Dubbo Weekender 04.12.2015

NSW Regional Media Awards finalist & winner

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

$2

incl. GST incl.

GST

LOCALLY OWNED

www.dubboweekender.com.au w ww ww.dubbo dubbo

Roses for Riley Two mates, two mums, one great cause PAGE 22

ISSN 2204-4612

9 772204 461024

NEWS

TOMINGLEY

How much is that puppy in the window?

The pub where all that glitters is gold

SPORTS AWARDS Photos inside

2

CONTENTS.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

FROM THE GUEST EDITOR

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 HIGH IN THE SKY

FEATURED

Investigating paranormal activity

Yvette Aubusson-Foley editor@dubboweekender.com.au facebook.com/WeekenderDubbo Twitter @DubboWeekender

PAGE 10

ALL THAT GLITTERS … just might be gold at Tomingley’s pub PAGE 14

ROSES FOR RILEY Two mates, two mums, one great cause PAGE 22

BELLA TIPPING

PEOPLE

Success is child’s play for young entrepreneur PAGE 18

ASIA “LITERACY”

BUSINESS

Do we have the skills we need?

PAGE 34

TRAVEL

LIFESTYLE

Weekender’s Ella McMillan shares her Italian adventure PAGE 52

THE ARTS The thinking man’s Muslim PAGE 64

Regulars 06 26 28 28 30 31

Seven Days Tony Webber Paul Dorin Watercooler Stephen Lawrence Sally Bryant

33 34 36 60 74 76

Helicopter View Business & Rural Lifestyle Entertainment What’s On 3-Day TV Guide

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES | General Manager Rod Crowfoot | Operations Manager Alexandria Kelly | Account Managers Max Rogers, Sam Donaldson, Tas Touvras | Office 89 Wingewarra Street, Dubbo NSW 2830 | Tel 02 6885 4433 | Fax 02 6885 4434 | Email sales@panscott.com.au

CONTACTS & CREDITS | Email feedback@dubboweekender.com.au | Online www.dubboweekender.com.au | www.twitter.com/DubboWeekender | www.facebook.com/WeekenderDubbo | Published by Panscott Media Pty Ltd ABN 94 080 152 021 | Company Director Tim Pankhurst Editor Jen Cowley Writer Yvette Aubusson-Foley Design Sarah Head, Hayley Ferris, Rochelle Hinton Photography Connor Coman-Sargent, Rob Thomson, Steve Cowley, Ruby Janetzki Reception Emily Welham General disclaimer: The publisher accepts no responsibility for letters, notices and other material contributed for publication. The submitter accepts full responsibility for material, warrants that it is accurate, and indemnifies the publisher against any claim or action. All advertisers, including those placing display, classified or advertorial material, warrant that such material is true and accurate and meets all applicable laws and indemnifies the publisher against all liabilities that may arise from the publication of such material. Whilst every care is taken in preparing this publication, we cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions.

Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The editor, Jen Cowley, accepts responsibility for election comment. Articles contain information of a general nature – readers should always seek professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. Corrections and comments: Panscott Media has a policy of correcting mistakes promptly. If you have a complaint about published material, contact us in writing. If the matter remains unresolved, you may wish to contact the Australian Press Council. © Copyright 2015 Panscott Media Pty Ltd. Copyright in all material – including editorial, photographs and advertising material – is held by Panscott Media Pty Ltd or its providers and must not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the Publisher.

Why do problems always come in twos?

W HEN China announced the end to its one child policy my first reaction was to think “Oh, so this is what it feels like to be an endangered species...”

And how lucky are we in Dubbo?

To live just down the road from one of the world’s leading research facilities on saving endangered animals.

Inevitably, and let’s say for a moment it’s not going to happen in the next five generations, what if the last Australian came from here?

Dubbo: home to the last Australian.

Tourism NSW would go ballistic. Imagine the Visitors’ Centre (which can only ride high for so long on its golden win this week, but congratulations) could replace the Rhino out the front with a Big Australian.

I’m having Big Pineapple nostalgia right now.

Build it and they will come.

But to capture those extra travel nights the town really needs something like a walking tour, to where the last Australian did his grocery shop, watched the footy, drank with his mates.

You see, if a guestimated third of the 1.357 billion Chinese (and the same can be said about India) are couples wanting to have two children in the next 24 months, there’s another 815 or so million extra people for the planet to sustain, (1.357 billion ÷ 3.33 x 2 children = 815,015,015) – by the end of 2017.

What all the guff was about in Paris this week was the ominous Two Degrees and the end of life as we know it. Frankly, it seemed like a whitewash of countries really not that committed to giving up their CO2 dependent lifestyles.

Can you imagine? A prohibition on thinner iPhones? Do you want to be the one to tell THIS generation there’ll be no more production of XBox Ones?

Clearly Australians just aren’t...ahem... doing it enough, because by comparison they gave birth to a very modest 312,000 little tikes this year in a vanishing act that needs its nappy changed four times a day and subsidised childcare from 7am.

Imagine a future world where an Australian is something you go to see – a picture of taxidermy – in the Australasian room at the natural history museum, or as it will be known then, the Ziran Lishi Bowuguan.

Now, before you jump on your high horse and whip out the guide book on how to be politically correct, no one was ever offended by mathematics and speaking Chinese (which that is).

I can see the information panel now: The name Australia derives from Latin “australis” meaning southern, and dates back to second century legends of an “unknown southern land” (that is Terra Australis Incognita). The explorer Matthew Flinders named the land Terra Australis, which was later abbreviated to the current form.* Sometimes known as Aussie (rhymes with mozzie) the Australian ate barbequed shrimp, drank beer by the carton, especially at Christmas, weddings, funerals, birthdays, watching football matches – oh, all the time, really – and

the female of the species was called, during a golden age of feminis, Sheila.

It is believed the Australian birth rate fell into decline in the early 21st century with the introduction of social media.

Known for their quick uptake of new technology, a nation of Australian parents forgot to propagate preferring instead to post selfies of themselves at the pub with their girlfriends, or share funny memes. The fatal blow came with the arrival of YouTube cat videos and the nation thereafter failed to thrive.

As Facebook at the time was still banned in China, there wasn’t much else to do there but distract a nation whose people kind of knew they were missing out on the chance to question their own mundane lives by the constant updates from friends living happier and more interesting ones; by giving them the freedom to have extra children, which would ultimately keep them very busy and the Party pleased.

The Australian government of the day excelled at selling or, as the last remaining Australian’s believed, “giving away” their country to the highest foreign bidder, pulling the carpet as it were out from under the feet of an already Known for doomed genus. their quick The last Australian was named Mick, uptake of new and he liked AC/DC, technology, owned a cattle dog a nation of called Blue (or when he chewed the lounge Australian “You Mongrel”) and parents forgot had a heart of gold, so to propagate the legend goes.

He was a bit of a preferring wanderer and was last seen camping instead to on the banks of the post selfies of Macquarie River on a sandy river bend, themselves at known today as Bei- the pub with jing Beach, and where he could be seen fish- their girlfriends, ing and telling stories or share funny to anyone who’ll listen, about the ute he memes. still drives that was a wedding present from his missus – who was also beautiful.

Jokes aside, overpopulating the planet is not very romantic, and scaring the children with talk of the dreaded Two Degrees not terribly responsible either just a few weeks out from Christmas.

Whether or not you’re a believer in climate change, you have to admit the human race faces some colossal challenges in the future, and we’re in it together.

Suing the American government for its role in polluting the planet is a statement that makes me wonder what I can do in my life to be part of the solution rather than the problem. *This bit actually IS from Wikipedia...

NEWS.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

3

How much is that puppy in the window?

Care urged for giving pets as presents

BY KIM V. GOLDSMITH JOURNALIST HRISTMAS and the season of gift giving is only three weeks away but one gift choice that needs an enormous amount of thought prior to the day is a pet, as too often good intentions quickly become a bad idea.

Pets can’t be re-gifted or put in the back of the cupboard if they’re not wanted and as a consequence many pets are abandoned or surrendered to animal shelters come the New Year, long outliving the thrill of the initial gift giving.

Dog trainer Karen Johnston, of Learners on Lead, says before pets are purchased both parties need to be involved in the decision-making.

“When giving a pet as a present the receiving person will be looking after that pet for many years to come...anywhere up to 10 or 15 years.

“Questions that need to be asked include being prepared for the costs involved and for the time required to raise a dog, educate it, exercise it and love it.”

Johnston lists the associated costs of dog ownership including not only the cost of the animal but vaccinations (including annual shots), regular worming and flea control, spaying or neutering, food (the amount depending on the size of the dog), unforeseen vet bills, health insurance, bedding, accessories, toys, treats, kennels, boarding kennel fees or a dog sitter, repairs to the yard, fencing improvements if required, grooming fees or equipment, and training.

This list doesn’t include time spent with the dog.

“If the receiving person is a child, teenager or young adult, who takes responsibility for the dog if they move

C

2014/2015 ANNUAL

REPORT

` If the receiving person is a child, teenager or young adult, who takes responsibility for the dog if they move away in future?” – dog trainer Karen Johnson

Dog trainer Karen Johnston with her three dogs.

away in future?

“I believe an appropriate pet for a child is the most wonderful thing but consideration needs to be given to what will happen to that pet when the child grows up.

“There are so many other considerations based on if a person has allergies, is elderly, financially able to own a pet, or simply time poor.”

Johnston says contrary to popular belief it’s not the size of a backyard that’s most important to a dog; it’s the amount of time you spend with it.

The upside for her business is it’s in the New Year she receives increasing enquiries about training puppies and dogs that may have been received as Christmas presents.

She says puppies are the popular choice when getting a dog, however animal shelters and rescue organisations are also good options for finding older

animals.

Johnston warns, though, that if considering a puppy, it must come from a reputable breeder or organisation able to advise on the suitability of that breed or dog for the family or individual in question – and not to be sucked in by popular culture trends.

“Often people are drawn towards dogs that have been in recent movies, Huskies were popping up everywhere after 8 Below, red Kelpies after Red Dog, Dogue de Bordeaux after Turner and Hooch, Dalmatians after 101 Dalmatians and so on.

“These dogs are highly trained for these movies and are not a true representation of the breeds in most cases.

“People often think they want a smart dog, like a working dog, but this is usually not a good choice for many busy families and individuals who won’t be able to give them enough exercise and

stimulation to keep them settled...so they end up digging, barking or destroying everything in the yard.

“Before buying any breed you should do research to see whether the traits of the dog will fit with your lifestyle.”

With social media pages and website abounding with animals needing to be rehomed prior to Christmas, there are some great “feel good” reasons to take this option.

While buying a fully grown dog means you’ll know what you’re getting in terms of size, type, desexing and the like, Johnston explains there are other issues that need to be considered.

“When getting a fully grown dog, you are saving a life but you may not know their background and why they were surrendered and whether or not you’re inheriting existing behavioural issues.

“Even a fully grown dog may still need training too.”

According to Johnson, training is not only for socialisation and teaching appropriate behaviours to your dog when you first get them, it teaches the owner better skills to handle their dogs, creating a better bond and it can be lots of fun.

“Dogs are the most amazing of creatures and can be such a wonderful addition to your family and life but they have physical, mental and emotional needs that need to be considered and met when you bring one into your family and life.

“I would encourage everyone to consider getting a puppy or rescuing an older dog but do your homework – talk to professionals, do the maths, look at where your life is heading and where you are likely to be in the coming years before you get a dog or you give someone else a dog and all that responsibility.”

2014/2015 Annual Report to residents now available Dubbo continues to build a reputation as a thriving and vibrant regional City of lifestyle and opportunity.

Download the 2014/2015 Annual Report to find out more.

Dubbo City Council’s commitment to the community is helping meet economic and lifestyle needs for Dubbo residents and businesses.

To request a printed copy contact Dubbo City Council’s Customer Service Centre on 6801 4000 or collect one from Council’s Civic Administration Building.

Now available online at: www.dubbo.nsw.gov.au

4

NEWS.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

E-cig rights vaporised by new law

BY YVETTE AUBUSSON-FOLEY JOURNALIST

T has long been illegal to light up while there’s a child in the car, but from this week “smokers” who use e-Cigarettes will also be breaking the law if they use the increasingly popular smoking alternative while driving with a child under the age of 16.

The NSW Government has introduced new laws to protect children from any potential harm associated with e-cigarettes.

Drivers caught breaking the law will be fined $250 by police, who will have the power to issue on the spot fines.

Western NSW Local Health District tobacco compliance officer Michele Singleton said the ban is part of a number of restrictions introduced in relation to the sale of e-cigarettes and accessories.

“These include a ban on the display and advertising of e-cigarettes and accessories, which also commences today, and a ban on the sale of these products to minors, which commenced on September 1, this year,” Singleton told Weekender.

A public education campaign is being undertaken to increase awareness in the community about the law banning the use of e-cigarettes in a car with children present, including radio traffic spots and social media posts.

NSW Health has also written to retailers and key industry organisations to raise awareness about the new bans regarding the display and advertising of e-cigarettes and accessories.

The new laws are the result of amendments to the Public Health (Tobacco) amendments (e-cigarettes) Bill 2015.

In her speech to parliament at that time in her bid to see the amendments accepted, Health Minister Jillian Skinner said the bill proposes to amend the Public Health (Tobacco) Act to prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes and e-cigarette accessories to minors. The popularity and use of e-cigarettes are growing rapidly across the world.

“Regulators everywhere are faced with the challenge of responding in a way that is balanced and proportionate to the potential risks and possible benefits of these products.

There is no conclusive evidence to say whether e-cigarettes help people to quit smoking. And there is a lot we still do not know about e-cigarettes. What we do know, and what we can all agree upon, is that these are not products for minors,” Skinner said.

“What we are seeing in the United States and some other countries across the world is a sharp rise in the use of e-cigarettes by children and young people. Current e-cigarette use

I

tripled among middle and high school students in the United States between 2013 and 2014.

“Among high school students alone, current use rose from 4.5 per cent to 13.4 per cent in one year, with two million high school students reporting current e-cigarette use in 2014.

This figure is of great concern and is a warning to countries like Australia, where e-cigarette use is still low.”

The Minister expressed concerns that e-cigarettes will renormalise tobacco smoking given the similarities between the two products.

“While evidence is not conclusive in regard to these concerns, I am sure we all agree that it is vital that both the government and the community continue to work to reduce the number of people who smoke and to stop young people and children from becoming addicted to nicotine and smoking. We must move promptly to protect our young people. To that end, the Public Health (Tobacco) Amendment (E- cigarettes) Bill 2015 has been developed.”

-CIGARETTES were invented by Chinese pharmacist, Hon Lik, in 2003, and subsequently became available globally. They are battery-powered cigarette-shaped devices that vaporise a liquid solution which is then inhaled orally.

The liquid solution, contained in a cylindrical cartridge, generally contains propylene glycol in which nicotine or other aromas are dissolved.

“The solution is vaporised when the user puffs on the device,” Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Senior Research Fellow, Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, told Dubbo Weekender.

“As tobacco leaves are not combusted in this process, manufacturers claim the resulting vapor is free of the 4000 toxic chemicals and carcinogens known to be produced by combustion in cigarettes.”

Rahman says smoking causes more deaths and diseases worldwide than any other modifiable risk factors.

“Smoking is highly addictive, therefore, quitting smoking is a real challenge for the smokers. Three out of four smokers want to quit but experience frequent relapses when trying to quit. Apart from the commonly available techniques and varied

E

A woman seen smoking an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) in Sydney. PHOTO: AAP/JOEL CARRETT

motivating factors, “cold turkey” (quitting unaided) is also frequently named by the exsmokers as another method to quit smoking. There is ongoing research on the effectiveness of various quitting techniques.

E-cigarettes have not been around long enough for medical professionals to understand their long term effects.

