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STATE EDITION Vol 45 No 1524 SERVING VICTORIA SINCE 1969 Ph 1-800 231 311 Fx 1-800 231 312

128 Observer PAGES Melbourne

WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2013 www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

IT’S A BOY!

■ A healthy baby boy weighing 8lb 6 oz was born to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, yesterday (Tues.).

Mother and child are doing well.

The baby was delivered at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington in Central London. Prince William was with Kate during the birth.

Prince William was born at the same hospital in 1982.

The baby is third in line to the throne. Names will be announced in “due course”.

More on Page 12.

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STUBBIE BOTTLE DNA VITAL IN MELB. ARSON CASE: PAGE 5

Page 2 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - Page 3

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City Desk

Melbourne

Observer

The hottest news about Melbourne’s A-listers

The Buzz Opening at Seymour Seb on board

● Louise Barling

● Sebastian Costello ■ Sebastian Costello, 26, has been appointed to the board of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

The Nine News reporter, and former 3AW newsman, is one of three new board appointments made by the Victorian Liberal government.

Seb is son of former Liberal Federal Treasurer Peter Costello.

■ Louse Barling is preparing the Paul Margocsy Art Exhibition opening at The Old Post Office Seymour gallery from 11am-4pm on Sunday, August 4.

Margocsy is an internationally acclaimed, awarded and exhibited bird painter. He will be in attendance from 11am-1pm to sign purchases.

This will be his fifth exhibition at the gallery which dates to approximately 1872.

More details are available from www.artseymour.com.au or phone 5792 3170.

Under The Clocks Peter Hitchener opens exhibition

THE TAP PACK

Fairy Godmother

● Rada Tochalna ■ The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella was played by Rada Techalna. Deborah Marinaro has a show review on Page 113.

At Sofitel ■ Air And Flame, an exhibition of hot air balloon photography over Melbourne by Ken Spence has opened at Sofitel On Collins.

● Kuki Tipoki, Jesse Rasmussen, Rohan Browne, Dion Bilios ■ The Tap Pack celebrates its opening night tomorrow (Thurs., July 25) at Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran, for a season that continues until August 4.

The Tap Pack is the tale of five performers finding themselves “within a show, within a performance, within real life, within a theatre”.

Inspired by the real life Rat Pack of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr, The Tap Pack combines old school coolness, backed by a live band.

The show features some of Australia’s finest tap dancing performers. Director is Nigel Turner-Carroll. The cast features Jordan Pollard, Jesse Rasmussen, Thomas J Egan, Rohan Browne and Ben Brown.

Season: Until Sunday August 4. Times: Wednesday-Saturday 7.30pm.

Wednesdayand Saturday, 1.30pm matinee. Sunday July 28: 5.30pm. Sunday, August 4: 7.30pm Bookings: www.chapeloffchapel.com.au or 8290 7000 Tickets: Full $39 Concession $35 (+ transaction fee) Website: www.thetappack.com Victorian Opera will be staging the openjing night of Maria De Bueonos Aires - Tango And Fatal Passion at the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre on Wednesday, August 21. Chairman Hane Hemstritch says the work will feature Leigh Warren, and an ensemble led by musician James Crabb.

The Victorian Jazz Archive is holding a fund-raising event at the3 Clayton RSL, 155-163 Carnish Rd, Clayton, from 1.30pm-4.30pm on Sunday, August 25, featuring Michael McQuaid’s ‘Late Hour Boys’, says Marketinbg Manager Mavis Pickering.

● Twenty Melbourne Painters Society President Paul McDonald Smith, Debbie Limon and Peter Hitchener ■ The Twenty Melbourne Painters Society 95th Annual Exhibition was opened last week by Nine News presenter Peter Hitchener.

The exhibition remains open daily until August 4 at the Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Caulfield.

More details are available through Jenny Pihan Fine Art, phone 9598 9588 or 0417 368 807.

Big show to celebrate Bert’s 75th PHOTO: ASH LONG

★ ★

Melbourne Moments Writers’ Festival

Jazz Feast entries

■ Luke Dempster has released the program for the first Melbourne Writers Festival under his directorship. It takes place from August 22 to September 1 and includes Boris Johnson, Tavi Gevinson, London Review of Books, Jay Griffiths, Teju Cole, Junot Diaz, Laurent Binet, Marina Warner, Seaman Dan, The Moth, Magda Szubanski, The Bedroom Philosopher, Mark Latham, Bob Browne, Anne Summers, Shaun Tan, Tony Wheeler, Alexis Wright, Claudia Karvan, George Megalogenis and Colm Toibin.

■ Publicist Michelle Buxton says entries are now open for the 2013 Darebin Music Feast Songwriters’ Award.

Judges are Jan Cloher, Peter Farnan and Tristan Goodall will slect 10 finalists to appear in the Grand Final concert at the Northcote Town Hall on Sunday, September 29..

Past winners include Jordie Lane, Sal Kimber, Ben Mason, E'Wah Lady and Falloe.

Entries close on Wednesday, August 21. Phone 8470 8593 or visit www.musicfeast.com.au

● Claudia Karvan

● Patti and Bert Newton ■ A special TV program to celebrate Bert Newton’s 75th birthday (yesterday, Tues.) will be broadcast at 6.30pm on Saturday (July 27).

Channel 9’s show will include Pete Smith, Lisa McCune, Eddie McGuire, Jules Lund and Rove McManus. Bert is currently rehearsing for Grease The Musical starting next month in Brisbane.

What’s On In Melbourne

The opening performance of Proximity by Australian Dance The atre will be staged at 8pm on Thursday, August 15 at the Arts Centre ★ Melbourne, Playhouse.

Sunday Herald Sun cover price jumped from $2 to $2.50 last weekend.

The Geelong Advertiser weekday cover price lifted to $1.20 on Mon★ day.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Thurs.) for the One Electric Day event being held at Werribee Park on Sunday, November 24. It will feature ★ Jimmy Barnes, The Angels, James Reyne, the Black Sorrows, Ross Wilson and Boom Crash Opera.

Buckingham will play at The Workers Club, Fitzroy, with Whitaker and Tom Kline this Sunday (July 28) ★Sam

PHOTO: IKON IMAGES

Page 4 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013

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Mark Richardson ♥ Straight from the heart

E-Mail: mark@localmedia.com.au

ACOUSTICS BREWING IN COLLINGWOOD

■ From time to time we learn that a family member, friend or colleague has reached some sort of crossroad and have taken a new direction in life in pursuit of fulfilling a life-long dream.

Three years ago, part-time musician Ian Beer was enjoying his career in print media industry.

He had steadily worked his way up from being a typesetter to becoming a sub-editor at The Age before he began writing music reviews for EG section and then became a Project Manager in the technology department.

Although successfully combining his love of music and writing into a career, at 49, Ian's heart began to sing a different tune.

At his 'before I turn fifty' crossroads, Ian decided to give up his day job to follow his love of acoustic guitars and great coffee.

With strings and beans firmly at the top of his business plan, Ian hit the streets in Melbourne searching day and night for the ideal venue, before creating the Acoustic Café in Collingwood's artistic hub in Johnston St Celebrating three years since brewing the first coffee, the Acoustic Café continues to offer Melbourne's aspiring musicians a creative space to jam, write songs, learn guitar and perform live to intimate audiences through 'Open Mic' sessions and private func-

Guitar Porch Thoughts

tions. Ian welcomed me along to join in on his celebrations where, over an 'Acoustic Burger' and coffee, he explained that the vibe and 70s décor of his Café Porch has not only become a regular hang-out for lovers of acoustic music, but has also caught the attention of film-makers, television producers and professional photographers.

At the heart of it Ian, what is the Acoustic Café?

It's a café and bar that has solely been created around the acoustic guitar theme.

My aim is to preserve the sound of acoustic music through live performances. We also play vinyl records, which is enjoying resurgence these days.

