3000 Melbourne Magazine ISSUE 87 March 14

Win a GP weekend Your chance to be at the race

Melbourne Fashion Festival Behind the seams of Melbourne label Thurley

Food and Wine Festival No souvlaki on Mary Valle’s menu

Michelle Bridges Win a copy of her latest book MARCH 2014

ISSUE

Nation’s hopes ride on F1’s Daniel Ricciardo

87

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Melbourne really is

marvellous in March

19 Events this March

March in Melbourne. Does it get any better?

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Moomba Festival

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Meet Thurley designer

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Grand Prix Giveaway

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Daniel Ricciardo Magmedia Pty Ltd ABN 69 118 720 960, Registered Office: 25 Northumberland St, Collingwood VIC 3066 Ph: (03) 8506 9908 Fax: (03) 9525 3944

to the winners of our FEBRUARY COmpetitions:

Editor’s NOTE

contributing writers Tom Elliott, Andrew Hewison, Dana Atkin, Tahlia Mandie, Janine Phillips, Paul Maric & Suzana Talevski.

published by

Congratulations!

Silvana Tasevski

cover image Daniel Ricciardo, Photo: Infiniti Red Bull Racing

This magazine has a distribution of 16,000 copies throughout Melbourne CBD, Docklands, parts of Southbank and rotating through South Melbourne and surrounding areas with a readership of approximately 40,000. If you would like to stock 3000Melbourne at your place of business please email Chelsea at editor@magmdia.com.au

CONTENTS

Visit our website

publishers Susan Riley {susanr@magmedia.com.au} William Rowe {williamr@magmedia.com.au}

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New Australian of the Year

10

Living Rough in Melbourne

11

Meet Mary Valle

12

Butting out in The Causeway

13

Facelift for market

14

Tom Elliott

15

In business

16

Melbourne Itl. Comedy Festival

18-19

French Film Festival

20

3000 Wheels Motoring Guide

21

3000 Wellbeing Section

22

Fitness and lifestyle

24

3000’s Kitchen

25

3000’s Bookshelf

25

Miss Mayhem

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March is the one month of the calendar year when the spotlight is well and truly on our city, the events capital of Australia.

There is something to interest everyone.

I, myself, am a self-confessed fashionista, and there is nothing that will excite me more than my first glimpse of the A/W’14 collections hitting the runways this month.

For this edition of 3000melbourne, I had the pleasure of chatting to Melbourne’s Helen O’Connor, the gorgeous designer behind the bourgeoning label, Thurley.

Helen is as delightful as her fabulous frocks, and I can’t wait until her new season’s collection hits the stores.

My husband, on the other hand, loves the roar of the F1s as they take to the track at Albert Park. The Australian F1 Grand Prix is where Australia’s own Daniel Ricciardo will take to the track on home soil to hopefully earn Red Bull another constructors’ championship. The up and coming 24-year-old has the hopes of Australia on his shoulders, a fact that keeps him surprisingly grounded.

At the other end of the scale, I know my kids are keen to eat fairy floss and enjoy the colour and excitement of this year’s Moomba Festival. It’s hard to believe Moomba has been a fixture on Melbourne’s events calendar for 60 years. In this edition, we take a look back at some of the faces of Moomba and celebrate this year’s newly-crowned King Bert Newton and Queen Lucy Durack.

And as if that isn’t enough, this month our magnificent city is hosting the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, the Flower and Garden Show and the International Comedy Festival, among many other cultural events.

What better time for me to join the team at 3000melbourne magazine?!

I hope you enjoy this edition and I would love to hear your feedback.

Let me know what you’d like to read more of in 3000 Melbourne.

Chelsea Arnold editor@magmedia.com.au

MARCH 2014

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Presented by Destination Docklands and supported by the City of Melbourne and Mirvac, Movies under the stars will entertain audiences with some of the screen’s biggest blockusters.

When: Sunday, April 13 Where: Race starts in Kings Domain.

Registration: www.r4k.com.au Entry fee: $53 long course, $47 short course.

magmedia.com.au

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Destination Docklands Melbourne’s Playground

ril p A 13

When: Saturday, March 15, 2014 Times: 11am and 2pm Where: Deakin Edge, Federation Square Bookings: www.mso.com.au/education/ community-outreach/jams-for-juniorsregistration/

When: 4 - 27 March, 2014.

Where: Lobby, Hilton Melbourne South Wharf, 2 Convention Centre Place.

Cost: Free

27 Marc

Where: Point Park Crescent, Yarra’s Edge, Docklands Site opens at: 6.30pm with a feature film at 8.30pm Details: www.destinationdocklands.com.au

Grab a unique opportunity to jam with members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO). Children aged under five are invited to join members of the MSO for free jam sessions at Deakin Edge Federation Square throughout 2014. The Jams for Juniors offer a 30-minute musical adventure for children and their parents. Children are encouraged to listen and respond to popular orchestral repertoire, and perform together with musicians of the MSO.

The Age of Australian Grand Prix Racing Exhibition pulls into Hilton Melbourne South Wharf this month. The not-to-be-missed photography exhibition captures the global excitement of Grand Prix racing over the past six decades. The exhibition from 4-27 March showcases the talents of Fairfax Media photographers from the 1950s through to the modern era. From triple world champion Sir Jack Brabham to Australian legend Peter Brock, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the faces and heroes of the Formula One Grand Prix circuit. The pinnacle piece will be a spectacular MM Holden Special vintage racing car owned by John Anderson, a winner of the Alec Mildren Trophy.

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The program includes: Finding Nemo - Thursday, 6 March The Great Gatsby - Thursday, 13 March

Jam sessions for the juniors at Fed Square

Grand Prix exhibition

Photos by Fairfax Media - Spencer Martin, 1967

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Grab a picnic rug, snacks, friends and family and enjoy a night of movies under the stars at Yarra’s Edge.

A portion of all entry fees goes directly to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

Online entries close Friday, March 28.

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Twilight movies under the stars

rch

ar 6 & 13 M

The 2014 Herald Sun/CityLink Run for the Kids offers participants the chance to run, jog or walk the unique 15-kilometre course that gives participants the chance to run on normally off-limits roads including over the Bolte Bridge and through the Domain Tunnel, or a shorter 5.5-kilometre course.

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There’s still time to register to take part in one of the largest events on Melbourne’s running calendar.

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Events

Thousands to lace up and run for the kids

Events

Viva Victoria Festival

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March

The shape of art to come Children love learning about shapes. But did you know the triangle is the strongest geometric shape for building things?

Bring the family to ArtPlay’s open studio to make, build and create with the triangle shape. Explore all the different ways you can experiment with three sides and a bit of imagination. Test your skills in two or three dimensions using recycled cardboard, toothpicks, dowels, tapioca balls, plasticine, paper, sticky tape, pencils, straws, string, and more. Build large or small, draw, collage, decorate, bind, tie or puncture… it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s made of triangles. All materials are provided. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

When: Noon-4pm 8-10 March Where: ArtPlay at Federation Square Cost: Free

When: Sunday, March 23, 2014 Where: Federation Square Details: www.multicultural.vic.gov.au/ projects-and-initiatives/cultural-diversityweek/viva-victoria

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When: April 1-6, 2014 Where: Various venues across Melbourne Details: http://www.designmattersvictoria. com/design-week/

When: 13-24 March Where: ACMI, Federation Square.

Tickets: www.mqff.com.au/

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Music, food and entertainment will draw thousands of Melburnians to the Viva Victoria Festival this month. With music and dance across four stages, food, workshops, fashion, arts, crafts, a kids zone with free activities and face painting, and much more, this free public event is the ultimate celebration of Victoria's cultural diversity.

Highlights of the festival will include food from around the world; performers; an exhibition of short films featuring culturally-diverse Australians; an exhibition of children’s art; sports clinics and cultural demonstrations.

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Melbourne International Design Week is a celebration of design excellence. It highlights the best of design here and overseas. A highlight will be the free Design Garden in The Arts Centre Melbourne Plaza for design and culture enthusiasts to experience film screenings, avant-garde events, pop up bars and food stalls. Through a giant installation of LED screens you will enter the world of design including an exhibition that celebrates the life of Nelson Mandela from 95 international designers. Meet international and local designers and explore the limitless opportunities the design industry can offer.