“Our previous study suggests that e-cigarettes are mostly used by middle-aged male current smokers. In terms of the safety of e-cigarettes, while there have been no data on their long term health effects, a substantial body of research reports mixed findings about the toxicity of the refill solutions.

“Most of the findings suggest that e-cigarettes contain very low levels of multiple toxic substances such as formaldehyde and acrolein, but these levels are many times lower than those found in cigarettes,” Rahman said.

The current trend is for smokers to use e-cigarettes to help them to quit their regular ciga-

rette smoking.

“The recreational use of e-cigarettes raises concerns whether smokers are using e-cigarettes in the places where smoking is not allowed, therefore, not considering quitting and downgrading the rationale of smokefree places.

“On the other hand, there is conflicting evidence as to whether e-cigarettes are effective for smoking cessation which creates a pressing dilemma for the regulatory authorities. Quality evidence to inform those decisions was scarce and we wanted to investigate that issue further.”

In a recent study by Rahman’s team, analysing the findings from studies published so far, they found that among 1,242 smokers, 224 (18 per cent) reported they gave up smoking by using e-cigarettes for a minimum period of six months.

“We also found that nicotine filled e-cigarettes were more effective for cessation than those without nicotine and that the use of e-cigarettes helped smok-

` In terms of the safety of e-cigarettes, while there have been no data on their long term health h effects, a substantial body of research reports rts mixed findings about the toxicity of the refill solutions.” – Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Senior Research Fellow, Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne

ers cut back on the number of cigarettes that they smoked.

“This study provided the most comprehensive evidence to date on e-cigarettes and offered important information for regulatory authorities, policymakers, and public health researchers.

“It is now critical to have more rigorous large-scale research to test the safety of ecigarettes specifically the longterm health effects and to test their effectiveness against other proven smoking cessation methods such as nicotine replacement therapies.”

Rahman is not in favour of the normalisation of smoking by the new technology and does not support the initiation of e-cigarette use among the non-smokers.

“However, our research does add evidence to the current regulatory debate and offers hope to those who wish to give up or cut down on smoking. If the safety of e-cigarettes is proven in the long run, they may assist healthcare providers to address smoking cessation challenges more effectively.”

The study was jointly conducted between the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the University of Melbourne.

Rahman was the lead investigator for the research with Professor Linda Worrall-Carter and Dr George Mnatzaganian (ACU), Dr Nicholas Hann and Associate Professor Andrew Wilson (University of Melbourne).

Visit our boutique gift shop...

Keepsake Christmas Decorations Boxed Stationery, Cards and Quirky Gifts Children’s Toys for Creative Development

DUBBO’S PRINTER FOR 69 YEARS

P: (02) 6882 1233 166 Brisbane St, DUBBO NSW 2830 Email: admin@printingworks.com

OPEN Y A D R U SA(fTrom 9am) L UNTIM S A T S CHRI

OPENING HOURS: 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday Later on Thursday

6

NEWS & ANALYSIS.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Seven Days

The week’s top stories from around the region

Grant program taking care of business T HREE local businesses have been given a significant boost in the form of a business development grant from Dubbo City Council.

Dubbo Town and Country Tours, The Little Big Diary Company and Saddler and Co., were announced this week as the recipients for the 2015 Your Dubbo Program Business Development Grant.

According to Mayor Mathew Dickerson, the applications were judged by an independent panel of three, external to the city and unknown to each other. “A strong business community equals a strong and prosperous city overall,” Dickerson said in congratulating the successful applicants.

The program received 25 applications, which focused on the participants implementing activities that would work to grow their own businesses.

The grant component of the Your Dubbo Program creates an opportunity for businesses to not only apply for funding and coaching, but also to identify projects to grow their business, which in itself is a valuable insight for their own future business planning.

The grant packages all in-

clude a $10,000 business account and a $3,000 businesscoaching package.

Staff excellence recognised at Institute Director’s Awards DUBBO collected four awards at the NSW Tourism Awards presented in Sydney last week, with the Visitors’ Information

Centre winning gold in the Visitor and Information Services Category; Taronga Western Plains Zoo also picking up a golden gong in the Unique Accommodation category along with a silver in the Tourist Attraction category, while Old Dubbo Gaol won bronze in the Cultural Tourism category.

Zoo boss Matthew Fuller and member of the zoo’s accommodation management team Hugh Arnold accepted the gold for

Unique Accommodation and silver for Best Attraction.

“To win two awards at this level is a wonderful achievement,” an excited Fuller said.

“This is the second consecutive year we’ve won the Unique Accommodation award and the third consecutive year we’ve won an award in the Attraction category.

“We’re extremely proud of our zoo and the amazing day and overnight experiences that

we are delivering to our guests.

The zoo has an outstanding reputation as a tourist attraction as well as for its work in wildlife conservation and education.”

Gold winners will progress to the 2015 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in February 2016.

According to CEO of Inland NSW, Graham Perry, winning the awards is “just the icing on the cake” for many recipients.

“The main advantage of entering the awards is the discipline and the focus that the application process delivers to their business. By entering annually it provides an opportunity to review their business on an annual basis, to identify improvements and to deliver what is essentially their business plan for the next 12 months.”

Step up with a hand up for young people TAFE Western Institute staff were recognised this week at the annual Institute Director’s Awards held at the Forbes College this week.

Tracey Elliott was presented with an Individual and Leadership Award, Connie Ah See a Leadership Award, while Karen Forrester, Fiona Westcott and Kerry Evans each picked up Customer Service Awards. Other award winners included Catherine Dorin (Award for Sustainable Practice) and Achievement by a Team Awards went to various departments including Dubbo/Broken Hill Construction.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo representatives Hugh Arnold and Matthew Fuller.

ORGANISATIONS across the region are being urged to come up with fresh and innovative ideas to help vulnerable young people to find and keep jobs.

Following the release last week of grant guidelines for the new Empowering YOUth Initiatives, Member for Parkes Mark

This cheetah bound to prosper HE team at Taronga Western Plains Zoo is celebrating the arrival of the zoo’s second cheetah cub this year. Keepers are helping to hand-raise the female cub after its mother was unable to look after it.

The cub was one of two born to firsttime mother Kyan back in October, but sadly the other cub was stillborn.

As single cubs are often rejected by their mothers, keepers monitored the mother and cub closely. When they noticed Kyan’s attention to the cub decreasing, especially when feeding, the decision was made to intervene.

“We were watching Kyan closely when we knew there was only one cub and eventually decided to intervene to give the cub the best chance of survival,” said keeper, Jordan Michelmore.

The cub is now receiving roundthe-clock care, with a team of keepers staying overnight and feeding her five times a day.

Michelmore said the cub is developing well, growing in strength and starting to chase balls and stalk play toys. She weighed in at a healthy 1.7kg during her most recent health check, a promising result for the team who are helping to raise the cub.

T

The new cheetah cub born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo is the facilities second to be born and survive, this year. PHOTO: TARONGA WESTERN PLAINS ZOO

This is the second cheetah cub to be hand-raised at the zoo this year.

Another female cub, named Siri, also

needed a helping hand from keepers after being rejected by her mother.

Siri made headlines earlier this year

as the first cheetah cub in Australia to be introduced to a companion dog, a retriever cross mastiff puppy named Iris. The pair has since formed a strong bond, living together day and night. Keepers hope this second cub will develop a similar bond with Iris and have already facilitated a controlled introduction between the two.

“Iris has such a placid nature. When she was introduced to the new cub she simply laid down and rolled on her back while the cub sniffed and explored her new friend,” said Jordan.

These introductions will increase under the watchful eye of keepers, with the long term goal of introducing the two female cubs.

“Cheetahs are classified as vulnerable, so every birth is important. Although hand-raising can be challenging, this cub and Siri may one day have very important roles to play for their species as part of the regional breeding program,” said cheetah supervisor, Jennifer Conaghan.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo was the first zoo in Australia to successfully breed Cheetah, with litters in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2013 and this year.

COME ALONG & ENJOY THE:

CHILDREN’S BOOK EXPO FRIDAY 4TH DECEMBER WITH ACTIVITIES 3PM TO 6PM

* STORY READING DURING THE DAY 11AM, 3PM * LUCKY DOOR PRIZE $100 GIFT VOUCHER DRAWN * FREE GIFT PACKAGE FOR ALL CHILDREN

AT THE END OF THE DAY

* PICK UP YOUR COPY OF THE COLOURING-IN COMPETITION PRIZE DRAWN THURSDAY, 17 DECEMBER 2015

* MEET

THE AUTHOR: PAT CLARKE

She will be featuring her latest children’s book: “The Adventures of a One-Eyed Chook – Return of the Fox”

3 0% O FF RR P

AND BROWSE OUR NEW CHILDREN’S BOOKS SHELVES:

UNTIL 12 DECEMBER 2015, TITLES BY RA SPRATT ARE DISCOUNTED 30% OFF R.R.P

PIC K U P YO U R FR EE C O PY! AVAI LA BLE NOW

The Book Connection 178 Macquarie Street, Dubbo • OPEN 7 DAYS ͻ ;ϬϮͿ ϲϴϴϮ ϯϯϭϭ ͻ ǁǁǁ͘ŬĐŽŶŶĞĐƟŽŶ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ

SEVEN DAYS

Coulton has appealed to notfor-profit community groups and organisations to put forward proposals for innovative projects that offer a different approach to those currently available.

“The Government recognises that some young people face greater barriers to finding and holding onto a job than their peers, for example those who leave school early or come from a different cultural background,” Coulton said this week.

“These vulnerable young Australians face greater challenges and have a higher risk of longterm unemployment and a life of welfare dependency.” $50 million has become available for Empowering YOUth Initiatives. The first round of projects set up under the Empowering YOUth Initiatives will focus on young people who are living in regional areas with high levels of social disadvantage, early school leavers, Indigenous, or from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.

The first round of projects will commence from March 2016.

Couple robbed near Coonamble POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a couple was robbed at a rest stop near Coonamble at

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

the weekend.

About 1.30pm on Saturday, November 28, a man and a woman aged in their 70s stopped their white Toyota Landcruiser at the Coonamble rest stop on the Castlereagh Highway.

A short time after they stopped, a man opened the rear door and sat in the 4WD. He pointed a sawn-off rifle at the couple and demanded cash.

They complied and handed over cash before the man got out of the Toyota and walked away.

The couple drove away from the location and contacted police. Officers from Castlereagh Local Area Command attended and initiated an investigation, with appeals for witnesses who may have been in the area or have information that may assist with their inquiries to contact Coonamble Police Station on 6822 1488 or Crime Stoppers.

Police would like to speak to a man who was described as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander in appearance, aged in his 30s, large build and unshaven. He was wearing a black cap with a neck flap and motif on the front, a dark t-shirt, blue and black chequered shorts.

Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page:https://nsw.

crimestoppers.com.au/

Cannabis seized near Moree POLICE have seized 56kg of cannabis with an estimated street value in excess of $1 million following a vehicle stop in the state’s western region.

About 2am on Saturday, November 28 police attached to Barwon Local Area Command stopped a silver Toyota on the Newell Highway, Boggabilla, for the purpose of a random breath test.

Police subsequently searched the vehicle, allegedly locating 56kg of cannabis.

Two men, aged 30 and 37, were arrested and taken to Moree Police Station.

Both men were charged with supply of a prohibited drug – commercial quantity, deal with property suspected of being proceeds of crime and possess prohibited drug.

The 37 year-old man was also charged with knowingly deal with proceeds of crime.

Both men were refused bail.

Roundabout closure as night work begins THE Roads and Maritime Services and Dubbo City Council have advised the Cobra Street/ Wheelers Lane roundabout near Orana Mall will be closed

for a period of six nights to allow for road works from Sunday, December 6 until Saturday, December 12. These works will be carried out between the hours of 10pm and 6am in order to minimise disruption to the public.

Directional signage will be in place and alternate routes will be signposted.

Council apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.

Energy bills on the rise for Dubbo households DUBBO residents are encouraged to review their current energy contract to ensure they are on the most cost effective plan ahead of summer.

More than 40 per cent of NSW households have experienced “bill shock” after their last energy bill was higher than expected, with 58 per cent of NSW households reporting their energy bills have increased over the past 12 months.

Results from a nationwide survey by iSelect found a quarter of NSW households are having to cut back

on other areas in order to pay their energy bills with the survey suggesting around 190,000 NSW households have been on a hardship program during the past 24 months.

According to the survey, with an above-average summer forecast it is likely many Dubbo households will continue to feel the heat when it comes to energy bills this summer. While most people are prepared for large winter energy bills, higher than expected bills during summer can often take consumers by surprise.

Keeping air-conditioners running around the clock and the extra energy consumed by Dubbo kids at home using TVs, computers and air-con during the school holidays can result in summer energy bill shock.

NSW households nominated the ability to pay energy bills in installments – which helps avoid bill shock – as the most important factor apart from price when choosing an energy provider.

Off-peak usage plans and the ability to manage energy accounts were also important to NSW households.

OUR FRESH IS BEST

SAVE $1.79 Washed Potatoes

1 69

$

Calypso Mangoes

2 90

$

ea

2 $5 for

kg

MULTI- BUY

White or Yellow Peaches

Minute Steak

1399

$

kg

3 99

$

kg

HUGE S G SAVIN

SAVE $12

SAVE $4

SAVE $1.09 Large Rockmelon

SAVE $2

SAVE $1.98

Pork Medallions

1299

$

kg

Orana Mall, Dubbo Phone: 6885 4883 Trading Hours: MonDAY - SUNDAY: 7am -9pm ON SALE THURSDAY 3RD DECEMBER UNTIL TUESDAY 8TH DECEMBER 2015.

WWW.BERNARDISIGA.COM.AU While stocks last. Commercial quantities not supplied. We reserve the right to correct printing errors.

IGANS10219_021215

8

CHRISTMAS SPECIALS 12 DAYS OF TECH-MAS SPECIALS

FROM 5TH TO 17TH DECEMBER 2015

On the 5th day of December...

On the 6th day of December...

GAMING PC

MUSIC LOVERS $75

Ultimate gaming tower • 5. GHZ • 16. G Ram • 8 x Core FX 9590 • 500 SSD • 2.TB * $2500 • Radeon R9 and much more

*

$10

*

INCLUDES A SURPRISE SANTA GIFT!

Sonigear Pandora Bluetooth speaker

Sonigear AirPlug

On the 7th dayof December...

On the 8th dayof December...

TABLETS & LAPTOPS

COMPUTER ACCESSORIES Trend Max Security 10 two device

$250

*

$275

*

Archos Childpad 10.1” with education software

*

Google Nexus 7” 1B005A tablet with B/T and Camera

On the 9th dayof December...

$1195

Toshiba 2 in 1 multitouch tablet, 11.6”, 128G SSD, 4.G

COMPUTERS RELIABLE • QUALITY • SERVICE

$25

*

Cordless rechargeable mouse

LCD/LED monitors

CHRISTMAS SERVICE FROM

$790

*

Entry level systems, 8 G Ram, 1. Tb HDD, Win 10

We are specialised in full IT service, repair and maintenance.

$145

*

Christmas Offer: A full service on a laptop or desktop, virus clean out and new Trend 2016 AV Ask us more details on our other services..

111 Talbragar St, Dubbo (Near Gun Pro) Ph: 6884 4600 • Fax: 6884 9354 www.cbmcomputers.com.au facebook.com/cbmdubbo

twitter.com/CBMDubbo

*Terms and conditions on our website and instore.

FROM

$190

*

On the 10th dayof December...

HOME AND BUSINESS

*

$65

10

FEATURE.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

HIGH IN THE SKY

Investigating paranormal activity UFO sightings and paranormal activity have long been the subject of debate. Sceptics love to debunk the phenomena and those who have experienced the inexplicable just want to be heard. With smartphones now in everyone’s back pockets, the opportunity to capture anomalies is far greater than ever. Dubbo Weekender spoke with two paranormal investigators who are lifting the lid on unusual activity right here in the Central West. WORDS Lisa Minner

ENTRAL Western NSW has been named a hotspot for UFO activity according to paranormal expert Damien Nott who is said to have created one of the largest video and photographic archives of the phenomenon in Australia, if not the world.