I teach acoustic guitar workshops

Off The Porch Thought For The Day Sam See Musician The Pardoners (with Glyn Mason).

Founding member of Sherbet Music Director John Farnham/Steve Vizard's Tonight Live "Melbourne has been Australia's music capital as far back as most of us remember. More recently, governments of both stripes have put developers' interests before the preservation of Melbourne's cultural heritage. Musicians see many of their gigs closed down and the notion of prior usage seems to have been conveniently ignored by VCAT. It is very exciting to see someone like Ian with the passion to start a new venue to promote the music he loves.”

for intermediate students here and local musician and guitar virtuoso, whilst Rick Ralli handles the advanced shredders.

Would you liken the Acoustic Café as perhaps the result of something comparable to a midlife crisis?

Absolutely! I have been playing guitar since my teens and having successfully pestered my parents for an acoustic guitar, I went on to teach myself to play.

I joined various bands as lead guitarist in the 80s and performed in countless venues around Melbourne and regional Victoria - sadly most are now bottle shops, pokies venues or trendy restaurants.

Why did this location appeal to you?

Collingwood has a great music vibe and Johnston St is one of Melbourne's last standing piece of inner-city real estate that has yet to be gentrified.

The layout also complimented my vision as it has been described as 70's house share. It has wooden couches velour trimmings, lots of interesting nooks and a wonderful retro courtyard, complete with old horse stables.

Your collection of vintage guitars to some extent reminds me of guitar museum. Where have they come from?

People bring in second-hand guitars to sell, whilst others I have found in garage sales and markets.

Some guitars have been kicking around with me for years. They all have a story behind them and I am attached to each one, although I do sell them to avid collectors. The 1960 Gibson Hummingbird is my most prized acoustic guitar on display.

You are a singer/song-writer and recording artist yourself.

● Ian Beer Musicians vary in age and are genBruce Springsteen was playing earlier and now you've put erally attracted to the lovely soundon Paul Kelly. Would you say ing room. The current Telstra Road their unique style of music and to Discovery winner, Gena Bruce story-telling has influenced your was one of our regular 'Open Mic' performers. She is now recording an almusic?

My music is a mixture of folk, rock bum in Tamworth.

We are also currently filming a and country. I am drawn to lyrics, but pilot for Channel 31 Live @ Acousequally I love good melody.

My music has been described as tic Café which is pretty exciting that story-telling in similar vein to the will hopefully be televised early next Paul Kelly with good mix of rock year.

What is your Porch Thought and country thrown in.

Bruce Springsteen and the E For The Day? Keep a pickin' and a grinning with Street Band are probably one of the greatest examples of ensemble play- great coffee'…

■ The Acoustic Café is located at 187 ing and subliminal song writing.

Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Ryan Johnston St, Melbourne. To find out Adams and Steve Earl have all been more about 'Open Mic' sessions, prihuge influences for different reasons. vate functions and Ian's vintage Why has your 'Open Mic' acoustic guitars, visit www.acoustic night become so popular each cafe.com.au Copies of Ian's latest Thursday night?

CD 'Heart and Mind' can be purAudiences are able to enjoy eight chased at the Café or downloaded on free live performers in one evening. ITunes.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au Melbourne

Observer

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - Page 5

Court Roundsman

It’s All About You!

Melbourne

OVERDUE DVD NOTICES WERE Observer UNTRUE, INTIMDATING: VCAT In This 128-Page Edition

Vale Sheila Heath ■ Glen Waverley lawyer Pippa Sampson has been found guilty of two counts of professional misconduct.

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Senior Member Jonathan Smithers heard that notices sent by Sampson’s legal firm, Goddard Elliot, to overdue DVD borrowers were “untrue, misleading and intimidating”.

VCAT was told that the legal firm, which had previously also had an office in Ferntree Gully, sent out up to 10,000 notices per month on behalf of video and DVD rental stores.

The notices sought recovery of debts from hirers, especially fees for late and non-return of videos and DVDs. Some notices sought legal costs “when there was no entitlement to such costs”, Mr Smithers said.

The case examined letters sent on behalf of Civic Video and Video Ezy stores. Some were sent to aboriginal people in remote communities around Alice Springs.

‘Misleading’

● Sheila Heath passed away early on Friday morning ■ The Melbourne Observer is sad to report the passing on Friday of long-time readerand friend, Sheila Heath of Werribee.

Sheila Heath became known to Melbourne Observer readers, and 3AW listeners, as the mother of Angela, wife of former Overnighters presenter Keith McGowan.

Sheila died after a five-year brave battle with cancer. She had been surrounded by family members throughout her illness.

She died at home in the loving arms of Angela and grandson Andrew .

Originally from Shropshire, England, Sheila was a ‘ten pound Pom’, migrating to Australia after World War II with her husband and young family.

Sheila Heath (nee Gould) was born on February 16, 1934. She was 79.

A funeral service will be held tomorrow ● Angela McGowan with her (Thursday). Condolences are extended to the mother Sheila Heath Heath family at the time of their loss.

STUBBIE BOTTLE DNA VITAL IN ARSON CASE

■ A 16-month jail sentence imposed against Samuel James Burkwood for alleged arson, has been overturned by the Court of Appeal.

Supreme Court Judges Buchanan and Ashley found that Crown evidence in a County Court case established only that Burkwood was in the vicinity when the offence was committed.

DNA samples from Carlton Draught stubbies found near a burnt-out car in Mount Waverley were analysed.

Burkwood admitted being

one of the purchasers of the beer at a liquor store.

Counsel submitted that the jury should have had a reasonable doubt as to Burkwood’s guilt.

The car had been stolen from outside a Hawthorn address.

The conviction against Burkwood was quahed and the sentence set aside. A verdict of acquittal was entered.

The Crown had earlier discontinued a charge of theft of motor car. Burkwood was acquitted on two charges of armed robbery.

Legal Services Commissioner Michael McGarvie alleged notices were designed to look like official documents issued as part of a court process.

Mr McGarvie said court processes in Victoria and Northern Territory generally did not provide for courts to award costs for small debts.

Ms Sampson contested the allegations.The Tribunal heard that a Federal Court case in 2011 determined that Ms Sampson had engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct. She was ordered to pay costs of $30,000, and she had to pay for newspaper advertisements detailing the Court decision.

Ms Sampson said the form of the notices was approved by the Law Institute of Victoria. The Legal Services Commissioner said subsequent events overrode any such approval.

The Tribunal heard the allegation that statements made in the letters grossly exceeded the assertion of rights by the video stores.

The matter is to return to VCAT for a further hearing on the question of penalty and costs.

City Desk: Melbourne’s A-Listers ................. Page 3 Mark Richardson: Straight From The Heart ... Page 4 Melbourne People: In The Picture ................. Page 6 News: Lawyer signed wife’s name ................ Page 7 Di Rolle: I love my job (and a holiday!) ........ Page 10 Melb. Confidential: Bus co. in tax row ......... Page 11 Long Shots: The Editor’s column ................ Page 12 West Hollywood: Gavin Wood reports .......... Page 13 Melb. Extra: Walter Brennan profile ............ Page 16 Readers’ Club: Birthdays, nostalgia, fun ...... Page 24 Victoria Pictorial: Nostalgic photos ............. Page 27 Arts, Local Theatre Radio Conifdential Top 10, Movies, DVDs TV, The Spoiler

Observer Showbiz

Latest News Flashes Around Victoria

‘Ice’ drug found: Police ■ North Albury man Brendan John Lee was caught driving when disqualified, had two grams of the drug ice and an arrest warrant for the theft of meat, Albury Local Court has heard. The case has been adjourned until August 5, reports the Border Mail.

Kidnap suspect nabbed ■ Police special operations officers have arrested a 24 year-old Pakenham man in Morwell in relation to an alleged kidnapping.

