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WHAT A MESS BARR’S MADE OF HOUSING JON STANHOPE & KHALID AHMED look at the ACT’s chronic housing problem FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Well written, well read

Powerful start to the Assembly election race MICHAEL MOORE The wonderment of Worlding and Waffling CLIVE WILLIAMS More intrigue from the queens of crime writing ANNA CREER

YEAR OF THE DRAGON Lunar New Year horoscope

RED HOT TO TROT

HELEN MUSA previews Canberra Rep’s new production of Last of the Red Hot Lovers

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NEWS / Lunar New Year

Lions and dragons enliven the Lunar New Year

By Katarina

LLOYD JONES With the Lunar New Year starting on February 10, Canberra Prosperous Mountain Dragon and Lion Dance group and its founder David Wong are in big demand.

“In Asian cultures, we follow the lunar calendar, hence the different timings each year.

“We use Lion Dance in our performances as a vehicle to not only raise awareness about the Lunar New Year, but also to bring everybody together.”

David says it brings him great joy to bring a sense of tradition to the annual festival as many migrants, including himself, feel they lose touch with such cultural experiences when arriving in a new country.

For Aimy Nguyen, this sentiment was very familiar.

“I watched Michelle Law’s play ‘Miss Peony’ at the Canberra Theatre in August last year. It’s about a Chinese-Australian girl who is trying to better understand her relationship with her culture and her background after her grandmother passed away,” says Aimy.

“I felt inspired by that to try and

Lion Dance heads can weigh between four and five kilograms. Inset: David Wong.

Photo: Katarina Lloyd Jones have a better understanding of my own relationship with my heritage.”

Being half-Chinese, Aimy says lion dancing and dragon dancing during significant cultural holidays was something she grew up around and was always curious about.

“I literally just jumped on Google, searched ‘Canberra Lion Dancing’ and found these guys,” she says.

“They were really warm and welcoming.

“Being away from my family and not being able to really connect or speak

INDEX Arts & Entertainment 21-23 Crossword & Sudoku 27 Gardening 26 Letters 13-14 Lunar New Year 24-25 News 3-14 Politics 4, 8 Streaming 22 The Gadfly 10

my mother tongue around anybody made me feel really disconnected, so this is my way of trying to connect and have that relationship with my Chinese background.”

David says he started the group in 2007, due to mainly just homesickness when he moved to Canberra for work.

“It was very hard in the first five or six years because there wasn’t much of a history around Lion Dance in Canberra but over time it snowballed.

“Lunar New Year is our biggest event in the calendar year, but over

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the summer period there’s lots of public festivals that we get invited to.

“We also do weddings throughout the year as well, we do a special performance to suit the wedding and to give them good luck.

“We do Harmony Day performances, we do performances for government departments, daycares as well, trying to improve their awareness and share the culture of lion dancing.”

The heads can weigh between four and five kilograms, Aimy says.

“It’s full-body puppetry because you’re not only using your hands to control the movements of the head, you’re using the entire body to really mimic the movement of a lion,” she says.

The dragon is multi-person, sometimes seven to nine people, says David.

“It kind of replicates the movement of a snake, it’s like a serpent that kind of wraps around and weaves and tumbles and all that kind of thing,” he says.

“Second to that is the lion, and that is two people, a front and the back, like a pantomime horse.

“In terms of its significance, the dragon is a very holy and senior deity, and it’s brought to performances to bring lots of good luck, but also to scare off evil spirits.

“The lion is doing the same thing as well, but to a more junior position to the dragon.

“Red symbolises prosperity and

good health, gold is money, and the white furs symbolise seniority.

“The drums and the cymbals and the gong add the atmosphere to the performance.

“Whilst the lion can provide some expression through the flapping of the eyes and mouth, the pace of the drumming adds to that emotion, and the whole audience gets that visual and audio experience.”

David says the tradition of the percussion stems from the story of Nian, a dragon that would come and ravish the city, and so the people used drums, or pots and pans, to scare it off.

The costumes are made from paper mache and fibreglass and are all custom made, says David.

Generally, he says they get about two or three years of life from them.

“Once they’ve retired from performance use, we use them for training, once they’re too old to use for training, historically, you’re meant to burn them.

“By burning them, you’re bringing the ashes back into the sky and they return back to heaven,” says David.

Upcoming performances are on the Canberra Prosperous Mountain Dragon and Lion Dance facebook page. To get involved, visit canberraliondance.com

Lunar New Year horoscope, Pages 24-25

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POLITICS / candidates

Powerful start to election-year Assembly race An old political party working to refresh itself, and the establishment of a new grouping of independent candidates marks a powerful start to this election year in the ACT. Canberrans will go to the polls on October 19 to elect a new Legislative Assembly.

The Labor-Greens Coalition government will be judged. A decision will be taken about whether the Liberal opposition is really up to governing the Territory.

Additionally, a challenge will be launched by a series of independent candidates who will seek to hold the balance of power. There are outstanding candidates already emerging across the political spectrum.

The Independents for Canberra Group is being led by Clare Carnell, daughter of the former Chief Minister, Kate Carnell. She is a disaffected former Liberal, frustrated by the party reaction to the “Liberals for a YES vote” campaign as the final straw.

Clare has teamed with Thomas Emerson – putting a lie to the accusations by Chief Minister Andrew Barr of “stooge independents”. Thomas is the son of long-term Labor MP, Dr Craig Emerson. Thomas is an adviser to independent senator David Pocock.

The common ground for these

At this stage, early in the election year, the threat is coming from potential crossbenchers. It remains to be seen what will be offered by the Liberals.

Candidates for 2024... Heidi Prowse, Labor, and independents Peter Strong and Ann Bray. two is a genuine belief in liberal democracy, integrity and accountable government. They are Canberra’s answer to the federal “teal independent” movement. They hope that other independents will join with them to make most effective use of the HareClarke electoral system.

The Independents for Canberra are seeking to expand and draw in other people willing to raise their hands to run for the Legislative Assembly. They have announced their first “town hall” meeting at the RUC Bowling Club in Turner on Sunday morning, February 11, and hope to engender enthusiasm for the cause at that meeting. I have agreed to address that meeting.

Until now there have only been four independent MLAs who have sat in the ACT Legislative Assembly since inception in 1989. I was the last of those to be elected in 1998 and served through to the end of 2001.

Labor is aware of the accusations

of being a tired government, as Leon Delaney of 2CC put it – of being “predictable and mundane”. In a move to counter this they have enrolled some outstanding community contributors to run for their party. I will cite just two examples.

Tim Bavinton, who has been announced as a candidate for Labor in Ginninderra, is currently the executive director of Sexual Health and Family Planning (ACT). He is a youth worker, teacher and community educator. With the support of the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre he established SAMSSA (Services Assisting Male Survivors of Sexual Assault). Tim is a graduate of three universities, (ANU, UC and UTS) and offers an in-depth understanding of governance and social issues to Labor.

Heidi Prowse OAM is the executive manager of strategy and impact for Capital Region Community Services.

Another outstanding community con-

tributor, she is also a Labor candidate for the electorate of Ginninderra.

Heidi has been a community leader for the past 15 years working with Camp Quality, Cystic Fibrosis ACT and Mental Illness Education ACT. She was acknowledged as the 2017 ACT Young Australian of the Year and 2020 Telstra Business Woman of the year.

These two candidates represent what the Labor Party hopes will be the fresh face of Labor.

They are also being challenged by the rise of other “teal” independents.

Here are just two more examples.

Peter Strong AM, long-term executive director of the Council of Small Business will run in the seat of Kurrajong. He announced with Ann Bray, a medical scientist and former diplomat, who will run in Murrumbidgee.

Ann says: “We need to have

independents in the Assembly that involve the community; think about the issues; and look at the facts and the evidence, unencumbered by factions, and vested interests”.

Peter makes the point that “the government isn’t evil, it has just been there too long, far too long”.

These sentiments are ones that Andrew Barr and Labor leaders know very well, and they seek to counter with unfounded accusations such as “stooges” and fake independents. This reveals just how real the threat is to their government at the next election.

At this stage, early in the election year, the threat is coming from potential cross-benchers. The Greens announced some of their candidates in December. It remains to be seen what the rest will look like and who the Liberals will field.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.

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NEWS FEATURE / artificial intelligence

Use of AI technology predicted to soar this year The use of artificial intelligence technology is expected to skyrocket in 2024, but experts warn of risks and the need for an Australian-made version, reports JENNIFER DUDLEY-NICHOLSON. Predicting the future of technology has never been trickier.

Generative artificial intelligence tools experienced “explosive growth” during 2023, according to McKinsey research, ballooning from an interesting concept to technology used by one in three companies.

Amazon’s head of responsible AI Diya Wynn says she watched with amusement as analysts scrambled to revise predictions for the technology two months after making them.

“It’s hard to look that far in advance and figure out what will happen because the technology is advancing at a pace that is much more rapid,” she said.

But experts are confidently predicting AI and tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Bard and Amazon Q will continue to soar in 2024, as more companies experiment, make discoveries and deploy AI as part of everyday operations.

Generative AI emerged in the 1960s but evolved with the introduction of generative adversarial networks in 2014, benefitted from the use of large language models in 2018, and began to

create photorealistic images in 2022.

But 2023 became the year the technology went mainstream for many businesses in a way few could predict, says Experts predict AI and its tools will continue to soar in 2024 as University of the more companies adopt them.

Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP Sunshine Coast computer science AI to summarise all of the reviews lecturer Erica Mealy. they have and get insights into “If you’d asked us two years ago if specific aspects of the products we’d be using GPT like we are now, they’re selling, which is a quick way no one would have thought that,” she of creating value and doing things said. more productively.”

“From 2022 to 2023, it’s moved quite Ms Stanic predicts 2024 will see rapidly and we’re seeing jobs where many more generative AI experiit’s used as part of daily work.” ments and more examples of ways Australian companies are increasit can improve productivity and ingly embracing the use of generative customer experiences.

AI, Amazon Web Services chief “There is a view among companies technologist Rada Stanic says, and of all sizes and across all industries using it in unexpected ways. that they can’t afford not to ex“We’re starting to see Australian periment with AI and see what the brands and companies leverage this technology can do for them,” she said. technology for very useful business But the use of artificial intelligence outcomes,” she told AAP. can also be controversial, with a “Adore Beauty are using generative growing number of examples where

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the technology has had harmful consequences.

China-based education firm iTutorGroup was successfully sued for using AI software to reject older applicants, and a legal brief prepared by a New York lawyer was found to be full of cases that did not exist after ChatGPT “hallucinated” examples.

Ms Diya, who created Amazon Web Services’ approach to the responsible use of AI, said the technology held significant potential pitfalls for companies who did not adequately consider, test and research its use.

“It’s not a one-size-fits-all tool that we should stick everywhere just because it’s really cool and we’re excited about it,” she said.

“We actually have to evaluate each use case because sometimes we don’t have adequate data and that might be a good reason not to use AI.” This year, Australian firms will also have to consider what regulations apply to the use of generative AI. The Australian Signals Directorate has issued guidance for businesses using the technology, while the federal government outlined its approach in the Safe and Responsible AI interim report on January 17.

In the report, the government pledged to develop a voluntary AI Safety Standard and expert advisory group, and work on mandatory rules for testing and labelling AI.

Simon Lucey, Australian Institute for Machine Learning director at the University of Adelaide, says Australia’s regulatory approach needs to address potential risks while also helping companies to use it in positive ways.

“It has to be a balanced approach (that we take) because we don’t want to puff out the AI flame – it offers some real opportunity in terms of productivity and making lives better for Australians,” he said.

“The European Union is taking a much harder line, whereas the US and the UK are taking a softer line.”

Professor Lucey says 2024 will see more companies develop ways to “detect when generative AI has been used” and to fact-check text and images to increase trust in what we see.

But he says Australian government and businesses should also take the opportunity to do more than just use generative AI but to develop an Australian version of the technology, using local, high-quality data with strong privacy standards.

“We potentially want to use AI for different parts of government and we won’t be able to because we can’t guarantee where those AI models have come from or what data sources they’ve been trained on,” he said.

“The idea of sovereign AI is really important and something the government needs to think about a lot more.”

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NEWS / Pedal Power

BRIEFLY

scones, Simon’s new horizons for people on bikes Clothes, what a sale!

By Katarina

LLOYD JONES If Canberra keeps growing at its current rate, it’s at risk of becoming a congested, carbased city, says Pedal Power’s Simon Copland.

The cycling organisation’s executive director says: “Transport emissions are our highest carbon emissions now, and it’s primarily from individual motor vehicles.