24 March

Melbourne International Design Week

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1~6

The 24th annual Melbourne Queer Film Festival will screen at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image this month.

The festival which first screened in 1991 is the oldest queer film festival in Australia, and one of the oldest queer film festivals in the world. Over the past 23 years it is estimated that more than 245,000 people have attended the festival. For a full list of films visit the festival’s website.

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ACMI home to Melbourne Queer Film Festival

MARCH 2014

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NEIGHBOURHOOD

Marvellous Melbourne

on show at Moomba Two stars of the stage will be thrust into the spotlight when the Melbourne Moomba Festival rolls into town to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

This year’s Moomba monarchs reflect the past, present and future with King Bert Newton and Queen Luck Durack named the festival’s famous faces.

Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle said the monarchs represent Melbourne’s “fun-loving and creative nature”.

“Bert was King of Moomba in 1978, our first local King, and his Moomba memories include broadcasting the parade for radio from a Swanston Street rooftop as a teenager,” Cr Doyle said.

“Lucy is an award-winning performer and … brought Wicked and Legally Blonde to life on stage in our historic theatres.”

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Moomba along the banks of the Yarra River is Australia’s largest and longestrunning free community festival.

• Fun filled activities for kids in The Tent, with circus, music, puppetry and performances.

In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II visited Melbourne for the first time as the reigning monarch and to mark the occasion Melbourne City Council and the City Development Association proposed an autumn carnival to be known as Moomba.

• Get crafty in the Pavillion by taking part in building the 2014 People’s Float that will be on show at the Moomba Parade.

To mark 60 years of ‘the festival of the people’, Melburnians with fond memories are invited to contribute to the People of Moomba campaign at peopleofmoomba.tumblr.com for the chance to ride floats in the iconic Moomba Parade.

In addition to the parade, this year’s celebrations include old favourites and new features. Highlights include: • Australian music legends Daryl Braithwaite, Joe Camilleri, James Reyne and Ross Wilson will join forces as the Time of My Life band in a free 60th anniversary show each night.

• The Birdman Rally will take place on Sunday, March 9.

• The world’s best will compete in the waterskiing championships on the Yarra.

• The Moomba Parade will take place along St Kilda Road on Monday, March 10, at 11am. This year’s Moomba Monarchs will join the 2000-strong participants and the People of Moomba to celebrate in a kaleidoscope of colour, movement and noise.

Melbourne’s Moomba Festival 7-10 March Alexandra Gardens, Birrarung Marr and the Yarra River, between Princes Bridge and Swan Street Bridge.

Program details at www.thatsmelbourne.com.au

seams of

“I have a very broad definition of who it is to be a Thurley woman, it’s not so much an age or a demographic but rather an attitude. The Thurley woman really appreciates quality and detail.

Thurley’s

latest

“It’s so important for me to understand their needs and desires and to respond to them within my collections. If you can understand what it is they want before they know they want it then you have a hit on your hands, therefore I am in constant pursuit of a better understanding of who they are and what they want.”

collection

By Chelsea Arnold Helen O’Connor is stunning. The gorgeous blonde could be equally at home gracing the catwalk as she is sketching designs for her upcoming collections.

O’Connor who heads Melbournebased fashion label Thurley has secured a spot among Australia’s fashion elite, with her designs filling the wardrobes of fashionsavvy women across the country.

This month she will showcase her feminine but tough Autumn/Winter ‘14 collection at the Virgin Australian Melbourne Fashion Festival.

The festival feels like home for O’Connor who debuted her first collection here in 2006.

“My runway debut for Thurley was as part of the festival in 2006 in the independent designer parade and we have participated almost every year since, so it holds a special place in my heart. The festival’s independent designer runway is such an important stepping-stone for young designers and one that had a real influence on Thurley’s growth in the early years. Thurley was also a finalist in

the Woolmark design award a few years later and I am thrilled about showcasing the new Thurley winter collection at this year’s festival.”

O’Connor’s inspiration behind A/W14 was the ill-fated romance of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.

“The collection aims to capture the heady passion that new love brings and also to explore the depths of despair endured in its inevitable ending. The sweeter side to romance is explored through pure white, sheer layering, which has been intricately and lovingly hand embroidered,” she said.

Black is utilized heavily and is mixed with cool metallic and neutrals in rich jacquards and embroideries to achieve textural depth, plus there are elements of leather and harnessinspired accessories to give the feminine pieces a tough twist.

Thurley garments are known for their intricate detail and fabrics.

“I am very inspired by vintage handwork design, in particular pieces from the early 1900s and the '20s. My favourite part of my job is hunting for treasures and unearthing a long lost embroidery or beading technique from eras gone

Culture

Behind the

labels. We have a slightly different culture down here and it’s those subtle differences that translate into my design and desire to fit in, yet stand out.

past. I am also deeply inspired by fabrics and in particular French loom lace and jacquards, every season I attend the fairs in Paris to find the fabrics that will create the foundation of my collection.”

With her coveted designs stocked in David Jones stores nationally and with her flagship store at Chadstone Shopping Centre, O’Connor has put in the time since she began Thurley eight years ago after completing an internship at Scanlan and Theodore and a scholarship at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Part of Thurley’s appeal is that it is different to a lot of other Australian labels something O’Connor, in part, attributes to her Melbourne heritage.

“I think it’s so important to differentiate from the market offering and to provide your customer with a unique proposition designed from a unique perspective. My own love of fashion has helped immeasurably in injecting my clothes with personal style and also a sense of practicality and purpose from a woman’s point of view. I also think my personal sense of style is heavily influenced by my Melbourne upbringing, hence differentiating my work from many of the Sydney

That’s easier said than done when you’re designing collections 10 months in advance of them hitting stores.

“While I always watch the international trends, I prefer to rely on instinct when I design. The summer season in particular is a very exciting time to design for as Melbourne truly comes alive in spring, the racing carnival, weddings and party season give me endless inspiration for my dresses.

I always try to talk to a variety of women, there is never one woman or one shape that I aspire to dress with each collection, but rather an array of personalities and silhouettes.

“It always gives me such a thrill to see my clothes on the runway. It really is the one moment in the whole season when you can stop and breath and reflect on all the work the team has put into the collection. I really am so lucky to work in a job where there are such tangible and glamorous results from my work; sometimes I have to pinch myself to check it’s not all a dream.”

Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Premium Runway 2 – presented by InStyle Tuesday, 18 March at 9.30pm Tickets: www.vamff.com.au

MARCH 2014

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COVER STORY

World’s best chefs rev-up trackside dining While the action heats up on the racetrack, things will also be hot in the kitchen when some of the world’s best chefs rev-up trackside dining.

Guillaume Brahimi, Donovan Cooke, Neil Perry, Gabriel Martin and Shane Delia have designed custom menus at premium facilities around the Albert Park circuit.

Corporate entertainment options at the 2014 Formula 1® Rolex Australian Grand Prix are as varied as they are exciting.

Guests will love premium facilities such as the Formula One Paddock Club, indulge in first-class service at the Pit Exit Suites, or enjoy stunning track views from Chicane Pavilion.

The Formula One Paddock Club is the ultimate in corporate hospitality.

Pit Exit Suites are home to the best views of the track.

Directly above the team garages, guests won’t miss any of the on-track action. In the Paddock Club shared facilities, guests will enjoy Shane Delia’s original style of cooking.

Skydeck Lounge offers a relaxed atmosphere and grazing menu, while Donovan Cooke will serve up a formal menu at Trackside International.

Premium hospitality always ensures guests have an exceptional experience at the Australian Grand Prix.

The new Jones Premium Dining Suite, a state-of-the-art structure outside Turn 1 and 2, gives spectacular views plus a menu inspired by chef Donovan Cooke for Atlantic Group Catering. To top it off, 1980 Formula 1 World Champion Alan Jones will make daily appearances.

Chicane Pavilion is on the dramatic chicane out of Turn 1, while the

To book, visit grandprix.com.au or call 9258 7166.

WIN!

Ultimate F1 GP prize giveaway

a corporate hospitality package at the 2014 Formula 1® Rolex Australian Grand Prix Prize includes: 2 x weekend tickets to The Park. The Park, is the perfect place to take in the electric atmosphere in one of the most exciting areas on circuit.

2 x Formula 1® Paddock Tour – Mingle with drivers and celebrities on an exclusive Formula 1® Paddock tour.

