield grow to be as healthy as possible.

Gazania… coming back into vogue with new hybrid varieties.

Peach leaf curl… a fungus that only affects the first set of leaves in spring. Photos: Jackie Warburton

HOROSCOPE PUZZLES

Your week in the stars

By Joanne Madeline Moore

3-9 April, 2023

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

The Easter Full Moon lights up your partnership zone. So, this week, focus maximum attention on the special loved ones in your life. It’s also time to get the balance right between invigorating independence and cosy togetherness. Your motto for the moment is from Aries birthday great, writer and activist Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Are you stuck in a rut? Have you been too stubborn to embrace change? This week’s Full Moon shakes up your daily routine zone and injects new energy and enthusiasm into your life. But make sure your plans are rooted in reality. At the moment you’re extra susceptible to suggestion – and flattery. So be discerning about whose advice you take. Don’t let fair-weather friends lead you up the primrose path to trouble. Choose your close confidantes wisely.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

This week the Sun, Mercury, Jupiter and the Full Moon stimulate your friendship and peer group zones. So it’s important to nurture and cherish your close friends. You could also lend a hand to someone who is sick or experiencing financial trouble. Fast thinking and creative strategies will help you solve problems and alleviate stress. Your motto for the moment is from birthday great, singer Billie Holiday: “If I don’t have friends, then I ain’t got nothing.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Mars is visiting your sign, so it’s time to assert your independence. But expect some frustrations and restrictions along the way. Clever Crabs will be patient, persuasive and persistent. Your motto is from this week’s birthday great Bette Davis: “The key to life is accepting challenges.” Resist the temptation to sidestep and snooze. Use your networking skills to gather supporters, and don’t be afraid to ask experts for help. It’s not what you know but who you know!

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

The Full Easter Moon fires up your tempestuous nature, so you’ll feel amped up and ready to perform as you overdo just about everything! But don’t let overconfidence (and over-exuberance) trip you up. Your head’s full of ambitious dreams and fabulous schemes, but they’ll only work if you can persuade other people to contribute to Team Leo. You’ll find creative collaboration (especially online) will take you a lot further than functioning as a solo operator.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Mercury (your patron planet) squares Pluto, which can mean frustrations, delays and power plays – especially at work or while travelling. Perhaps a project is stalled, a person is plotting, or a domestic appliance (or your car) breaks down. Avoid stressing and vexing, Virgo! Aim to be proactive rather than reactive. As writer (and birthday great) Maya Angelou reminds us: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

This week’s Easter Full Moon is in your sign so do your best to be fair and balanced, as you appreciate differing viewpoints. Is your love-life stuck on autopilot? It’s time to blast away the cobwebs and look at things from a fresh angle. Single Librans – are you fed up with dating disasters? Steer clear of flirtatious charmers with frivolous values and dubious motives. Friday night favours romance, flowers, fashion, personal pampering and a touch of fantasy.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

The Full Easter Moon favours meditation, contemplation, relaxation and investigation as you solve a problem or get to the bottom of a perplexing mystery. However, if you stubbornly hang onto the past and resist change, you’re in for a rocky ride. You need to be more flexible and adapt to constantly changing circumstances. Heed the wise words of Scorpio actor and social commentator Will Rogers: “Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

The Sun, Mercury and Jupiter are jumping through your leisure-and-pleasure zone, plus the Easter Full Moon activates your hopes-and-wishes zone. So smart Sagittarians will start dreaming and planning a bigger and better life now! Your quote is from this week’s birthday great, writer and activist Maya Angelou: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive. And to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.”

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

The mid-week Mercury/Saturn link encourages sensible ideas and sound judgement. And the Easter Full Moon cranks up your career zone, so it’s a good time to bring a challenging professional project to a successful completion. However –with impulsive Mars in your relationship zone – be careful what you say to a lover, friend or relative. Hasty words could land you in hot water! Venus encourages calm over chaos and diplomacy over drama.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

With the Full Easter Moon activating your wanderlust zone, many restless Aquarians will feel cooped up, housebound and a bit stir-crazy. So pull on your travelling shoes and escape on an Easter getaway or plan an adventurous trip for sometime soon. On the weekend you’ll communicate your innovative ideas with extra pizzazz, as you dream big dreams, talk about progressive philosophies, and make connections with influential folk from foreign shores.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

The Easter Full Moon highlights a close relationship, shared finances or a joint venture. Secrets and issues of loyalty could also be placed under the microscope, as you discover whether your trust in someone has been well placed. Then prepare for a burst of Piscean creativity and energy on Friday and Saturday when Venus and Neptune activate your sign. Lucky opportunities could magically manifest, especially within your local community or via social media.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2023

General knowledge crossword No. 874

Across

4 Which horse-drawn vehicle is traditionally inhabited by gypsies? (7)

8 What is an arbour formed of horizontal trelliswork supported on posts? (7)

9 Name a high-ranking officer in the Australian Army. (7)

10 To pay no attention to something, is to do what? (7)

11 To set free from bonds, is to do what? (7)

12 Name another term for an eraser. (6)

14 Which agricultural implement is used for turning over the soil? (6)

18 What, in general, is a thousand times a million? (7)

21 What is the husband of an unfaithful wife? (7)

22 Name another term for the alligator pear. (7)

23 Which disease is characterised by attacks of chills, fever and sweating? (7)

24 To be free from any element of deceit or duplicity, is to be what? (7)

Solution next edition Down

1 Who tosses the coins in a game of two-up? (7)

2 In which ship compartments are prisoners confined? (5)

3 Name a white, crystalline, bitter alkaloid, obtained from opium. (7)

4 Which spiny leafless plant is chiefly native to the hot dry regions of America? (6)

5 What is a surviving memorial of something past? (5)

6 New Hebrides was the former name of which Pacific republic? (7)

7 Which synthetic polyamide is used for making stockings? (5)

13 Name an inflatable rubber bag, used as a child’s toy. (7)

15 Who was the 16th President of the USA, Abraham ...? (7)

16 Which small bag is used for carrying money, etc? (7)

17 Name another term for revenue. (6)

18 Which ductile yellow alloy consists essentially of copper and zinc? (5)

19 To be silly, is to be what? (5)

20 Name an extremely venomous snake. (5)

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