“Reducing carbon emissions is really important, and we can’t rely on electric vehicles to do all of that work for us. We need to see a transition away from cars.”

Pedal Power’s mission is to get more people on to more bikes more often, says Simon.

“We do advocacy for better cycling infrastructure, and we also run programs and activities to encourage people to get on to bikes. We do learn-to-ride classes, maintenance courses, those kinds of things.”

Pedal power started as a protest ride around 50 years ago, says Simon.

“There was a protest about the lack of cycling infrastructure,” he says.

citynews.com.au

“A bunch of people got on their bikes and rode down Belconnen Way and then from that, people got together and decided they wanted to start an organisation that would advocate for better infrastructure.”

Now, Pedal Power is focusing on boosting rider confidence by reviving its New Horizon program.

“Over the pandemic we’d stopped running it, and we’re trying to sort of revive it now because it was a popular program that people wanted,” Simon says.

“We know that one of the biggest barriers to people riding is a lack of feeling of safety and comfort when they do so.

“Being out on a bike, it feels like a vulnerable position to be in, particularly when you’re riding on roads and things like that, and so this is about helping people get the confidence to turn riding into an ongoing habit and an ongoing behaviour.”

Wendy Studman is a participant turned volunteer turned coach for the New Horizons program.

“My husband had recently retired and heard about the program through fellow cyclists and convinced me to go along,” she says.

“It got me back on the bike after years, which is the whole premise.

“It helps you gain confidence after not riding for a while, or after

an injury.”

Wendy says that it is also a great way to make new friends, and that there are people who did it 10 years ago that still regularly meet up to socialise.

Simon says “There’s a whole bunch of positives that can come with an increase in people riding on their bikes,” says Simon.

“It reduces congestion on our roads, it’s great for people’s physical and mental health, reduces pollution levels, and also just helps create more vibrant streets and a vibrant city.

“When I was a kid, I just rode everywhere, I’d get home from school and I’d get on my bike.

“A lot of my memories of being a kid, is being on my bike, and it’s sort of one of those habits that sticks around.

“It’s like a new sense of freedom because you suddenly can ride anywhere and you don’t have to rely on the car, or for a kid you don’t have to rely on your parents as much.

“You get all of this freedom from being able to ride anywhere.

“Cycling is a thing we need to be investing a lot more on in the future.”

The New Horizons program starts on February 14. More at humanitix. com/new-horizons

End-of-season men’s and women’s clothing is on offer at the St Ninian’s Uniting Church pre-loved clothing sale, 9am-1pm on February 16-17. As well, the Lyneham church hall will be brimming with linen, bags, footwear and children’s clothing. And they’ve got scones, cooked on the premises, for morning tea.

Trivia with a Fearless touch Fearless Women, a local not-for-profit organisation supporting girls and young women aged 10-25 through education and mentoring, is hosting its first fundraising trivia night at King O’Malley’s Pub, in Civic, from 6pm on February 15. Tickets are $50, plus booking fee through events.humanitix.com

A VIEW to the north Yerrabi VIEW Club, Gungahlin, will hold its annual general meeting at Eastlake Club, Gungahlin, from 11.30am on February 15. New members. More from 0419 698091.

… and to the south Practising what he preaches – Executive Director of Pedal Power ACT, Simon Copland… “You get all of this freedom from being able to ride anywhere.”

Photo: Katarina Lloyd Jones

The Tuggeranong Day VIEW Club’s next lunch meeting is at the Town Centre Vikings Club, Greenway, from 11am on February 20.Lunch costs $33. Visitors and interested ladies are welcome.

RSVP by February 16 to 0409 747017 or via maleyjan@yahoo.com

CityNews February 8-14, 2024 7

POLITICS / housing supply

What a mess Barr has made of housing supply “The real and very serious housing problem in Canberra is undeniably one of the ACT government’s making. The problem is undersupply and an ever-widening gap between supply and demand,” writes JON STANHOPE & KHALID AHMED. The ACT government’s new zoning policy, permitting a second dwelling on an existing block, is a mere distraction – a red herring – and highly unlikely to resolve the mess the government has knowingly made of housing supply in Canberra.

The genesis of the problem is inadequate land supply, combined with the sale of more than a thousand units of public housing and the failure to replace them, and a major and growing shortage of community and affordable housing.

For the record, we support allowing unit-titled dual occupancy where appropriate. However, we have serious concerns the government is effectively mandating dual occupancy through taxation policy settings, for all blocks above a certain size.

The price of a 120sqm secondary dwelling, according to government figures on land valuation, construction costs and tax will be between $900,000 and $1.124 million – that is, if the owner decides to subdivide and then design, finance and construct an additional dwelling in their backyard.

This is hardly an “affordable option” for families priced out of the housing market. There’s also no reasonable estimate available on how much additional supply is expected to be generated through this policy.

The real and very serious housing problem in Canberra is undeniably one of the ACT government’s making and the problem is undersupply and an ever-widening gap between supply and demand. Table 1 details actual dwelling supply and population growth over successive four-year periods since 2007-08.

While population increase is a significant driver of housing demand, it is not alone, with household formation the other key driver. Household formation occurs, for example, when children leave home to live independently or form a family, or when a household splits into two through separation/divorce.

According to the ABS, divorces in the ACT have averaged 1392 a year since 2018. A significant proportion of divorces involve couples of mature ages with relatively high financial capacity and hence the capacity to purchase a second home.

Consequently, if there is an undersupply of housing it is more likely to impact younger residents, notably those leaving the family as they embark on life’s journey. Household formation is, by the way, estimated to constitute around 40 per cent of the demand for new dwellings.

A decrease in supply relative to demand has a consequential effect on prices – that is the iron law of economics – and, consequently, house price growth averaged 8.3 per cent

Table 1: Land Supply and Population Increase 2007-08 to 2020-23

Souces: Land Development Agency/Suburban Land Agency Annual Reports; and ABS Cat. 3101.0.

Chart 1: Investment in New Dwelling Construction – Average Annual Growth

over the period 2020-23, compared to the previous period where the annual average growth was 5.4 per cent.

The interest rate increases since May 2022 have had some dampening effect on price growth. Nevertheless, price growth outstripping income growth is expected to continue in the ACT given the lag effects of supply on prices in the market.

Cutting land supply has unarguably severely impacted economic activity in the ACT. Chart 1 details real average annual growth over the long-term and the period 2013 to 2022 for the ACT and Australia. The ABS data accounts for price effects and, as such, provides a measure of the real growth in economic activity. We have defined “long-term” as the 20-year period from 1992 to 2012.

Over the past decade, growth in dwelling investment in the ACT has collapsed to less than a quarter of the long-term average. The ACT being a growing city, dwelling investment growth has, historically, been higher than the national average.

In a complete reversal of that trend, the dwelling sector in the ACT has significantly underperformed over the last decade (2013 to 2022).

So, can this be blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic? No. The illustrated chart also includes data for the pre-pandemic years from 2013 to 2019, and clearly illustrates that the ACT’s dwelling sector was dramatically underperforming before the pandemic.

Dwelling investment constitutes a significant proportion of private investment in the ACT economy. Its share of total private investment has dropped from 41.2 per cent in 2012 to 36.4 per cent in 2022.

We estimate that the ACT’s

Source: Australian National Accounts; ABS Cat. 5220.0, Tables 9 and 10. economy would be around $1.5 billion larger if the government had simply maintained growth in housing at the long-term average rate.

This is potentially the “first round” effect of inadequate input, namely land, on economic activity. There are flow-on effects where households who do enter the housing market, but at higher prices and, therefore, with a larger mortgage, have a reduced capacity for discretionary spending, for example, in cafes and restaurants or other leisure activities.

When there is inadequate supply of new stock available, buyers will inevitably seek to acquire an existing dwelling. The ABS national accounts data shows that in the ACT ownership transfers grew at 6.4 per cent annually on average over the period 2013 to 2022, a jump from the long-term average of 1.4 per cent. The ACT’s growth over this period was also higher than the national average of 4.7 per cent .

Turnover of existing stock is not a bad thing in itself. However, in circumstances where too many people chase too few houses, the auctions become inefficient, resulting in extraordinary price growth, as has been the case in the ACT. An unreported consequence of this is that in recent years conveyancing duty revenues have doubled, despite Treasurer Andrew Barr promising, a decade ago, when releasing the taxa-

tion reform plan that conveyancing duty revenue would be halved within 10 years, i.e. two years ago.

Land supply to meet the housing needs of a growing population and household formation has been a challenge for all governments in Australia due to the fragmentation of planning systems as well as the availability of suitable land under their control.

However, the ACT is completely different. Apart from not having a pesky upper house or annoying local government to contend with, it has inherited a leasehold system that has bestowed on it complete monopoly control of land supply, and a land bank of thousands of hectares built up over the years through the resumption of land at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.

Typically, mainstream media unfortunately focuses on the most recent economic data and the changes in the last quarter, with accompanying one-eyed commentary from the government.

Trends over the last decade, however, paint a concerning picture of the ACT’s economy because of decisions the ACT government has taken to cut supply of an essential input, namely land, and its failure to meet even the inadequate targets it has set.

Jon Stanhope is a former chief minister of the ACT and Dr Khalid Ahmed a former senior ACT Treasury official.

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THE GADFLY / peer review

Peering into the science of Australian reality I was wrong.

In a recent column I declared that sport was humanity’s best invention, and listed the virtues inherent in its practice, from inclusivity to fairness, team spirit, fitness, community bonding and recreation.

All true and, in a troubled world, it’s riding high.

But recently I stumbled on a far more consequential invention – one that holds the key to our capacity to survive the crisis of climate change and the rising tide of populist nationalism at the hands of the Putins, the Trumps, the Netanyahus and their mates. It’s called “peer review” and it’s the necessary fulcrum of all scientific endeavour.

And it’s in deep trouble.

Its problems leapt to the fore in the wild outburst surrounding the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT who, according to their critics, were insufficiently robust in condemning anti-Semitism.

The most controversial was Harvard’s Claudine Gay, a black woman who was also charged by a longtime critic with “plagiarism”. This in turn focused attention on the practice of peer review which, he alleged, should have picked it up.

Next came revelations that peer review itself was being undermined, calling into question the whole

Recently I stumbled on an invention that holds the key to our capacity to survive the crisis of climate change and the rising tide of populist nationalism.

It would be timely for someone, such as retiring ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt, to head a distinguished taskforce of professors emeritus to peer into the Australian reality.

Image: ANU process of scientific endeavour.

That is an existential disaster in the making.

The system has a very long and fascinating history. It began in medicine in the Middle East in about 900AD when physicians were required to make notes of their treatment of patients, who were cured or who died.

If the latter, a group of senior practitioners examined the notes and decided whether the family had grounds for legal action.

Guttenberg’s invention of the printing press in about 1440 revolutionised the practice. Authorities in a range of written observations and conclusions could examine and decide what was fit to print. Unfortunately, their obsession with religion brought unfathomable clashes between fables and facts, a tragedy for Galileo whose telescopic observations of the solar system led to his imprisonment for a decade.

In the Middle Ages, the rival Oxford and Cambridge universities

became killing fields for one side or other of various Christian doctrines, brilliantly detailed in a soon-to-bepublished work by Australia author Peter Thompson, in London called Two Shades of Blue.

However, the great Francis Bacon in 1620 established the broad peer review rules in his Novum Organnum and by century’s end the Royal Society took charge and gradually established hard and fast procedures for expert review prior to official publication.

These were gradually tightened as technology advanced and by 2002, a review of the process by Ray Spier in Trends in Biotechnology, declared: “Peer-review has come a long way in defence of its turf. In a world where knowledge is being made available at a rate of millions of pages per day, it is comforting to know that some subset

of knowledge or science has been critically examined so that were we to use it in our work we would be less likely to have wasted our time.”

Ah, if only…

Since then, according to reportage surrounding the Claudine Gay case, the authorities in a vast array of specialties are so overburdened with review requests – without due payment – that they pass them down the line to post doc students or return them after a superficial glance. On other occasions, there is official intervention that prevents international review for “possible” security reasons and in others there are accusations of commercial theft.

These are mostly American complaints, but chances are that the same infection is taking hold here.

It would be timely for someone, such as retiring ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt, to head a distinguished taskforce of professors emeritus to peer into the Australian reality. robert@ robertmacklin. com

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citynews.com.au

WHIMSY

The wonderment of Wordling and Waffling A lot of people are physically active, but it’s just as important to exercise your little grey cells.

Just about everybody I know does Wordle every day and many do Waffle as well. Both are free apps and the games are free as well.