Near-miss at Mildura ■ A report into a “near miss” at Mildura Airport last month has reinforced concerns that emergency services would have been unable to cope with the disaster, reports the Sunraysia Daily newspaper.

Brigade saves workers ■ Two cleaning staff were stranded on a second-storey balcony in Bendigo and had to be freed by a fire truck ladder early Saturday morning. The workers were forced to call for help as they unwittingly locked themselves on the balcony of pathology practice in Mollison St, reported the Bendigo Advertiser.

Weather Forecast ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Today (Wed.). Mostly cloudy. 4°-16° Thurs. Partly cloudy. 4°-15° Fri. Partly cloudy. 5°-16° Sat. Partly cloudy. 8°-16° Sun. Chance of rain. 6°-18°

Mike McColl Jones

Top 5 THE TOP 5 BLATANT ERRORS WE'VE NOTICED IN THE NEW CHANNEL 9 SERIES, ‘THE BIBLE’ 5. God doesn't look anything like Kevin Rudd.

4. Sampson was seen guzzling from a bottle of Gatorade.

3. A Diners Club card was clearly visible on the table at the Last Supper.

2. Bindi Irwin was noticed on board the Ark. 1. Moses travelling through the parted Red Sea was yelling "I've bought a Jeep".

Page 6 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013

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People Melbourne

● Former Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School and MLC student Cate Blanchett is an Oscar favourite, reports LA correspondent Gavin Wood on Page 13.

Send news to editor@melbourneobserver.com.au

Melb. cast for ‘Scroundrels’ ■ Mebourne is strongly represented in the Dirty Rotten Scroundrels cast announced on Monday.

Anne Wood will play Muriel Eubanks. She will be joined by Tony Sheldon (Lawrence Jameson) and Matt Hetherington (Freddy Benson). Tony is returning from the US for the role.

Also in the cast are John Wood (André Thibault), Amy Lehpamer (Christine Colgate) and Katrina Retallick (Jolene Oakes).

The show will be directed by Roger Hodgman, with Guy Simpson as Musical Director.

Tickets go on sale on Monday (July 29) for the Sydney season at the Theatre Royal, starting Thursday, October 24.

Two shows

Fax: 1-800 231 312

Night Maybe ■ Tom Conroy, Sarah Ogden, Brian Lipson and Marcus McKenzie in Night Maybe, opening at Theatre Works on August 15 Performance Dates: August 15 – September 1 Time: Tues – Sat at 8pm, Sun 5pm Venue: Theatre Works, 14 Acland St, St Kilda Tickets: $30 full price, $25 concession and groups 8 +; $20 preview and Tuesday.

Bookings: 9534 3388 or www.theatreworks.org.au Cheryl Threadgold has more details in Observer Showbiz (Page 113)

Quirky Cinderella

● Michael Bublé

■ Canadian crooner Michael Bublé will perform at Rod Laver Arena on April 30 and May 1 next year. Ticketek starts taking bookings on Monday, August 5.

● Deborah Marinaro reviews Cinderella on Page 113 of this week’s Observer.

Pictured are Bianca Andrew (centre) Cinderella, Stephanie Whyte, Catherine Hoffman, Yasmin Ismail, Tamzyn Alexander, Heidi Lupprian, at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

● Wild Party director, Robbie Carmellotti, is interviewed by Cheryl Threadgold in the Observer Showbiz section. See Page 122.

Sunbury radio station 3NRG-FM celebrates 25th anniversary

● Sunbury community radio station 3NRG-FM celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special dinner on Saturday night at the Sunbury Bowling Club. At left is veteran radio presenter Ron Bourke. Centre picture: Cr Jack Ogilvie and Rod Quarrell. At right: Adrian Lodders and Alison Lodders.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au Melbourne

Observer

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - Page 7

Court Roundsman

LAWYER SIGNED WIFE’S NAME ‘Agatha Crispie’

Briefs Whipping

Casino ■ Police have busted an illegal casino after executing a warrant at a warehouse in Duke St, Abbotsford. A man, 36, was arrested.

Good news

● Yvonne Lawrence ■ What a delightful surprise we had at the Observer newsroom this week to receive a phone call from columnist Yvonne Lawrence who responded in person to a ‘get well’ message.

Yvonne has had broken ribs, then a fractured hip, resulting in a stay in hospital.

She has now been discharged, is full of vim, and may have a surprise for readers in coming weeks.

‘Never pick a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the ton.’

Thomson back in Court

FILE PHOTO

■ A Hamlyn Heights father whipped his son with an electrical cord and smacked him, Geelong Court has heard. The father was ordered to pay $2000 to the court fund and placed on a good behaviour bond for two years.

THE BARREL

■ Caulfield North lawyer Con Kiatos has been found guilty of professional misconduct, and has been fined $3000 and reprimanded after accusations that he signed other people’s names on legal documents.

Kiatos’s conduct “would reasonably be regarded as disgraceful and dishonourable by professional colleagues of good repute and competency”, said Justice Greg Garde, President of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and member Rodney Page.

Kiatos faced the Tribunal re-hearing after an action was brought by Michael McGarvie, Legal Services Commissioner.

Kiatos was accused of signing a document on his wife’s behalf, with him also witnessing the same signature. He said he had written authority to sign on behalf of his wife, Anna Papakostas.

The Tribunal heard the allegation that Kiatos signed a document on behalf of the son - Jonathan Kambouris - of his former best friend, Theo Kambouris.

The documents related to monies lent to a development company - BTC Developments Pty Ltd - formed by the Kiatos, Kambouris and Floros families.

Company sued BTC had projects at Frankston, Wattle Glen, Reservoir and Oak Park. The company later had trouble meeting its debts, and timber company Bowen and Pomeroy made a statutory demand on the people who were alleged to have signed the guarantee document covering timber purchased on credit.

Bowen and Pomery sued for $127,609. BTC was placed in liquidation.

“Neither Anna Papakostas (personally) nor Jonathan Kambouris had in fact signed the commercial credit application and supply agreement or the included personal guarantee and equitable charge,” the Tribunal determined.

Kiatos had signed on his wife’s behalf, without indicating so. “A person who was not Jonathan Kambouris signed the personal guarantee and equitable charge over the words ‘guarantor’s signature’.”

Kiatos told the Law Institute of Victoria that Theo Kambouris had signed on behalf of his son.

“The conduct of Mr Kiatos involves a substantial failure to reach or maintain a reasonable standard of competence and diligence,” said Justice Garde and Member Page.

Kiatos, 50, had previously faced the Legal Profession Tribunal, and found guilty of four counts of misconduct relating to trust account breaches.

His legal practice had gross fees of $134,416, with net profit of $18.098. He has no real estate. His wife owns a home worth $850,000, and land at Loch Sport worth $150,000. “It should not be assumed that her assets are available to meet his debts/”

Melbourne Observations with Matt Bissett-Johnson

● Cenarth Fox, writer/director of Agatha Crispie, which opens on July 26 at the Doncaster Playhouse.

■ Sherbrooke Theatre Company presents Cenarth Fox’s latest comedy, Agatha Crispie, from July 26 to August 10 at 8.15pm, and Sunday at 5.15pm at the Doncaster Playhouse, 679 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster.

This delightful murder mystery has a dead body, suspects, amateur sleuths, red herrings and dithering cops, just like the life and characters of another scribbler, the slightly better-known Agatha Christie, with plenty of surprises, mystery, drama and humour.

Directed by Cenarth Fox, this comedy about Dame Agatha Crispie and her famous fictional characters takes place in the south of England, not long after World War I, where the unknown writer, Agatha Crispie, writes mystery stories.

She longs for their publication, but Agatha’s family despise her writing and ridicule her plots.

But Agatha gets a lucky break when a body is found in the library. The police arrive, as does a greyhaired cardigan-wearing spinster with a knack for solving crimes. Suddenly the pressure is too much and Agatha disappears.

Then a dapper foreigner appears. He too has a knack for solving mysteries.