While briefly living in Dunedoo in 2012, Nott’s world was turned upside down when the night skies over the township of 802 people came alive with

C

FEATURE.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

Investigator Damien Nott

Explaining the unexplainable

I’m not saying what I am seeing is extra-terrestrial, but there is definitely something going on.”

– Damien Nott, paranormal investigator inexplicable flying objects.

He filmed them, photographed them and invited others out to witness what was almost a nightly event.

Since that time Nott has continued to explore what he prefers to call UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon) and has become recognised world-wide as someone whose results have stood up to intense scrutiny.

His experience in Dunedoo is a time in his life he will never forget.

The second night he was in town, he witnessed a large glowing white sphere moving across the sky over a neighbour’s house. Nott says it made no sound and disappeared behind a large shed and disturbed the cattle to the point that the animals were highly distressed. The sightings continued and Nott decided to get his father and family members out and involved.

“It was incredible, there would be spheres going across the sky in zig-zag formations, coloured lights, so much activity,” he recalls.

As a result of his claims, the Australian media began following Nott’s story.

Some journalists even visited the property to see the activity for themselves.

According to Nott, they weren’t disappointed by what they witnessed.

“Reporters came out and saw two UFOs flying over the house that appeared to be chasing each other – it was like they were playing a game. The reporters couldn’t believe it and they contacted Airservices Australia, which told them it could have been satellites, but as we all know satellites don’t change speed and zig-zig around the sky.”

INCE the Dunedoo sightings, around 150 people have contacted Nott or come to visit him to see the phenomena for themselves.

“For the past year or so I have been getting calls from people from Dubbo, Coolah, Coonabarabran, Orange and another person from just outside Dunedoo the other day, who have been telling me they have had white spheres following their cars.”

Nott says he had the same experience while he was in the area, and that it also

S

11

happened to a cousin of his while she was driving to Dubbo from Dunedoo for work.

“The sphere moved around, came up alongside her car and then veered off at an angle and took off into the sky. She’s really scared and doesn’t want to drive on that road anymore.

“I’ve had a few people say they don’t drive on the road between Dunedoo and Dubbo any more; it seems to be a hot spot.”

At the time investigators from UFO Research Australia visited Dunedoo, they also witnessed UFOs over the house as soon as they came to town.

“They stayed at my uncle’s the second night and he was with them when they witnessed a UFO coming over and it had lights going around the perimeter of it.

“They said it was amazing. They had family with them and said it was the first time some of them had witnessed the phenomena.”

The group shone a strong torch light toward one of the UFOs and it turned its lights off and stopped, hovering in place for hours.

S a result of his thousands of sightings, videos and photographs, a documentary maker has put together a film featuring Nott and his UAP experiences. It’s called Australien Skies by Don Meers and was released in September 2015, with sell out screenings around the country and rave-reviews from SBS, according to Nott.

Going public about his experiences with aerial phenomena has provided an opportunity for people to contact Nott about their own sightings without fear of ridicule.

“I have had people call me up on their death beds – literally – and ask me to come and meet with them.

“They tell you about a sighting they had in the 70s that they’ve never been able to tell anyone about. It kills them not to have been able to share that knowledge with someone.”

Nott says he’s been seeing “anomalies” since he was nine years old. The

A

THE paranormal is defined as “beyond the range of normal experience or scientific explanation” – it has been debated, debunked and it’s also divided many.

Norman Lang knows firsthand. The paranormal investigator lives in Orange, NSW and also moderates the Central West Paranormal Investigators Facebook page.

Like Nott, Lang say there’s plenty going on around us that can’t be explained.

Growing up in Mendooran NSW, Norman’s family home set the scene for a couple of experiences that left him questioning his own sense of reality.

One night Lang and his father were home watching TV when a series of sharp knocks could be heard moving along the wall and then back in the opposite direction. It wasn’t anything that could be explained and it made their blood run cold. Lang says it was as though a person were walking along knocking at intervals along the wooden walls. It happened twice.

“My dad was an ex-shearer; he didn’t believe in God or ghosts or anything like that. He was pretty rigid in his thinking and he looked at me and I looked at him and we both said a few choice words and he got up and left.

“It was enough to make him sit up; he was really rattled. We had no answer for it.”

On another occasion Lang and his mother and father had another encounter at the farmhouse. They spotted a series of bright lights coming down slowly in the back paddock. Startled by what he was seeing, Lang’s father started to run towards them and then they just disappeared altogether.

“I have since heard that Dunedoo and Mendooran are big UFO areas, so who knows? But that’s what we saw.”

Later, as an adult and father, the encounter that shook Lang the most still haunts him today.

“I got up early one morning and came out of the bathroom and I thought my two year old daughter was standing against the wall nearby, “I said “come on sweetie I’ll put you back to bed” and as I turned around toward what I thought was my daughter, this black shadowy figure rushed toward me and I was literally picked up, my feet off the ground, and thrown against the door frame and then it disappeared,” he recalls.

“I eventually went back to bed, shaken by it. I didn’t know what to make of it given I was fit and around 200 pounds at the time.”

As a result, Lang was consumed with researching the paranormal.

“I began borrowing library books and reading whatever I could to gain some knowledge about what had happened to me.

“People who say nothing like this exists? I really have to beg to differ.”

CENTRAL WEST PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS (CWPI) developed as a result of Lang’s curiosity about the paranormal. He found there were plenty of similar groups operating in metro areas, but there wasn’t much happening this side of the Blue Mountains. Initially it was a group of like-minded friends and that has now grown to include a community of 1000 Facebook followers.

The group has been contacted by a number of different people for advice linked to paranormal activity in their homes.

Lang says their investigators normally ask the occupants to describe what’s going on. Then they check the building to see where the “high energy” areas are registering.

Many things can be resolved through logic, he says – like an old house settling, creaking floorboards and banging pipes. Once these things are accounted for, the group takes photos and video and voice recordings in the “hotspots”.

Lang says he had an unusual enquiry recently from a police officer. It was regarding potential paranormal activity in a house in a nearby town and will be the next CWPI project in the coming weeks.

“It’s an old house and we were contacted by a police officer regarding inexplicable things that were happening at the home.

“For example, large round holes keep appearing in the windows, they are perfectly round and their children had seen what appeared to be the shadowy figure of an old lady in the yard, they couldn’t explain it.”

CWPI is also contacted by people around the country for assistance.

“I had a woman call that had had some paranormal activity in a house she’d bought that was a former nursing home, “She said she kept hearing voices in the building and was quite distressed by it so we referred her to a group closer by in Melbourne to investigate,” Lang says.

The group recently travelled to Young to assess a schoolhouse built in the 1800s and according to Lang, each time they entered the building the batteries in all their recording equipment and devices would drain.

“It was very strange, when we’d go outside the equipment would work again and every now and then inside, a coloured ball of light would appear and then disappear again.”

Lang says he understands why people are reluctant to speak out about unusual phenomena, given the stigma fuelled by sceptics.

“Honestly, sometimes I’m still reluctant to speak out about it around some people and I know a lot of other people are as well.”

Investigator Norman Lang of CWPI. PHOTO: LISA MINNER

12

FEATURE.

This black shadowy figure rushed toward me and I was literally picked up, my feet off the ground, and thrown against the door frame and then it disappeared.”

– Norman Lang, paranormal investigator

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

first encounter he had was with a red ball of light the size of a basketball.

“It followed me down the street. I was on my skateboard. I stopped and stared up at it and it stopped and then it followed me.

I freaked out and ran home and told my mum and she tried to explain it away as being an aeroplane.”

Since then, Nott has been researching phenomena to try to make sense of the things he’s seen.

Until the mass sightings in Dunedoo in 2012, Nott had only experienced a handful of personal sightings.

But one that stands out most vividly occurred when he was working on the Olympic Torch for the year 2000 Olympics opening ceremony.

“I had one stop over my head – it was a metallic looking disc. The outside was spinning and the inside was perfectly still and it was reflecting the sun.

“It didn’t come to a complete stop; it kept on moving and then zipped off really quickly toward the city and was gone.”

A large percentage of his sightings don’t appear to be solid objects or what you might consider UFOs, but are instead shapes that have a plasma-like appearance.

Nott says the same kind of footage is being captured around the world in places like Norway and Chile.

“This phenomena could be a natural things that we don’t know about yet but they seem to have an intelligent behaviour.”

OTT understands that people who haven’t seen anything strange themselves tend to think he’s crazy. But the proof, he says, is in the results.

“We’re not just seeing it, we’re filming it

N

and since Dunedoo, I’m now up to nearly 2000 photographs and videos of these objects.”

One of the strangest phenomena involves Nott himself. Given how many sightings he’s had, many people have speculated that he attracts the UFOs and spheres, or that perhaps he’s an “abductee”.

He’s not sure about that and admits he’s never seen an alien nor has he any memory of any encounters, but he shares a disturbing story about a small object he discovered under his skin.

“In the documentary Australien Skies, I finally came out about something I’ve known about since I was a child,” he tells Weekender.

“It’s a small metallic tube underneath my

skin near the collarbone.

“I had always wondered about it and after the whole thing with Dunedoo I thought I’d get it checked out.”

He underwent an ultrasound and things just began to get even creepier from there.

“One of the women checking it saw it move twice, right in front of both of us, so she went and got another doctor to come and help her and the same thing happened in front of him; they had to pinch it to get the ultrasound.

“You should have seen the look on the doctor’s face – he didn’t know what was going on.”

To date, no one has any idea what it is but according to Nott, it’s been labelled a “foreign particle”. He’s had the option of

Unit 2, 57 Douglas Mawson Dr Dubbo

FEATURE.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

13

Look! Up in the sky...

EMILY FALSON, Wellington: At the time I was living at Comabella, 30 kilometres out of Wellington and about 50 kilometres from Dunedoo. I was sitting out on the verandah of a farm house I was living in, with my neighbour. It was sheep grazing country and it was beautiful and this particular afternoon when the sun was going down I thought I saw a white hovering light, not a plane, not car lights. It was about 400 metres away. I said to my neighbour, can you see that? And she said yes; so we both knew we were seeing the same thing and we just sat and watched it. It rose up to tree level and she went inside to get the phone to use the camera but by the time she opened the screen door and went inside it went up again and then it was gone. It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. We both looked at each wide-eyed and I said, Now I need a drink!”

PHOTO: LISA MINNER

having it removed but hasn’t done so.

“Who knows maybe that’s part of the reason I see so many things? I have no idea.”

OTT’S group, Australian Aerial Phenomenon Investigations, conducts its own research and tries to make the results as bullet-proof as possible.

“When I am in the city and spot something, I contact a couple of the other members to see if they can photograph it from their location in the city to corroborate the sighting.

“We’ll get in our positions and try to film the same UFO from different angles to get the best evidence we can.”

N

The group also runs night watches for interested members of the public around Sydney.

“I love it when they see something; the look on their faces – it just shatters their paradigm. It changes their lives and thoughts on everything.”

Next year Nott will travel to America where he will meet with documentary maker Michael Moore and actor Jeff Bridges who co-host a niche film festival in Los Angeles which is by invitation only. The actors have seen the documentary, Australian Skies, and have invited Nott and Meers to attend the screening.

On the whole, Nott is determined not to tell people what to think or believe.

“I just want to leave it up to people to decide based on what we are showing them.”

That so much hoaxing goes on is a shame, he says, given it feeds the public’s cynical view on the subject.

“There are sites that put out fake videos for money, clicks on their website equals money, they don’t care what it does to those of us who have genuine footage. These sites do us a real disservice.

“I’m just trying to show people there’s something out there. I’m not saying what I am seeing is extra-terrestrial, but there is definitely something going on.”

Asked what he’d say to the cynical among us, Nott gives a measured

response.

“Take the time to look up at the sky, get away from the TV and go out and look up, you may see something that surprises and challenges you.”

He’s looking forward to returning in Dunedoo in February to do some more skywatching with friends.

Peter Gibson, media spokesperson from CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority), the motto of which is Safe Skies for All, told Dubbo Weekender that “very occasionally someone will ring up and say they have seen something odd”.

“Well yeah, you saw something odd but we can’t shed any light on it.”

ADVERTORIAL

To market to market at Lazy River A VISIT to Lazy River Estate is always a treat, no matter what the occasion.

Nestled on the banks of the beautiful Macquarie River just a few minutes’ easy drive from Dubbo, the city’s premier event venue is the perfect place to escape and enjoy some down-time.

But next weekend, there’s an even better reason to pop out to Lazy River, with the second of its phenomenally popular “pop up” markets being held on Sunday, December 13.

And if you were lucky enough to be among the thousands who visited the ¿UVW RI WKH PDUNHW GD\V KHOG HDUOLHU WKLV year, you’ll know it’s the only place to be next weekend.

“We couldn’t believe how many people came out to support us...”

7KH UHVSRQVH WR WKH ¿UVW PDUNHW GD\ can only be described as extraordinary.

According to Lazy River Estate’s events manager, Kelly Reynolds, the day exceeded all expectation – and then some!

“We were expecting perhaps a few hundred. Instead, we estimate there were probably more like two and a half thousand!” .HOO\ VD\V KRVWLQJ WKH ¿UVW PDUNHWV was a learning experience for Lazy River.

“We were completely overwhelmed with the level of support shown by locals for this concept of showcasing regional products and produce. We couldn’t believe how many people came

out to support us and the stall holders, and we were taken a bit by surprise,” she laughs.

But that’s given Lazy River the opportunity to take feedback on board DQG WR PDNH VRPH VLJQL¿FDQW FKDQJHV WR how the markets will be presented and run this time around.

The major change for these markets, says Kelly, is that they’ll be held on the picturesque lawns of Lazy River, allowing plenty of room for people to move around the increased number of stalls on offer.

“Everyone will be able to get around in comfort and to browse at a leisurely pace and see everything that’s on offer.

“We’ve also engaged local charity Pink Angels to run the parking, allowing for people to park inside the grounds of Lazy River, rather than having to park along the sides of the Old Dubbo Road.

“So there’ll be plenty of parking available for a gold coin donation to Pink Angels,” says Kelly, adding that Lazy River is keen to support the popular and worthy breast-cancer support group.

Lazy River’s function centre will be kept free of market stalls this time around, says Kelly. “This means people will be able to come in and sit down in comfort and have a coffee and something to eat in comfort and with plenty of space and enjoy the free live music that we’ll have going for everyone’s enjoyment.”

There will be more than 50 stall holders setting up shop at the Lazy River Estate Pop-Up markets next

weekend, all of which are local to the region and offering a diverse and unique range of products from food to jewellery, homewares, children’s wear and leather goods, to designer fashion, art and crafts, collectibles, gifts and all points in between.

Apart from Lazy River’s famed culinary delights – which will include a gourmet takeaway menu – there will be a number of other food options on offer during the markets, with something for everyone and a great range of fresh regional produce to sample.

Lazy River Estate has a long and proud history of supporting local and regional producers, businesses and charities and in hosting these markets, stays true to that philosophy.

“We’re locals – and we want to support locals. That’s really important to us. We have some incredibly talented and visionary producers, artists and creatives in this region, and it’s important that we help to showcase our region whenever and however possible.”

So if you have some time on your hands next Sunday, December 13 – or if you can make time – pop out to the popup markets. Bring a blanket, spread out on the lawns and enjoy the view and the music with a glass of wine or two – then stock up for Christmas, support your region, and have a lazy (River) day out! Lazy River Estate’s Winter pop-up markets, June 2015.

Gates open at 10am and the markets run until 2pm. Parking is by gold coin donation.