How can you tell if someone plays Wordle? Don’t worry, they’ll probably tell you.

Wordle is at nytimes.com/games/ wordle/index.html and Waffle is at wafflegame.net/daily – but it’s more convenient to have the apps on your phone or tablet.

Wordle is a web-based word game created and developed by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle.

Players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, with feedback given for each guess in the form of coloured tiles indicating yellow when letters appear in the day’s word, or green if they are in the correct position.

Wordle has a single daily solution, with all players attempting to guess the same word.

Josh Wardle created the game to play with his partner, eventually making it public in October 2021. The game gained popularity in December 2021 after Wardle added the ability for players to copy their daily results as emoji squares, which were widely shared on Twitter.

citynews.com.au

Did it in four... the addictive Wordle puzzle.

Waffle... A perfect score is solving it in 10 moves.

The game was purchased by the New York Times in January 2022 for an undisclosed seven-figure sum; and the game was moved to the New York Times website in February 2022.

In Wordle you have six lines to guess the day’s five-letter word, based on a process of elimination.

What sometimes makes it harder is that a letter may appear more than once in a word, as in SASSY or QUEUE. Most people seem to guess the right answer in four lines.

A key element is using the right starter words to begin the process of

elimination. SLATE is a good word to start with, along with CRANE, CRATE, SLANT, TRACE and CARTE. Alternatively, researchers at MIT have calculated the best starter word is SALET. The most popular starter word is ADIEU, but it’s less efficient than the words mentioned above.

Some people rely on intuition to progress from there – however, if you don’t get the right word in six tries you bomb out. Most people seem to share their results through WhatsApp Wordle groups of family

members and friends.

Wordle shouldn’t take more than five minutes to solve.

Waffle, which has an app that looks like a waffle, requires more mental agility than Wordle because you have to work out six interconnected five-letter words and you have 15 tries to do it. Like Wordle, there’s a new puzzle every day.

Waffle was created by James Robinson, a 36-year-old UK software developer. Unlike Wordle, you are given all the letters and have to move them around. A perfect score is five stars which means you solved it in 10 moves.

It’s difficult to explain, but those who try it soon get the hang of it and become addicted. Solving it should not take longer than 10 minutes.

One of the nice aspects of Waffle is the section after you have finished that explains the meaning of each word in that day’s puzzle, with an example sentence. A recent example sentence for the word LOBBY was: “I asked at hotel reception which room I was in; they told me I was in the lobby.”

For the really addicted Waffler there is the free weekly Deluxe

Waffle, which comes out on Monday and has eight seven-letter words. You have to solve it in 25 moves or fewer.

Every Deluxe Waffle can be solved in a minimum of 20 moves. If you do it in 20 you get the maximum score of five stars. It takes around 30 minutes to solve.

To get the maximum benefit, all of the games should be solved mentally without recourse to notes.

On a lighter note, a hillbilly buys a Stihl chainsaw because the dealer advertises it will cut down 70 trees a day.

Two days later the hillbilly goes back to the dealer and says: “That’s false advertising, I only managed to cut down 10.”

The dealer takes the chainsaw, pulls the starter cord and it roars into life. “What’s that noise?” says the hillbilly.

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist.

CityNews February 8-14, 2024 11

SCRIBBLINGS / letters not to the editor

Dear Hugh, are you having a lend of me or what?

HUGH SELBY has the editor twitching with this whimsical column.

Dear Editor, The start to 2024 is the ideal time to clean up the landscape, get rid of the old, and plant new life that will bloom during the year. I do not mean your excellent gardening columnist with whose sage, weekly advice I am able to manage my small garden. Nor the youngster who tells me what to binge watch on the streaming services. I am referring, diplomatically, to your antediluvian writers, some of whom show signs in their expression and reasoning of being closely aligned to fossilised wood.

AD@youngnet.heaven.au

Dear Editor,

AD has a point: it is time to cull, but please be judicious.

That wine writer, like the best of his raw material, gets better with age. The good doctor who writes of kindness reminds me of nicer times. And how could you ever say “your time has come” to the man (or his Budget co-writer) who gave us the wonderful arboretum and

Editors hard at work at the state-of-the-art CityNews editorial department in Mitchell.* metal sheep in Garema? I think of Jon, the good shepherd, whenever I walk past them to my latest gamble with gastronomic delights, acting on your food reviewer’s comments. Her commentary palate is just fine: clear taste expression with subtly flavoured garnish.

posts. But that’s a drop in the ocean compared to the Muse’s more than 7000. I wonder how she makes the time. There are some others, too – with great insights – who drop in and out, all of them giving us the good news that this place is no cultural wasteland.

Dear Editor,

Dear Editor,

livewell@ livebetter.enjoy.com

Typical, not a word about the labours, year after year of the critics who cover music, dance, art and sculpture, photography, local writers and more. One of them – no young un but clearly able to spot rising talent – has near 600

disgusted@ Iloveawhinge.net.au

How come there’s hardly a word printed in your little weekly, or online for that matter, about our past, present and rising sporting stars? Sport is colourful. It is movement. It is excitement. It is therapy. Is it too lowbrow

for the likes of you and your geriatric team? I don’t mind if you put your foot into the water with a piece about aqua aerobics; however, I’d be a lot happier if you put the word out that you are looking for this young generation’s replacements for Roy and HG to comment generally, and a true wordsmith to write about the greatest game of all.

Oldies need to be reminded of stunning performances as they rise unsteadily from a chair. Kids need to be kept enthused. Those big lights over Manuka are there for a purpose so come on, come on!

couchpotato@ aussieaussie.net.au

Dear Editor,

Ah the folly of youth. Let me be positive. The size of your weekly magazine is ideal for our guests. It can be put on the communal table, or on the wheeled trolley above the bed for those with mobility limitations. The articles are not too long and the photos and illustrations delight not just our guests but the visitors who will sit and read aloud. The authors’ gullied faces and pursed lips remind

our guests that life’s journey is a rich, but shared experience for us all.

matron@heretodaygone soonmaybe.org.au

Dear Editor,

In reply to “‘matron”: she may have overlooked not just the cartoons which bring a happy smile, but also the picture stories drawn and voice blocked by someone wholly fed up, but retaining a wit that goes for, and reaches, the jugular. Can’t say I blame the creator. This year we are required, no opting out, to vote at our local election. The choice is like being at a restaurant that has two menu items only: leftovers with garnishes of inane hope, or leftovers with past times memories. Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli has some wonderful footage of trams passing through wide expanses of misty, watery nothingness in Spirited Away. Alas, the lessons from his animations were, are, missed by those dedicated to a “cross generation” debt burden upon us and our children. All aboard the insolvency red trams!

[name and address supplied]

Dear Editor,

Please, please put a stop to this. Someone will pick on the horoscope writer soon. There’s only three or four of us oldies unaccounted for. You’re on the cusp, but not yet. One colleague can still give us political balance. His is the otherwise unheard voice of the silent – whether that be a majority or not we won’t know until they count the votes. Another entertains with whimsy from near and far: he is our most peripatetic contributor. The third – your first correspondent could never have had him in mind for the boot because he writes far too well – could grace any club, any bar, or any shearing shed in the country.

Which leaves me, at just over 100 pieces. If we are to apply the last on, first off rule then my fate is sealed. But let’s carry on for a while, just to see who behaves so badly in our legal system that a comment is required.

legalcomment@ citynewsnet.org.au

This topic of correspondence is now closed – Ed *Not really, the photo’s of the newsroom at the Seattle Daily Times in 1900.

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LETTERS / well written, well read

Let loose to: editor@citynews.com.au

Summernats: cut the tosh and count the costs Dangerous on-road behaviours are revving up again after Summernats, as cars, motorbikes and trail bikes seek to take over public spaces again with impunity and no consideration of others’ amenity and safety.

The speeding, roaring, and risk-taking on the tracks and burnout pads at EPIC have a lot to answer for as hoons loom loudly in many other places, especially as dusk approaches, and on weekends.

New tyre marks, that curve belligerently over main roads and suburban streets, attest to this.

Those who choose to carry out illegal, life-threatening, and even life-taking idiocies behind the wheel of their own or stolen vehicles create immediate and ongoing economic, health, safety and amenity costs that are borne directly and indirectly by too many others.

These large costs, and others linked to the event’s creation of significant noise and toxic emissions, should be quantified, and factored into the balance sheets of the Summernats’ private business entity and all ACT government agreements and involvements for this event, and made available for public consideration.

The costs of having to lead even more people into our already busy courts and overstretched prison system should not be ignored either.

‘Win-win’ mantras and other public relations spin are trotted out in true cargo cult

fashion for this outdated event, year after year, by the private Summernats profit taker, and by ACT Labor/Greens ministers and their compliant authorities. These positions sound hollower and more questionable when annual Summernats problem-solving simply consists of blithely dishing out another set of predictable ‘There, there…‘ excuses and adding another flimsy and ineffective Band-Aid to an event that is not appropriate for an increasingly densified urban location and generates unwanted impacts for so many.

Sue Dyer, Downer

Hypocrisy in tree advertising

Woke lefties seem to be a protected species

In the February 1 edition of “City News” there is a continuing battle between reason (Eric Hunter) and selective use of “facts” (Ian Pilsner).

This time, Mr Pilsner is on his nuclear power bandwagon, arguing that because 30 countries are using nuclear reactors for part, or most, of their electricity supply, Australia should follow like an obedient dog.

Mr Pilsner overlooks the fact that, at present, nuclear energy is outlawed in Australia. Apart from the small Lucas Heights medical-isotope reactor, there is no existing infrastructure and a very small number of people with the training, skill, and knowledge to operate, let alone build the number of large nuclear reactors (at least five) that would be necessary to replace all other sources of electricity.

He also overlooks the fact that it would require at least 20 years to draft, debate, and pass the enabling legislation, train the constructors and the reactor staff, build each

Further to Ian Pilsner’s letter (CN February 1), I couldn’t agree more on both the topics of nuclear power and the ubiquitous Eric Hunter and his prolific writing.

Eric must do nothing else all day, every day, but write letters to all the papers etcetera. But as he keeps reminding readers, he is well into his eighties, so this is probably understandable, as it keeps him occupied.

In relation to The Canberra Times, Eric and a couple of other woke lefty regulars (I don’t think I need to name them!) seem to be a protected species by the editor, because on a few occasions when I have submitted a letter critical of their views, it has not been published.

Thank goodness for CityNews providing some well-needed balance!

Bob McDonald, Weetangera

While playing solitaire on my phone, an ad came up from the ACT government. It said: “Help protect trees, so they can protect us”.

Canberra ratepayers forking out for this abysmal government to advertise hypocrisy?

Not so funny.

Bec Henson, Hughes

20 years to build and commission reactors

reactor, and commission it. With the pace of global heating demonstrably accelerating, there is simply not enough time.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Energy heavy lifting will be done by renewables Of course, Ian Pilsner (Letters, CN February 1), not everyone is across every development in the global nuclear industry. But there is ample evidence from “experts” that nuclear is a dying industry.

Don’t be fooled by members of the Coalition and others wishing to further distract from the nation’s transition to renewables. They promote nuclear as the essential ingredient in our efforts to reach net zero by 2050.

Yet with no existing nuclear power industry, Australia would be hard pressed to build a reactor within 20 to 40 years. By that time, on all financial, technical and environmental counts, the price will be prohibitive.

Nuclear plants in Britain, France and the US have experienced massive technical delays, budget blowouts and environmental threats such as flooding and temperature rise in “cooling” water.

In the first eight months of 2023, 74 per cent of all new electricity capacity worldwide was renewable. The International Energy Agency predicts the heavy lifting will be done by renewables, which are 10 times better at CO2 mitigation than nuclear.

Fiona Colin, Malvern East, Victoria

Our history ‘corrupted’ by educators Eric Hunter’s response (Letters, CN February 1) to Ian Pilsner (Letters, CN January 18) on the Australia Day issue is disappointing.

In the cherry-picking style that he derides, he raises the “murderous activities” that were carried out against Aboriginals without reference to Ian Pilsner’s main point about the overriding achievements that started with a small number of convicts, civil and military personnel under Governor Phillip.

If anyone wants a thorough yet compact coverage of Australian history and why it happened, I recommend the short monograph by Anthony Percy (currently the Catholic parish priest of Queanbeyan): “Australia: What Went Right? What Went Wrong?” (Connor Court Publishing, 2022).

He covers the kaleidoscope of Australian history in which our egalitarian democracy developed, with a look to the future.