Total prize value is $3760.

To enter, email your name and full address to editor@magmedia.com.au Entries close March 7, 2014

magmedia.com.au

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COVER STORY

Home crowd advantage

gives Ricciardo wings

By Chelsea Arnold Most 24-year-olds are finding their feet in their chosen careers and spending their weekends celebrating with friends, but not Daniel Ricciardo.

The big-grinned, self-confessed “happygo-lucky, easy-going kid” who hails from Western Australia, will have the hopes of a nation riding on his shoulders as he lines up at the starting grid for Infiniti Red Bull Racing in the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park this month.

It may seem like Ricciardo has had an overnight ride to success but it’s not the case.

“I started karting, well, first drove at eight years old, and I would say influenced myself to start, but Dad raced and I watched him as a kid, so I guess I got some of my passion through him,” Ricciardo said.

“Obviously nothing happens overnight, I was karting for about six years and then I was about 16 and realised it was time if I wanted to, you know, try and develop my racing further, to take up cars. I did one year in Asia, which was good because I could race at an international level but still live at home. Then decided to move to Italy, I knew all the big teams were in Europe so pushed myself to go there and yeah, eventually got spotted by Red Bull which made the career fast track.”

Ricciardo is no flash in the pan. He has 53 grand prix races under his belt having raced as the test and reserve driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso since 2010, was named full-time race driver for the team in 2012 before being offered the second top spot at the top team at the end of last year.

With Infiniti Red Bull Racing taking out the constructors’ championship last year, and fellow team driver Sebastian Vettel fourtime world champion, there is undoubtedly expectations on Ricciardo to perform.

“Obviously I’m very excited to come alongside Sebastian and be with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, yeah, it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time and feel it’s come at the right time so, pumped up.

“I think there’s always pressure, at this level the whole world’s watching, but you know for me I put the most pressure on myself, and I’ll only listen to myself at the end of the day, if I feel I can improve something then I’ll know where that is. I enjoy a bit of pressure though, it keeps you on your toes and gives you a bit of adrenaline.

“For me, I definitely want to get the most out of myself this year. Obviously I would love to get on the podium, that would be great, but mainly knowing that I put everything on the table – that’s my aim.”

After some intra-team controversy at Red Bull last year, Vettel has assured Ricciardo “we’re going to have fun, so I look forward to it,” he said.

So when he dons the navy, red and gold team uniform for his first race in the sport’s number one team at Albert Park Lake and as the only Australian driver in the field, Ricciardo will be hoping the home crowd advantage gives him wings.

“It’ll have to definitely, you know, I’m sure there’s going to be lots of Aussie fans there, and yeah, I’ll just use that to hopefully motivate me to get a better race.

“I use it as an advantage, obviously people can say there’s pressure from home, but I think it’s more exciting, so hopefully I can give myself and everyone else something to cheer about.”

Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park Lake, 13-16 March 2014.

Tickets from $55 at www.grandprix.com.au

MARCH 2014

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NEIGHBOURHOOD

Top honour for one

new Australian A former refugee whose extraordinary passion to help vulnerable and marginalised communities has been named 2014 New Australian of the Year.

The inaugural award was presented to Parusran SharmaLuital by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne Susan Riley at the Victorian Australia Day Council ceremony at Leonda by the Yarra.

The father of three who arrived in Australia from Bhutan in 2002, and became a new Australian in 2008, was recognised for his significant contribution to Australian society, particularly migrant communities.

“I couldn’t believe (the news) about the award at first. I am really excited that my voluntary works have been recognised and honoured by Australia,” Mr Sharma-Luital said.

“I thank the people and Government of Australia for recognising my small contribution to this country in the span of 12 years.”

Mr Sharma-Luital works at Victoria Police as a New and Emerging Communities Liaison Officer based in Moonee Ponds.

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Parusran Sharma-Luital with the Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne Susan Riley

But it is his extraordinary passion to help others, work to accomplish tasks, advocacy on policy issues and volunteer work with refugee communities and charities supporting the

vulnerable and marginalised that makes him an exemplary role model to new migrants and the wider Australian community.

Attendees at the ceremony heard how Mr Sharma-Luital contributed to the wider Australian society through working with communities at the grassroots, planning and developing community projects through research and coordination of working groups and advisory/ steering committees, chairing committees and participating in advocacy at a national level, often in a voluntary capacity.

He has delivered more than 50 community-based projects, working with 60 organisations, for more than 20 diverse ethnic communities. He actively engages with state and federal government agencies, peak bodies and the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees to raise issues of concern to communities in Australia.

He is also the Chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia’s New and Emerging Communities Advisory Council.

The New Australian of the Year award, sponsored by Clark Rubber, was introduced to recognise the contributions of migrants and refugees in Australia.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Living rough in

Melbourne You don’t always see them during daylight hours but there are many Melburnians living rough.

Such is the significance of the issue that the City of Melbourne commissioned a research initiative which explores the pathways of rough sleeping and details the experiences of long-term homeless.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said 35 homeless people took part in the research program: 24 were transient for more than five years, seven for more than 10 years and four for more than 20 years.

“Throughout their lives, many of the participants had experienced violence, sexual abuse, poverty, neglect, incarceration and exposure to drugs or alcohol from a young age,” Cr Doyle said.

“The Living Rough in Melbourne report notes that the pathways into homelessness are complex and individual. These are people whose lives have been defined by disadvantage.

“We must always remember that there are some Melburnians who have never had a fair go, who for reasons beyond their control, have found themselves without a place to call home. We need to continue to work to break the cycle.”

Participants described Melbourne’s facilities as “far and away the best” available but also offered valuable suggestions of what could be of assistance to the homeless while they are looking to transition into more permanent accommodation.

Some of the ideas included access to lockers, a casual job pool, access to day beds and a 24hour centre where people could sleep safely or have a shower.

The findings will inform the City of Melbourne’s Homelessness Strategy, to be developed this year, providing an insight into the complex social, economic and health challenges faced by people sleeping rough.

MARCH 2014

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Melbourne Food & Wine Festival

Mary’s a

2014 Melbourne

Mediterranean maven

By Chelsea Arnold Mary Valle loves nothing better than cooking for her family.

The Melbourne mother and two-time cookbook author is one of the most wellrespected authorities in Australia on Mediterranean cooking and enjoys sharing her passion and skills with others.

“Cooking for me is a way of

expressing myself in a loving way. As a mother I want to be able to look back and say that when I was blessed with this incredible job I did the very best I could and this for me is knowing my family eats well,” Valle said.

“I love to cook Mediterranean food and in particular Greek food, as that is what I know best. My mother only ever cooked Greek food so I grew up on that cuisine and now cook it for my own family.”

While Valle was born and lived in Richmond, her family originates from Florina in Northern Greece.

It is no secret that Greeks love to celebrate with food, and Valle is no different.

“We love to feed people. I think it is just the way we are made. If you have ever eaten at a Greek home you will understand what I mean, they are very hospitable people that love food.”

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Valle, who has penned bestsellers My Greek Kitchen and My Mediterranean Kitchen, will be sharing some of her trade secrets when she takes part in the 2014 Langham Melbourne MasterClass series as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

“I am very excited to be part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival this year among such great talent and look forward to going to some of the events,” she said.

“The MasterClass series showcases many talented chefs, all with their own unique style of cooking and because I truly believe we never stop learning, home cooks can take away many tips that they can apply into their own kitchens,” Valle said.

“My style of cooking is simple, seasonal and nutritious. I would hope that participants walk away knowing that they can create delicious and healthy dishes simply and with their own personal touches, nothing complicated.

“I am traditional when it comes to my style of cooking, but in saying that I do occasionally put a modern twist to my dishes. It depends on what I am cooking and how I am feeling.”

And what can MasterClass participants expect to see Valle cook?

“Mediterranean dishes of course!

A rustic seafood dish, a light, fresh, summer vegetable dish finished off with an egg and lemon sauce and my favourite dessert, bougatsa with roasted honeyed figs and pistachios.”

Valle regularly travels to Greece and the Mediterranean to learn new techniques and recipies. If the MasterClass whets your appetite for more of this fine fare then you can always join Valle for a cooking class or her foodie tours of Greece in June. Visit www.maryvalle. com.au for more information.