For more information, phone Lazy River Estate on 6882 2111 or go to www.lazyriverestate.com.au

14

REGIONAL ROADTRIPPER.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Licensees of the Cross Roads Hotel Amy Leslie and Mal Reaburn.

English backpacker and barmaid, Ellie Brown.

… just might be gold at Tomingley’s pub It’s a hotel that’s been around since gold was first discovered in the tiny township of Tomingley, and it’s still on everyone’s lips with the Tomingley Gold Mine up and running now right next door. But for those regulars – and miners – who seek a cold amber drop it comes in the form of beer; a XXXX Gold. Dubbo Weekender spoke to recent licensees Mal Reaburn and Amy Leslie about their plans to cater to miners, patrons and their many visitors who travel along the busy Newell Highway to visit the Cross Roads Hotel. WORDS and PHOTOGRAPHY Lisa Minner

HE Cross Roads Hotel at Tomingley near Dubbo has been a welcome sight for many a weary traveller wanting a beer, a counter meal and some genuine country hospitality.

Constructed in the early 1880s the pub was initially called Berry’s Royal Hotel. It has burned down and been rebuilt a couple of times, like many country pubs back in the day when a spark from a fireplace could reduce a hotel to ashes overnight. The first time it went up in flames was early one morning in 1883.

Nothing was saved and Mr Berry, the publican who was uninsured, was sadly out of pocket 1500 pounds. After being rebuilt in 1939, it burned down again after a fire started in a parlour. The pub was made of weatherboard and burned quickly; nothing was saved. However, this time it was insured and recouped the owners 2650 pounds.

The hotel was eventually rebuilt from brick and has proudly stood alongside the Newell

T

Highway ever since – a popular drop-in, and said to be the halfway point between Brisbane and Melbourne.

FTER only eight weeks, new licensees Mal Reaburn and Amy Leslie are loving their new project and have big plans to refurbish the hotel with the support of the Newton family, which owns the hotel.

The couple are no strangers to running businesses. They also own the cafe at Dubbo Regional Airport as well as Two Doors Tapas and Wine Bar in Macquarie Street in nearby Dubbo.

Raeburn says he’s looking forward to bringing “exciting new food to Tomingley”. The couple sees the Cross Roads Hotel as perfectly positioned for the thousands of cars, bikes and trucks that pass by day and night along the Newell. In fact, in any 24 hour period, it’s estimated a whopping 2200 trucks pass the front doors of the Cross Roads Hotel, situated 57 kil-

A

ometres from Dubbo and around 18 kilometres from Peak Hill.

The couple wants to open up the Tomingley experience to people who may not usually visit because of the distances involved.

“We’ve just bought a courtesy bus that will service Dubbo, Parkes, Peak Hill and Narromine,” Raeburn tells Weekender.

“It’s a 20 seater and we bought it from Narromine High School- we’re excited about it all.”

Asked what he and Leslie love most about the hotel, Raeburn doesn’t hesitate: it’s the people.

“They are really nice people, all of them, it’s been so enjoyable; the regulars have become like friends. We know what’s going on in their lives and they know what’s going on in ours, “Every single local here would go out of their way to help you, if anything goes wrong they’re all there.”

Raeburn cites two locals, Al and Pete, who

Every single local here would go out of their way to help you, if anything goes wrong they’re all there.” – Licensee Mal Raeburn

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

come in every day for a couple of beers.

“They certainly keep us entertained, those two! They keep us up-to-date with what’s going on.”

HE menu available at the hotel is something both Raeburn and Leslie are looking forward to building on.

The Cross Roads has a reputation for “truckie sized-meals” and that won’t change but the range will be more gourmet while still focusing on pub favourites, including theme nights.

“We are going to add some beautiful wines to the bar too, that’s been a bit lacking until now, so we’re hoping to cater to

T

the women with that.”

The inside of the pub is going through a refurbishment, which has begun with the accommodation.

Leslie says at the moment the hotel’s three double rooms are attracting miners, contractors and truckies.

The open area on the side of the hotel where food is currently served will be turned into a more functional and attractive space, too.

“New paint and carpet, new furniture and modern decor is the plan.”

Raeburn is surprised at the number of people who come to visit the hotel, given it sits in a tiny, transient township.

“We have a truck stop across

REGIONAL ROADTRIPPER.

From Peak Hill, Grant Byrne, Darryl Dow, Lloyd Johnson, Phil Lammond, Brenton Byrne and Lee Byrne were enjoying lunch at the Crossroads Hotel.

15

16

REGIONAL ROADTRIPPER.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

LANCE TAYLOR, who works for Moffat’s Transport is from Dalby QLD. He’s in Tomingley for harvest season.

“We’ll be heading back soon, harvest is coming to an end and I’ve been sleeping in my truck across the road but coming to the Cross Roads for a feed and a couple of beers at night. It’s a really good pub, I will definitely be back.”

NICHOLAS PEARSE from Wee Waa, also here for harvest, has been working with Taylor. “We love harvest; we can make a lot of money and we cart into a lot of different places so that’s exciting too. The pub’s terrific; the amenities are great, everything you want in a pub and they don’t mind cooking you a feed after closing time if you need it. They really work in with us.”

the road so we have a lot of trucks coming in each night. It’s a fantastic pub; we are shocked by how many people have been coming here.”

The couple says the pub hires backpackers to work in the hotel behind the bar. They’ve just had a staff turnover after the last girls stayed for seven weeks.

“We advertise on Gumtree for the backpackers and they’ve been fantastic to have working here."

OMINGLEY has a population of around 50 people. Now the new Tomingley gold mine is up and running right next door, its added another 200 people to the community, and thanks to that, business is good at the Cross Roads Hotel.

The Tomingley Gold Project exploration area extends from about eight kilometres north of Parkes to just north of Tomingley, a distance of approximately 65 kilometres. The project comprises four exploration licences totalling some 290 km2.

“The mine supports us a lot and down the track we’d like to put in some more accommodation to cater to them,” Raeburn says.

The pub – not surprisingly – has had a few run-ins with the law and is linked to some scandal and mayhem.

In 1897, long before Dubbo’s Taronga Western

T

Nathan is a regular who moved from the central coast recently to reside in Tomingley. He loves the Cross Roads Hotel and moved to the area to work on a nearby fish breeding farm. “I love it here and I can go pigging whenever I like, it suits my work and my love of hunting and they pour a great XXXX Gold. It’s a great community, top people.

Plains Zoo was a twinkle in anyone's eye, a liontamer named Hugh Vernon who worked for Eroni Bros Circus was attacked at Tomingley during a performance by a lion named Wallace. The attack occurred when Vernon entered the cage.

He fought back, but was knocked down and injured during a second attack. He “was rescued from certain death” by another performer who distracted the lion while Vernon escaped from the cage.

In 1927 Stanley Griffith attempted to murder Tomingley local Charles Hando and after doing so, Griffith committed suicide. The Peak Hill newspaper said Griffith had been staying at the Tomingley Hotel near the farm two days previously, where he had kept to himself and had his meals served in his room.

When police searched his body they found several letters written by the dead man. They were addressed “Dear Stan” and signed, Charlie.

And in 1929 the licensee of the then Royal Hotel – a Mr Boyd – was charged with selling “adulterated liquor” in the form of a bottle of whisky said to contain 14.5 per cent water.

The publican was fined one pound as a first offence plus six pounds for railway fares and the purchase of a sample of the liquor; two pounds for analysis of the dodgy grog and 14 days to pay for it all.

A photo of the pub hangs above the fireplace, showing an entourage of white utes out the front.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

Alcon Fish and Tracie Hartley from Dubbo stop for a coldie after a ride on their Harleys.

REGIONAL ROADTRIPPER.

17

18

PROFILE.

Bella Tipping, described as Australia’s youngest entrepreneur, creating services for the disabled

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

PROFILE.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

“If you think it, you can do it” Success is child’s play for young entrepreneur While many kids her age engage with technology just for fun, 13 year-old Dubbo school student Bella Tipping is quickly finding her feet in online commerce and this week launched Stage II of her key project in an effort to help the disabled. She encourages anyone her age to have a go with their ideas, even when detractors dismiss you for just being a kid. WORDS and PHOTOGRAPHY Yvette Aubusson-Foley NLESS you’ve been living under a rock, you may well have heard Bella Tipping – a Dubbo student described as Australia’s youngest entrepreneur. The gentle natured teen has made frequent media appearances and interviews since launching the travel review website in September this year targeting children, called Kidzcationz.

This week she’s making headlines again with the introduction of a new feature to her site which will allow people with disabilities and their families to research the most appropriate venue for their needs, based on other people’s experiences.

By doing this, it’s hoped the tourism industry will be educated and encouraged to better support people with special needs and in turn, benefit by capturing a previously untapped market.

Dubbo Weekender met with Bella to hear about Stage II of the website’s devel-

U

opment, which she announced recently in Dubbo with the Minister of Disability Services John Ajaka.

“The Stage II launch is about kids or people with special needs. It’s about inclusion,” says Bella. “Kidzcationz is about everyone in the family having fun and being known as that. Places like hotels and restaurants don’t exactly support people with special needs whether that’s people with wheel chairs or autism.

“The next stage of Kidzcationz is pretty much to give people with special needs a platform to find places to go.”

Bella has been motivated by the experience of a family friend, and Living Life My Way ambassador, Denzel Peters (featured in Dubbo Weekender’s February 13, 2015 edition).

“My friend’s dad had an accident a few years ago and he’s now quadriplegic so whenever they go for a holiday it takes

19

20

PROFILE.

them more than a week to find a hotel or a restaurant where they can go,” Bella says.

“Usually when they get there, the room isn’t really designed for his needs. So, the motel will have said it’s a disability room but they can’t see it, because there’s no photos of it online.”

According to the dynamic youngster, TripAdvisor and similar sites only feature the standard rooms – they won’t have pictures of the disability rooms.

“His wheelchair weighs more than 200 kilos and if there’s a little lip at the door he can’t actually get in,” she explains.

Traditionally, the disability market is not recognised I’ve learned by the hotelier industry as a so much. target market, but with the I’ve gained rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme a lot more (NDIS) and its consequent, confidence individualised funding, there is already a shift in with who I am. perspective when it comes to I’m a lot more respite, which in the past has often been centre-based, to confident with the reality of actually being speaking.” able to go on a break with your family.

“Kidzcationz will be that venue that helps you identify the places best equipped to support people with disability and special needs. There’s nothing like it,” says Bella.

“Only someone with a family member with special needs can appreciate how difficult it can be to navigate suitable venues, restaurants and accommodation options when trying to arrange the family holiday.

“Now they can access and post their reviews on kidzacationz.com and this will help them and many others.

“We know that holidays with a child or family member with disability can be chaotic, nerve wracking and extremely stressful. In fact, it is often so stressful that many families either don’t travel or if they do, it tends not to be the holiday that they wanted to take because they cannot find an accommodation option equipped to support their needs,” she adds.

HE young entrepreneur has a personal motto – “If you can think it, you can do it” – and plans to take her philanthropic motives beyond hotels and restaurants to the airline industry.

Released on International Disability Day this week, Bella issued personal video messages to Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin Group and Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas.

Again, Denzel Peters’ circumstances have inspired her – after she learned he could not travel to his childhood home in South Africa to visit his mother one last time before she died. His elderly father is also now ill and he is naturally concerned.

“If Denzel were to travel by plane he’d have to be lifted into a standard seat and harnessed in place and the cushion he’s sitting on isn’t designed for his needs, he can get pressure sores and he’d also be at risk of further injury,” Bella says.

“These personal messages to Richard Branson and Alan Joyce are about trying to make aircraft more disability friendly and to have seats that can be removed to allow people to travel in their own motorised wheelchairs.”

While retrospective fit-outs are unlikely, Bella’s message aims to encourage airlines to consider the needs of the disabled when they upgrade their fleet and consider having some seats the can be removed if needed, to enable an opportunity to lock in a personal wheelchair.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Bella at work on her online enterprises

T

HEN not developing Kidzcation, Bella has another pet project, quite literally.

Petcationz is an Instagram account she started for posting pictures of her rescued dog, Jed. “My dog Jed is a rescue dog I got two years ago. I made an Instagram account on him and it’s really popular and I wanted a way I could get more followers. I asked Mum what she thought I could do and she said you need to have more humour and character.

“I made up an agency called PetzForce and it’s all of his followers and they go on missions around the world, and they solve little crimes. He currently has more than 15,000 followers.”

On Jed’s birthday – or General Jed as he’s known on Instagram – Bella received dozens of gifts sent from all over the world.

Bella and General Jed, the inspiration for an Instagram account with 15,000 followers.

W

Bella Tipping with the Minister for Disability Services, John Ajaka. PHOTO: RUBY JANETSKI

Bella writes the stories together with her mum, Bernadette, who gives advice on including adult humour.

“There’s no rudeness; it’s lovely and funny, and it’s in engaging. People have also suggested she write a book, so Bella has written two. The first one comes out of the publishers in January. Georgina Hart is our illustrator and it’s just beautiful. They’re called, Jed Finds His Forever Home and General Jed,” says very proud mum.

Coming soon, is the Petzforce game app.

“I’ve learned so much. I’ve gained a lot more confidence with who I am. I’m a lot more confident with speaking. I’ve learned so much about travel, and media and so many things,” says Bella.

“She’s also learned to accept criticism,” says her mother. “When some of the things go up, some people just can’t help themselves. It has not all been an easy ride.”

Bella says she’s learned how to “manage a lot of things”.

“I’ve learned that once something’s up, you don’t go through the comments. I look at my stories but I won’t read anything because I don’t really care what people have to say bad about me.”

The enterprising student is supported by her parents, Bernadette and Paul, who encourage their daughter to explore the ecommerce opportunities in a way that is a positive experience for her. She does not, for example, have Facebook.

“I don’t like children who can’t communicate. You need to be able to hold a conversation. I’m not a fan of a lot of what’s online but if you have a really clever child who really wants to form a path in life, what do you do?” Bella explains.

She may well be setting herself up for a financially secure future which is going to benefit her other passions in life, which include becoming a race car driver; not a cheap sport!

“My passions are both cars and animals so when I’m older I’d preferably like to be a V8 Supercar race driver, or any kind of race car driver,” she says, citing her dad’s influence.

Another passion – to work with animals – gets Bella into a fit of the giggles when she admits she’d like to start a Doggy Day Spa and Café.

“You’d get to have the little dogs and put cucumbers on their eyes and give them little massages,” she laughs.

It again has inspired Bella to consider another element to her website for pet owners to identify hotels and restaurants where pets are welcome.

Then there’s a pet clothing line… because “If you can think it, you can do it.”

SAME DAY SERVICE We can do that!

INSTANT Printing & Colour Copying Delivery Australia Wide

Business Cards > Large Posters & Photos > Flyers > Graphic Design > Binding > Laminating > Invoice Books > Canvas prints & 3D photo blocks > ...and more! >

DUBBO SECRETARIAT COLOUR COPY SHOP 270 Macquarie St Dubbo (across from Bob Jane T-Mart) T: 02 6884 5577 ̥E: print@colourcopy.co ̥W: colourcopy.co

22

2X2.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Liz Rich and Marijka Brennan: Liz Rich and Marijka Brennan met through their sons but say it was really their shared love of tea, theatre and 90s music that cemented their friendship. The two have since created a fundraising initiative for Marijka’s son Riley, who has Cystic Fibrosis, and admit at times it has tested but strengthened their bond. AS TOLD TO Ella McMillan PHOTOGRAPHY Lisa Minner Marijka Brennan: E met at a five year old’s birthday party. I just happened to sit next to Lizzy and we hit it off. It all went from there – feels like yesterday.

We have come to understand each other better. We are very different people, and I think that’s what makes it work.

I’m still fairly new to the area so meeting Lizzy, who has been so supportive and understanding has really been very special. I don’t know what I would have done without her!

I have two little boys – Riley, 6 and Herbie, 4.

Riley was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) at two days old.