Tickets: $25/$23. Bookings: 1300 650 209 www.sherbrooketc.org.au - Cheryl Threadgold

Wong decision ■ The Law Institute of Victoria’s decision that Jonathan Wong is not a fit and proper person to hold a practising certificate, has been affirmed by Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Member Elizabeth Wentworth.

Wong cannot apply for a practising certificate before July 1 next year, and must show that he has completed work in ethics and professional responsibility.

Wong has also lost his Migration Agents Registration Authority.

On three occasions, Wong has been found guilty of professional misconduct.

■ Trade unionist and politician Craig Thomson’s lawyer, Greg James QC, told Court last week that there is little debate over most of the facts of the legal case against the MP, and little dispute over 173 charges.

It is alleged Thomson misused union funds on 49 ● Craig Thomson separate occasions.

The ex-Labor MP, now independent, is facing 173 charges alleging the misuse of $28,000 worth of Health Services Union funds, with allegations he paid for escort services and pornographic movies.

"Despite some media reports, I am not making any admissions. But there is a threshold issue of who had authority to use the credit card, which must be heard first,” Thomson said, after his Court appearance in Melbourne before Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg.

"If the Crown cannot prove its case on this issue, all other charges become null and void," Mr Thomson said. The matter returns to Court on Friday, August 16 for special mention.

■ In April, Mr Thomson made an interesting use of the English language in connection with legal principle: “I strongly believe in the constitution and that people are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

Compulsory acquisitions ■ Don’t believe for a second that the timing was accidental for the news of compulsory acquisition of land for the East-West Tunnel in Melbourne.

The story broke last week on the 3AW breakfast program, which is deemed to be friendly to the Liberal State Government.

Elsewhere in the State, there is acquisition afoot too. Thursday’s Victoria Government Gazette included a VicRoads notice for acquisition of land owned by McGuaran Properties Pty Ltd. That’s a familiar surname in Australian politics.

Premier bullies reporter ■ Victorian Premier Dr Denis Napthine’s senior media adviser Liz McKinnon overstepped the mark late last week when she pressured an ABC media team not to send footage of an interview.

Jessica Wright of The Age reported that Ms McKinnon “implied the ABC's working relationship with the Premier's office would be in jeopardy if the audio and vision of the two questions ● Denis Napthine was sent back to the ABC newsroom in Melbourne”.

The ABC reporter had only done what she is paid to do by taxpayers: ask questions. Dr Napthine believed there was an agreement that the reporter would not ask questions about Frankston MP Geoff Shaw, or convicted murderer-rapist Adrian Bayley.

The Premier was entitled to deflect the questions about Bayley, with that case now again before the Courts with an appeal.

The Age reports that Dr Napthine and Ms McKinnon later made phone calls to the freelance cameraman to OK him sending the footage.

If Dr Napthine wants to be Premier of Victoria, he should realise he is a servant of the public, and that not all interviews will be as cosy as the ones he does in the 3AW breakfast session.

Page 8 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013

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www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - Page 9

NOW OPEN

Page 10 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

To

Baby goes to Rio

Di For

Money can’t buy happiness: meeting strangers might!

■ I recently went through all my books. I have more than 3000 books in book shelves in two rooms of my house: great books, biographies, decorating books, travel books, a lot of books about Bob Dylan and a lot of books about JFK. There are a lot of books about politics, both Australian and American.

However, I was so surprised about the amount of ‘self-help books’ I had. I stopped counting at 150!

The titles included Women Who Love Too Much (one of the best books I have ever read and every line underlined). A life altering book.

Another was Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray. (another good book that made a lot of sense to me when I read it some years ago).

I laughed when I found Breaking Up. So too for The Wendy Dilemma about “mothering your man”.

Oh my goodness, I cannot remember buying thi,s but the pages are well worn. I must have been guilty of that at some stage, He Says, She Says, by the fabulous American author Lillian Glass, is in the collection. I met Lillian when she came out for a book tour to promote this book. She was fabulous.

I often see her on talk shows from America and smile at the wonderful memories of meeting her and the great conversations we had about the differences of the sexes.

Men Who Can’t be Faithful – how funny! This is an old book with well-worn pages that I must have needed and read a long time ago.

At the time they all served a great purpose. Being the voracious reader I am, I am sure I learned lots from them; lessons never to be repeated again.

They are piled high now on the floor of my office and I am going through which ones to keep – there are only a handful now!

All of those books at one time or another were teaching me or allowing me to seek more happiness, more sense of it all and why on earth we are here.

One of my favourite writers is Paulo Coelho; his Alchemist is one of my favourite books.

Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist, one of the most widely read authors in the world today.

He is the recipient of numerous international awards, amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum and France’s Legion d’honneur.

To this day he is one of the wisest of authors and I love reading his blog.

I am going to share what he wrote today, it made a lot of sense to me.

It is titled Forget this idea of seeking happiness .. provocative thoughts and risky experiences.

Countries where income is under US$10,000 a year are countries where the majority of the population is unhappy.

However, it was discovered that from the figure upwards, monetary difference is not all that important.

A scientific study conducted on the 400 richest people in the United States shows that they are only slightly happier than those who earn US$20,000.

The logical consequence: of course, poverty is something unacceptable, but the old saying that “money does not bring happiness” is being proved in laboratories.

Happiness is just another of the tricks that our generic system plays on us to carry out its only role, which is the survival of the species.

So, to force us to eat, or make love, it is necessary to add an element called “pleasure”.

However happy people say they are, nobody is satisfied: we always have to be with the prettiest woman, the handsomest of men, buy a bigger house, change cars, and desire what we do not have.

This is also a subtle manifestation of the instinct of survival, at the moment when everyone feels completely happy, no-one will dare to do anything different and the world will stop evolving.

Therefore, both on the physical plane (eating, making love) and on the emotional plane (always wanting something we do not have,) the evolution of humanity has dictated one important and fundamental rule: happiness cannot last.

It will always be made of moments, so we can never get comfortable in an armchair and just contemplate the world.

I was so relieved when I read that!

Conclusion: Better forget this idea of seeking happiness at any cost and look for more interesting things like the unknown seas, strangers, provocative thoughts and risky experiences.

I love my job! with leading Melbourne publicist DI ROLLE

■ I caught up with my mate Flip Shelton who is back in town for a visit from Rio where she is living with her husband and son.

She was relishing in the fresh vegetables we have here in Australia.

Flip is taking Portuguese lessons twice a week in Rio and speaks wonderful Portuguese.

She is writing a book about her experiences.

She was telling me that her husband Jof was playing Aussie Rules, kick-to-kick with their fouryear-old son in Rio where they live, and within minutes had 20 Brazilian children around him wanting to play … kids were just mesmerised by the ball.

It was a little 11-year-old girl who was the star performer!

It just shows you that AFL reaches far and wide.

● Flip Shelton at Prahran Market

SIR VIV JOINS THE TEAM

■ I love cricket. I come from a family where it was compulsory to play backyard cricket.

One of my favourite cricketers ever is the legend Sir Viv Richards. , So I was thrilled to hear he is joining Network Ten as a member of its commentary team for the T20 Big Bash League.

Sir Viv, who is widely regarded as the greatest one day international batsman of all time, will bring the T20 Big Bash League to viewers along with fellow commentators Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Mark Waugh and Damien Fleming. What a great lineup.

He is one of only four non-English cricketers to have scored 100 first-class centuries. The others are Sir Donald Bradman, Glenn Turner and Zaheer Abbas.

Sir Viv was one of the dominant figures in world cricket during the 1970s and 1980s.

He captained the West Indies in 50 Test matches, from 1984 to 1991, and is the only West Indies captain to never lose a Test series.

In 2000, a panel of 100 experts named him as one of Wisden Cricketers’Almanack’s (known as the bible of cricket) five best cricketers of the century. alongside Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs and Shane Warne.