Percy recognises the “notable exceptions to our pursuit of a free and fair country” that go well beyond our treatment of Australia’s indigenous peoples, “but to this day, few have a political, economic and cultural pulse as strong as Australia’s”.

I agree with Ian Pilsner that our history has been neglected or corrupted by educators over the lifetime of recent generations.

It must be restored in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Anthony Percy’s monograph points to the subject matter that should be covered.

John L Smith, Farrer

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CityNews February 8-14, 2024 13

LETTERS / 2

Time to prioritise the health of vulnerable people I wholeheartedly agree with retiring ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan, who recently stated that AFP officers are not trained or equipped to assist people experiencing mental health issues.

A recent media article stated that 40 per cent of police callouts are mental-health related; this is clearly demonstrative of the crisis the ACT community is facing with people experiencing mental health issues/ disorders.

While the Police, Ambulance, Clinician, Emergency Response (PACER) program has received positive feedback, it appears that its funding may not be increased to provide another team to resource the stated need for more people at the coalface.

Mental Health Minister Emma Davidson has called for an increase in funding to resource another PACER vehicle and staff.

Surely, this is a necessity, particularly given Gaughan’s statement that the presence of AFP officers often doesn’t sit well with many people experiencing mental health issues, disorders and psychotic episodes.

The ACT government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was exceptional and many deaths were avoided. However, we are also facing an epidemic of community members experiencing mental health related issues; with a number of these people being harmed or worse, dying.

In simple terms, how can a price be placed on the life of a human being?

It’s time the purse-string holders faced reality and prioritised the health and wellbeing of some of our most vulnerable and marginalised people.

Janine Haskins, Cook

Public servant passes the jargon test Clive Williams is a very astute observer of “The Canberra Bubble” and its promotion of its self importance.

Although I’m not a public servant or a former one and have no real understanding of the public service, my wife, having been one, tells me all about it in her weekly tirades.

Having enjoyed Clive’s column (“Reaching out to (ie contacting) the jargonauts”, CN January 25), I decided to test her on the jargon.

And would you believe it, she got each one correct. Such is the city which has no

middle class and not much understanding of the people outside “The Bubble”.

Hannu Mannering, via email

Gobsmacked at cost of painting roundabout I am gobsmacked to hear that the Barr government has just spent $16,000 on the rainbow roundabout in Braddon!

Down here in lowly Tuggeranong we can hardly find the roundabouts for the long grass growing along the main thoroughfares. I’m sure that money could have been better spent on mowing than painting a rainbow.

Judy Neal, Richardson

Testing the sensitivity of the editor On January 5 the main editorial in the Canberra “Harvey Norman” Times had the heading: “It is for voters not judges to stop Trump”.

This implies that Trump is above the law. I decided to test the sensitivity of the editor and his commitment to presenting a balanced viewpoint to his readership, by submitting the following letter on January: “The Canberra Times editorial of January 5, ‘It is for the voters not judges to stop Trump’, shows a remarkable lack of judgement in my view. After all, who elected Trump in the first place?

“As far as I am concerned, the bulk of Republicans are simply dumb cultists following a cult leader. The thought of Trump once again being president, and in charge of the nuclear button, fills me with dread. For the editor to put faith in voters alone shows complacency at its very worst.”

My letter was not acknowledged or published which is more a reflection on the Canberra Times editor than on me.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Message in a (plastic) bottle Although I agree with most of what was written in the article “Saving the wine world, one goon bag at a time” (CN January 25), my main concerns are the loss of flavour to the wine when packaged in recycled plastic.

Its advantages are that it’s lightweight, shatterproof and can be recycled. It may have a lower carbon footprint than glass, especially if made from recycled plastic.

But there are environmental concerns related to plastic pollution. This is shown in the number of plastic bottles floating in the waterways and oceans already. Do we need to add more?

Errol Good, Macgregor

Australia Day date will have to wait Now that we have survived another Australia Day, we need to reflect on whether it is really appropriate to celebrate the day British colonisation of Australia started.

January 26 for Australia Day was only selected in 1935 and was closely followed by a Day of Mourning on the same day in 1938.

It has been contentious for at least 86 years.

Several alternative Australia Days have been suggested. My own favourite is May 8 (Mates Day), in the spirit of everyone getting together and having a holiday.

However, this might be a bit close to the ACT’s Reconciliation Day (May 27 this year), which anyway is probably the more appropriate candidate.

I suspect though we will not be able to change the date until there is majority support for an Australian Republic, based on genuine reconciliation with our First Nations peoples and acceptance of all our more recent immigrants. Only then will Australia have finally come of age.

Richard Johnston, Kingston

Lies have always been part of politics Senator Pocock is on the record of being in favour of attempting to stop lies and misinformation in our political system.

Unfortunately, as Hannah Arendt (Truth and Reality, 1967) has pointed out, lies have always been part of politics.

Arendt also raised the concern that political lies were starting to take a wider scope.

She observed they were slowly erasing an accepted reality and facts with a different version of historical “reality” constructed to replace them. The new reality has nothing to do with factual truth and is designed to meet political needs.

This is apparent in the regular demonstrations we see filling our streets in major cities at this time. The bigger, louder and more aggressive and threatening the demonstration, the bigger the lie the protesters are promulgating.

They are political activists trying to create a new reality to suit their political ends.

It also strikes me that Prof Rimmer (“As the world heats, why aren’t we ready for it? CN January 18), by selective reporting of weather events, is seeking to install a sense of urgency in her readers… a trail of devastation and despair, honestly!

It certainly creates a colourful image, but not what we have seen in North America or England in the past few weeks. It’s a big planet and you can find data to match whatever narrative you choose.

We need to see objective balanced science from our universities, not political grandstanding.

Malcolm Sherren, Stirling

‘Rush’ to renewables is too slow There’s no doubt Australia’s transition from an electricity grid based on coal to one based on renewables costs money. The challenge is to find the most sustainable pathway.

Coincidentally, on the same day John L Smith’s letter (“Paying a huge price for rushing into renewables”, CN January 25) appeared in CityNews, the energy market operator’s chief executive Daniel Westerman commenting on lower wholesale prices said: “More low-cost renewable energy was generated and wholesale energy prices have fallen a record number of times to zero, and beyond into negative territory.”

While Mr Smith argues that we are “rushing into renewables” the general consensus is that we are going too slow.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria

Covid numbers rise as free RAT tests go Covid cases are once more on the rise in most parts of the country, particularly in NSW and Victoria, so what does our toytown government do?

It will cease distributing complimentary RAT kits at the end of the month! Although cases have allegedly marginally dropped in the ACT since peaking in November, we apparently still had 139 cases, three deaths and 23 people hospitalised between January 12 to 18.

Covid is far from over, these figures are highly misleading as they are derived from PCR testing which is only given if recommended by a health professional, making them unreliable for statistical purposes .

I was surprised and shocked to read that infectious diseases expert and ANU professor Peter Collignon is backing the decision to

stop issuing complimentary RAT kits, saying that their value was “pretty marginal”.

He and the ACT government should instead be encouraging the public to do the right thing by wearing masks, complying with social distancing and also self testing with RAT kits at the slightest sign of symptoms in an effort to stop the disease spreading.

Instead he is advocating that the changes proposed by the government are “sensible” as this brings the ACT in line with “most of the country”. Really?

I believe this to be a retrograde step, as it will discourage the public from self testing, which will in all probability assist in spreading the disease. Why should anyone, lemming like, follow what allegedly “most of the country” is doing?

Mario Stivala, Belconnen

Government should sit up and take notice I write to endorse the excellent recent columns from Mike Quirk (“Planning transport and transport strategies are deficient”, CN January 18) and Richard Johnston (“Too much power sits in planning bureaucracy, CN January 25).

Mike highlighted the absence of adequate research and analysis to justify the housing demand strategy and the location of future housing stock. Critically, he also pointed to the increase in car dependent development in the ACT, already with the lowest car occupancy of commuter travel of all capital cities.

Richard Johnson’s article about the power of the planning bureaucracy is perhaps even more concerning. The reduction in the scope for the ACT Assembly to have influence on planning policy, as contained in the new planning system, is manifestly wrong.

Johnson offers some very good suggestions as to how the current system can be improved, such as through an independent, expert planning panel.

When two very experienced professionals with a deep understanding of the planning and transport issues in the ACT find such significant shortcomings in the governance of our planning system, the government should sit up and take notice.

Colin Lyons, Weetangera

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Nepal and done some charity work there.

“We’ve also got a trek coming up in May in Nepal and all the funds from that go to people in Nepal.

“I love helping people, even if you’re saving someone $100 a month by getting them a lower interest rate, it’s still putting them in a better place at the end of the day, because they can spend that $100 on their family, or travel or something like that.”

More Than Mortgages, 4/6 Phipps Close, Deakin. Call 6188 4555 or visit morethanmortgages.com.au

Director Gail Freeman. public servants, anyone in the workforce, we can help you with your business activity statements.

“It is so easy to make a mistake, and not realise you’ve made a mistake.

“Then the mistake continues, and if the ATO finds out, it’s going to cost you a lot more than if you had got it sorted out in the first place correctly.

“If you get audited and you have made a mistake, not only do you have to pay the tax that you avoided, but you also get charged penalties and it’s hard to get those remitted.

“If you get it right the first time you’re ahead.”

Gail Freeman & Co, 9/71 Leichhardt Street, Kingston. Call 6295 2844 or visit gailfreeman.com.au

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CityNews February 8-14, 2024 15

EXPERTS OF FINANCE Natasha helps women fix their money relationship

Working together to make retirement work

Women With Cents was started in 2016 by Natasha Janssens, as a financial education platform for women.

“The focus now is less on financial literacy, and more on the psychology behind money and spending,” she says.

“I grew up in eastern Europe, in what was Yugoslavia, and came to Australia by myself at 18.

“I had to figure out everything to do with money on my own.

“I became an accountant, but I decided I wanted to do something to help people manage their money better, so I then became a financial adviser and mortgage broker.”

When Natasha was pregnant and joined in mothers groups, she says she realised how male-dominated finances were.

“My mothers’ group started a Facebook page to discuss our money and questions, and we’d meet up in person, too,” she says.

“I even wrote a book, ‘Wonder Woman’s Guide To Money’, but I realised something was still missing, so I became a behavioural money coach.

“People don’t talk about the money they earn because they fear judgement.

“Childhood trauma can often impact the money-related decisions we make as adults, because women are taught to put others first, always.

“We all know how to budget, it’s not a lack of knowledge.

“So, now I help women realise what shapes their relationship with money, so they can learn and become more confident.”

David Luke Retirement Planning specialises in advising those coming up to, or already in retirement, says director David Luke.

“I can help maximise your Centrelink entitlement, minimise tax exposure, set up income streams and offer investment advice and implementation,” he says.

“I have been a financial planner in Canberra and surrounding regions for 23 years, exclusively advising on retirement,” he says and has run his own business for the last five years.

David says financial rules are daunting when you look at them for the first time.

“I can lead you through the process of the ATO, Centrelink, and investment markets, to make them work for you and achieve the retirement you want,” he says.

“You don’t need any prior knowledge with the rules or with financial planning, just an idea of what you want to achieve.

He says he will break down the issues so you understand how it all fits together.

“I have no relationship with any product providers – I am on your side and I’m a one-person operation so you will always deal directly with me.

“I’m more than happy to visit you at home, after hours or on weekends.

“Don’t let the complexity of the system make you think it’s all too hard. Make it work for you instead.”

Women With Cents. Visit womenwithcents.com.au

David Luke Retirement Planning, Level 1, 33 Allara Street, Canberra City.

Call 0404 857242, or visit davidlukeplanning.com.au

Natasha Janssens.

Director David Luke.

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womenwithcents.com.au 16 CityNews February 8-14, 2024

citynews.com.au

advertising feature

Who will benefit from your will?

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.

Rhonda and Ken Hubert of Capon and Hubert Lawyers and Mediators.

The importance of an up-to-date will Capon and Hubert Lawyers and Mediators helps clients wishing to update their will, says director Ken Hubert.

“This will often mean completing an enduring power of attorney as well as a will,” he says.

“If people don’t have a will, it means their possessions are instead distributed by the rules of intestacy.

“This distribution means that your spouse, family member or friend will have to apply to the court to be appointed administrator before they can handle your estate.

“This can be costly and time-consuming.

“Completing an enduring power of attorney to address later-in-life challenges, as well as a will, assists loved ones to care for you in the manner you wish when the time comes.”

Ken says Capon and Hubert have been helping people with their legal matters for more than 35 years and can also help people with a range of legal issues in areas such as family law, children’s matters, conveyancing, and power of attorney.