I didn’t cope very well. I didn’t know anything about CF. Like a lot of people, I knew someone that had an aunt that had a brother that had stepsister with CF, but I knew nothing about what the diagnosis meant. The only thing I knew was that it is an incurable, life shortening illness. I really hadn’t prepared for the possibility that there might be something wrong with my child. He was my first baby and I was naïve. I struggled to come to terms with the diagnosis and it was a huge learning curve. I felt like I’d been hit by a train. We stayed in hospital for nearly two months until I learnt how to care for all his needs. I had to learn about stoma care, physiotherapy, nebulisers and a lot of medication.

It was a lot to take on. I was very anxious all the time, hardly slept or ate and would stay up all night listening to the machines beep.

But over time things became calmer, easier and normal. Now, I can’t remember what it was like to not do these things every day. It’s our normal everyday life. And I have my hope back plus a lot more fight.

The hospital stays and seeing Riley sick or in pain – those are the hardest things. He has to have regular planned two week admissions to the children’s hospital at Westmead but the unexpected admissions are harder, and leaving my other son behind during these admissions is really hard. We miss him so much and he worries about his brother in hospital, and being five hours away you don’t get many visitors either.

Riley takes everything in his stride.

He really is an awesome little man. He never complains about taking 30-plus tablets a day or his twice-daily nebuliser and physio sessions.

The #Roses4Riley (project) is a charity calendar we (mainly Lizzy) have put together to raise funds and awareness for CF. At first we wanted it to be a calendar featuring local businesses nearly naked with strategically placed roses but it was quite hard to get volunteers! I always wanted to do some fundraising and awareness for CF and I had lots of ideas but not a clue how to start any of them.

Then I met Lizzy who is particularly talented at orchestrating these kinds of things. She kept me down to earth too.

W

2X2.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

23

Motherly love It’s her thoughtfulness and ability to put others before herself that inspires me about Liz. She’s one of those special friends that would go out on a limb for you. She’s so proactive. If she says she is going to do something you can be 100 per cent sure she will.

I think (working on #Roses4Riley) has brought us closer. How could it not?

She has seen firsthand what we do as a family. She has seen Riley well and sick and the impact it has on him. It has become a more personal project as time has gone on. Now we are more like sisters, and she will put me in my place if needed. I respect that.

When Riley was rushed to hospital in September with the bowel blockage, Lizzy rang nearly every day. Her little boy Archie sent Riley video messages and a lovely gift. It’s the little things that matter when you’re in those situations.

My most terrifying moment was when Riley choked on his own mucus when he was three months old because it was so thick. He turned blue and I thought he was going die. I remember being on the phone to the ambulance service saying “he’s not breathing, he’s not breathing”.

It was the most frightened I have ever been in my life.

Seeing my sons together is touching. They are a couple of goofballs and I wouldn’t change them for anything

in the world. Except for CF, but for the time being we are kicking its butt.

Liz Rich: UR friendship started through our boys but it was our shared love of cups of tea, musical theatre and 90’s music that cemented our friendship.

I have two boys – Archie, 5 and Albert, 2.

I found out about Riley’s CF in stages.

Archie asked for Tiny Teddies for preschool, which isn’t a preschool approved food and he told me Riley was allowed to have them. I didn’t know Riley at that stage so I asked the school and they told me he had CF and had different dietary requirements.

I went home and did some Internet research to find out some more about it so I could better discuss it with Archie.

I told him that when Riley was born he was very sick and the doctors needed to give him medicine. I explained that what Riley has is called Cystic Fibrosis and that he will have it for his whole life, but he takes medicine every day and does exercises to help make him feel better.

I am inspired by Marijka’s ability to wake up each day and just get on with it. She is an absolute trooper – incred-

O

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MACQUARIE VIEW From our families to yours, Merry Christmas!

May the festive season bring you joy and happiness.

Be sure to pop by in the New Year to see why

“Macquarie View is not just a new Estate but a new way of living”

Contact your agent of choice to find out more!

CONSTRUCTION BY Peter Allen 0419 248 693

Matt Hansen 0427 454 357

Laagan Whalan 0423 445 224

ibly brave and strong. Her family lives on the other side of the world and she has a child with a chronic illness. I live in the town I grew up in with family all around me – not having that “village” to help when you need would be very tough.

Cystic Fibrosis is mostly an invisible illness. From the outside it is incredibly difficult to tell Riley has a condition. He is a happy, funny, and lively little six year old. What the world can’t tell by looking at him is that every day he goes to battle. He is a fighter and a warrior and I only hope that in Riley’s lifetime a cure can be found for CF. He’s such a loveable little guy and seeing him sick is heartbreaking.

Meeting Riley and knowing so little about the condition I wanted to do something to boost CF’s profile. Marijka had been talking about doing some fundraising and, having recently done a couple of fundraisers for brain cancer, she approached me for ideas. I suggested we do a calendar and the idea grew from there. If you ask a child to say Cystic Fibrosis they reply “65 roses” so I approached the Wellington Public School and they agreed to make bunches of 65 paper roses. The roses were then sent around Australia to various locations – with the concept being that everywhere the roses went a discussion about Cyst-

ic Fibrosis occurred. We had sporting stars, reality TV stars and local identities snapped with the roses and these images make up the calendar. Every model and photographer participated free of charge and the printing was paid for by local Wellington businesses, which has meant that 100 per cent of the calendar sales will go directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation NSW. We are printing 1000 copies and selling them for $25 with a target of $25,000 raised.

If I am completely honest at times the project has challenged our friendship – but only for a minute here and there.

I am a control freak and tend to take over and Marijka is very chilled out – so there have been moments where Marijka has forgotten something or I feel like I have taken on too much and it has tested us slightly. But then I remind myself that I don’t have a child with a chronic illness and compared with their daily struggles, the forgotten item/discussion is nothing and we are back to where we were five minutes before my stress-out. l If you would like to support the project or buy a calendar, go onto the website www.roses4riley.weebly.com. You can also go to www.cysticfibrosis.org.au to find out what fundraising events are happening near you and other ways to help.

24

2X2.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Shelley and Lawrie Minson: Rockabilly romance Award-winning husband and wife duo Shelley and Lawrie Minson make an eclectic match. Shelley’s love of ‘50s pin-up complements Lawrie’s musical and song-writing talents and the pair is gaining nation-wide attention as a Rockabilly outfit. They spoke with Dubbo Weekender ahead of their visit to the city this weekend. AS TOLD TO Ella McMillan Lawrie Minson: E recently celebrated 10 years since we first met. It was a chance meeting at a hotel in Tamworth and it was the luckiest day of my life. My profession includes playing recording sessions, live performance and I have a range of guitar effects pedals that I market worldwide. I was too scared to steal and too lazy to work!

I played before the Queen with Slim Dusty in 1981 and in ‘97 with Slim and Keith Urban at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. I’ve also played live and recorded with Jimmy Barnes and Ross Wilson and I was in Lee Kernaghan’s band for 18 years.

Shelley didn’t sing at all when we met and now she is headlining major festivals. As a couple we just get closer as time goes by. She always wakes up with a smile on her face and makes me happy whenever I’m around her. She also makes other people happy. We would love to have children but it hasn’t happened for us yet.

The most challenging part of performing together is putting up with each other on long drives to gigs.

We’ve discovered that we can spend hours at a time in our car and not drive each other mad! I think the most difficult thing for Shelley is being assertive; she’s a people pleaser. Shelley is a natural entertainer and our mix of ‘50s and ‘60s music with our originals has been very popular, especially with people who like to do Rock ‘n’ Roll dancing.

I’m very fortunate to be able to make

W

a decent living from a profession I enjoy.

We’re finishing a couple of new recordings at the moment. One is a song we wrote with Ross Wilson called Rockabilly Man. I’ve had some terrifying moments, I was doing a gig with Lee in Tasmania one time and some local boys set fire to the bush next to a petrol station. I saw it from across the street and luckily found a fire extinguisher. It’s as close as I’ve come to being blown up!

Shelley Minson: E met in November 2005 (ten years ago) very late at night in a rowdy pub in Tamworth. I was aware of who Lawrie was as I have always been a big country music fan. We got along really well straight away. We were just friends for about six months before we started dating which I think was a really wonderful way to start our relationship. I feel that our relationship grows stronger every day. We very rarely have disagreements, which is pretty awesome considering how much time we spend together. We haven’t been fortunate enough to have children as yet.

We do have a little four year old poodle cross terrier dog though named Dolly, after Dolly Parton of course.

She’s a beautiful girl and a wonderful companion.

I previously worked as an office lady in schools but now my occupation is singing. I’ve always loved singing from a very young age although I was never confident enough to do anything with it

W

until a few years ago. When Lawrie and I first started dating I tagged along to many Lee Kernaghan, Jasmine Rae and Jimmy Barnes shows never thinking that I would be one day on stage myself.

In 2011 started having singing lessons with Roshani Priddis (featured on Australian Idol and X Factor) just for fun. Roshani held a night for all of her students to perform. I was so nervous leading up to the night but afterwards I was really proud of myself that I got through it. A couple of nights later a friend country music singer/songwriter Katrina Burgoyne was in town playing at the West Leagues Club and she invited me up to sing and it kind of went from there.

This year Lawrie and I performed in Las Vegas at the world’s largest Rockabilly festival, Viva Las Vegas. It’s a huge event with vintage cars, rockabilly bands, vintage clothing stalls, burlesque, a pin-up competition and of course lots of dancing.

Lawrie inspires me to keep going and not throw the towel in when things get tough. He would have to be the most multi skilled person I know. Apart from being able to play about 10 different instruments he also has wonderful knowledge of electronics and builds guitar effects pedals. He works very hard which I think is admirable and he is always helping people. There’s nothing I really find challenging about performing together however if I didn’t have Lawrie by my side I’m not sure I would have the motivation to continue singing. I’m very grateful for having Lawrie in my life as

well as my little dog Dolly.

I have a wonderful family and beautiful friends here in Tamworth so I’m pretty lucky I guess! We all have our own challenges that arise from time to time but having Lawrie in my life always makes things a lot easier to deal with. I think I’ve come to appreciate how hard artists and musicians work to put on shows. It’s great that we get to have these experiences together. We are a bit like a modern day Rick and Thel Carey.

Last year we were traveling around Australia touring with James Blundell.

We would set up the PA, do the support act then Lawrie would play in James’ band and I would sell the merchandise.

I was very nervous leading up to the first show. On the first night James had a terrible cold and was having trouble singing which I thought was a bad enough start. Throughout the night a man in the crowd was being very abusive towards me and the venue staff, complaining about various things and leading me to the point that I thought I was going to cry. Then another man was very ill with a stomach virus and kept having to get up throughout the show to go to the toilets to throw up and then he passed out and an ambulance had to be called.

Needless to say I was a bit worried if this was going to be standard of events throughout the tour. Thankfully the rest of the shows went fairly smoothly. l Shelley and Lawrie Minson will be performing at the Dubbo RSL this Saturday, December 5 at 8pm.

every weekend!

NSW Regional Media Awards finalist

& winner

Friday 27.03.2015 to Sunday 29.03.2015

$2 incl. GST

www.dubboweekender.com.au

LOCALLY OWNED & INDEPENDENT

Taking care of business Wright Why new Chamber boss Matt 38

is excited.

PAGE

NEWS A show of support

DEBATE The Paleo phenomenon: Hit or myth?

ISSUE Firearms theft in rural areas on the rise

BUSINESS Infrastructure investment: Are we ready?

dubboweekender.com.au

DUBBO

weekender

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

2X2.

25

26

OPINION & ANALYSIS.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Tony Webber

No native animals were harmed in the writing of this column.

A hard day’s night as the bull rider draws a crowd HERE is a criminal hierarchy associated with sleeping that seems desperately skewed against me.

Nod off on the lounge and I am soon awoken with horrified cries of “Wake up! You’re snoring!”

It’s as if the words are interchangeable with “Stop wrestling with police and take off that balaclava!”

Or “Unhand that nun!”

But snoring is involuntary and one’s ability to consciously police it (pardon pun) is hampered considerably by the fact that one is not conscious at the time.

And as outrages go, it is just a reverberation of relaxed throat tissue – it’s not like I’ve smashed every window in the house and turned Adele up to 11.

But I have come to realise that some sleep misbehaviour is entirely excusable, it seems, provided it is not perpetrated by me.

From time to time the musical chairs nature of our household sleeping arrangements pairs me with one of the children, who shall remain nameless.

A striking feature of her repose is an unconscious kicking motion comparable to an emu with restless leg syndrome having a Riverdance dream.

Imagine being stuffed in a sleeping bag with an aggressive kangaroo that has a successful history of resolving issues – including claustrophobic confinement scenarios – with leg-related violence.

Imagine lying down in front of the City to Surf competitors and being unable to move until everyone including the final pram pusher in a gorilla suit has run over your lower limbs.

Imagine being bucked off a rodeo bull and as the brute tramples you, every other bull penned nearby escapes and joins in jumping on you for the entire night until it’s time to get up for work.

Imagine a slaughterhouse thrashing machine meant to tenderise the most stiffened bullock carcass using a series of flailing, high-speed hydraulic truncheons and you not only inexplicably fall into the wicked device, but the rescue at-

T

tempt results in 200 bowling balls being accidentally tipped in on top of you.

Recently my child added to her nocturnal brutalising regime a manoeuvre we both laughingly called “kicking my teeth in” once the sun’s rise brought an end to the savagery.

It involved her inverting her sleeping self so that instead of wasting kicks on the thick bones of my shins, she was able to deliver them directly to the delicate bones of my face, using rapier-like toe talons to rake my upper lip, nostrils and eyes.

As I was briefly sleeping too, my mind interpreted the assault as if I was under attack by a kick-boxing goanna labouring to extract its claws from my nasal cavity.

It’s not like I get no sleep; sometimes it’s anything up to 20 minutes, because if I nod off for any longer than a minute

she yanks the covers off and that happens about 20 times a night.

Not so bad in summer where the breeze helps the leg wounds congeal, but quite unpleasant in winter where hypothermia is coupled with severe bruising.

The upside is that being wrapped in blankets impedes her ability to kick: downside is that if she gets too hot she throws her arms around like Vishnu do-

` Recently my child added to her nocturnal brutalising regime a manoeuvre we both laughingly called “kicking my teeth in” once the sun’s rise brought an end to the savagery.

ing YMCA. It is possible to also snatch a few minutes sleep closer to dawn, lulled by the skin warmth generated as contusions start swelling and raked flesh flushes red.

As the sun streamed through the blinds the other morning I was dreaming that I was alone in a huge, secret bed, unknown to anybody, the manufacturers having been set adrift in an open boat upon its completion.

An angel stood ready to raise or lower the sheet as required, which was totally unnecessary as the room was perfectly climate controlled by the UN. Suddenly Sofia Vergara appeared and wanted to go for a swim, but she had forgotten her cossie.

She was laughing, I was laughing and just as she got her goggles out I heard a voice shriek: “Wake up! You’re snoring!”

The down side of being taller: science finds link between size and lifespan

2015 SHORT LIFE

GLASGOW: Scientific proof that taller or bigger people and animals live shorter lives may have been found in a new study on DNA. Research carried out on wild house sparrows showed how changes in DNA that are linked to ageing and lifespan take place as body size gets bigger.

The research centred round telomeres, special DNA structures that all animals, including humans, have at the ends of their chromosomes which are said to function like “the

protective plastic caps at the end of shoelaces”.

The study, conducted jointly by the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine and the Centre of Biodiversity Dynamics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, found that skeletally bigger house sparrows had shorter telomeres.

Pat Monaghan, regius professor of zoology at the University of Glasgow, who supervised the telomere

analysis, said: “Growing a bigger body means that cells have to divide more. As a result, telomeres become eroded faster and cells and tissues function less well as a result.

“The reason why the bigger individuals have shorter telomeres might also be related to increased DNA damage due to growing faster.