Masterclass with Mary Valle When: 2-3.15pm Saturday, March 8, 2014 Where: The Langham, 1 Southgate Avenue, Southbank Tickets: melbournefoodandwine.com.au

Food and Wine Festival Some of the globe’s most inspiring culinary stars will gather together for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in Melbourne.

The program features more than 200 events celebrating the theme of water.

While some global greats will share their concepts and creations at the Langham Melbourne MasterClass sessions, there will be a three-level hub space on the banks of the Yarra River featuring a floating barge bar, open-kitchen eatery and skyline community space in Queensbridge Square.

The Immersery: Festival Kitchen, Bar and Raingarden – the centrepiece of the 2014 festival program – will be the place to meet, eat and drink for 17 days, and will give visitors the opportunity to learn about how to harness mother nature’s most precious ingredient to grow plants and food through raingardens.

A floating barge bar anchored to Queensbridge Square will be home to some of the country’s boundarypushing bartenders, while the openkitchen eatery on the concourse level will feature a lunch and dinner menu designed by a local chef collective brought together for this one-off project.

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival runs until March 16.

For the full program and to book tickets, visit www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au

With guest winemakers and head chef Catherine Kalka hosting this interactive dining experience, guests will enjoy fresh seafood, expertly matched wines and stunning Victoria Harbour views.

Date: Thursday, 6 March 2014 Time: 7-9pm During the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, be reeled in to Woolshed Pub on Victoria Harbor for four courses of sustainably caught seafood and expertly matched wine.

Woolshed Pub will relive its history as a waterside shipping shed as it showcases the best in sustainability and flavor from the ocean and vine.

Cost: $100, four courses and matching wines.

Where: Woolshed Pub, Shed 9, Central Pier 161 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands.

Bookings: 8623 9641 or www.melbournefoodandwine. com.au/event-calendar/ sea-food-and-drink-wine4862#date-details

Causeway trial is a breath of fresh air A trial smoking ban in The Causeway has been given a resounding thumbs up from the majority of people using or passing through the popular outdoor area.

and will finish at the end of this month. Interim results from the survey show there is reasonably strong support for an outdoor smoking ban at Melbourne restaurants.

Almost 80 per cent of people using or passing through The Causeway think the City of Melbourne’s trial smoking ban is good for the city.

The City of Melbourne’s Councillor Richard Foster said he was pleased the trial was being so well received.

To date, about 150 people have been surveyed in The Causeway, which runs between Little Collins Street and the Bourke Street Mall, about their views on the trial ban which began in October

“Many people have had their say on the Council’s community engagement site, participate.melbourne.vic.gov. au, and we hope to interview a total of 200 people using The Causeway before the end of the trial,” Cr Foster said.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Seafood wine and dine

“Sixty-two per cent (62%) said the smoking ban was great, and a further 16 per cent said it was good. Only five per cent of people said they thought the ban wasn’t good.

“We encourage the community to continue to have a say on this important issue through the Participate Melbourne site before the trial ends on Monday, March 31.”

To see what participants have said, or to contribute to the conversation, visit http://participate. melbourne.vic.gov.au

Japanese cuisine

MARCH 2014

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PROPERTY / BUSINESS / FINANCE

Facelift to improve market experience Atmosphere, experience, open space and heritage will be the main focus of the renewal of the Queen Victoria Market.

Market traders, shoppers and the community had the opportunity to share their wishlist for the market’s redevelopment Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the City of Melbourne would make the largest investment in its history to preserve and renew Melbourne’s muchloved market and surrounding precinct.

“Melburnians are passionate about their market and it has been pleasing to see such enthusiasm for the project,” he

said. “Almost 1000 people had their say on what they loved and what could be improved at the Queen Victoria Market.

The feedback will help shape the draft design concepts.

Feedback included: • Improvements to weather protection in the sheds, signage, disability access, lighting, stall displays, the quality of stalls and the need for additional facilities such as toilets and ATMs.

City businesses make the switch Corporate tenants in the CBD are embracing environmental sustainability with 500 office tenants joining the CitySwitch Green Office program.

The Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) is the most recent signing, committing more than 21,000m2 of office space across four of its East Melbourne offices.

This brings the total floor space for the program in Victoria to 500,000m2. magmedia.com.au

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The CitySwitch Green Office program is delivered by the City of Melbourne, helping tenants to reduce energy

use and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Reductions through building tuning, retrofit and changes in staff behaviour significantly reduce the city’s environmental impact, provide energy security, save tenants money on bills and create local jobs for product and service providers.

DEECD’s Executive Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability Division, Chris Keating, said the department was looking forward to working with CitySwitch to develop a forward-thinking approach to environmental sustainability, particularly in the area of energy reduction.

• Consistency in opening hours, building on the popularity of the night market and concerns regarding the availability of public transport and car parking.

stakeholder engagement will be carried out this year before another phase of community engagement begins when draft renewal concepts are released for comment.

• A more sustainable market, preserving and celebrating its history and heritage, and the need for improved public open space.

“It has been particularly important that traders have been part of this conversation,” Cr Doyle said.

Three rounds of community and

“By the end of this year, the community and traders will have the opportunity to look at concepts for the precinct and a blueprint for the renewal work.”

“We’re committed to reducing the environmental impact of our operations and promoting the importance of environmental sustainability as a permanent and accountable part of working life,” Mr Keating said.

Portfolio, said it was programs like CitySwitch, a free program for commercial office tenants to access information and free consulting services, which contribute to a sustainability revolution in our commercial sector.

DEECD will work to bring its four East Melbourne properties up to a minimum four-star NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating Scheme) energy rating. This rating system measures energy efficiency as well as covering other areas like water usage, waste management and indoor quality of a building.

“Not only is the program a platform for building owners to provide a healthy, efficient environment, but it empowers staff to make changes in their day-to-day activities that will have impacts that go way beyond the workplace,” Cr Wood said.

• A ‘uniquely Melbourne’ experience to be maintained.

City of Melbourne’s Councillor Arron Wood, who chairs the Environment

For more information on CitySwitch visit www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ enterprisemelbourne/environment/ Pages/CitySwitch.aspx

By Tom Elliott In both Spring Street and Canberra there has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth after Australia’s last carmaker, Toyota, decided to close its factory in Altona. Understanding why three such companies (Ford and Holden, as well as Toyota) have departed our shores in such quick succession is essential to ensuring mistakes we as a nation have made are not repeated.

Here, then, are the four main reasons Australia no longer manufactures cars: First, the A$ has stayed too high, for too long. This makes exports difficult and imports (including cars) cheaper. While

some of the blame for our strong dollar can be laid at the feet of trading partners like the USA which have deliberately sought to weaken their own currencies, our own Reserve Bank is definitely guilty of keeping local interest rates too far above their international counterparts.

Second, apart from the strong A$, the cost of manufacturing is very high in Australia.

We pay our workers well. We make our electricity and gas extremely expensive.

Local property prices remain stubbornly high, making new factories expensive to open. And we shroud businesses in layers of red and green tape which, while it might make them safer and more accountable, reduces the efficiency of production.

No wonder the car makers prefer

less regulated countries like Thailand (with which Australia has conveniently signed a free trade agreement).

Third, for too long Australian carmakers have designed and produced models that are unique to the small and fragmented local market. Yes, in the past we have collectively loved our Kingswoods, Chargers and Falcon hardtops. But genuine production efficiencies are achieved by making global cars so that R&D costs can be amortised over a far greater number of vehicles.

Finally, even though we as Australians loved the iconic cars of our past, we have become stubbornly unpatriotic in our buying decisions. Thanks to a reduction in import duties put in place way back in

PROPERTY / BUSINESS / FINANCE

Why All Of Australia’s Carmakers Have Departed

the late 1980s by former Labor Senator John Button, Australia now has one of the most open and diverse car markets in the world. And faced with this choice, we have voted with our wallets and collectively chosen cheaper imported cars.

If you were the global boss of Ford, GM or Toyota and you were debating whether or not to continue manufacturing in Australia, your first question would be “Do Australians still like buying the cars their fellow citizens make?”.

Unfortunately, as recent sales figures have shown, the answer to this question has become a definite “No”.

Tune in and listen to Tom between 3-6pm weekdays on 3AW’s Drive.