In 2002, Wisden selected Sir Viv as the third greatest Test batsman of all time, after Sir Donald and Sachin Tendulkar.

Network Ten Chief Executive Officer, Hamish Mc-

‘The Bachelor’ starts soon on 10 ■ Channel 10 seem to be announcing lots of shows.

Their new breakfast show, called Wake Up, sounds interesting and so does their cricket line-up.

Then came the news that Osher Gunsberg is hosting the premiere season of The Bachelor.

“Who is Osher Gunsberg?” you may ask.

Best known as Andrew G. as the co-host of Australian Idol, Andrew has been known as Osher since 2009.

In addition to his hosting duties, Osher will act as confidante to Australia’s very first bachelor, Tim Robards, as he embarks on and searching to find true love.

Osher told us : “I couldn’t be more excited to be part of Australia’s first season of The Bachelor.

“There’s a reason it’s a massive hit worldwide: people love to watch it and love to talk about it.

“To come back to

● Viv Richards Lennan said: “We are journalists often desincerely honoured that scribe Sir Viv as the Sir Viv has agreed to most devastating batsbecome part of the Ten man the sport has ever team for the T20 Big seen.

Bash League.

Despite his aggres“He has become a sive style, he played his legendary figure in entire Test career cricket for the past four without a helmet. We decades and is one of all wanted to be Sir the most competitive Viv when playing backand driven batsman the yard cricket! world has ever seen.

Network Ten’s “To have him as coverage of the T20 part of a commentary Big Bash League team that already in- starts in December – cludes Ricky, Adam, live, in prime time and Mark and Damien is on free-to-air television great news for Ten, for the first time.

Cricket Australia I cannot wait! and – most importantly – viewers.

“Our coverage of the T20 Big Bash League will set a new standard in how cricket is presented on television,” Mr McLennan said.

The most handsome of men, Sir Viv was born in St John’s, Antigua; he made his test match debut for the West Indian cricket team in 1974.

During his Test career, he scored 8540 runs in 121 Test matches, for an average of 50.23 ● Osher Gunsberg Cricketers, fans and

Australia and to come back to Ten, it’s a double home-coming.”

A healthy looking guy, he is a runner, photographer, surfer, and only eats plants – he will do well.

He returns to Australia after living in Venice, California.

Network Ten Chief Programming Officer, Beverley McGarvey, said :“We have always wanted to get Osher back on Australian television screens and The Bachelor is the perfect vehicle to do that.

“During his years on Australian Idol, Osher’s warmth, professionalism and sense of humour endeared him to millions of Australians.

Not afraid to take changes, Osher has certainly been busy before coming back to Australia.

After relocating to Los Angeles, Osher made history in 2011 by becoming the first Australian to host a live, prime time network show is the United States, working with Paul Abdul on the CBS show Live To Dance.

An accomplished photographer, exploring both digital and analogue formats, Osher’s first solo exhibition was held in Sydney in September 2010.

I feel The Bachelor will work well. The prime time television event, which has just celebrated its 17th season in the United States.

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - Page 11

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Confidential Melbourne

Talk is cheap, gossip is priceless

DRIVER BUS DUTY DISPUTE ARGUED AT VIC. TRIBUNAL

Gossip Deborah Blashki Marks: civil debt alleged

■ Lawyers Scanlan Carroll Pty Ltd have requested a Registrars’ Hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this Friday (July 26) where they are scheduled to allege that there has been a “breach of contract/agreement (non payment) by Deborah Blashki Marks.

The matter is scheduled to be heard at 10.30am.

Tony McManus leaves ■ Former 3AW presenter Tony McManus is leaving his latest job at 4CA Cairns due to “incompatible differences”.

McManus moved to Tropical North Queensland, after losing his job at 6PR Perth, 3AW’s sister station in WA. “The time is right to move back to news/talk radio,” McManus told Greg Newman at Jocks Journal.

● Tony McManus

Money 3 takes action ■ Werribee Magistrates’ Court is scheduled to be the venue for a Registars’ Hearing on Tuesday (July 30) at 11am, when a civil matter against Anthony Bolton is due to be heard. Money 3 Branches Pty Ltd is due to allege a “breach of contract/agreement (non payment)”, according to Court records.

Desi moves to 774 ABC ■ 3AW afternoon show host Denis Walter has lost producer Desi Leary to competitor 774 ABC. Desi has signed on at Southbank to produce the Richard Stubbs program.

Desi has a proven track record over a number of years in Melbourne radio, and also has a career history in the Melbourne hospitality industry.

■ Melbourne-based bus operator, Driver Group, has had to face a Tribunal to fight a legal case agfainst the Commissioner of State Revenue.

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Vice-President Judge Michael Macnamara ordered that the matter be reconsidered by the Commissioner.

The matter came after the Commissioner questioned the interstate registration of some vehicles in the Driver fleet.

Some vehicles were first registered in South Australia because that state did not impose a motor vehicle levy.

Driver Group directors said this was a bona fide practice.

The Mount Waverley company has 11 subsidiaries, and has route bus services, school buses, and also operates the Gray Line brand interstate.

The company also operates the Melbourne Visitor Shuttle Service.

It now has a fleet of 128 vehicles, and the dispute relates to 43 buses when the fleet was between 65-80.

Christian Brothers

■ The Trustees Of The Christian Brothers have requested a Registrars’ Hearing at the Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (July 30) to allege a civil case against Sandra Varrasso for “services rendered”.

The session is set for 2.15pm.

PHOTO: BUSAUSTRALIA.COM

● One of the original Glen Iris-Camberwell buses driven nightand-day by Eric and Reg Driver from 1931. The Drivers started with a Pontiac bus, and then grew their company.

Eric's two sons, Daryl and Gary, joined Driver Bus Lines in the late 1960s, and continued to build the company into an organisation providing transport and tourism operations in most major cities throughout Australia.

The company now has an annual turnover of $33 million, and employs about 250 staff.

MONITOR TO WATCH COMPANY ■ An independent expert will monitor for nine months the way Professional Investment Services Pty Ltd gives financial advice to ensure that its advice processes meet the standards set out in a major enforceable undertaking .

The expert monitoring program follows the conclusion last year of an enforcebale undertaking that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission accepted from PIS. ASIC had concerns that compliance and audit functions required further work.

The expert will report back to ASIC each quarter.

PIS is one of Australia’s largest financial planning firms, with 527 advisers.

The monitoring will test compliance of PIS’s personal advice with regulatory requirements, its ability to identify poor advice and the effectiveness of its advice audit and pre-vet functions.

PIS has co-operated with ASIC’s inquiries. ASIC acknowledges the work done by PIS as a result of the undertaking, and it is said that the monitoring program provides an opportunity to assess whether the implementation of the recommendations at the undertaking’s conclusion have been effective.

ASIC Deputy Chairman Peter Kell said” “ASIC is focused on ensuring advisers do the right thing, so we will require further compliance reviews if we have concerns that advice standards are not consistently at appropriate levels.

“ASIC recognises the positive response of PIS to the concerns identified and we encourage all financial services licensees to undertake robust testing of their processes to ensure consumers get high-quality advice,”

■ Belgrave Heights Christian School has requested a Ringwood Magistrates’ Court Registrars’ Hearing session at 2.15pm tomorrow (Thurs.) for a debt matter alleged to be owed

by William (Bill) De Haan. ● Desi Leary

Whispers

Rumour Mill

Bugger!

● Wendy Harmer ■ An essay, by journalist Wendy Har-mer about how dementia was affecting her father, seems to have disappeared from her Hoopla website.

To Court Hear It Here First

Car payments get ‘easier’

■ Melbourne car dealers are considering expressing car lease payments in their advertising on a “biweekly basis”, rather than monthly in a bid to make commitments seem less.

Simon says: ‘Ouch!’

● Simon Owens

■ Melbourne radio prodocer Simon Owens believes he broke his finger after a fall at his Box Hill home.