Being big can have advantages, of course, but this study shows that it can also have costs.”

Thor Harald Ringsby, associate professor in population ecology at

the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said: “The results from this study are very exciting and broad reaching. It is especially interesting that we obtained these results in a natural population.

“The reduction in telomere size that followed the increase in body size suggests one important mechanism that limits body size evolution in wild animal populations.”

The findings are published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal.

AAP

IT’S SWISHMAS!!

THE

Swish

Open Mon – Fri 9 – 5ish, Saturdays 9 – 12ish

GALLERY

The Swish Gallery

@theswishgallery

29 Talbragar Street, Dubbo

Phone: 6882 9528

28

OPINION & ANALYSIS.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

C O M I C R E L I E F | PAU L D O R I N

Your feedback welcome – online + hard copy DUBBO WEEKENDER encourages online readers (via www.dubboweekender.com. au) to comment as a selection may be published each week. Email addresses must be supplied for verification purposes only, not publication, and destructive personal or offensive comments will not be published online or in hard copy. Dubbo Weekender supports constructive debate and opinion. Letters to the editor are welcome via email feedback@dubboweekender. com.au, fax 6885 4434, or post to 89 Wingewarra Street Dubbo NSW 2830. Letters should generally be 250 words or less, and may be edited for space, clarity or legal reasons. To be considered for publication, letters should include the writer’s name and daytime contact details.

Changing mood for nudes THE OLER WATERCOOLER

BY JENNA MCKEOWN

Scary old Santa IT’S that time of year that every parent dreads – herding screaming, terrified children onto Santa’s lap or simply into frame for a family Christmas photo to send to the rellos.

MP for Fraser in Sydney, Andrew Leigh, shared the quintessential family photo earlier this week – four of the five family members are posing happily, smiles on and clear eyes looking directly to camera. Poor Leigh’s youngest son, three year old Zachary, is sitting off to the side, clearly unhappy. I’m sure Zachary will love it when his dad includes it in the slideshow at his 21st.

Safran-less Sunday night ONE of the best examples of secular Australia broadcasting will be drawing to a close in the coming weeks. Sunday Night Safran’s hosts, Father Bob Maguire and author John Safran, have one of the most engaging and interesting radio shows, debating passionately the ins and outs of politics, ethics and religion. Safran announced the show was ending after 10 years, to enable him to pursue other projects. Father Bob tweeted that he was “eternally grateful” for his 10 years’ worth of adventures, some of which included being cursed by witches. Au revoir, gentlemen.

THE first shots were fired in the “End Naked Ladies In Print” war during the campaign in the UK to end the notorious Page Three Girl.

Then Playboy came forward and it they would no longer include the kinds of photos that made the publication famous. And now, the Pirelli calendar, infamous for sensual images of models in exotic locations, has moved into an area usually covered by magazines like Vanity Fair.

2016’s calendar, shot by globally renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, includes black and white images of women like investment banker Mellody Hobson, tennis star Serena Williams and comedian Amy Schumer.

The focus of the calendar is women’s strength and achievements, a distinct move away from its somewhat sexist past.

Olsen’s smokin’ hot wedding ONCE upon a time a former child star turned fashion empire director (Mary Kate Olsen) fell in love with a French president’s half brother (Oliver Sarkozy), and they were married.

Two fabulously wealthy people are highly unlikely to do things the way we mere mortals would at our mere mortal weddings – disposable cameras for guests?

How... bourgeois. Lolly bar with bunting decorations? How... quaintly plebeian. No, the table decoration and bonbonniere for the Olsen/Sarkozy wedding was bowls and bowls of cigarettes. Of course! How chic. Celebrate eternal love with the likelihood of fatal lung cancer. How very...

Shakespearian.

POSITION VACANT We seek the services of a Shop Assistant.

This is a part time/permanent position commencing immediately with some Saturday hours involved.

Please contact: Dave Pankhurst, The Book Connection PO Box 583, Dubbo 2830.

Phone 6882 3311

The Book Connection

6PRRWK

Angela Ferguson Remedial Massage Therapist

Level 3 - Oliver House, Church St

www.smoothmassage.com.au 5HFRJQLVHG E\ PRVW KHDOWK IXQGV +,&$36 ()7326 DYDLODEOH

‘You’re in good hands’

0419 992 540

12 Days of Giveaways There’s something wonderful in the air, It’s drawing shoppers from everywhere.

Reindeer, giant presents, and lights that twinkle Santa’s Helpers, with cheer to sprinkle.

The business windows are brightly dressed, And the streets are decked to impress.

Flags fly with smiling local faces, There’s even a few pop-up chill-out places.

In Dubbo’s CBD this season, Are rewards in store – for good reason.

Buy a gift and present your receipt, At Reindeer Rotunda on Church Street.

You could win the daily cash back draw, Or a voucher from a CBD store.

Twelve days of Christmas, two ways to win, Come, let’s welcome in the festive season with a grin. smile. It’s Christmas.

TWO WAYS TO WIN! Saturday, 5 December and Wednesday, 16 December

Share the festive fun with

1.

Buy a Christmas gift at any Dubbo store, show proof of purchase to Santa’s Helper at the Church Street Rotunda, and fill out an entry form to go in the daily draw to win your cash back! Enter as many times as you like.

2.

Shop at participating businesses in the CBD and the CBD Elf could gift you with a voucher valued at $50 or more from the business you are shopping in!

For full terms and conditions visit the website: www.dubbo.com.au/smileitschristmas The CBD is bordered by Macquarie, Talbragar, Darling, and Bultje streets. The entry barrel will not be emptied until the end of the competition, so the more you shop, the more chances you have of winning. A winner will be drawn from the barrel and announced each day.

The winner will be contacted by phone and will have until Wednesday 16 December to collect their cash prize (up to the value of $250) from the Visitors Information Centre on the corner of Macquarie Street and the Newell Highway.

dubbo.com.au/smileitschristmas #smileitschristmas AN INITIATIVE OF

share a smile

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

#smileitschristmas on social media.

We’ll post the most vibrant, heart warming and humorous photos on Dubbo City’s

30

OPINION & ANALYSIS.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Delicate balancing act for the scales of justice Comment by y STEPHEN LAWRENCE Stephen Lawrence is a Barrister and Rugby League fan.

T year’s end, Dubbo loses Magistrate Andrew Eckhold, the law in town since

A

2011.

His tenure has been at times controversial, but behind the headlines has been a man consistently of good heart, diligently undertaking the basically impossible task of dispensing a vision of justice in our crime and punishment system.

Like his predecessors, Eckhold has done a tough job under a high degree of scrutiny.

News of his imminent departure has had me pondering the past few years of debate in town over crime and punishment and particularly why it is that Dubbo seems to be a magnet for the media heat and light of judicial controversies.

A local court magistrate in a country town occupies a position of special power and invariably attracts, on occasion, media attention. People know who they are and, unlike in the city, get a sense of their performance over time in a confined area where their standard of punishment is THE standard.

But, perhaps because Dubbo is a special town, its local court magistrates have in recent times seemingly been extra controversial.

Magistrate Paul McMahon was regularly in the news, including for accusations of leniency. The tragic events of the death of Brendan Saul in 2004 and the subsequent dismissal of charges against the offender led to sustained media and community criticism. McMahon eventually left Dubbo in 2006 and now presides in the Coroner’s Court.

His replacement, Howard Hamilton, definitely never suffered similar criticism. I can personally

attest to someone who regularly and vigorously applied the deterrence principle in his sentencing work; who left offenders under no doubt they had entered a place of rigorous punishment and who created a court room atmosphere you could cut with a knife.

Appeals to the higher courts came thick and fast. State-wide media controversy erupted on a number of occasions over decisions, including ones relating to the lengthy detention of reluctant witnesses and the sentencing of a woman who retracted an allegation of domestic violence.

Perhaps it was inevitable in this context that Magistrate Eckhold would at some point be considered a “light touch” in comparison with his predecessor. The grumblings started early in his tenure but the real flashpoint arrived with a bang last year when Mayor Mathew Dickerson publicly took aim at Eckhold for suggested leniency.

The response from the local profession was to overwhelmingly back the local judiciary. I was involved in this response and still believe it was important and appropriate. Perhaps somewhat ironically, the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) – with me as spokesperson – earlier in Eckhold’s tenure, had been critical in the other direction of sentences imposed locally for minor drug matters and driving offences.

If any insights can be drawn from these contradictory public spats they might include that you

` To be the decision maker in a court, where people’s freedoms and futures are in the balance, is among the toughest of jobs.

can’t please all the people all the time and if everyone is unhappy you’re probably not all wrong.

We all play our different roles in life but there is no doubt in my mind that to be the decision maker in a court, where people’s freedoms and futures are in the balance, is among the toughest of jobs. You just can’t please everybody and the scrutiny, accountability and criticism that comes with judicial independence (and good remuneration) is surely a burden.

The high profile nature of the local court in Dubbo is an interesting phenomena and probably says some important things about the nature of the town.

Dubbo, of course, has unacceptably high crime rates that relate back to underlying social problems. People are sick of the crime and well aware they suffer more than in other parts of the state.

The general expectation is for tough sentencing to address the problem and when it doesn’t happen complaints will arise.

On the other side of the equation the local magistrate has fewer support services than other places to divert people from the court system into rehabilitation and other services.

Notably, initiatives such as the drug court have not been established west of the Great Dividing Range. Dubbo also is a place where the reality of Aboriginal over-representation in the crimi-

nal justice system is seen most obviously, creating different dynamics in the community and the court system.

As the local court system mediates all these tensions it does so in the context of a strong local legal profession involved in the criminal law. Dubbo has some expert criminal lawyers, wellestablished strong firms and gun teams of often young defence lawyers cutting their teeth with Legal Aid and the ALS. The prosecution team is similarly skilled and robust both at the police and DPP (Department of Public Prosecutions) level.

The ALS office is the second biggest in the state and maintains a passionate belief in advocacy both in and out of the courtroom. Dubbo is well served by its legal profession and issues are fought out properly and fully, creating a strong dialectical process in the implementation (and sometimes development) of the law.

Throw into this mix the vibrant local media scene and you have the recipe for an enhanced scrutiny of judicial decisions and a strong community reaction to the workings of the courts.

In Dubbo the local magistrate generally has a journalist in the court room reporting on a wide range of well litigated cases ranging from the mundane to the very serious. Not only does the town have high crime rates, people are well informed about it.

But back to Magistrate Eckhold and his departure. It remains to note that he has been a staunch supporter of “circle sentencing” (where the Aboriginal community assists a court in deciding sentence) and drug court (where offenders are helped to kick addictions).

If Dubbo ever does get its long awaited residential rehabilitation centre and a drug court it will owe a lot to Eckhold’s quiet and proper advocacy from the bench for the treatment and rehabilitation of the mentally ill and the drug addicted.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

Sally Bryant

OPINION & ANALYSIS.

31

Weekender regular Sally Bryant was born with her nose in a book and if no book is available, she finds herself reading Cornflakes packets, road signs and instruction manuals for microwaves. All that information has to go somewhere...

In my book, the internet is a honeytrap HAD planned my morning so carefully, and now, thirty kittens later, I am no further ahead than I was a couple of hours ago.

I used to think the ability to multi-task was a positive advantage. I actually used to (cough) boast about my uncanny talent for doing five things at once while sitting at a computer. But I find myself somewhat chastened these days, because I’ve been doing a bit of a spot audit on my efficacy and I’m a bit stunned by what I’ve found.

My computer multi-tasking started back in the day when I was a classifier for the gubmint, back when I was one of those upholders of the moral fibre of the nation whose task it was to watch hours and hours of material and draft it into different mobs, according to its impact and degree of offence.

Without wanting to trivialise that job in any way, it became apparent there were various products that could be viewed with only part of one’s conscious self, while doing other jobs at the computer.

So to set the scene for you, I would set myself the task of classifying a film, setting it up it on my computer at my workstation and at the same time I’d be answering emails, drafting reports, researching standards; that sort of thing. And it was all quite achievable.

It was actually the only way we could get through our massive workload and it was also a good way to stay alert while having to classify some really turgid material. Whether you are classifying excruciatingly repetitive explicit pornography or very, very bad B-grade drama, it helps to have other things to think about to minimise the tedium and torture of dull content. We could safely assess the classifiable elements without driving ourselves demented with hours of mindless viewing.

So, that’s how it worked in that job.

Then I returned to the fold of journalism,

I

many years after my last foray into the discipline. And, oh my, how things had changed.

Because suddenly, here was the Internet.

When I was a reporter on a small town paper, the Internet was locked in another room. The Internet was something we dialled up, something we used sparingly because it was expensive and we didn’t want to wear it out. The Internet was for good wear only. I swear, I had to beg on my knees to get access to The Internet. I’d be toiling away on my computer, oblivious to the fact that in the room next door, the World Wide Web was getting on with life without me.

Fast forward a year or two, and the Internet is ubiquitous. From the moment I wake in the morning until I go to bed at night, it’s available to me. It actually tends to encroach on my life, unless I make a conscientious effort to create an island of serenity in the middle of all this connectivity. Because the Internet is not just on the computer in the other office; it’s on my phone. And my phone is welded to me, unless I make a conscious decision to walk away from it.

But at my modern workstation, it would be almost unheard of to Not Be Connected, to not have that umbilical cord attached. Modern journalism is all about keeping across what is unfolding, as it unfolds. Journalism has always been about having the right contacts, about getting new information quickly, about knowing more than your contemporaries, about verifying facts and reporting them. Now, some of your most reliable sources can be found in the Twittersphere or on Facebook.

The only fly in this ointment is that is also a place filled with videos of cats, with People of Walmart and quizzes about “what is your redneck elf name?� and it’s frighteningly easy to become distracted for a moment and end up wasting hours and hours on tripe.

Tripe and outrageously funny stories.

` An hour and a half later, you’ll come back to the surface, eyes glazed and drool at the corner of your mouth, mind full of images of kittens, dogs bouncing on trampolines...

You can start out with the best intentions, thinking you’ll just check for breaking news. And then you need to check how well a story went online. And then you’ll jump into the official Facebook page to post a link to a story coming up on the radio later that day. And to check what traffic the site is getting...

And an hour and a half later, you’ll come back to the surface, eyes glazed and drool at the corner of your mouth, mind full of images of kittens, dogs bouncing on trampolines and children showing faces of surprise as their fathers nearly drop them. German men attempting to do swan dives through the layer of ice on a river and bouncing off the surface.

It’s like have access to Australia’s Funniest Home videos, 24/7.

It’s a bit like getting in a car with a full packet of lollies. Some of us can open that packet of lollies and know we will be aware of how many we’ve eaten. And then stop at the appropriate juncture.

Then there are others of us who need to make a conscious decision before we open that bag, that Pandora’s box. If we don’t trust ourselves to limit our intake, we probably need to install a failsafe in the system, to ensure we don’t eat so many lollies we make ourselves sick.

The Internet is a honeytrap, a myriad of wormholes, down which it is easy to get lost. So if I am going to descend into the modern equivalent of the Labyrinth then it makes sense to give myself a device like Ariadne’s thread... a way to climb back out. In time to do some work.

I have yet to find the perfect means to control my slide down the slippery slope of mindless Internet consumption. But surely, admitting there is a problem is the first step to the cure?