Tom Elliott is Director of both MM&E Capital Pty Ltd, a Melbourne based hedge fund, and Beulah Capital Pty Ltd, a private wealth manager.

Beulah Capital P: 9270 9180 W: www.beulahcapital.com

101 COLLINS STREET, MELBOURNE

WORKS FOR YOU MARCH 2014

15

in business

Five tips for increasing your business exposure

Stay ahead of the competition with some top tips for boosting your exposure: 1. Get blogging One of the most easily achievable and potentially profitable ways to build your profile is to start blogging. Set up a dedicated business blog that deals with your own areas of expertise and be sure to update at least once a week. Ideally, you should also contribute guest posts on blogs belonging to associates and similar business networks.

4. Be social

To be noticeable, you need to be easy to find.

Ensure that your business is correctly listed and prominently displayed in as many online and offline directories as possible. Most online directories provide free listings, so this will cost you only the time it takes to update your details.

Social media outlets offer a great low-cost way to draw attention to your business and should now be considered an integral part of any advertising campaign. Choose a few appropriate channels, such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn (the best fit will vary from business to business) and dedicate a small portion of each day to checking your accounts and posting updates.

3. Sponsor charity events An excellent way to boost your exposure – and create positive associations for your business – is to sponsor charity events and community groups. Choose local causes or charities that resonate with you personally and invest some of your budget in supporting their endeavours.

EVENT If you’re up for a night of learning, networking, canapés & drinks then you’ll love this Business Shorts event. Bring your cards and meet other business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals in a relaxed environment.

Come along and expand your network!

The Psychology of Change in Business Date: Thursday, 13th March 2014 Location: Servcorp, Level 27, 101 Collins Street, Melbourne Time: 5:30pm - 7pm

a Golftec Eagle Package valued at $249!

2. Update directories

NETWORKING

Price: $20 | inc. 2 drinks & canapés

Speaker: Dr. Angelo Rodafinos Info: Is change necessary? Can we change others – can we change ourselves? Why do people resist change?

When do individuals and companies change?

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WIN

To gain momentum and build your business, it’s essential to know how to effectively advertise your presence and increase your exposure.

Getting people to sit up and take notice of your business is one of the most difficult challenges you are likely to face. Crowded markets, niche business ideas and short attention spans mean it’s often tricky to engage new customers and build your brand.

Dr Rodafinos will answer Hermagoras’ five W's and conduct an awareness or reality check exercise for participants before providing simple steps for effective change you can apply and implement. Use thinking and behaviour changes that get results!

RSVP: www.servcorpaunz.eventbrite.com “In Business” brought to you by

T: 9097 1617 W: servcorp.com.au linkedin.com/company/servcorp

5. Make overseas connections Exploring alternative markets is a fantastic way to build your brand and can be an inexpensive option for making connections and increasing your potential customer pool.

By Servcorp

For more visit CloudedBlog.com

+ 5 runners up will also receive a ½ hour coaching session + ½ hour simulated golf session valued at $85 each!

Golftec is Australia's only indoor golf improvement facility that combines Ball Flight Tracking Technology with Instant Video Replay, enabling you to play golf courses from around the world, practice on driving ranges, view your own swing on replay monitors or receive golf lessons from our professional coaches.

Improve, learn and enjoy golf in the heart of Melbourne. 136 Exhibition Street, Melbourne Call: 9650 9766 or visit: www.golftec.com.au

To WIN this fantastic prize simply email SERVCORP with your name and full contact details to: melbourne@servcorp.com.au Draw closes Friday 28 March, 2014.

Winner will be drawn at random & notified by email.

LOCAL BUSINESS pROFILE Why did you start your business (other than to make money)? After my employer continued ignoring my many Why Melbourne pieces of advice my wife said companies should actually be paying me for what CBD: You get the best coffee I had to say. I thought that made a lot of sense and also I could create much in the world. more impact anyway by sharing my Your business knowledge and experience with others. in a nutshell: A successful business needs: Strong We are a team of professionals leadership driven by the company’s Shekib Shaker - with valuable purpose, committed workforce Shaker Consulting inspired by the purpose, and effective knowledge, systems to support the staff in talents and skills, obsessed with creating successfully realizing the purpose. positive change, progress and success.

Plus of course a quality product and/ We combine international experience, or service loved by the customers. unconventional problem solving, Time in Melbourne CBD: 4 years

engineering and systems thinking, specialist knowledge of human behaviour, thorough research, and scientific insights to coach, train, and advise corporate clients. We are a resource serving the purpose of improving the status quo.

What is your definition of success in business: Delivering loads of value and enriching lives. Oh, and getting to hang around some really awesome people who support your vision.

Biggest mistake business owners can make: Arrogance (know it all, seen it all) Biggest strength business owners can leverage: Open-mindedness What is your businesses mantra?

There is always a way and the more you give the more you get.

Most important office/business tools: 1. Mind-mapping software (like ‘Xmind’) for simple visualising of even the most complex of plans. 2. Project planning and tracking, our own software ‘Hamster’ (it’s so easy even a hamster can use it!).

5-Year Goal: To have our own retreat-style training centre in Mt Dandenong/Yarra Valley region.

Words of advice: Stop watching TV and do something you love. You can achieve anything - trust me I know what I’m saying.

Shaker Consulting L2, 710 Collins St, Melbourne Vic 3008 1300 788 305 www.shakerconsulting.com.au

PROPERTY / BUSINESS / FINANCE

The Tapering Affect…

By Andrew Hewison You don’t have to look too far to find a newspaper article about the United States tapering their Quantitative Easing strategy; but what exactly is tapering and what impact will it have on markets around the world?

A few years ago the US Federal Reserve put in place ‘quantitative easing’.

Essentially this process involved the Federal Reserve purchasing assets in an attempt to drive down long-term interest rates, which in turn encourages investors to spend rather than invest their money.

In short, it was hoped this would kick-start the US economy into

action after the effects of the Global Financial Crisis.

We are not talking small numbers here either – until recently the Federal Reserve was purchasing up to $85 billion dollars of assets a month.

Now that the US economy is beginning to strengthen, the US Federal Reserve has informed the market that it will begin scaling back or ‘tapering’ its asset purchases.

Initially they tapered by $10bn per month and then another $10bn after that. It is thought that they will continue doing this until the quantitative easing program is completely wound up.

What impact does this have?

The US economy is the world’s largest economy. As such investors see it as somewhat of a safe haven for money and investments. However with US rates at an all-time low there was not much incentive to invest in the US. As a result, investors directed money to other countries where they could obtain a more competitive rate on their funds.

The decision to begin tapering is a clear sign that the US economy is beginning to improve – which in turn could see interest rates in the US increase over time.

With the prospect of increasing rates, the US has once again become an

attractive investment. As a result we have seen large amounts of money withdrawn from countries around the world. Australia has not been immune to this outflow of funds given the relative strength of our economy and the exchange rate softening the blow. It is not expected that the tapering will have a large impact on our economy at all.

Andrew Hewison is Director and a Certified Financial Planner as well as a regular 3000 Melbourne contributor: Hewison Private Wealth Level 4 , 102 Albert Road, South Melbourne Ph: 9682 1900 Web: www.hewison.com.au

MARCH 2014

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2014 Melbourne International Comedy Festival magmedia.com.au

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2014 Melbourne

InterNATIonal comedy Festival Comic’s specks of Zombie humour After a decade presenting gossip on Melbourne’s top rating Fox FM breakfast radio show, comedian Adam Richard has hung up his headphones and is heading back to the stage.

Richard of Spicks and Specks fame is returning to The Melbourne International Comedy Festival for his first solo show since 2007.

Are there boatloads of gay zombies trying to enter Australia illegally?

Will gay marriage be the end of civilization as we know it?

In his new standup show Gaypocalypse, Richard will be answering all the big questions.

But he won’t be answering any of those questions.

But one thing for certain is that zombies are coming.

And they’re fabulous.

Melburnians have come to love affable Richard who, in 2013,

managed to get a concussion, in water, while competing on the Seven Network’s Celebrity Splash competitive diving reality show.

Adam was a presenter and producer of the popular Talking Poofy podcast, The Poofcast, and was a co-star, co-writer and co-creator of the ABC TV comedy series Outland, about a gay science fiction club.

During this year’s Comedy Festival he will also be copresenting The Shelf with Justin Hamilton, a weekly live comedy event and associated podcast.