Owens stood in last week for the Australia Overnight team of Andrew McLaren and Mark Petkovic.

Simon will stand in for Bruce Mansfield on Nightline over coming weeks.

E-Mail: Confidential@MelbourneObserver.com.au

■ Joseph Stevenson is due to face Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (July 30) for civil matter brought by Ambulance Victoria which has asked for a Registrars’ Hearing over “services rendered”.

Ratings ■ There is anxiety at a major Melbourne radio group ahead of the next radio ratings survey, with results due to be announced on Tuesday, August 20.

Are the backroom departures to be matched by some on-air staff?

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Page 12 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Melbourne

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Melbourne

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Ash On Wednesday

ROYAL BABY BOY ARRIVES

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Contact Us Publisher and Editor: Ash Long Media Director: Fleur Long Features Editor: Peter Mac Columnists: Len Baker, Harry Beitzel, Matt Bissett-Johnson, David Ellis, Rob Foenander, Christina La Cross, Julie Houghton, Yvonne Lawrence, Nick Le Souef, Mike McColl Jones, John Pasquarelli, Terry Radford, Mark Richardson, Di Rolle, Aaron Rourke, Ted Ryan, Jim Sherlock, Cheryl Threadgold, Kevin Trask, Veritas Distribution: Sam Fiorini, phone 9482 1145

Distribution STATE EDITION: Available weekly at approx. 400 newsagents across the Melbourne metropolitan area, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula, Surf Coast, and Victorian regional centres.

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● The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge: William and Kate ● From Page One ■ The names of the new Royal baby will be announced in “due course”, Kensington Palace said yesterday (Tues.).

He is styled His Royal Highness Prince [name] of Cambridge.

The baby is third in the line of succession after His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge.

A formal notice of the birth has been posted on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

Medical staff present were the Surgeon-Gynaecologist, obstetrician and Consultant Neonatologist.

Long Shots

Edited out

“For the cause that lacks assistance, ‘Gainst the wrongs that need resistance For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do”

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Back Copies BACK COPIES - ARCHIVES Back Copies for 2012-13 editions of the Melbourne Observer are all available at our website. Back copies for 1969-89, 2002-11 may be inspected by appointment at the State Library of Victoria, 328 Swanston St, Melbourne.

Independently Owned and Operated The Melbourne Observer is printed by Streamline Press, 155 Johnston St, Fitzroy, for the publisher, Ash Long, for Local Media Pty Ltd, ABN 67 096 680 063, of the registered office, 30 Glen Gully Road, Eltham, Distributed by All Day Distribution.

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with Ash Long, Editor

● Brett Clegg ■ Financial Review chief Brett Clegg has resigned in a shock and sudden departure from Fairfax Media.

Garry Linnell will perform the role of acting editor in chief of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Winner ■ Daniel Dalton, 20, of Glen Waverley, who is legally blind, has been able to upgrade his computer technology after winning a Vision Australia bursary and the Fairhall Memorial Scholarship.

Daniel is at the Calyton Campus of Monash University where he is studying a for a Computer Science degree.

Thought For The Week ■ “The three secrets of success in public speaking are be sincere, be brief, be seated.”

Observer Curmudgeon ■ “God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into the nest."

- Swedish Proverb

Text For The Week ■ “She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

- Proverbs 31:15-17 The Melbourne Observer is printed by Streamline Press, 155 Johnston St, Fitzroy, for the publisher, Ash Long, for Local Media Pty Ltd, ABN 67 096 680 063, of the registered office, 30 Glen Gully Road, Eltham, Distributed by All Day Distribution.

Responsibility for election and referendum comment is accepted by the Editor, Ash Long.

Copyright © 2013, Local Media Pty Ltd (ACN 096 680 063).

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT COURT REPORTS Contents of Court Lists are intended for information purposes only. The lists are extracted from Court Lists, as supplied to the public, by the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, often one week prior to publication date; for current Court lists, please contact the Court. Further details of cases are available at www.magistratescourt.vic.gov.au The Melbourne Observer shall in no event accept any liability for loss or damage suffered by any person or body due to information provided. The information is provided on the basis that persons accessing it undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. No inference of a party’s guilt or innocence should be made by publication of their name as a defendant. Court schedules may be changed at any time for any reason, including withdrawal of the action by the Plaintiff/Applicant. E&OE.

● Lawrence Money ■ One of the joys of opening The Age newspaper these days is to turn to the features written by longtime columnist Lawrence Money.

Lawrence seems to have the knack of getting all kinds of people to open up to him, so he gets an excellent handle on what makes them tick.

His features are also that rare thing in a newspaper - positive pieces that mean you tend to feel better rather than worse after reading them, and that's not something you can say about many of the news features.

Sadly, bad news gets attention, but Lawrence is a shining example of how good news can also get its share of fame.

So what does a noted columnist who has done most things in media do for a change after more than four decades of newspaper work?

He writes a new book, of course, about the fascinating people he has met over the years.

Enter Amazing Aussie Bastards, Lawrence's latest book about 25 amazing men from all walks of life around Australia, due on the bookshop shelves next week.

According to Lawrence, the term 'bastard' has a number of meanings, and can be highly complimentary or a term of real abuse.

His definition of an Amazing Bastard is “an Australian male who does stuff that other bastards wouldn't try in a month of Sundays”.

So with that definition in mind, Lawrence set out to discover the 25 people that we ''ordinary bastards” might be curious to read about.

They range from Prince Leonard of Hutt, the former Western Australian farmer who created Australia's only independent state - the Hutt River Province - to bulletproof polar explorer Tim Jarvis, and brave Aboriginal warrior William Cooper.

To discover the rest of Lawrence's collection of 'amazing bastards' you are going to have to read the book.

Lawrence's career as the must-read columnist started in 1979 with his iconic In Black and White in the Melbourne Herald.

He then switched to the Sunday Age as 'Spy', and then the poplar 'Diary' in the weekday Age. He has twice won the Melbourne Press Club's Quill Award as Victorian's best columnist, and apart from his current Age work, writes a monthly column in the RACV magazine Royalauto.

But my own personal association with a man I consider one of the great writers of our time goes back to my own young days as an impoverished cadet reporter in the ABC newsroom.

As Lawrence worked for a commercial paper, he had that wonderful thing called a budget, which enabled him to pay the occasional spotter's fee if I rang him with a good story.

As I had a similar quirky sense of humour and often saw things that would not make the ABC News bulletin, it was heaven to be able to see my idea in print … and on a cadet's salary, that spotter's fee paid for a few rounds of drinks when it was my turn.

Thank you Lawrence, and may your mighty pen continue to amuse us for many years to come. And thank you for solving my problem of what to give my Dad on Father's Day. - Julie Houghton ■ Amazing Aussie Bastards - published by Allen and Unwin - rrp $29.99.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au Melbourne

Observer

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - Page 13

West Hollywood

‘TOUR OF DUTY’ IS GOLF EVENT

From my suite at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites comes this week's news.

Dance Your Way Down Under

It’s an honour

■ First responders from Boston, Newtown, Connecticut, New York City and Chicago will be honoured at the Tour of Duty Celebrity Golf Classic taking place in Chicago at the ‘Caddyshack’ Golf Club on Sunday, August 11.

Comedian Bill Murray's brother, Joel Murray, will host the event.

The Plain White T's will perform at this sold out event.

In 2010 Australian and American Firefighters and Police united for a relay run across the United States to finish at the World Trade Centre.

In 2012, a team consisting of Military, Police and Fire Officers from both nations cycled from the USS Midway in San Diego and finished once again in New York.

Main sponsors of both events were Jerry Ryan and his company Jayco Caravans, and Alan Johnson, Managing Director of the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites.

● Pictured on board the USS Midway, Gavin Wood, Alan Johnson, Leading Firefighter and organiser Paul Richie from the Windsor Fire Station in Melbourne, and his son, Jackson Ritchie.