SHOW DETAILS & BUY TICKETS

DRTCC.COM.AU Keep up to date – join our mailing list

%R[ RIĂ€FH KRXUV 0RQGD\ )ULGD\ DP SP DQG KRXU SULRU WR WKH VKRZ %DU RSHQ EHIRUH GXULQJ LQWHUYDO PRVW VKRZV 'DUOLQJ 6W 'XEER

SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD UNTIL 29 JAN 2016

SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015, 2.00PM

MON 18 & TUES 19 JAN 2016, 7PM

6HOHFW ILYH VKRZV DQG VDYH

3UHVHQWHG E\ 6WHSSLQJ 2XW 'DQFH )DFWRU\

3UHVHQWHG E\ 'HJUHHV 0DQDJHPHQW 7KH +DUERXU $JHQF\

• • • • •

2016 SEASON PROGRAM

EVERYBODY DANCE NOW

'LVFRXQWHG WLFNHWV 3HUVRQDOLVHG 6XEVFULEHU &DUG 'LVFRXQWV RQ GLQLQJ DQG DFFRPPRGDWLRQ Consistent seating $ELOLW\ WR H[FKDQJH WLFNHWV DQG PRUH

7KUHH VSHFWDFXODU VWDU VWXGGHG SHUIRUPDQFHV WZR DOUHDG\ VROG RXW ZLWK D WDOHQWHG FDVW UDQJLQJ IURP DJHV WZR \HDUV WR \HDUV DQG VKRZFDVLQJ 6WHSSLQJ 2XW¡V VSHFWDFXODU \HDU RI GDQFH LQ D YDULHW\ RI GD]]OLQJ JHQUHV

GUY SEBASTIAN :LWK D QHZ KLW VLQJOH MXVW UHOHDVHG *X\ ZLOO EH VKRZFDVLQJ VRQJV IURP KLV IRUWKFRPLQJ DOEXP DQG SHUIRUPLQJ DOO RI KLV KLWV 7LFNHWV DUH VHOOLQJ IDVW $ IDFLOLW\ RI 'XEER &LW\ &RXQFLO

32

OPINION & ANALYSIS.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Running out of luck in a lucky country choked by red tape

BY JOHN RYAN N JOURNALIST

ARIS, the recent home of terrorist atrocities, is now hosting a meeting aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

I’d love to get a quantifiable measure on how much hot air is being produced in that series of endless meetings.

Australia, predictably, is not looking terribly innovative on the world stage, despite the fact our newly non-elected (by the people) Prime Minister has been endlessly talking up the importance of looking outside the square but, except in some wellfunded areas of personal interest to the PM, it’s unlikely that will happen.

We used to be a nation of doers, inventors, of innovation, but that was before bureaucracy ensured that “process” became not only the guiding factor and priority, but also a way to ensure things moved at such a glacial pace that these unproductive paper-pushing jobs would be around forever.

When it comes to looking at making a change we have a real problem with this bureaucracy at all levels.

When that “juggernaut of power” is coupled to corporate lobbying, an insidious network which influences political decisions at the highest level for the monetary gain of a few as opposed to the well-being of the many, it means the longer hours many people are working have us just treading water rather than getting ahead.

Here we have plenty of alternatives to coal-fired power, yet the heavily subsidised fossil fuel industry has so much of the federal political process indebted to it, it’s money that’s listened to rather than common sense.

It’s not that it would bad for Australia to transition to new energies; it’s that the people with their cash invested in industries like coal can call up the most senior decision makers (and their puppeteers) in the land and tell them to back off – just look how Twiggy Forrest went when he tried to take on our major iron ore players.

There are so many examples of where we can do good things, but we’re doing things to protect vested interests instead.

When a giant concentrated solar plant was mooted for NSW back in the Howard era, a simple set of sums told us that by spending (then) about $13 billion on these new plants, Australia’s electricity needs could be met.

This would have meant huge numbers of jobs in regional areas, whole new industries and innovative development.

P

Instead, then PM John Howard seemed keen to investigate spending up to $30 billion on a single nuclear power plant.

Morocco is regarded as a third world nation, yet it’s building a concentrated solar power plant that will supply the energy needs of about one million people.

The plant is costing $9 billion, so what a shame we didn’t power all of Australia before the prices skyrocketed.

There’s no pollution; there’s no dirty, extractive industry – this is clean green power that stores baseload electricity in molten salt, so electricity is available at night.

There’s a debate going on at the moment that signing anything in Paris may mean the diesel fuel rebate will have to be dropped.

The rebate means off-road users of diesel such as farmers and miners can buy diesel for a cheaper price thanks to the foregoing of federal taxes.

Farmers need this but the miners don’t. If coal mining, which is a technology coming under increasing pressure around the globe, can’t stand on its own two feet without huge subsidies, it really could be costing us more than it’s worth in the long run.

We need an independent Royal Commission into all coal mining and Coal Seam Gas (CSG) subsidies so we can objectively debate the facts.

So here we sit, governed by people who base their decisions on the politics rather than ethics, still dependent on oil from the middle-east. We endlessly bomb these countries and rather than creating peace in our time, we’ve set up a production line of new generation terrorists.

It’s hard to believe the western world has been so greedy and inept that we’ve actually paid for the misery we now see surrounding us, while the people pushing for these wars have made untold billions of dollars.

So why don’t we bypass the middle-east and make its oil irrelevant to us?

A senior defence figure once told me that if someone sank a large ship in the Botany Bay channel, Australia would grind to a halt within 10 days. Within a week or two, people would be shooting each other for what food was available.

Whereas 60 or 70 years ago everyone grew their own vegies and people bought meat from local farmers, nowadays that’s all illegal, so as a community we have almost zero resilience to economic shocks.

All we have anyway is wheat, canola, lamb and beef in any great measure, so the propaganda that we’re feeding the world is a mite over the top – we’ve lost our common sense local production systems and our diversity

` We truly are a lucky country that we’ve kept going so well when so much of our national treasure and effort is so illdirected.

of food supplies thanks to the corporatisation of the food supply chains, all for the almighty profits.

Regional Australia could do two simple things to prevent this from happening aside from reestablishing local markets, and letting farmers kill their own livestock and sell directly to the public. If you believe that meat has to go through a bureaucratic system to be safe, you’re ignoring thousands of years of human history, but it does create lots of nonsense well-paid jobs.

I want to buy my meat straight from mates who are farmers, and if I don’t think the meat’s any good, I’d go somewhere else.

On the fuel side of things, we should have hundreds of thousands of hectares sown to miscanthus gigantus, a giant grass that needs n inputs and can be re-harvested for up to 20 years while returning as much as 6500 litres of ethanol per hectare – this would mean farmers would no longer have fuel bills paid to the corrupt Middle East, and instead would get rich supplying the needs to the nation.

One estimate I’ve seen claims that if we grew just 600,000 hectares of algae in western NSW, we’d grow enough food and fuel to feed and power Australia – so why aren’t we doing this?

Especially when the world’s scientists tell us we need to be doing something about climate change.

Yet all the projects that are supported by Australia’s bloated research and development ef-

forts are always the ones where the proponents are on the existing gravy train.

Unfortunately the years of funding the same old suspects has cast us into the number of messes we’re facing today.

If we want innovation in Australia we need to start by reforming government at all levels, starting at the local tier where unnecessary red tape stops good things from happening. State-wise, Trade and Investment isn’t worth the great views it has from the top of its Sydney CBD office tower and the fat in so many departments is draining our tax dollars before they get a chance to come back to us.

Federally, it’s even worse. The time lag to implement some very simple things is excruciatingly slow, and that’s when you can even talk the bureaucracy into it in the first place.

However bad you thought it was, and I use the National Broadband Network as an example, the waste we see is just the merest tip of the iceberg.

We truly are a lucky country that we’ve kept going so well when so much of our national treasure and effort is so ill-directed.

All these processes we’ve put in place to “protect” us were designed by man; what a shame we’re not innovative enough to learn how to scrap them.

So in a nutshell, I’d be very surprised if anything really worthwhile comes out of Paris.

OPINION & ANALYSIS.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

33

HELICOPTER VIEW

Cr Mathew Dickerson

Mayor Mathew Dickerson was born and bred in Dubbo and is married with four children.

Good news, bad news and the dangers of spin ERY early in my time as mayor, we were undertaking a major construction project in Dubbo. It was a good project with a large amount of money coming from the federal government. Unfortunately, during the project, it was obvious we were going to run over time and consequently over budget. We knew this well before the end of the project.

We had two choices. We could stay quiet about it and hope it wasn’t noticed by anyone. Surely most people wouldn’t notice? Once we did the official opening and everyone saw the great result, who would care?

While this approach might be taken by some organisations, we took the opposite approach. We announced the project was over time and over budget.

I can see media people across the world reading this right now and cringing.

Why would we make an announcement of bad news? What were we thinking?

I have a view on how a government body should use a media team. I believe a media team is there to inform the public – not ‘spin’ information. I personally cringe with the term “spin doctor” because the last thing I would want a media team to do is spin everything that happens in a government organisation so the real information is never obtained by the public.

When an organisation realises a media team is in place to inform not spin, it puts pressure on the entire organisation to make the news good. It is incredibly unfair of any organisation to go about their activities in a reckless manner with the expectation that a media team will make everything look shiny and new. It makes every decision made by every person in every department pass the front-page test. Are you happy with this action or decision to appear on the front page of a national newspaper?

If you are, then go about your business and well done. If you aren’t, then you have probably answered the question as to whether this is a good decision.

Now that doesn’t mean an organisation should shy away from tough decisions. There are some decisions a gov-

V

The Baker’s Dozen Trivia Test

ernment organisation makes that are very much line-ball decisions. If the decision is made with the correct information and for the right reasons, then the decision makers should be proud to stand tall and explain their decision – even if the decision may be unpopular with some. The simplest example is each year when councils put their rates up. It would be very easy to make a seemingly popular decision and declare

` Decision makers need to be able to stand up and support the reasons for their decision and be confident they have made the correct decision.

1. MUSIC TRIVIA: What do these Beatles (pictured) songs have in common: “Love Me Do”, “Please Please Me” and “From Me to You”?

(Hint: You can add “Rocky Raccoon” to the list.)

2. TELEVISION: What TV show featured neighbours named Lenny and Squiggy?

3. HISTORY & ART: Which bushranger did Sidney Nolan portray in a series of paintings he created in 1946-47?

4. MOVIES: What 19th-century

that there will be no rate rise but when a city started to cut back on services or lay off staff from lack of funding, suddenly a popular decision might be very unpopular. Decision makers need to be able to stand up and support the reasons for their decision and be confident they have made the correct decision.

In the past week we have seen a perfect example of what not to do – in my opinion. There is a significant amount of debate in Dubbo at the moment about the merits of NBN Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) versus Fibre to the Node (FTTN). Even though philosophically I am a strong supporter of Dubbo continuing along the far superior FTTP rollout that has already begun, the technology chosen by NBN Co. (based on government policy) is not being announced by NBN Co. or the government. The last official communication we have in relation to the NBN connection method in

novel was the movie “Clueless” loosely based upon?

5. MEASUREMENTS: What measurement is used to determine the height of a horse?

6. SCIENCE: What instrument is used to measure atmospheric pressure?

7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a baby turkey

Dubbo was from July 2014 when a media release was put out to say that starting in the eastern suburbs of Dubbo, around 2,700 premises would be connected with FTTP as the first stage of the NBN rollout in the city.

In discussions with both the government and NBN Co., I have been confidentially aware for more than seven months that East Dubbo will be one of three NBN areas in Dubbo that will be connected with the inferior FTTN despite the most recent communications contradicting this. There will still be four areas connected with FTTP. Again, put aside the argument on the merits of FTTP versus FTTN. No official communication has come from the government or NBN Co. to inform the residents of the city of this dramatic change. In a meeting with the Communications Minister last week I was given permission to inform people of the decision but this decision should have been formally communicated by the department responsible – not by the mayor of a city. I am not sitting in the media team for either the government or NBN Co. so I can only imagine they don’t want to make the announcement for fear it is bad news. Well it is bad news – but the government went to the last election with a change of NBN on the agenda and, now that the change has occurred, the public deserves to be informed.

In an example of perfect irony, it was reported by The Australian at the end of 2013 that a secret review of the NBN prepared for the Gillard government three years prior estimated the NBN would leave taxpayers $31 billion worse off. In response, the coalition said they were committed to telling the truth about this project beginning with a strategic review. If the Gillard government failed to fully inform the taxpayer of the costs in 2010, then NBN Co. are failing to willingly communicate the technology they will be receiving as part of the rollout in 2015.

An ASX listed company is bound by rules of continuous disclosure. I would hope for even higher standards from any government department.

called?

8. FAMOUS QUOTATIONS: What sci-fi character once said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try”?

9. MUSIC: Which Christmas carol begins with the lyric “City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style”?

10. MEDICAL TERMS: What is

the common name for aphthous ulcers?

11. FLASHBACK: Who was the first singer to release “Feel Like Makin’ Love”?

12. SPORT: Who is the only athlete to win a medal in six consecutive Winter Olympics?

13. LYRICS: Name the song that contains this lyric: “Now hold on a minute before we go much further, Give me a dime so I can phone my mother.”

ANSWERS: SEE THE PLAY PAGES.

34

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Business & Rural

Reading, writing and Asia “literacy”: Do we have the skills we need?

BY FELICTY TAYLOR-EDWARDS S CEO REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AUSTRALIA (ORANA)

S this will be my final Weekender column for 2015 I have been reflecting on the past 12 months and considering what message, if any, defines the year.

The answer to me was obvious; it’s something I’ve written about a number of times this year, and the overriding theme of many of the business meetings and discussions I’ve been a part of: Think global, act regional.

But how do we do this on a practical level?

What are the first steps?

The recent spate of Free Trade Agreements (with China, Korea and Japan and the Trans Pacific Partnership) will bring many opportunities to Australian businesses. But Australia’s success in the global marketplace, particularly in Asia, is not a foregone conclusion.

To ensure the full potential of these opportunities is realised, Australia must be comfortable to stand out in an increasingly competitive global environment. We must be Asia literate, and make interventions now to ensure that our future workforce has these skills. It’s the people to people links that will make the difference.

As Australians, we have a strong sense of national identity and pragmatic nature. This means we like to ensure we’re doing the right thing in our own backyard before expanding our horizons to the rest of the world. I would like to make the case that, in fact, the world is our backyard, and that looking beyond our borders will make us stronger than keeping our focus internal.

Working in a global mindset expands our individual horizons and opens up endless learning opportunities and experiences for the generations to come. On a more practical level, economic growth and partnership with our neighbours, supports economic growth on our shores.

A

Get cracking online or miss out – better still, buy local IF you’re shopping online for Christmas, get cracking or miss out – that’s the word from the Australian Retailers’ Association.

Consumers across the Orana region who want to do a spot of Internet shopping this festive season should finalise their purchases this week or risk their goods not arriving in time for Santa.

Of course, buying local helps avoid the problem altogether and you’ll be supporting local businesses and local jobs, but if you are shopping online, time is running out.

The first two weeks of December are traditionally the busiest period of the year for e-commerce retailers, with Christmas purchases required to be received by retailers slightly earlier than physical stores to allow for deliv-

Australia’s relationship with South Korea is Education and training. a prime example. In 1953, at the end of the This quote from a recent publication from Korean War, South Korea was one of the poor- the Committee for Economic Development of est countries in the world. With a per capita Australia (CEDA) perfectly sums up the imporincome of only $US64, it was a huge recipient tance of this industry, and having young peoof foreign aid, notably from Australia. ple from around the world participating in our Today, Korea is Asia’s fourth largest economy workforce, forming relationships with Australand Australia’s third largest trading partner, ian young people, employers and educational purchasing in excess of $AU20 billion worth of institutions: Australian goods and services each year.