Adam Richard – Gaypocalypse When: 28 March-21April (not Monday or Thursdays) Where: Backstage Room, Melbourne Town Hall, corner of Swanston and Collins streets, Melbourne.

Tickets: Tues $25 ($20 Concession) Wed/Sun $27 ($22 C), Fri/Sat $32.

Bookings: 1300 660 013 or www.comedyfestival.com.au

Giving bad taste a good name John Waters is a legend among film fans.

He has forged an unwavering path in his quest to give bad taste a good name.

In 1972 Waters created what would become the most notorious film in American independent cinema of the 1970s, Pink Flamingos. Based on the battle to secure the title ‘filthiest people alive’, Pink Flamingos turned Waters into a cult celebrity and went on to become a smash success.

In Hairspray (1988), Waters created "an almost big-budget comedy extravaganza about starstruck teenage celebrities in 1962, their stage mothers and their quest for mental health." The film was a box office success, later turned into a Broadway production, and with a remake of the film released in 2007 starring John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken.

Later hit films include Cry-Baby with Johnny Depp and Serial Mom with Kathleen Turner.

Waters returns to Melbourne in March with his rapid-fire one man show filled with a unique brand of outrageous insight and candid wit that has earned him the moniker ‘The Pope of Trash’ from William S. Burroughs.

From stories of childhood and early influences through to Hollywood highlights and lowlights, John Waters divulges his

fascination with exploitation films, fashion lunacy, Catholicism, sexual deviancy and how to become famous (read: infamous).

In his own words, “It’s hard to offend three generations, but it looks like I’ve succeeded.”

Joyously devious, Waters elevates all that is trashy in life into a call to arms to “filth followers” everywhere.

John Waters - This Filthy World Vol 2 When: 8pm Monday, March 2 Where: Hamer Hall, Melbourne Arts Centre Tickets: $69 Bookings: 1300 182 183 or www.artscentremelbourne.com.au

When The Axis of Awesome performed The Four Chords Song at the 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival they never expected it would receive almost 30 millions hits on YouTube.

Five years on and it is one of the highest rated comedy videos on the video sharing website. To add to this, songs from their 2013 hit show, Cry Yourself a River, have already received over 2.5 million hits. The Axis of Awesome has a swag full of new material ready to entertain audiences at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this month.

This year, the global musical comedy sensations will take over the beautiful surrounds of the Famous Spiegeltent

at Federation Square when they debut their new live show, Viva La Vida Loca Las Vegas. Described by the Herald Sun as “the new benchmark in musical comedy”, The Axis of Awesome launched a brilliant career in 2008 at MICF, earning the 2008 Moosehead Award and going on to win three Time Out Awards in the Sydney Comedy Festival: Best Show (2010 and 2011) and Best Australian Talent (2010).

Where: Famous Spiegeltent at Federation Square When: Tuesday, 8 April to Sunday, 20 April (not Mondays) Tickets: $28, $25 Conc (N/A Fri/Sat), $22 Tuesdays Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com

2014 Melbourne International Comedy Festival

The Axis of Awesome in Viva La Vida Loca Las Vegas

Changing the game who brought you ‘Touched By Fev’ and ‘Million Dollar Tegan completes her energetic trilogy by stripping away the layers to find out what's really happening beneath sport's shiny facade.

Sport has traditionally been a male-dominated domain but Tegan Higginbotham has set out to change the game.

Life-long sports fan and game-player, Higginbotham has noticed a cultural shift and is asking who sets the standards? Is it sport or society?

Should pole dancing be included in the Olympics? Is Buddy Franklin a modern day god? Tegan Higginbotham, the comedian

What exactly is the lingerie, err, sorry, Legends Football League? Things are changing. And with so much invested, isn't it time we question what’s going on in the name of sport? Higginbotham has attracted a strong legion of fans since being nominated for the Best Newcomer and Golden Gibbo Award at 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Tegan Higginbotham – Game Changer When: 28 March-21 April (not Mondays) Where: Gold Room, Portland Hotel Tickets: All tickets $24.

Bookings: www.comedyfestival.com.au

Jeff Dunham and friends create disorderly conduct Jeff Dunham has been named “the most popular comedian in the United States” by Time magazine and was included in Forbes’ 100 most powerful entertainers three years running.

His television specials are among the highest rated programs in Comedy Central history, his DVD

sales have reached more than seven million, his YouTube clips have clocked half a billion views, and his live concerts are sell-outs worldwide.

The phenomenally successful global entertainer is returning to Australia bringing all his co-stars with him.

Dunham has plenty of company on stage: his entourage of characters who are there to challenge and chastise his every sentence.

There’s Walter the grumpy retiree, the beer-swilling, NASCAR-loving and resolutely red neck Bubba J, the furry and manic Peanut, José Jalapeño the spicy pepper from South of the border, the bumbling skeletal Achmed the Dead Terrorist, the almost as dead long-lost

son of Achmed, AJ; and Peanut’s own ventriloquist dummy: Little Jeff.

They may have all been created by Dunham, but his characters, who are anything but dummies, have taken on a life of their own, each with a legion of fans worldwide.

Dunham’s fascination with ventriloquism began at age eight, when he was gifted a toy Mortimer Snerd dummy and an accompanying instructional record album.

By age 10, Dunham was performing anywhere he could find an audience.

After graduating from university, he moved to Los Angeles and became a sensation on the comedy club circuit. Performances on just about every stand-up comedy show known to man followed, as well as guest appearances on The Tonight Show

and Late Night with David Letterman.

In 2006, Dunham’s self-produced Arguing With Myself, his first prime time special, premiered on Comedy Central. Almost immediately, fans were posting clips across the web, views rocketed into the 10 of millions, and Dunham became a comedy phenomenon, reviving a lost art with new levels of comedy and a contemporary voice.

Hailed as one of the most influential comedians and ventriloquists in the world, don’t miss your chance to see Dunham and friends.

Jeff Dunham – Disorderly conduct When: Friday, 16 May Where: Rod Laver Arena Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au

MARCH 2014

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CULTURE

Festival celebrates

25 years of French film a selection of the best contemporary French films, including comedies, dramas, documentaries and much more.

'Under the Rainbow'

French culture will be celebrated when the Alliance Française French Film Festival celebrates its silver jubilee this month.

The festival, celebrating 25 years of French film, is a highly anticipated and extremely popular event on the Australian cultural calendar. It is not only the biggest foreign film Festival in Australia, it is also the largest celebration of French films outside of France.

French culture, and in particular French cinema, has never been more popular in Australia than it is right now. More than 132,400 viewers attended festival events last year.

Each year the festival, presented by the Alliance Française together with the Embassy of France in Australia, curates

France boasts one of the world’s most dynamic film industries, with 300 films released in 2013, including co-productions and documentaries.

A rich variety of genres is one of the main characteristics of French cinema.

During the festival, blockbusters and independent films alike screen over six weeks across Australia.

This year’s famous face of the festival is popular French/Australian entertainer Julia Zemiro.

Born in Aix-en-Provence to a French father and an Australian mother, Zemiro is one of Australia’s most popular entertainers with a portfolio of theatre, film and television work.

“I was schooled in a little French primary schools in the heart of Bondi. in the playground I was an early translator between French

kids and Aussie kids,” she said.

in a triathlon.

“Didn’t everyone have two languages? It’s been a vital link to my French dad and my Australian mother’s passion for teaching it.

And for closing night, the festival will honour one of France’s most beloved directors, the comic genius Jacques Tati, by inviting audiences to select the Festival’s final film from six of his celebrated classics, including Mon Oncle and Mr. Hulot’s Holiday.

“French films and music have always been in my life in Australia, often the only way of keeping in touch with ‘over there’, so I am delighted to be the Patron of the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival.”

During the festival, a dazzling cornucopia of drama, romance, action and comedy awaits audiences with a splendid example being the festival’s opening night film, The Finishers, which will screen courtesy of Madman Entertainment.

An emotionally charged drama with the characters inspired by a true story, this superbly crafted story, directed by Nils Tavernier and starring Jacques Gamblin and Alexandra Lamy, follows the incredible journey of an embittered, former Ironman champion, and his disabled son who join forces to compete

3000’s

Michael Kohlhaas

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The Danish star and Cannes award winner, Mads Mikkelsen, gives a commanding, performance in the title role of Michael Kohlhaas, a bloody epic set in feudal France.