● Nicole Kidman ■ The QANTAS ‘Dance Your Way Down Under’ campaign through the Ellen DeGeneres Show with Nicole Kidman has delivered immediate benefits for tourism and major events, and also increased inbound ticket sales from the USA by 22 per cent.

The campaign has delivered immediate results, which includes television commercials in Los Angeles and New York, and also features online marketing in the US. To date, it has delivered more than 62 million impressions for QANTAS. It all happened during the screening of the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Visitors from the United States who booked to travel with QANTAS through the ‘Dance Your Way Down Under’ campaign stay an average of 12 nights.

I think we need Ellen to come to Australia and do her live shows more often.

Tickets to LA produced shows

■ When you travel to Los Angeles and you want to take in a show or two, the best advice is to book your tickets online.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show is so popular that it is booked solid for six months, so plan your trip around the available tickets.

Audience tickets are free and you can get them by going to www.tvtix.com or www.tvtickets.com For Wheel of Fortune: www.wheeltickets.tv For Jeopardy: www.jeopardytickets.tv For Jimmy Kimmel, Katie and the Late Show, go to www.1iota.com For Chelsea Lately, The X Factor, Dancing With The Stars, The Price is Right, Let's Make ADeal and So You Think You Can Dance go to www.ocatv.com

● Bill Murray ■ Are you hanging out for that California trip?

Well, contact: Joanna at info@ramadaweho.com I have managed to secure a terrific holiday deal for all readers of the Melbourne Observer.

When you are planning your trip to California, come and stay at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites, 8585 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood.

Please mention 'Melbourne Observer' when you book and you will receive the SPECIAL RATE of the day.

GavinWood

From my Suite at the Ramada Plaza Complex on Santa Monica Blvd

■ Catalina Island is ready for another close-up with the third annual Catalina Film Festival. You should now be singing 26 Miles (Santa Catalina) by the Four Preps.

Catalina Island has served as a shooting location for more than 225 films in the past century and has hosted Hollywood stars like Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and former President, Ronald Reagan. The Avalon Theatre is the centerpiece-screening venue of the festivities with its magnificent 1200-seat art deco structure and it is one of the world's first sound theatres. During the festival, 75 films will be shown at various locations around the island. Sounds very romantic.

To get to Catalina hop on board the Catalina Express. They have been taking tourists on the hour boat ride for over 30 years. www.CatalinaExpress.com

Our Cate ... the Oscar buzz

● Plain White T’s

■ Previewers at screenings of Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, which will be released here in the States this weekend are talking about an Oscar nomination for Cate Blanchett as Best Actress.

Cate was Oscar-nominated for her brilliant performance in Elizabeth (1998), and lost to Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare In Love, and has chosen richly memorable roles during her career.

Cate won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorcese's The Aviator about Howard Hughes.

Cate has come along way since her first television appearance in a singing trio from her school on Red Faces on Hey Hey It's Saturday.

I was there that morning and remember it well.

Till next week, Melbourne, Happy Holidays, Gavin Wood

www.gavinwood.us

■ I was very lucky to be with Alan Johnson, M.D. Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites for the opening of the Taste of Farmers Market.

Every country and cuisine was on display and we got to sample the magnificent tastes from all over the world. Many of the Market's merchants also joined the party offering gifts and specials throughout the event.

Established in 1934, the local farmers parked their trucks on an open field (once a dairy farm) to sell fresh products to area residents, the Market remains true to its roots to this day.

Page 14 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - Page 15

Page 16 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013

■ Walter Brennan rarely played the lead role in a film but he carved out a great career as a character actor.

He is the only male actor to win three Academy Awards for best supporting actor.

Walter was particular about the roles he played and never made a film that he would not take his family to see.

Walter Andrew Brennan was born in Massachusetts in 1894. His parents were Irish immigrants and Walter was the youngest of three children.

He wanted to become an engineer but got involved in stage productions at the age of 15 and caught ‘the acting bug’.

He worked as a bank clerk and then enlisted in the US Army. Walter served in France during the First World War. He married Ruth Wells in 1920 and they had three children during their marriage which lasted for 54 years.

Walter worked as stuntman and actor in nearly 30 silent films during the 1920s. He made a lot of money from real estate but sadly lost it all during the stock market crash of 1929.

Walter relied on his film work to survive The Great Depression. During the 1930s he graduated to larger roles often playing characters far older than himself.

He won his first Academy Award in 1936 for his role in the drama film Come And Get It. Walter had the ability to steal a film from the

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Whatever Happened To ...

Walter Brennan

By Kevin Trask of 3AW and 96.5 Inner FM leading actors with his brilliant honest performances. His next two Oscars as Best Supporting Actor were for his roles in Kentucky and The Westerner.

Walter was also nominated for his performance in Sergeant York where he played opposite Gary Cooper.

I have just watched the 1946 film My Darling Clementine where Walter played the villain but he generally played the hero's best pal or a grumpy old man.

He had some wonderful roles in films such as Northwest Passage, To Have Or Have Not, Red

● Walter Brennan

River, Rio Bravo and How The West Was Won. I was absolutely amazed when I counted the number of films that Walter Brennan was actually in - by 1940 he had appeared in 153 films and when he completed his final film the figure was a total of 231.

I do not know of any other actor who was in so many films, do you?

In 1957 Walter starred as grandpa Amos McCoy in the comedy television series The Real McCoys and the show ran for six years.

Although he was not a singer, Walter had great success with his narration of the hit single Old Rivers in 1962.

His other television popular series included The Tycoon, The Guns Of Will Sonnett and To Paris With Love.

In the 1970's his films were mainly comedies and he was brilliant in The Over The Hill Gang, Support Your Local Sheriff and Who's Minding The Mint?

Walter Brennan died from emphysema in 1974 at the age of eighty.

His widow Ruth passed away 23 years later.

- Kevin Trask The Time Tunnel - with Bruce & PhilSundays at 8.20pm on 3AW That's Entertainment - 96.5FM Sundays at 12 Noon 96.5FM is streaming on the internet.

To listen, go to www.innerfm.org.au and follow the prompts.

BLUE RING OCTOPUS ALERT AT DARWIN

■ The last week in Darwin a young lady, Chelsea Smiles, was splashing around in the water with her family, when they encountered an octopus swimming around with them.

Very quickly they identified it as a Blue Ring, and quickly scurried out.

Of course panic set in, and it was reported that a "sea monster" was on the loose.

However, these creatures are indeed lethal. They're only little, and when disturbed, beautifully coloured tiny irridescent blue rings flash on and off on their body and tentacles.

This makes them particularly attractive for kids to poke at.

This incident was coincidental, because it was in Darwin in the midfifties that the first death from such a creature was recorded. \ A sailor, Kirke Dyson-Holland, and his mate Fred Baylis were at the beach, and caught one.

Fred had it crawling on his arm as they walked inshore, then placed it on Kirke's shoulder.

Shortly thereafter Kirke collapsed on the sand, and later died of asphyxiation.

Upon subsequent investigation, it was revealed that the octopus was indeed the culprit - up to then its danger was not suspected.

So Chelsea was right to beware of this little creature.

■ On one of his trips to Alice Springs my mate Keith McGowan expressed a desire to have a fly around in a hot air balloon.

So I called my mate John Wallington, who then operated Outback Ballooning, and all was arranged.

I had no idea about this exercise. I had seen these things floating about in the air on early mornings, and didn't think any more about them.

I supposed you just hopped on board and away you went. Wrong.

You staggered out of your bed on a cold frosty Central Australian morning at about 4.30am, caught the bus, and were deposited at the take-off spot in the pitch black, with a dozen or so other intrepid souls.

Then the fun began. There was a large limp piece of colourful canvas lying on the desert sand.

This had to be inflated, it turned out, with our assistance. A fan was started, and a gas fire ignited, and hot air was directed into the balloon.