“Our team is focused on giving honest and expert advice at all times,” says Ken. “Our staff are experienced in their fields and we take pride in knowing that they will always use common sense, respect, courtesy and good judgement.”

Capon and Hubert Lawyers and Mediators, first floor, 32-38 Townshend Street, Phillip.

Call 6152 9203 or visit chsol.com.au

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For the best outcome when it matters how it’s done call Capon & Hubert on 6152 9203

Over 30 years serving Canberra

First Floor, 32-38, Townshend Street, Phillip enquiries@chsol.com.au

chsol.com.au

RETIREMENT ON YOUR TERMS! Stepping away from a regular salary can be scary, and there are so many choices to consider. Where do you start?

Add to this unfamiliar and complicated legislation, it really can be difficult to see your opportunities.

• Make the rules work for you, to enjoy retirement on your terms.

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For an experienced, straight forward and consistent advice relationship Call David for an appointment.

David Luke Retirement Planning Level 1, 33 Allara St, Canberra city | Ph 0404 857 242 www.davidlukeplanning.com.au citynews.com.au

CityNews February 8-14, 2024 17

MOTHER & CHILD

advertising feature

Handy help from the experts for busy, busy mums Being a mum can be busy and demanding – and sometimes it’s hard to find the right advice, service or product when the need arises.

This week “CityNews” has compiled this handy guide to expert services, products, entertainment and activities for mums and mums-to-be.

Holistic child care thinks of the whole family Capital Region Community Services (CRCS) operate early childhood education and care centres in four locations in Bruce and the Belconnen town centre, says Sandra SheehyCox, executive manager education and care.

“Each centre is staffed by experienced and qualified early childhood educators who are passionate about providing quality care and education,” says Sandra.

“As a community service organisation that has been in the Belconnen region for nearly 50 years, we know the power of community, and our warm and welcoming educators embed that within our early childhood centres.

“Our services offer small, intimate settings that allow for a holistic approach to education and care for your child.”

18 CityNews February 8-14, 2024

In addition to their academic curriculum, Sandra says CRCS nurture children’s love of learning, social and emotional growth, creativity and physical well-being, to help them become confident, well-rounded individuals.

“Under the guidance of the chef and their educators, children in our ACT services often participate in the preparation of a healthy morning and afternoon tea as a part of their daily routine,” says Sandra.

“This hands-on experience not only provides them with practical life skills but also helps to instil a sense of responsibility and teamwork.

“We care about the whole family, not just the children who attend our services.

We actively involve parents in their child’s learning journey and encourage open communication and collaboration between educators and families, to create a supportive network that fosters a strong bond between home and the centre.

“We are passionate about providing more than childcare. We can offer additional family support if needed, through our Belconnen Community Centre, Belconnen Youth Centre, therapeutic services, community engagement and more.”

Capital Region Community Services, Belconnen Community Centre, 23 Swanson Court, Belconnen. Call 6264 0200 or visit crcs.com.au

Culturally safe and accessible maternity care Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Service’s midwifery program aims to remove barriers that prevent women from accessing maternity care by providing culturally safe, non-judgemental and flexible care, says CEO Julie Tongs.

“We focus on the clinical, cultural and spiritual needs of Aboriginal clients, families and the community and the midwifery program welcomed 68 babies into the community in 2020 and 2021,” says Ms Tongs.

“The midwifery team offers antenatal and postnatal care, community at home support, baby health checks, breastfeeding support, immunisations, and a range of women’s health services.

“Our midwives work closely with ACT hospitals, and assist in ensuring continuity of care between Winnunga Nimmityjah AHCS and

hospital services”.

Ms Tongs says Winnunga also has a comprehensive child immunisation program they encourage patients to access.

“This also allows us to follow up on our patients’ progress with postpartum recovery, and to assist them with any needs in relation to caring for their infants,” says Ms Tongs.

“It is vitally important for high-risk clients to have access to Aboriginal specific, culturally appropriate midwifery services, as many choose not to access mainstream services without support.”

Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services, 63 Boolimba Crescent, Narrabundah. Call 6284 6222 or visit winnunga.org.au

citynews.com.au

WINNUNGA NIMMITYJAH ABORIGINAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (Winnunga) is a multiaccredited Aboriginal community controlled and managed primary health care service located in Narrabundah ACT. We provide integrated client centric wrap around services, which focuses on the clinical, cultural and spiritual needs of Aboriginal clients, families and the community, including programs for Mums and Bubs.

The Midwifery Program aims to remove barriers that prevent women from accessing maternity care in mainstream services.

The Program maintains strong working relationships with each hospital which allows for seamless transitions of care.

Following the birth of baby, the Program provides up to six weeks of postnatal care in the client’s home assisting mothers with feeding, weight monitoring, emotional wellbeing assessments and mother-crafting/health education.

The Midwifery Program has developed strong links with the Winnunga Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program. Both programs work together to provide holistic care for first time Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander mothers, or mothers having an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander baby, in the Canberra region.

The programs complement each other and ensure mothers feel prepared and supported through their pregnancy and early parenting stages, up until the child is two years of age.

The ANFPP provides information and education to mothers using a strengths-based approach, which builds individual capacity to identify solutions to problems.

Mothers feel empowered as they learn how to work with their strengths, realise the power of their own actions and gain a greater sense of control over their lives.

ALL OUR SERVICES ARE FREE OF CHARGE • WE MAY BE ABLE TO ASSIST WITH TRANSPORT Winnunga AHCS is a national leader in accreditation, was one of the first Aboriginal community controlled health services to achieve dual accreditation under RACGP and QIC standards. Winnunga AHCS has been at the forefront of setting a national agenda for quality improvement in Aboriginal community controlled health and continues to advocate locally and nationally for best practice standards in operational and governance areas of Aboriginal health services.

CLINIC hours | MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9am-5pm

Ph: 6284 6222 | 63 Boolimba Cres, Narrabundah www.winnunga.org.au

MOTHER & CHILD

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Kidstart Southside Education and Activity Centre understands that the first five years of a child’s life are crucial for development, says owner Kristen O’Connor.

“Kidstart offers classes for children from five months to five years of age to develop them socially, physically, emotionally and intellectually,” she says.

Operating since 1996 and located in Wanniassa, Kristen says Kidstart offers three distinct and ageappropriate programs to ignite a love of learning.

The first program is for children under the age of three, to attend with an adult, and introduces them to music, stories and stimulating equipment.

The second program is a “Pre-Preschool” program for three and four-year-olds to attend by themselves before starting preschool.

“It has been amazing to see 22 years’ worth kids and their families growing, loving, enjoying and benefiting

from the program,” says Kristen.

The third program is Preschool PLUS. It’s designed for children to be involved alongside Preschool. The program is centred on phonics based literacy.

“We use interactive computer sessions to expose the children to the letter sounds, letter identification and letter formation,” says Kristen.

“We are passionate about developing a love of learning in each and every child.

“By allowing them to thrive in an educational setting and experience the joy in exploring and achieving, we hope learning will be a lifelong passion for all our Kidstart kids.”

Kidstart Southside Education and Activity Centre, 65 Sternberg Crescent, Wanniassa. For enrolment enquiries visit kidstart.com.au

CANBERRA FAMILY PLANNING Dr Shiamala Suntharalingam’s areas of interest are: • Womens Health – from Menarche to Menopause and beyond • Fertility Investigations and referrals • Antenatal and PostNatal Care • Child Health Checks/Immunisations and acute and chronic presentations • Mental Health and Eating Disorders Management • Men’s Health • Chronic disease management • Immunisations – child and adult • Sexual Health • Contraception – Implant and hormone/copper IUD insertions and removals • Unplanned Pregnancy Management

Dr Shiamala Suntharalingam General Practitioner BSc(Hons), MB BS, DRCOG, DFFP, LoCIUT, LoCSDI, MRCGP(UK), FRACGP, DCH, CertFPAA, FPS ST(Aus)

canberrafamilyplanning.com.au 20 CityNews February 8-14, 2024

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Referrals for Surgical Termination of Pregnancy Travel Medicine Preventative Care 30+ year Heart Health Checks 45-49 year Health Checks 75+ year Health Checks Diabetes Screening Osteoporosis Screening Overweight and Obesity Management Iron Infusions Workers Compensation Claims Biopsy and Excision of Skin Lesions/Cryotherapy – not head and neck

Phone: 02 6296 2266 Corner of Comrie Street & McBryde Crescent, Wanniassa ACT 2903 or book via easyvisit.com.au Erindale Healthcare is part of IPN Medical Centres

citynews.com.au

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

INSIDE

More intrigue from the queens of crime writing

ANNA CREER

Weird affairs cool the ardour of hot-to-trot Barney COVER STORY

By Helen Musa

Canberra Repertory is kicking off its 2024 season with what it’s betting will be a surefire hit – Neil Simon’s comedy, Last of the Red Hot Lovers.

Considered by director of the show Anne Somes to be “one of the funniest scripts written about the late 1960s journey through the sexual revolution”, the play is bound to hit the spot with Rep patrons of a certain age.

Briefly, suburban fish restaurant owner Barney, played by Canberra comedian David Cannell, has been married for 23 years to his childhood sweetheart and it seems to him that life is passing him by, so he embarks on a series of afternoon extramarital affairs.

But, Somes tells me, he makes some rather weird choices.

The first of those is that all of his extramarital forays take place in the apartment of his mum, who works for the Mount Sinai Hospital so is not home in the afternoons between 2pm and 5pm. Barney’s liaisons have to tick a certain timeframe and no, Somes says, “he never goes overtime, that couldn’t happen”.

Making it all the more uncomfortable, his

Red-hot lover Barney, played by Canberra comedian David Cannell, with from left, Victoria Tyrrell Dixon as Elaine, Janie Lawson as Jeanette and Stephanie Bailey as Bobbi.

Photo: Olivia Wenholz mother’s apartment is decorated in the most fastidious 1930s taste, so, taking no chances, Barney brings the drinks and the glasses, hoping to leave no trace of the afternoon’s activities.

Because of that, much of the humour will be visual and set designer Cate Clelland is relishing the furnishing challenges along

with those of creating what Somes calls “a very highly utilised set”, while leaving plenty of playing space.

Barney is on stage for the whole time, making the central role a huge undertaking for Cannell as the sole male in what otherwise looks very much like three discrete two-handers, with a different

woman in each.

A more modern take was seen in a Chinese adaptation during 2005 and 2006, when actress Tao Hong played all three women to her husband, Xu Zheng, in what proved to be a smash hit.

Rep will not go that way, with Victoria Tyrrell Dixon playing Elaine, Stephanie Bailey,

Bibbi, and Janie Lawson, Jeanette.

Each role is a gift.

First there’s the wise-cracking Elaine, a hard-to-manage seductress who smokes and drinks – not good in mum’s apartment. She used to go into Barney’s restaurant because she loves fish.

Next is Bobbi, a new-age, pot-smoking, aspiring actress.

Finally there’s Jeanette, Barney’s wife’s best friend and a neurotic moralist on the brink of despair.

Small wonder then that, as Somes lets slip, none of the affairs is ever consummated.

“But everything is set up for a typical Neil Simon comedy in the most engaging way… and there’s plenty of physical humour, too,” she says.

She’s pretty sure it will hit the spot: “I think this is a great show for a Rep audience, but also one which will appeal to a wider demographic, people who may not be knowledgeable about Neil Simon.

“It’s about someone trying to open up his life within the context of women coming out and asserting themselves.”

As with all good comedy, there’s a ludicrous premise, as Barney’s rosy view of what he imagines an extra-marital affair should be like comes up against reality.

Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Canberra Repertory Theatre, Acton, February 22 (preview) to March 9.

Proudly sponsored by

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CityNews February 8-14, 2024 21

STREAMING

THEATRE / Queers

By Nick

to a queer life

Sky high drama takes to the air Theatrical ode OVERALL In the opening minutes of the new war drama series Masters of the Air, viewers meet a plucky young group of bomber pilots in a quiet bar teasing one another about seeing combat over cocktails.

Minutes later they’re plummeting through the clouds 20,000 feet above war-torn Germany, the wings of their planes aflame and desperate screams Masters of the Air… the story of the 100th Bomb Group, a unit tasked with aerial bombardment of to “pull up” ringing through one Germany in 1943. another’s headsets.