After repeatedly being cheated, horse trader Kohlhaas dares to confront the

corrupt local baron but is frustrated at every step by the equally corrupt courts.

His campaign for his rights is met by escalating violence and cruelty, until a truly heinous crime sends Michael on a mission for vengeance.

This is a classic story of duty and revenge, adapted fom the novella by Heinrich von Kleist. Director Arnaud de Paillières fills the screen with bleakly spectacular panoramas of the grim Cevennes mountains and brutal, unflinching battle sequences.

ONES TO WATCH

Populaire This utterly delightful film is a sparkling homage to classic Hollywood romantic comedies.

Set in the late 1950s, Populaire’s heroine is Rose Pamphyle, a girl who lives with her widowed father but yearns for so much more than the aimless life her inevitable marriage to the local mechanic’s son promises.

So with the best that French cinema has to offer showing now, keep your social calendar clear for a cinematic ‘rendez-vous’ of the most agréable kind.

Alliance Française French Film Festival

When: 5-23 March Where: Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth and Kino Cinemas.

Tickets: Alliance Française de Melbourne & Palace Movie Club Members $15.50, Adult $20, Concession $17, Children $15.

Bookings: www.affrenchfilmfestival.org Travelling out of her small town in Normandy in search of a job, she is interviewed by an insurance agent: the suave, driven Louis Échard, who discovers she possesses an unworldly ability to type. Once a gifted boxer and runner, Louis now becomes Rose’s coach and soon begins preparing her for the world speed typing championships in New-York.

The charming film features all the wonderful fashions of the era, lending a rich visual element to the jaunty, romantic tale of a man, a woman and the typewriter that binds them. Taking its title from a well-known brand of French typewriter, Populaire is sure to be an audience favourite, scoring highly in words-and laughs-per minute.

3000 WHEELS

Motoring Review by Paul Maric Audi S3

give the S3 a 0-100km/h time of just 5.0-seconds, that’s seriously quick.

When it comes to hot hatches, they don’t get much hotter or much more prestigious than the Audi S3. Built on the A3 platform, the S3 aims to shame its competitors with an impressive allwheel-drive turbocharged package.

Available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, the S3 puts its power to the ground through all four wheels. The nature of the drivetrain means the S3 is weapon-like through corners. Unlimited grip and superb communication through the steering wheel makes this $59,900 hot-hatch feel like it’s worth every cent.

Recently undergoing a makeover, the S3 now looks better and packs in more features than ever. Exterior changes include a new front and rear, along with quad exhaust pipes for the range-topping S3.

Inside the cabin Audi has gone to great lengths to make the A3 range feel luxurious and high quality. Some new features to the A3 range include a joystick style knob that controls audio and navigation, a fold out colour screen and sensational 10-speaker stereo.

Even more impressive is a large pad on top of the joystick that allows the driver or passenger to write destinations, phone numbers or contacts with their finger — it’s enough to keep you entertained for hours.

The real action happens behind the wheel and under the bonnet.

Featuring a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the S3 produces a mammoth 206kW and 380Nm of torque. These impressive power figures

Almost as impressive is the fuel consumption. Averaging just 6.9L/100km and 7.0L/100km respectively between the automatic and manual, you won’t spend much time at the service station.

The S3 is loaded with features and now represents a new benchmark in prestigious hot-hatch motoring. If it was my money, I would be hunting down a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters to call my own.

For more information, contact Audi Centre Melbourne on 03 9654 8677.

Paul Maric is a Melbourne based, independent motoring journalist & mechanical engineer.

Visit: paul.maric.id.au Follow Paul on Twitter: @PaulMaric

MARCH 2014

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3000 WELLBEING

Setting boundaries for better health

By Dana Atkin - Professional Kinesiology Practitioner So, as a Kinesiologist, I get told all the time “Wow! You must be always happy and relaxed”. The answer of course, is mostly, yes, but not really all the time. I’m human, just like every other person on the planet.

I get regular kinesiology balances to keep myself in a good space so that I can help my clients in the best way possible.

It takes diligence because there is a lot I can do for myself – I have so many tools to help myself – and it would be easy just to keep on with that. But to be honest, there are some things that you can’t unearth yourself. It takes focus too because

it’s very tempting to allow others to be looked after first - it’s all part of being in a service-oriented profession.

I made a very difficult, but good choice the other day. I could see a client or reschedule my own kinesiology session, which I had already rescheduled so that someone else could have my earlier one I had booked. The clues were in my entire week leading up to today. I have been

obsessed about this session, making copious amounts of notes, balancing myself as much as I could so that I could get the best from my session.

This time, I need to put myself first because I know this session is going be a pinnacle of positive change – I’ve had some pretty big patterns of mine come to light this week and I’m not about to let them run riot any longer.

Putting my personal kinesiology session first works two-fold: 1. I know when my body, mind and spirit are in need of a Kinesiology balance.

2. I f I’m not in balance, then it’s more difficult to hold the space for my clients’ sessions. They get the best when I’m at my best.

So, I know I’m doing this for my client and myself.

Ask yourself these questions: 1. Where do you need to set some boundaries?

2. Where are you willing to negotiate yourself or your spirit in order to ‘do the right thing’?

3. Where or what are you not willing to negotiate yourself or your spirit?

4. What’s the energetic exchange rate on what you’re foregoing so that someone else can get the benefit? (Is your energetic currency too high or too low?)

Once you’ve set some nonnegotiables, practice the following: “I’m not sure, let me get back to you on that.”

Simple phrase really, but very powerful for those of us who are too generous with the word “yes”.

Using this phrase allows you time to look at your priorities and your non-negotiables before you give an answer. If the energetic exchange rate doesn’t measure up, it’s OK to say no.

Remember, if you don’t look after yourself, who will look after your clients, or your children or your dreams? It’s OK to set some non-negotiables.

Dana Atkin, Dip. Kin Professional Kinesiology Consultant www.danaatkin.com

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show For the past 18 years the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show has delighted visitors with its colour and grandeur.

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The world-renowned flower and garden show is regarded as the largest and most successful annual horticultural event in the Southern Hemisphere.

Featuring the best landscape and floral talent that Australia has to offer alongside an extensive array of garden retail products, the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show is a celebration of Australian lifestyle and our great outdoors.

See award winning displays, floral design workshops, entertainment, show gardens, sculpture exhibition,

achievable gardens, Great Hall of Flowers, and there is even The Disney Fairies Children’s Garden where children can discover the magical world of Disney Fairies, face painting, drawing, and learn fun gardening tips.

The show is held at the world heritagelisted Royal Exhibition Building and surrounding Carlton Gardens.

When: 26-30 March Tickets: Child $10, Adult $27, Family $55.

Bookings: melbflowershow.com.au

By Tahlia Mandie – Psychotherapist & Family Counsellor

I have begun a new journey, one that I never saw coming. In all my years of planning, thinking and imagining, it is kinda funny how life works itself out and leads into opportunities you never saw coming.

And with every new opportunity and challenge come the highs and lows. Big ones.

Although the word ‘failure’ can often be seen as negative, I have come to realise

the postiveness. Failure can actually be success. Because with every mistake you make and challenge you overcome, there is room to grow, evolve and make yourself, or your product, even better.

And I am in the midst of doing it.

I grew up thinking I can’t fail; make mistakes, but don’t fail. But why can’t we fail? And why do we have to try to avoid the terminology and truth of what it actually is, failure? We shouldn’t.

As Bill Gates once said, “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”

No-one ever likes to think that they have not achieved what they desired or accomplished their goals. But in a world where ‘perfectionism’ seems to only be increasing, not being the best at everything and succeeding in everything we do could, in fact, be a great formula for success.

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When failure is actually success Tahlia is a writer, columnist and therapist, see more of Tahlia’s work and join the conversation at www.theparentingfiles.com.au

The irony is, sometimes we need to fail to be the best. And sometimes failure can make us a stronger person because of it.

That is a good thing, isn’t it?

SINCE 2003

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Fitness expo to inspire and motivate Need to kick-start your fitness routine?

Find your waning motivation? Or step it up a notch and set some ambitious fitness goals? Then be inspired by the fitness gurus at the Australian Fitness and Health Expo at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from April 4-6.