Unfortunately this month this exer-

The Outback Legend

with Nick Le Souef Lightning Ridge Opals 175 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Phone 9654 4444 www.opals.net.au cise ended in tragedy with a freak accident. One lady tourist had a scarf around her neck, which was caught up in the fan.

She was immediately admitted to the Alice Springs Hospital, but remains critical.

Hopefully she'll be OK ■ Little Polly's off on her first yacht race! She is all of three months old.

She's sailing off in the Darwin-toDili, aboard the 14-metre Mango Madness with her parents Ayla and Tony Wharton, and grandparents Di and Lindsey.

Darwin's weather is just perfect for all watersports, with hot weather all year round - ideal for splashing and floating in, and on top of, the briny.

However, with sharks, crocodiles, deadly stingers and blue ringed octopuses, splashing around in the water is out!

So that only leaves floating around.

You can pull your line in with a wriggling fish duly attached, or your mainsheet with a sail on the other end.

And many people choose this latter activity.

There are 10 yachts this year lining up in the race, which goes from Fannie Bay to Dili, about 800 kms in all.

This reminds me of another race of a few years ago - the Darwin-to-Ambon.

This was discontinued because of political unrest in Ambon, but in its time it was a classic in the annals of yacht-racing history, mainly for having fun.

In this current race, Mango Madness will be carrying about a tonne of medical and educational supplies for needy people in Indonesia.

The good old days of the Darwinto-Ambon saw about a tonne of booze loaded on to each boat.

■ Throughout outback Australia, various sources of entertainment are devised, often quite eccentric and bizarre.

Throughout the Top End, and in far north Queensland, Toad racing has always been about, usually in pubs, along with the excessive consumption of alcohol, and various wagering activities.

This extends to South Australia with stumpy-tailed lizards, and down to central Outback Queensland with bearded dragons.

But now there's a pub in Darwin which has devised a new entertainment.

The Ducks Nuts is holding mudcrab races.

They have been distributing ‘crab dollars’ over the past few weeks, and punters can purchase individual crabs prior to the racing activities.

This is the second year of this particular activity, and is proving to be a huge success.

The crabs are placed in a circle and cheered on to victory, which generally takes about two minutes. Then, after the festivities, they can be released.

Or end up in the pot the following night.

■ A mate of mine from Coober Pedy, Gero Hauser, recently said to me: "You know Nick, it wasn't so long ago that we used to talk about the ‘old timers’ and their adventures. Guess what the young blokes today are saying about us!"

I have just taken a few books from Keith McGowan’s shelf, one of them being a volume written by Steven Aracic, a mate of mine, called Determined, about his escape from war torn Yugoslavia to Lightning Ridge.

It's such a pleasure to sit down and

● Chelsea Smiles and brother Damien Courtesy: NT News

flip through such pages and revisit the days of my own youth and first introduction to the joys and adventures and gambles of opal mining.

I spent most of my time with a couple of old timers, George and Sid Graham, two brothers from New Zealand.

Whilst they lived and mined in the Ridge, they spent much time adventuring and exploring throughout the Outback, and I loved to sit at the bar of the Diggers' Rest, or in the kitchen of their bush hut with its bark walls and red-back spiders, and resident brown snake nearby, listening to their tales.

Unfortunately I only had a reel-toreel tape recorder for an occasional story then - if cassette recorders had been invented, I would have had a few volumes by now.

However, I've still got my memories.

- Nick Le Souef ‘The Outback Legend’

Woolworths warned on insurance ■ Woolworths Limited has agreed to change an ad campaign for its car insurance product following Australian Securities and Investments Commission concerns it was potentially misleading.

The ads for Woolworths Car Insurance ran in the latter half of last year and early this year, appearing online, in outdoor marketing and on buses.

The ads claimed ‘on average, our customers saved $240’. This claim was based on a sample of 109 customers who purchased a comprehensive car insurance policy from Woolworths between August and September last year, and compared the cost of the new Woolworths premium with the premium they had paid for their previous policy.

ASIC was concerned that the comparison was made despite potential differences between Woolworths’ insurance product and the product consumers switched from.

In particular, the range prospective customers could choose from when determining the agreed value of their vehicle was lower than the range offered by some other insurers, meaning that customers could be insured under their new policy with Woolworths for a lower agreed value.

For the purposes of a price-based comparison, ASIC identified that these differences in the agreed value of vehicles had the potential to impact on represented savings.

“When comparing products in an ad, the products should have sufficiently similar features to make the comparison relevant and not misleading,” ASIC Deputy Chairman Peter Kell said.

While the ads included a disclaimer that stated the cover and benefits may differ between the policies being compared, ASIC believed the disclaimer: was not sufficiently prominent to effectively qualify the savings claim (this was particularly the case for ads that appeared on buses where consumers had less time to scrutinise the ads), and was unlikely to correct any misleading impressions created by viewing the savings claim.

“The more that a qualification is required to balance the information contained in the headline claim, the clearer and more prominently placed the qualification should be,” Mr Kell said.

ASIC’s active monitoring of financial services and credit advertising has forced companies such as GE Money, RAMS, HSBC, Bankwest and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia to change the way they go about selling themselves.

MARKETING FEATURE

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - Page 17

Craft Feature starts here

Craft, Quilt Fair opens Thursday

■ Australia’s most popular craft event returns to Melbourne tomorrow (Thurs.) and is open until Sunday.

Victorians will once again be treated when the Craft and Quilt Fair returns to Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre, opening from 9am to 5pm daily.

The event is renowned for its world class displays, showcasing the latest craft products from both international and local suppliers, numerous classes and workshops, plusinspiration and expertise from the Fair’s special guests.

The four -ay event will feature a mix of works including the annual 2013 Quilt Showcase, boasting hundreds of exceptional quilts, presented by the Victorian Quilters Inc. There will also be a selection of finalists’ entries from the 2013 AP&Q AQC Challenge where artists were invited to create a quilt inspired by the theme ‘What the World Needs

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Now’ – resulting in an eclectic range of interpretations.

A selection of wearable artworks, where artists interpreted the theme, ‘The Fairest Of Them All’, is set to be a Fair highlight.

Additionally, visitors will have a

unique opportunity to buy up big from specialty retailers selected from all over Australia with the latest supplies for crafty folks ranging from fabrics and buttons to beautifully embellished papers and tools.

Organisers say that Melbourne Craft and Quilt Fair is an unparalleled opportunity to see inspirational displays, meet experts, attend workshops and classes and see, try and buy the best in crafts from stamping, scrapbooking, knitting, embroidery to sewing, quilt making, jewellery-making and more.

Admission Adults, $17 Age & Disability Pensioners, $15 Seniors Card holders, $15 Children (from 5 to 16 years), $10 Family (2A + 2C), $39 Children under 5 years, Free Melbourne Exhibition Centre 2 Clarendon St, Southbank www.craftfair.com.au craft@expertiseevents.com.au

(In alphabetical order) Always Quilting .............................. Page 17 Batiks And Buttons ......................... Page 26 Can Do Books ................................. Page 23 Colour Streams ............................... Page 31 Fibreworks ....................................... Page 98 Galifrey Alpaca Textiles ................... Page 32 Genesis Creations ........................... Page 30 Highland Felting .............................. Page 19 Jellybeads of Mogo ........................ Page 97 Jemima Creative Quilting ................ Page 30 Koala Conventions .......................... Page 20 Lone Pine Medals ........................... Page 99 Patchwork Place ............................. Page 18 Silksational ................................... Page 100 Somerset Patchwork & Quilting ..... Page 29 The Stitching Circle ........................ Page 21 Tan Tech .......................................... Page 22

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Page 18 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Craft

Caterpillare Panel kit 72" x 88" $150 + p&h

Amy's Quilt kit 74" x 90" $150 + p&h

Notting Hill Kit 75" x 75" $150 + p&h

Bella kit 64" x 78" $142 + p&h

Other patterns and fabric www.patchworkplace.com.au