It’s a brutally stark transition and detail over nine episodes. a companion show to 2001’s Band of The Vow, to the many series a fitting one for this new blockbuster There’s a staggering amount of cin- Brothers and 2010’s The Pacific (able which have promised to pull streaming on Apple TV Plus set in the ematic spectacle for a production put to be streamed on Binge). back the curtain on the Church skies of World War II. to the small screen. That’s courtesy of Both of those miniseries were also of Scientology.

Masters of the Air follows the story executive producers Steven Spielberg produced by Hanks and Spielberg What is it about suspicious of the 100th Bomb Group, a unit and Tom Hanks, who many will know and explored battles on land and at sects that audiences find so tasked with aerial bombardment as the duo who teamed up for the sea during World War II. Masters of alluring? of Germany in 1943 or as one of the modern war classic Saving Private the Air Well Stan is tapping into pilots themselves eloquently puts it in Ryan. now rounds off this impressive these dark curiosities with its the show, “bombing those Nazi f***s”.

There’s no shortage of talent in trilogy by sending blockbuster TV to new show Prosper, a drama The unit would eventually earn the front of the camera either, with Elvis soaring new heights. series that follows the leader nickname “The Bloody Hundredth” star Austin Butler up front and centre of a megachurch called U Star due to the heavy casualties across alongside Barry Keoghan, Callum CULTS have become quite the who wants to expand the reach their combat missions. Those Turner and even a star turn from fascination for the modern TV watcher. of his evangelical empire from missions are put to screen here in Sawyer Spielberg – the son of Steven.

From Netflix’s lauded doco Wild Australia to the US. awe-inspiring and heart-pounding Masters of the Air’ also features as Wild Country to Binge’s drama show You need a mighty performer indeed to make a premise like that work. Luckily, Prosper has it in the form of Rake star Richard Roxburgh who turns on a sinister charm as Cal Quinn indeed.

“Hallelujah!” he proclaims on stage in the show’s opening scene, not in response to some divine intervention, but rather after seeing his own figure enlarged 10 times over on a gigantic LED screen behind him.

The show is fascinated with the way technology is used to draw people into modern evangelical gospel. U Star is no church made up of wooden pews or stained glass windows, but rather laser lights and blaring speakers.

This corporatisation of faith becomes more unhinged as the eight episodes unfold with Quinn and his pentecostal entourage falling deeper into sin as they look to expand U Star across the globe.

And while Prosper is “entirely fictional”, one needn’t look far in the real world to see just where the inspiration for this disquieting series comes from.

Roxburgh is backed up with a talented cast which includes Rebecca Gibney, Ewen Leslie, Hayley McCarthy, Ming-Zhu Hii and Jacob Collins-Levy, most of whom play Quinn’s family who each have their own ideas on the future of the church and their place in its hierarchy.

The result is a compelling Aussie series that many have called “Hillsong meets Succession”. Sign me up!

Actually… I take that back.

22 CityNews February 8-14, 2024

By Helen

MUSA Serendipitously coinciding with the Mardi Gras season in Sydney, ACT Hub has its counterpart in a new production of the show, Queers.

Staged in 2019 by Everyman Theatre at The Courtyard Studio, it’s a theatrical ode in seven monologues to queer life in Britain from the bad old days through to the marriage equality movement, which the final scene celebrates.

Steph Roberts and Jarrad West were co-directors back then and they’re doing their sister-brother act again.

Noting a predilection for team directing in Canberra of late, I asked Roberts how it actually worked.

For her and West, she says: “Co-directing works in lots of different ways… both of us are often in the room watching the rehearsals together and sharing our ideas with actors.”

That’s effective, she believes, if you’re directing with someone you know really well so that you’re aligned with each other’s vision, as with the two of them.

But also, there’s a practical advantage. West is down at the coast on summer holidays when I’m talking to Roberts for instance, so she can take over from him.

Just as in 2019, she says, the production will be staged with cabaret-style seating similar to ACT Hub’s spoof version of The Importance of Being Earnest in late 2022, although the actors may speak directly to audience members as they wander around the space, transformed into queer pick-up pub, The Prince’s Arms.

The core of Queers is found in the monologues, which tell the story of queer life from 1917 to 2017, the anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men over the age of 21.

As part of the BBC’s cycle “Gay Britannia”, Mark Gattis was approached to curate a series of monologues

about queer life and queer rights. He wrote the first one and commissioned the others.

Apart from Alex Hoskinson, memorable for his role in 2019 as a young soldier returning from the trenches of World War I, the other actors are new. One of the original eight monologues is omitted because of the problem in casting an AfricanAmerican character.

Queers will see the return to the Canberra stage of veteran actor Geoffrey Borny to play the plum role of gay Duke Street tailor Jackie Edwards. “He is sublime,” Robert says.

When I phone him, Borny declares himself tickled pink to be back on the boards, not having acted since Everyman Theatre’s Twelve Angry Men in 2018.

The oldest in the line-up, he says: “At 81, it was a big thing to do a 20-minute monologue, but I’m quite confident now.

“I’m in the middle of the show. I’m the guy reacting to the decriminalisation of homosexuality and my reaction is that I don’t like it. I liked the secrecy; the hunt and I don’t think I’d approve of men marrying men and women marrying women – I liked not living a bourgeois life.”

Music plays an important part in the show, so that in the 1920s section, Louiza Blomfeld, accompanied by pianist Callum Tolhurst-Close, sings popular music from that period, which Roberts says “sort of acts as a bit of an interval,” although there’s no traditional interval but rather a series of shorter breaks.

As well, in 2019 local composer Alex Unikowski, wrote an original theme song for the play, sections and motifs from which they will be using.

Funnily enough, considering the show’s origins, Roberts says: “It does seem seamless, a series of conversations so carefully curated that there are subtle links… each section has its own style as the piece moves forward in time.”

It all ends in “Something Borrowed”, a wedding-day celebration of how far things have come.

“But, it’s also bittersweet, because the characters have endured some terrible experiences and things got lost along the way – there’s still a need for change,” says Roberts.

Queers, ACT Hub, Kingston, February 14-24.

Queers cast, top row, from left, Joe Dinn, Karen Vickery, Alex Hoskison, Callum Tolhurst-Close and Louiza Blomfield. Bottom, from left, Joel Horwood and Geoffrey Borny.

Photo: Eva Schroeder citynews.com.au

BOOKS / reviews

More intrigue from the queens of crime writing Multi-award-winning crime writer Ann Cleeves needs little introduction because of her famous detectives, Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez in Vera and Shetland, the TV adaptations of her novels.

Cleeves was recognised as the modern Queen of Crime in 2017, when she was awarded the highest accolade in British crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger.

Presenting the award, Martin Edwards, chair of the CWA said: “ It’s a lifetime achievement award and above all it recognises excellence in writing. But it also recognises a significant contribution to the crime-writing world. And nobody can deny that Anne Cleeves’ contribution has been magnificent”.

In 2019, Cleeves introduced a new detective, in another distinctive setting, in The Long Call. The Raging Storm is the third in the series.

Detective Inspector Matthew Venn lives in North Devon, where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet, with his husband, Jonathan.

He leads a small team of detectives who operate out of Barnstaple, the main town in the area.

Venn is “a man of principle, still haunted by a strict evangelical childhood”. He has been expelled from the Barum Brethren

reveals her talents as a storyteller and a perceptive observer of human nature. Unfortunately, Cleeves’ “controlled” detective Venn isn’t as appealing as either Vera or Jimmy Perez.

Ann Cleaves… Detective Inspector Scottish crime writer Val McDermid…

Matthew Venn returns. the creator of Tartan Noir.

Photo: David Hirst Photo: KT Bruce after he denounced his faith and “joined the police force because it provided the sense of duty and community that he missed”.

He’s a man who likes to be “in control of an investigation, in control of himself”.

The Raging Storm opens with Jem Rosco, “adventurer, sailor and legend”, arriving in the pub in the small north Devon village of Greystone, at the height of a September gale.

He has rented one of the cottages up the hill behind the pub, telling the locals he’s here to meet someone special.

Rosco is a TV celebrity who has shared his travels up the Amazon and sailing

single-handed around the world. When he disappears, the villagers believe he has set off on his travels again, until the lifeboat is called out in a gale and discovers his naked body in a dinghy off Scully Cove.

When Venn arrives with his team to investigate, he remembers visiting the Barum Brethren community in Greystone as a child and being happy “showing off his bible knowledge and faith”. But the present day Brethren close ranks and hinder Venn’s investigation, protecting each other and hiding the truth about jealousies in the past.

In The Raging Storm, Cleeves once again

AWARD-winning Scottish crime writer Val McDermid, the creator of Tartan Noir, can certainly challenge Cleeves for the title of Queen of Crime.

McDermid has also been awarded the Diamond Dagger by the CWA in recognition of her lifetime achievement as a crime writer, as well as receiving the Theakston’s Old Peculiar award for an Outstanding Contribution to Crime Writing.

McDermid’s novels have also been adapted for TV and radio, most notably the Wire in the Blood series featuring DCI Carol Jordan and clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and, more recently, Karen Pirie, based on her novels featuring Detective Inspector Karen Pirie, of the Scottish Historic Crimes Unit.

Past Lying is the seventh novel in the Karen Pirie series, set firmly in the time of covid.

April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown.

The streets are quiet, “it was like the zombie apocalypse without the zombies”.

Detective Chief inspector Karen Pirie, is living in a “bubble” with her sergeant, Daisy Mortimer. Pirie misses her work because in lockdown there are no active cold cases to occupy them. “Right now she was languishing for the lack of something meaningful to investigate and it didn’t suit her”.

Therefore, when the unit is contacted

by Meera Reddy, a librarian at the National Library of Scotland, about an unpublished manuscript, The Vanishing of Laurel Oliver in the papers of the recently deceased crime writer, Jake Stein, Karen and her team know they have a case to investigate.

Lara Hardie, an Edinburgh University student, had vanished a year ago. Meera thinks Stein’s manuscript is “a blueprint or a kind of explanation for what happened to Lara Hardie”. In fact Jake Stein appears to be confessing he murdered Lara in an act of revenge against his friend and fellow crime writer Ross McEwen.

In Past Lying, McDermid not only constructs a complex and intriguing story but also highlights ironically how transitory fame as a crime writer can be.

ARTS IN THE CITY

A burst of Asian celebration The Charlie Wan production, Monkey King Cabaret: Beneath the Dragon Moon, which is billed as “a celebration of culture, the Lunar New Year and Asian-identifying artists”, promises a night of drag, burlesque, classical Chinese dance, Lion Dance, song, “boylesque”, dance, poetry, storytelling and visual art. The Courtyard Studio, February 16-17.

Queanbeyan Players’ next boutique show is the gently sympathetic Pulitzer Prizewinning musical, Next to Normal, in which a family’s lives are anything but normal because mum has been battling bipolar disorder for 16 years.

Belconnen Community Theatre, February 15-24.

John Schumann and The Vagabond Crew return with their Back Tracks concert, which includes the classics but also looks at Schumann’s 40-year back catalogue, proving, he quips, that I Was Only 19 is far from the only song he’s ever written.

The Street Theatre, February 16.

citynews.com.au

Monkey King Cabaret: Beneath the Dragon Moon… The Courtyard Studio, February 16-17.

Anarchic comedian Garry Starr will attempt to perform all of Greek mythology on stage at The Q, February 16. “Never before has Medusa been looser,” he says. Audiences can expect full-frontal nudity.

Recommended for ages 18+ Armed with a grant from Blumers Lawyers, the CAT (Combined Area Theatre Awards) covering performances in 2023 will be presented in an afternoon event at The Q, Queanbeyan, on February 18.

Book at theq.net.au

Good to see local region poet Judith Nangala Crispin in the top five for the 2024 Peter Porter Poetry Prize, with her work, Poem of the Dead Women for Marvin Bell. The $6000 first prize was eventually won

by Sydney poet, Dan Hogan, chosen out of 1066 poems received from 21 countries.

Salut! Baroque turns the spotlight on composer CPE Bach, who once described his father Johann Sebastian’s house as “like a pigeonry, and just as full of life”. An impressive line-up of 10 performers will perform no fewer than 11 works

by Bach, Telemann, Monteverdi, Handel and others.

Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery, February 16.

CityNews February 8-14, 2024 23

LUNAR NEW YEAR HOROSCOPE / Year of the Dragon

The year to seize grandiose schemes OX 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021

By Neil Somerville

The Year of the Dragon has considerable energy with much started, happening as well as being discovered. It is a time for grandiose schemes and advance with the year’s pizzazz and positive spirit touching and influencing much.

For the individual this year too can be one of rich possibilities. However, chances do need to be seized and plans moved forward. It is a doing year with initiative recognised and often well-rewarded.