The expo is the largest gathering of fitness gurus in the southern hemisphere and it’s the place where you can find out about the latest trends before they hit the market.

Expo manager Shaun Krenz said fitness is a changeable industry and each year it’s exciting to see what’s hot, what endures and what falls away. “Sadly, your independent gym that caters only for traditional cardio workouts, weight training and group fitness is losing popularity.

Enthusiasts are looking for something more unique than that,” Mr Krenz said.

“One buzz word at the moment is HIIT, which stands for High Intensity Interval Training, replacing the old WOD –

Workout of the Day.” HIIT, where you work your body at its maximum effort for a period and then recover for an equal period, has hit the spotlight because of its ability to burn calories quickly.

Another trend the industry is noticing is that Jiu Jitsu is now one of the fastest growing sport workouts, with specialised centres being established around the country and many local gyms offering classes.

Indoor walking classes are the latest fitness craze taking the US by storm and they have just hit Australia.

Indoor walking is a low-impact, group cardiovascular fitness class.

The 2014 Australian Fitness and Health Expo is open 9.30am-5.30pm daily from April 4-6 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Pre-book tickets online ($30) and avoid the queues.

For more information or to book tickets visit www.fitnessexpo.com.au

Reigniting the fitness New Year’s resolution

By Suzana Talevski - television fitness presenter and instructor.

It became a drag and this extra ‘work’ was sending you straight to cranky-ville.

I will try again next year, it wasn’t really the right time in my life anyway, next year the kids will go back to school, next year I will have some more time … next year.

You decided there were other ‘priorities’ in your life that needed your attention. It was selfish to work out when you could be spending time with your kids, there’s too much going on at work, etc, etc.

There’s only one problem with that theory … next year never comes.

You had all the tools (read EXCUSES) to stop yourself from achieving your fitness goal.

There was much excitement when you committed to getting fitter as your new year’s resolution, you promised yourself I am going to finally make that change in my life and nothing is going to stop me. magmedia.com.au

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You bought a gym membership, started walking the dog, cut down on sugars but by the end of the second week the miracle you were expecting didn’t come.

But there are still 10 months left in this year. It’s time to get back on track and here’s how 1. M otivation. Why do you want to get fitter? For example is it family?

If so, arrange your activities to include family time where everyone participates in a sport or even

an afternoon Frisbee throwing.

Getting fit isn’t just about running yourself ragged on a treadmill.

2. R outine. Research shows it takes 12 weeks for healthy habits to be formed. Stick with it!

3. F eel good. You aren’t going to stick to anything that doesn’t feel good. Treat yourself to that funky work out gear you always wanted and get yourself out there!

4. C lean out the pantry and fridge.

Do this TODAY. If temptation isn’t there you can’t succumb to it.

5. H ave a party. We’ve just celebrated Chinese New Year so make your new year’s resolution all over again knowing this time you will succeed.

3000’s KITCHEN

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Bookshelf

SERVES 2 | PREP 15 mins | COOK 10 mins CALORIES PER SERVE 380

Just the one superfood in this recipe, but so many other good things alongside it. The mixture of peas and beans gives heaps of fibre and iron, while the chicken gives a meaty texture without overloading the calorie count. Add the delicious dressing and you’ve got one hell of a tasty salad.

INGREDIENTS: 250g skinless chicken breast, trimmed freshly ground black pepper olive oil spray 100g green beans, trimmed

saucepan of boiling water for 4 minutes, 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed adding the snow peas and frozen peas for the TO MAKE: last 2 minutes. Drain and Season the chicken with cool in iced water. Drain. black pepper. Lightly spray a char-grill pan with olive Process the yoghurt, oil and heat on medium– mint and garlic together until smooth. high. Cook the chicken

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

green beans in a medium

Thickly slice the chicken.

Arrange the beans, peas and chicken on a serving plate. Drizzle with the dressing.

RECIPE FROM 'SUPERFOODS COOKBOOK'

BY MICHELLE BRIDGES

Get Real! and the Superfoods Cookbook follow on from Bridges’ other best sellers, Crunch Time, Crunch Time Cookbook, Losing the Last 5 Kilos, 5 Minutes a Day, The No Excuses Cookbook, Everyday Weight Loss and Your Best Body.

Get Real! takes us behind the scenes as we meet 75 people who have had their lives changed in amazing ways thanks to the program.

Meet the mother and daughter who each lost more than 60 kilos, the bushfire survivor who discovered her ‘inner mongrel’, the ‘big guy’ dad who lost 45 kilos so he could enjoy being with his kids.

These journeys are moving and inspiring.

Get Real! features motivational advice from Bridges and skills and drills to help you get your head right, eat well and exercise regularly.

With 18 recipes also, Get Real! will have you whipping up healthy meals including Sweet and Sour Pork, Cupcake Quiches, Ginger Salmon Stir-Fry with Chinese Broccoli and Summer Berry Trifle while drawing inspiration from Michelle and her 12WBT members.

1/2 garlic clove

100g snow peas, trimmed for 4–5 minutes each side 1/2 cup (60 g) frozen peas or until lightly charred and cooked through.

1/4 cup (70 g) no-fat Greek-style yoghurt Meanwhile, cook the

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Chicken Salad With Beans And Peas

Get Real! and Superfoods Cookbook

by Michelle Bridges Celebrity trainer Michelle Bridges has a legion of dedicated followers and devotees. She has helped countless Australians shed thousands of kilograms, smash unbelievable fitness goals and transform their lives.

Bridges appeared in Melbourne recently to promote her new range of fitness and healthy lifestyle books and was swamped by fans.

Having worked in the health and fitness industry for more than 20 years as a professional trainer and group fitness instructor, plus with her role in Channel Ten’s hit reality show The Biggest Loser combined with her highly successful online exercise and mindset program, the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation, she is one of this country’s most recognised and influential health fitness experts.

But instead of hearing Bridges spruik her mindset lessons and formula for success, you can hear it straight from the mouths of those whose lives she has helped change.

But the new recipes don’t just end there.

Bridges has also released the Superfoods Cookbook: the facts, the foods and the recipes – feel great, get fit and lose weight.

In the book she explains ‘superfoods’ and how they can have a great impact on health and wellbeing.

In it she shares her very own top vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and seeds, fish, beans, dairy and meat.

These are the ingredients that Michelle has chosen as her superfoods to boost brain function, prevent illness and for their detoxing properties.

As well as listing Michelle’s 32 superheroes of the food world, Superfoods Cookbook features 80 new recipes including fresh feasts such as Salmon and Cucumber rice paper rolls, Moroccan Eggs and Scallop and Grapefruit Salad and delicious dinners like Kale and Tomato Pasta and Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks, weekly menu plans and shopping lists.

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Miss Meaningful Column

Bands on our trams Trams are a big part of life in Melbourne and a convenient public transport option. So imagine the delight of passengers when they are treated to a live ‘free’ performance during their journey.

Tram Sessions - a non-profit project – is dedicated to bringing entertainment and culture to a tram near you. With inspiration from similar projects, such as Black Cab Sessions in London, Nick Wallberg and Carl Malmsten created the concept in 2010.

Developed to not only create a way for artists to engage with the community but also to encourage the use of sustainable transport and make live music more accessible.

Janine Phillips aka Miss Meaningful

is passionate about philanthropy and business with a love of combining the two living by the motto ‘one devoted person can initiate change’.

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Make sure you Visit her blog at

missmeaningful.com.au

‘We put bands on Melbourne’s trams for your commuting pleasure’ is their motto.

Music fills the carriage while the tram roams through Melbourne suburbs. Performers not only include local artists but also the talents of well-known artists such as Vance Joy, The Basics (with Wally De Backer aka Gotye), Eskimo Joe, Lisa Mitchell and Xavier Rudd. They even chartered their own special tram for legends Paul and Dan Kelly.

The exciting news is they have just released a mobile site that recognises where you are in Melbourne and offers a playlist for the area. Free for all to enjoy. Try it yourself at mobile.tramsessions.com

Supporting Tram Sessions are sponsors Yarra Trams, Crust Pizza, Flexi Car and Proximiti with the artists and crew the stars in this story as they all volunteer their time and talents to the project.

Tram Sessions - it’s all about the journey, not the destination.

For more information visit www.tramsessions.com