To discover your prospects, look up the animal ruling your year of birth. As each Chinese year begins late in January or early February, if you were born around this time, check the actual year dates to find out which sign you were born under.

RAT 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 With charm, style and a friendly manner, Rats get on well with most. They are great at spotting opportunities and have good skills and judgment.

Rats like company and particularly value family and social life. A year of considerable scope. Also, encouragingly, when Rats decide on a course of action, a certain element of luck can come into play with this a generally fortunate time. In much they will be supported well and, if needing advice or additional assistance, by asking and reaching out, useful help can be given.

Over the year important friends can be made and, for the unattached, romantic prospects excellent.

This is also a good year for furthering self and whether starting new hobbies or obtaining further qualifications, the good done can open up fresh possibilities. Similarly in work change is on the way.

For those well-established, promotion opportunities could beckon or new opportunities tempt some to further themselves in other ways.

Those seeking work will also find positions given will be a platform to build on and develop. Progress made will help financially enabling Rats to pursue plans as well as sometimes enjoy travel.

Home life will see plans advanced but, with much happening, Rats need to liaise well and avoid making assumptions. Again, good communication and openness is key.

Overall, an excellent year encouraging Rats to progress, prove themselves in new ways and reap some welldeserved rewards.

Tip for the year: Rats would do well to remember the saying, ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ This is a year to venture. With good support and seizing the initiative, much can happen and be accomplished 24 CityNews February 8-14, 2024

Determined, reliable and hard-working, Oxen put much energy into what they do. They are thorough and wellorganised and do not like to leave things to chance. Loyal to loved ones, Oxen are admired for their dependable, no-nonsense ways.

An interesting year although Oxen will need to keep their wits about them. Changing situations or new demands could make some of the year demanding but, by rising to challenges, Oxen can make important headway. In work many will face new pressures or take on different responsibilities and, in the process, be given a chance to develop and broaden skills. With tenacity and fortitude – both hallmarks of Oxen – much can be achieved. In money matters care again is needed, especially with paperwork and new transactions.

With much happening Oxen should also draw on the assistance of others as well as immerse themselves in what is going on. By sharing activities and thoughts with others, more can be achieved as well as enjoyed.

New contacts and friendships could also develop well.

Oxen should also give consideration to self and keep lifestyle in balance, with personal interests beneficial. In home life, family successes and plans can bring much joy although some flexibility will be needed over arrangements and any changes.

Over the year Oxen will be involved in much but with care, support and determined spirit, a lot can be accomplished with new skills and possibilities to build upon.

Tip for the year: The Chinese proverb reminds us, ‘Slow and steady wins the race.’ With application and rising to the challenges, Oxen can demonstrate strengths and make personal and professional gains. A year of effort and often substantial reward.

TIGER 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 Active, enthusiastic and interested in much, Tigers set about their activities with considerable energy. Full of ideas, they are creative and inventive. They are also prepared to take chances to get what they want. Tigers enjoy socialising and have widespread interests.

A year of interesting possibility but throughout Tigers need to be on their metal.

A lot can happen but Tigers need to channel energies wisely and adjust when required. To rush, take risk or cut corners could rebound and undermine efforts. With this warning apart, many are set to do well. In work, arising situations will give a chance for Tigers to demonstrate strengths and do reputation and prospects considerable good. Many will have a chance to make good headway while those seeking change or a position could find openings allowing them to develop in new ways.

In money matters Tigers need to remain vigilant. This is no year for risk and Tigers should look after possessions well. A loss could be upsetting. Tigers will welcome the many social opportunities of the year and way activities bring them into contact with others. Romantic prospects promising. However, when in company, Tigers need to be attentive and listen well to those around. A close friend could give some pertinent advice. Similarly, in home life, there needs to be good communication and planning out activities. If not, home life could become something of a whirl with time and chances not always used effectively.

Overall, a year of much potential but Tigers need to use and further skills and focus on priorities.

Tip for the year: There are good chances to be had but remain vigilant and avoid risk. Also liaise well with those

around and, with much happening and to do, keep lifestyle in balance.

RABBIT

1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 With a kindly, understanding nature, Rabbits attach much importance to their home and social life. They enjoy company and conversation and with their refined tastes they are all for an agreeable lifestyle.

A good judge of situations, Rabbits are careful in their actions and wary of risk. A busy year with Rabbits not always comfortable with the pace of developments. To help, they will need to keep alert and adjust accordingly.

In work developing situations and new responsibilities could bring additional pressure but, by concentrating on what needs to be done and rising to challenges, Rabbits can do themselves and prospects much good with many furthering their position.

For those seeking work much effort will be required but once given an opportunity, these Rabbits can prove themselves and add to capabilities. Dragon years can leave an important legacy.

In money matters Rabbits need to remain disciplined and be wary of risk. A year to be cautious and aware.

Rabbits should also give attention to self and with interests – particularly those with an element of expression – and ‘me time’ beneficial.

Social life can flourish with new friends indicated and romantic prospects good. Home life can also bring pleasure with many enhancing their home and carrying through joint projects. Shared interests with loved ones should be encouraged with family and social life often bringing many special moments. Rabbits too will appreciate the support given.

Overall, much will be asked of Rabbits in 2024 but with resolve a lot can come from efforts and actions taken.

Tip for the year: Watch developments and make the most of chances, particularly to add capabilities. Also, keep lifestyle in balance, preserving time for interests and to share and appreciate with others.

DRAGON 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 Born under the sign of luck, Dragons have great determination. They are resourceful, active and use their personality and strengths well. Dragons also have style, are sociable and enjoy many interests but value their independence.

An exciting year ahead and one to seize the initiative.

For those discontent with their present situation or nurturing particular hopes, by taking action much can now come about.

Also, as many will find, once plans are started developments will often conspire in their favour. In addition, Dragons will be supported well and, by being forthcoming and building friends and contacts, be helped in surprising ways.

This is an excellent year for romance and extending social circles. Home life too will see considerable activity including celebratory events and advancement of plans. Travel could also appeal with Dragons enjoying new places visited. Personal interests can benefit with Dragons putting ideas and talents to effective use.

Work prospects are especially encouraging with the chance for many to take on a greater role or, for those seeking or looking for fresh challenges, securing a position they can subsequently build on. Again, when determined action is taken, a lot can be achieved with important new doors opening.

With a busy lifestyle, spending needs to be watched and ideally plans, including travel, budgeted for in advance.

Overall, a special and rewarding year and one to make things happen.

Tip for the year: There is no time like the present and, for Dragons, their own year holds great potential. This is a year to act determinedly and make the most of chances.

Relations with others can also help make this year special with romance favoured.

SNAKE 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 Snakes are quietly ambitious.

They know what they want and are prepared to work hard and wait patiently for the right moment. Snakes can be quiet and reserved but enjoy wide interests and are loyal to those close to them.

A busy year and, while Snakes may sometimes despair about certain developments, much can be accomplished.

In work many will be able to draw on their experience and make solid headway.

This is a year to build on skills. Similarly, for those seeking a position, what many secure can prove a useful platform and pave the way for future progress.

Snakes should also take advantage of any training offered or, if an additional skill or interest appeals, pursue. The good undertaken can often be to their future advantage.

Snakes will need to be thorough in money matters and safeguard possessions. This is no year to be lax or careless. With a busy lifestyle, Snakes may be more selective in their socializing but will value chances to meet with friends and share interests.

However, while a lot will go well, there could be niggles, rumours or gossip that concern which Snakes need to keep in perspective. In home life, Snakes will be in demand and whether assisting loved ones, advancing plans or enjoying mutual interests, Snakes will be an integral part in much. However, Snakes need to be forthcoming, talking through ideas and any concerns.

This is no year to be reticent. Overall, a full and interesting year.

Tip for the year: Make the most of arising chances. With effort, much can be achieved. Also be mindful of others and liaise well. With support and being a part, the year will be that much more rewarding.

HORSE 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 Strong-willed and hard-working, Horses have considerable style. They enjoy activity and have an adventurous, outgoing nature. They like company and conversation and present themselves well.

Being independent-minded, Horses set about much in their own distinctive way.

A fast-paced year with good chances arising. However, in order to make the most of developments, Horses will need to show some flexibility. Sometimes situations will develop in unexpected ways or opportunities given which Horses were not anticipating.

By embracing the time, much will become possible. In work new situations will allow many to advance and take on new responsibilities while, for those seeking a position or change, this is a year to remain active and alert.

Interesting openings can be found giving many the chance to establish themselves in a new capacity.

Finances can improve although spending needs to be managed and risk avoided.

Horses should also give thought to well-being and lifestyle balance with new interests appealing. citynews.com.au

and advance with pizzazz and rich possibilities Horses will also enjoy the social opportunities of the year with their circle of friends growing ever wider. Some valuable contacts can be made with affairs of the heart favourably aspected. Home life promises to be busy although, with much happening, there needs to be good cooperation and communication. Flexibility over plans and arrangements is advised.

In many households there too could be personal and family successes to celebrate with travel also appealing.

Overall, a full and active year with Horses doing and enjoying much.

Tip for the year: A lot is possible. Keep faith with self, using chances and opportunities well. Also, value relations with others and build connections. Support given can make an appreciable difference.

those around and should make the most of networking opportunities. Although often busy Monkeys too should preserve time for self and enjoying interests. While finances can improve, spending could creep up and Monkeys should plan key purchases and manage outgoings. Monkeys will also appreciate the social possibilities of the year with a chance to extend their social circle.

Again, those met could be helpful and, for the unattached, a chance meeting could become significant.

Home life will be busy and with their organisational talents appreciated.

Regular discussion and planning out activities will lead to much happening and being appreciated.

Monkeys can accomplish great things this year and, by making the most of chances, this can be a successful and satisfying time.

GOAT

Tip for the year: This is no time to stand still. Look to further self and position with fortune favouring the bold and enterprising.

1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 Goats have a good understanding of human nature.

Observant, caring and sociable, Goats like company and having support for the things they do. They also attach much importance to home life.

Born under the sign of art, Goats are creative and enjoy the finer things in life.

A busy and sometimes challenging year. Although Goats may not always feel comfortable with certain situations, they can still do and gain much.

In work, changes can occur with Goats having to adapt to new procedures, routines and different duties. In the process Goats will have the chance to widen skills and advance.

Similarly, for those seeking a position, what many take on will bring new demands but offer potential for later development. These can be instructive times and, for those keen to add to qualifications or take up new interests, this is an excellent year to do so.

Goats could also face additional expenses this year and spending needs to be watched. Goats too will welcome the many social opportunities and, for the unattached, romance can add considerable sparkle to the year.

Home life will be busy with much to consider and arrange.

Here good discussion and planning ahead will help.

Also, at times of decision, Goats and others should be forthcoming with this a year for collective effort and pooling together.

Overall, a demanding year and while there will be pressures and some hectic times, Goats can further position and skills and enjoy the many positives (including social) of the year.

ROOSTER 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017

Tip for the year: Keep alert and rise to the challenges and situations presented. With a determined ‘can do’ attitude, Goat can and will do much as well as prepare themselves for later advance.

Roosters have considerable style and dignity. They enjoy company and conversation and are interested and informed about much. Roosters also like to be wellorganised and to think and plan ahead.

A rewarding year although, to fully benefit, Roosters need to focus on objectives. By using energies wisely, much good can come.

Also, during the year, Roosters will be assisted well by those around and by seeking opinion and drawing on support, help given can make a notable difference.

In home life there can be special moments and, by joining and sharing with loved ones, great times can be had and useful plans advanced.

Similarly, social life is well-aspected with a chance to extend social circle and affairs of the heart also bringing happiness.

However, with a busy lifestyle, Roosters would do well to give time to self and interests.

Work prospects are encouraging and for those on a particular career path or have certain aspirations, this is a year encouraging advancement. By keeping alert, making enquiries and putting themselves forward, they can set important wheels in motion.

Many will have a chance to take on a greater role while for those who feel they may have been languishing or seeking a position, new doors can open. Finances can improve and by saving towards specific purposes and plans Roosters can again do much. Travel could also be tempting. Dragon years are rewarding of effort, and, with drive and purpose, much can be achieved.

MONKEY

Tip for the year: Go after objectives. With determination and using chances well, this can be a successful time. However, do keep lifestyle in balance and value relations with those around.

1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 Resourceful and good at spotting opportunities, Monkeys like to keep active and are interested in much.

They have good memories and with their sense of fun, enjoy company, conversation and an often busy home and social life.

A year of exciting potential and one to set plans in motion. Particularly for any desiring change or feeling unfulfilled, great possibilities await. In work changing situations can lead to new opportunities with many finding themselves in the right place at the right time to benefit. For some well-deserved promotion can beckon while others could succeed in bettering themselves with a move elsewhere. For those wanting to do something different or seeking work, the determined efforts of many will be rewarded with a new position to build on.

Throughout the year Monkeys will be assisted well by citynews.com.au

DOG 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 Loyal and caring, Dogs are very protective of loved ones. They are also direct and straightforward in manner and prepared to stand up for their beliefs.

Dogs have a tendency to worry but are dependable and much respected.

While this may not be the easiest of years for Dogs, it is not without opportunity. By rising to challenges, Dogs will often have a chance to prove themselves in new capacities and add to strengths. Particularly in work, changes or new pressures can arise and, while disconcerting, by concentrating on objectives and

taking advantage of openings Dogs can do themselves and prospects considerable good.

For those seeking work, any new position may come with a steep learning curve but many times prove a platform for later growth.

Throughout the year Dogs will also need to remain disciplined in financial matters and watch spending levels. Travel could, though, tempt and time pursuing interests too can benefit. Dogs will also be grateful for the support of friends and should be open about any pressures or worries.

This is no year to be reclusive or miss out on things happening. New friends and romance too will be valued.

In home life Dogs should be forthcoming and plan out activities. With openness and sharing much, home life can be pleasurable and rewarding.

Although a demanding year, Dogs can learn and gain much from what happens as well as develop strengths they can take further.

Tip for the Year: Do not feel alone. Draw on the support of others and be open. Also give time to self as well as preserving quality time for those special. Relations with others can be of great value in this busy, fast-moving year.

PIG 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 Outgoing, kindly and trusting, Pigs enjoy good relations with others, with their home and social life especially important. They also like their pleasures and the finer

things in life. Pigs are hardworking and use their skills and opportunities well.

A reasonable year ahead with a chance to make steady progress. It is, though, a year to be flexible, adjusting to situations and chances rather than remain wedded to set plans.

In work pressures and some duties may prove irksome but with focus and using skills well, Pigs can do themselves and prospects great good.

When possible, Pigs should also take advantage of training opportunities. Effort made now can be an investment in themselves and help open up future possibilities. Those who take on a new position could find responsibilities daunting but have a chance to prove themselves and grow.

Finances can see improvement although, to benefit, spending needs to be managed and impulse purchases watched. With a busy lifestyle Pigs should also make sure personal interests do not get sidelined as well as give thought to well-being.

Attention to self will be of value. Social life could see an increase in activity with new friends and work contacts potentially important and romantic prospects excellent.

Home life too can reward with achievements to celebrate and many enhancing their home.

However, Pigs need to consult over plans and listen well to loved ones. As with much, Pigs need to take an accommodating attitude and adapt accordingly.

Overall, a satisfying year.

Tip for the year: Value and nurture relations with those around. Love, friendship and support can be very significant this year and influence much. Also preserve time for self and personal interests.

Neil Somerville is the author of Your Chinese Horoscope for Each and Every Year, published by Thorsons.

Celebrating Lunar New Year of the dragon 2024 All Visitors welcomed!

Fri 09 Feb | 6pm - 1am

Free Community dinner - please queue for delicious Vegi Pho between 6.30 and 7.30. Gourmet vegetarian food stalls / Cultural Performances by in Ca Band & local signers / Lion Dance & Crackers / Ceremonies and welcoming speeches by invited VIP’s MLAs & Community Leaders / New Year Prayers / Celebration of the Maitreya Buddha

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR 2024!

Sakyamuni Buddhist Centre 32 Archibald St, Lyneham 0412 224 553 thichquangba@gmail.com

CityNews February 8-14, 2024 25

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Ornamental grasses… many can look great throughout the year.

Photos: Jackie Warburton

Grasses with colour and interest Ornamental grasses, which have become popular over the past few years, can be a low-maintenance option for any garden.

There are a large variety of ornamental grasses, native and exotic, that can provide year-round colour and interest.

Tall grasses fill gaps in large gardens and smaller grasses can border small gardens.

Grasses are drought hardy and photosynthesis differently to most plants; they have mechanisms that shut down when temperatures get too hot and conserve moisture.

Many grasses can look great throughout the year with summer flowering plumes and graceful arching stems, as well as autumnal colours when the frosts arrive.

Once mature, the low-maintenance grasses gently blow in the wind and create visual interest amongst other plants as well as providing habitat and food for wildlife.

Grasses like to grow in an open, sunny position with free-draining soil. They generally don’t like wet feet, although there are some options for wet, clay soils.

In the right conditions, large grasses can grow up to two metres tall.

My favourite is Miscanthus sinensis with its dramatic, large, summer flowers and green foliage. The smaller Festuca glauca only grows to 20 centimetres. It has striking fine silver/grey foliage and in summer has tall cream flowers that sit above the plant.

The only mainte-

nance needed for most grasses is a good chop in the middle of winter and in the spring. They will regrow and, every few years, can be divided and replanted or potted up.

There are many grasses that can become weedy if they’re not maintained and can have a build-up of dry, dead grass that’s highly flammable in dry times.

For grasses to look their best, they need to be mass planted, using different varieties with different heights to give a year-round display and to add a tropical touch to the summer garden.

THE deciduous, small bird of paradise shrub, Caesalpinia gilliesii grows well in the Canberra region.

It can be fickle to grow and doesn’t like to be transplanted, but it can self-seed.

The seed is required to be scarified, meaning the hard seed coat needs to be broken to allow water in and germinate.

Soak the seed in boiling water and repeat until the seeds have swollen. Then they’re ready for planting. Sow in a peat-propagating pot with a seed-raising mix to limit the transplant shock in the future. Gently cover with potting media and keep moist.

The exotic fern-like foliage is dainty alongside the brilliant yellow and red flowers and a pollinator of insects. There is little or no pruning required to keep it in shape.

WITH the wet weather over the summer time, powdery mildew will be a problem in the vegetable patch and it will show up on the leaves on plants such as zucchini and tomatoes. Remove damaged leaves to also help with ventilation around the vegetables you want to grow.

Be sure to place the damaged leaves in the

green bin and not the compost.

Keep picking any produce that is ripe and this will encourage more to grow. Keep the vegetable garden well fed with quick-release fertilisers and get the garden ready for planting out autumn and winter crops. jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au

Jottings…

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• Prune excess growth on apple and pear trees.

• Keep on top of weeds with this summer’s extra growth.

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HOROSCOPE Your week in the stars

By Joanne Madeline Moore

PUZZLES General knowledge crossword No. 918

February 12-18, 2024 ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Have you got a pile of projects that you’ve started but not finished? This week Mars and Pluto boost motivation and concentration, so you can bring a project to a satisfying conclusion. Don’t waste the opportunity! With five planets highlighting your hopes-and-wishes zone, you’re set for an amorous Valentine’s Day. Romantic music, stylish surroundings and gourmet food are calling. Singles – sparks could fly with a sexy Scorpion or an adventurous Aquarian.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Romantic vibes are high, as love planet Venus links up with atmospheric Neptune.

Focus your attention on your lover, as you give them the right royal treatment this Valentine’s Day via a special pronouncement, a thoughtful gift or a candlelit dinner. Singles… love and work are connected, so you could meet your soulmate via a colleague, client or customer. On Saturday, the Venus/Pluto conjunction highlights profound thoughts and boosts passionate feelings.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Gregarious Geminis love to chat, so this Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to tell loved ones how much you really care. Inspiration for the week is from birthday great, avant-garde artist Yoko Ono (who was born on February 18, 1933): “The regret of my life is that I have not said ‘I love you’ often enough.” Saturday’s Mercury/Uranus square could lead to hasty words and impulsive actions. So slow down and think (carefully) before you speak and act!

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Attached Crabs – you’re feeling extra romantic as you lavish attention (and money) on your partner, wear your heart on your sleeve or play out a secret fantasy with your lover. Singles – don’t base your self-esteem on whether you have a partner.

You possess a multitude of talents, and a kind nature. Finding your soulmate is just the extra icing on an already spectacular cake! Things get passionate and/or intense on Saturday when Venus hooks up with Pluto.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

With the Sun, Mercury, Mars and Pluto all visiting your partnership zone, prepare for a bold and busy Valentine’s Day. Coupled Cats – why not initiate a special romantic rendezvous with your partner? Singles – in order to find true love, you need to be brave and step out of your comfort zone. So your motto for the week is from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

At the moment, with taskmaster Saturn moving slowly through your romance zone, love is a very serious business. So your quote for Valentine’s Day is from writer William Barclay: “Love always involves responsibility, and love always involves sacrifice.” Singles – it’s time to give flirtatious, superficial suitors the flick. Instead, look for a lover who has real character, depth and substance – a philosopher (with a romantic soul) who can last the distance.

MISSING CAT Across

Down

1 What are newly married women called? (6) 8 Which communication is known in the US as a wire? (8) 9 What is a pair of equal and opposite electric charges? (6) 10 When one constructs again, one does what? (8) 11 Name the magician of Camelot. (6) 13 What is a portable shade for protection from sunlight, rain, etc? (8) 16 Who signs a cheque, or the like? (8) 19 To disregard entirely, is to do what? (6) 22 What is an object made by humans with a view to subsequent use? (8) 24 Name another term for rectangular. (6) 25 What do we call one who erects or repairs overhead wires? (8) 26 What was the given name of the British antarctic explorer, ... Shackleton? (6)

2 Name a widely distributed European river.

(5) 3 To be comical or waggish, is to be what? (5) 4 What are breastbones known as? (8) 5 Which stick is used in golf? (4) 6 To set on fire, is to do what? (6) 7 Name the composer remembered especially for the Messiah, George ... (6) 12 What is an imperial unit of land measure? (4) 14 Which male singing voice is between a tenor and a bass? (8) 15 Name a renowned children’s board game. (4) 17 What pertains to a subdivision of an ethnic group most predominant in Scandinavia? (6) 18 Who “asked for more”? (6) 20 Name a particular synthetic polyamide. (5) 21 What are sheets of ice for skating? (5) 23 What does a beggar seek? (4)

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FREE PUZZLES EVERY DAY AT citynews.com.au

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Librans are addicted to love in all its forms – romantic, platonic, and universal.

Whether you’re attached, searching for your soulmate, or happily single, Valentine’s Day is an appropriate time to reflect on the fact that love really does make the world go around, and it’s the glue that binds us all together. So do all you can to encourage and nurture more love in your life. As John Lennon (a fellow Libran) observed: “Love is the flower, you’ve got to let it grow.”

Solution next edition

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Sudoku hard No. 360

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Advance Jewellers

When it comes to finding (and maintaining) love, resist the urge to be overlycontrolling. Attached Scorpio – avoid the temptation to be bossy at home; give your spouse more space. Singles – stop looking for love in all the obvious places.

Write a wish-list of the important qualities you desire in a dream partner. Then sit back and wait for the magic to happen. As actress Loretta Young observed: “Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.”

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

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It’s time to be more proactive about your health, fitness, diet and daily routine, but tread carefully with an unpredictable relative or neighbour who may be stewing with a hidden grievance. On Valentine’s Day, find a dream you can share together – “Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but of looking outward together in the same direction.” – Antoine St Exupery. With Mercury and Uranus revving up your restless side, you’re in the mood for a weekend getaway.

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TREASURE YOUR FAMILY MEMORIES

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Don’t take your partner – or potential partner – for granted! If you do, then your neglected lover may go looking for attention elsewhere. (“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone. It has to be made like bread, remade all the time, made new.”

– Ursula Le Guin.) So plan something uniquely special this Valentine’s Day. Singles – it doesn’t matter what a potential partner looks like, or how much money they make – you need a romantic mate who is also a friend.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

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Solutions – February 1 edition Sudoku medium No. 360

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

Love planet Venus hooks up with your power planet, Neptune, so romance is in the air. But the energy is behind the scenes suggesting a private, magical Valentine’s Day. (“Romance is the glamour which turns the dust of everyday life into a golden haze.” – Carolyn Gold Heilbrun.) Unhappily single? Subtle signs and unexpected synchronicities could lead you to your soulmate, so keep your intuition well-tuned.

Happily single? It’s time to get creative.

Solution next edition

Crossword No. 917

This week – as we celebrate Valentine’s Day – the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Pluto are all powering through your sign, so you’re at your amorous, adventurous, quirky Aquarian best. Spread your special kind of universal love around!

Your motto for the moment is from uber-Aquarian, composer Amadeus Mozart: “Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both go together in making genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”

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