“For almost 50 years Australia has been eduWith so many strong and emerging economies on our doorstep, actively seeking to do cating the best and the brightest of China and business with us, there are unprecedented op- many developing economies. What started out portunities for Australians to learn overseas. as a diplomatic gesture has become one of AusThis will be a vital step in building Asia “lit- tralia’s most successful service sector imports. eracy” in Australia’s business community, as These students are the researchers, the polithey return home with the skills to do busi- cy decision makers and the business leaders ness effectively and respectfully across differ- who will drive innovation in their respective ent cultures. countries in years to come...When [current] Programs like the Australian Government’s students return home they take with them a New Colombo Plan are emerging to encourage strong appreciation for Australia’s society and this flow of knowledge. This program offers culture. They represent potential bridgeheads Australian undergraduates new opportunibetween countries.” ties for scholarships and mobilInternational students may, in ity grants for study and internfact, be one of our greatest un` ships/mentorships in the Indo tapped resources. But just being Asia literacy can Pacific region. Partnerships like aware of the opportunities won’t this will be particularly impor- also be built at tant given the likely rise in ex- home by engaging be enough to make the most of the current environment. ports of legal and financial serAustralia needs to be smart vices from Australia to China, an international Korea and Japan thanks to the workforce, or enough to recognise and take Free Trade Agreements. Sup- growing our advantage of the opportunities porting this is not just a role for slice of one of on our doorstep. We already ofgovernment; individual busifer world-class education, but nesses are getting involved as Australia’s largest how can we seek other opporwell. The Marriott Hotel chain, export industries: tunities for our young people for example, has offered intern- International and business to ensure a growth ship places to hospitality stu- Education and mindset, without boundaries, is dents from the Orana region to instilled in the generations to training. work and gain invaluable expecome. rience in their five star Hotels in We have the opportunity to Seoul.

On the flip side, Asia literacy can also be become more agile, innovative and creative, built at home by engaging an international if we can recognise volatility as our friend and workforce, or growing our slice of one of Aus- are brave enough to think (and act) outside tralia’s largest export industries: International our borders and comfort zone.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF

ery and the increased volume of parcels flowing through the postal and courier systems in the run up to Christmas.

According to the ARA, Australians will spend a total of around $2.8 billion online this Christmas trading period.

Executive Director, Russell Zimmerman, said that although in past years it has been crucial to have online orders completed well in advance of December 25, there is now more flexibility around this with the introduction of services such as same day delivery and click and collect.

“Although the ARA would advise online shoppers to make sure they are leaving plenty of time to ensure Christmas deliveries arrive before December 25, retailers are now offering a host of options to allow shoppers more convenience and flexibility this Christmas.”

Australians increasingly use online for the purchase of Christmas gifts, especially as the channel evolves to make it easier for shoppers to receive their goods quickly and in a way that suits them.

“In fact we see a big incidence of people who may order a product online, go into a store to pick it up, and end up purchasing other products while instore,” Zimmerman said.

Online shopping makes up 7.1 percent of total retail spend in Australia, excluding restaurants, cafes and takeaway food. Around 25 percent of online transactions this Christmas are expected to be made on a mobile device (tablets and smartphones). “The number of people doing their Christmas shopping from a mobile or tablet is expected to be the largest ever, and the ARA encourages retailers to ensure they have all the requirements in place to enable shoppers a happy experience, from security measures to back of house IT systems.

Dubbo Weekender reckons online shopping has its place, but there’s still nothing better than supporting local businesses and buying local!

35

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

Beware the dangers during harvest WITH harvest still underway across the region, NSW Ambulance paramedics are urging safety when around heavy machinery.

The caution follows a serious incident near Lake Cargelligo this week when a 45-year-old man had his left arm amputated in a grain harvester.

In a separate incident, paramedics treated a 22-year-old man who suffered burns to his right arm and leg after his ute caught fire in a wheat paddock at Moree last week.

NSW Ambulance Superintendent Brad Porter said each year paramedics attend patients who have been injured during harvest.

“These accidents are happening due to a few aspects, one being that people are working extremely long hours; they’re working late into the night and in the dark.”

In some case the patients were itinerant workers who were not completely familiar with the vehicles and machinery they were operating.

“This can include massive headers, road trains and tractors with chaser bins that are pulling 40 tonnes of grain – equipment that requires a high level of skill to operate.

“These key aspects are leading to some high-risk situations where people have the potential to be maimed and critically injured.”

Farmers and workers across the Orana region are urged to be fully briefed before operating heavy machinery, and to be mindful of fatigue and personal safety.

“We appreciate the demands involved at harvest time, but a few safety checks and suitable education will ensure workers return home safely to their families each day and that they are in a position to return for future harvests.”

Grain train makes history THE largest ever continuously-tipped export grain train rumbled its way into the Australian history books this week, with Narrabri the departure point for the 1250m train.

More importantly, the massive train demonstrates a huge opportunity for grain producers across regional NSW to save transport costs by using rail, according to Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Warren Truss.

“The size of this train more than doubles the payload capacity of the standard grain train that currently runs through the Hunter Valley network. In simple terms, the increase in payload means at least a $5 to $10 a tonne reduction in hard costs for the grower—a massive saving,” Truss said this week.

Member for Parkes Mark Coulton, through whose electorate the train runs, said it would unload more than 5,000 tonnes of wheat in one pass on a continuous “balloon loop” at the specialised Newcastle Agri Terminal at the Port of Newcastle, with the grain destined for international markets in Southeast Asia.

“With the ratification of the China– Australia Free Trade Agreement, the latest of a number of free trade agreements recently signed, the opportunity for our agricultural sector has never been greater,” Coulton said.

ADVERTORIAL

Business in changing times with Phil Comerford, Scolari Comerford Dubbo

RURAL IN BRIEF

Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) John Fullerton said the ARTC network from Newcastle to Moree provided growers with a cost-effective solution for transporting grain.

“We have dedicated train paths ready and available today to help growers get their product to market, and through heavier, more productive trains and improved cycle times, we can help increase farm gate returns and make the entire supply chain more efficient,” Fullerton said, adding that there was an opportunity for similar heavier train services during future harvests.

“While today’s train service is one of two heavy trains to run this grain season, we believe there is opportunity to run many more similar heavier train services in future harvests.”

Farmers want bigger picture view of drought DESPITE recent rain, the four year drought in the north west of the state has still not broken, and farmers are calling for additional assistance and a “bigger picture” view of the situation from government.

NSW Farmers this week said the state government needs to consider more than the financial costs and benefits when assessing drought assistance measures. In its submission to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) draft drought assessment framework, the peak farming body said drought didn’t just impact individual farm businesses – it also has widespread social, mental and economic impacts on rural communities.

According to spokesperson Sonia O’Keefe, good drought policy assists people to “prepare, respond and recover” and enables farmers and communities to get back on their feet and contribute to the economy again as quickly as possible. IPART has been tasked by the government to design a framework to assess the costs and benefits of current drought programs across the state, as well as their consistency with the Intergovernmental Agreement on Drought (IGA).

NSW Farmers’ submission recommends a number of substantial changes to the framework, including a recommendation to evaluate how non-drought government policies and charges impact farm profitability.

O’Keefe said farm profitability was the key to drought preparedness. “Anything that impacts farm profitability reduces farmers’ ability to prepare for drought.”

To prevent piecemeal evaluation, NSW Farmers is recommending all drought programs be carried through the whole framework and be subject to a cost benefit analysis, and urged government to recognise that a more holistic approach is vital to meet its obligations to farmers and regional communities.

Waiter – there’s a fly in my cash flow forecast F we are truly hoping for a business by design and not by default, then we should be able to pick from the menu exactly what we would like to order.

So once we have sat down and pictured what we would like our business to look like for the next few years, and then even after five to ten years, let’s do a business plan and figure out what resources we are likely to need and build them into a cash flow forecast.

Time and again I hear, “Doing budgets is a complete waste of time! Things change so they become irrelevant.” Yes, and sometimes that is true. However, to mould your business you need to start somewhere and then adjust things along the way.

So what happens when you sit down and discover that you are going to possibly run out of cash?

1. BANKS LIKE WARNING IN ADVANCE IT’S much better to know months in advance that cash flow could become very tight. By showing your bank your 3-way budget (i.e. a balance sheet, profit and loss statement and cash flow statement that all “talk” to one another), and that you have worked out in seven months’ time there may be a shortfall, you are giving them ample warning to see what they can do to get you through.

2. DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO GET CASH IN FASTER AFTER you have done your cash flow forecasts, these often highlight why you are going to run out of cash. Is it because: z The business is growing too fast and is using funds to get the business established? z We don’t get our invoices out in real time? z Our customers aren’t paying us on time? z Our customers are paying on time but it’s still not quickly enough?

Maybe we should have financed our equipment and vehicles rather than trying to pay cash for them.

Cloud accounting programs now make it easier than ever to get our bills out almost instantaneously via email, all with the click of a couple of buttons on our smart phones or tablets. Should we consider these applications?

How quickly do we chase customers for money or do we wait for weeks or months to do the follow up?

Exactly why are we giving them 30 day terms and why not C.O.D.? It’s all about setting the rules upfront. Why don’t we offer ‘payment up front’ incentives?

3. CAN COSTS BE TRIMMED? WHEN was the last time you did a review of your costs with your small business accountant? Remember the old adage “Ask and you shall receive”. Do you have a system to get quotes when looking at your business supply requirements? Have you asked for better deals based on: z Payment upfront; z Quantity; z Comparisons to other quotes obtained?

I

4. ARE WE PAYING THINGS OFF TOO QUICKLY? WHILST it’s great to ensure you pay your bills on time, paying them off early is generally not a good idea unless you can negotiate better deals (refer above).

The longer you can leave money in your account the better it will be – particularly if you have an overdraft and are paying interest.

Consider this scenario: You have paid your suppliers two weeks early but a couple of your customers have hit hard times and won’t be able to pay you for another couple of weeks past the due date. Now you will be scrambling to get an overdraft extension or you will need to put off buying something needed for additional sales.

Hopefully you would have surplus funds up your sleeve to cover these situations (again refer to your cash flow forecast and model accordingly to have ‘extra’ just in case), but why put yourself unnecessarily in this position?

5. WILL TAX PLANNING SAVE SOME TAX? AGAIN, whether you are a growing business in start-up mode or whether you are making solid profits, any cash flow forecast should plan for tax payments including GST, income tax, PAYG tax and, where applicable, capital gains tax.

However, it always pays to consult your small business accountant, say, in April to June each year to see if you can minimise your tax legally or defer it so you can improve your cash flow. Remember that once tax has been paid it’s gone and generally can never be clawed back. If it can be deferred and you happen to have a tougher year the next year, then you have effectively saved money that could have been lost forever! Tax planning works and can quite often pick up leakages within your business if your accountant or small business advisor is doing their job correctly.

6. ARE WE PAYING LOANS OFF TOO QUICKLY? THIS may sound silly, and whilst it’s great to pay off debt so less interest is paid, remember that this could put more pressure on your business. Worse still, why would you pay off deductible debt much more quickly than non-deductible debt (e.g. home loan) unless the interest rates for the business are very high?

When doing your cash flow forecasts, if it looks like things could get very tight, consider reducing your loan repayments and discuss these options with your bank.

CONCLUSION: LIKE anything in life or business, planning is the key. Never underestimate the value of cash flow forecasts! Having cash to run the business lets you do things you want to do, when you want to do them. This means you might be able to do more things outside the business.

Your bank, your accountant and more importantly your family, will love you for it!

36

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Lifestyle Making the best of the Yulefest

BY CAMILLA BARLOW W CANCER COUNCIL NSW W

HE festive season is well and truly in full swing, with Christmas parties, end of year celebrations and the familiar sound of glasses clinking all ‘round.

If I had a gold coin for every time I hear someone saying “Gosh, where DID this year go? I swear it was January only yesterday”, then I’d be no longer writing this column – I’d be somewhere on a tropical island or skiing in some far off winter wonderland. (I know, keep dreaming...)

Although it’s necessary to help blow off some steam with work colleagues and indulge with your nearest and dearest a little more than usual, these celebrations can potentially get the better of us when it comes to our health. The silly season can leave us feeling a bit like Santa himself after a big night on the fruit mince pies.

So, as this will be my last column until 2016, I thought I’d wrap up by putting together a list of ways we can all enjoy our holiday and New Year cheer, without falling too far off the healthy lifestyle wagon and committing to some crazy diet come January 2.

T

Health Home Food Motor

Meat me in the middle: It’s BBQ season. The sun is shining so bring on the cheesy Christmas aprons and oversized tongs. I’ve written about the new research released by the World Health Organisation linking a high intake of processed meats and red meats with bowel cancer. There is also some evidence that links charred meat cooked at high temperatures with some forms of cancer. But before you throw down said tongs and re-gift the Jumbuck, there are ways you can still enjoy your BBQ without compromising on your health.

Firstly, marinating is your friend. Not only can it improve the flavours of your meat, but it also helps to prevent the formation of some nasty chemicals. Experiment with a mixture of vinegar or lemon juice along with herbs and spices and avoid charring the meat. Win-win.

Secondly, if you’re an avid BBQ enthusiast you’ll know that there are myriad foods other than red meat that you can cook beautifully on the grill – think fish and seafood, summer vegetables and poultry. One idea is to chuck some chunks of zucchini, red onion, capsicum and mushroom (or whatever takes your fancy) on a kebab stick, brush with olive oil and cook to your liking. There are also some great options when it comes to butterflying and marinating whole chickens and then grill on the BBQ. Delicious.

‘round, and without sounding like a broken record it’s because (FACT) sunburn increases your risk of skin cancer and skin cancer can be deadly, especially the most dangerous form, melanoma.

Again, it’s not a matter of sitting indoors for the next three months. It’s just about being sun smart and regularly applying a whole lot of broad spectrum common sense. If you can’t seek shade or shelter while the UV levels are high (between 10am and 3pm in Australia) try to wear light, protective clothing with a cool wide brim hat, and slop on some SPF 30+ or higher sunscreen every couple of hours. You’ll thank yourself for it later.

You CAN make friends with salad

It would be irresponsible of me to talk about festive celebrations and not touch on alcohol consumption. After all, we don’t want our Christmas cheers turning into Christmas tears due to a few too many shandies, and the last thing we want is to bring in 2016 with a massive hangover and no recollection of how you brought it in! So have fun, but be sensible over the holidays – if you do drink alcohol, try to limit it to the recommended guidelines, which state no more than two standard drinks per day.

My last piece of advice to remain feeling tiptop is to keep up the exercise. Christmas is a great time to unwind and relax with your family and friends, but if you are indulging a little more than usual then the best thing to do is burn off the extra kilojoules at the end of day with a brisk walk or a quick swim. When 2016 comes around it will be that much easier to get back into your chosen exercise regime.

Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. And on that note, I’ve hit my word limit. Cheers to a healthy, happy Christmas and New Year period.

My best tip here is to get creative. There are so many incredible salad recipes out there which include any combination of vegetables and fruit, wholegrains, nuts, fresh herbs and legumes – all you need is a simple healthy home-made dressing, a large mixing bowl and some servers and they’ll be calling you Jamie Oliver in no time. Fruit and vegetables are essential for maintaining a healthy weight and having a diet rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and can significantly reduce your risk of cancer and other lifestyle diseases including heart disease and diabetes. Cancer Council’s Eat It To Beat It website and Facebook page are full of great ideas to increase your family’s fruit and veg content without sacrificing flavour.

Sun Smart, not sun stroke I can’t talk about having fun in the sun without mentioning the importance of Slipping, Slopping, Slapping, Seeking and Sliding.

There’s a reason we go on about this all year

Christmas beers ≠ Christmas tears

38-40 Victoria Street, West Dubbo Tel: 02 6882 3466

DRIVE THRU BOTTLE SHOP! with real drive thru service!

“FOR THE COLDEST BEER IN TOWN”

Specials available Thursday 03.12.15 until Wednesday 9.12.15

CARLTON COLD 30PK $

39.99 CARTON

COUGAR & COLA +

BLACK DOUGLAS & COLA

INTRODUCING

YELLOWTAIL

WINES

MASTERS FINEST MF 4.5%ALC

FREE

10 PACK

STUBBY HOLDER with every carton

$

230gm Mission Corn Chip Varieties

2 Lt Pepsi Max or Solo

$ .69

$ .69

1

1

EACH 0.74¢ PER 100GM

EACH 0.85¢ PER 1LT

SPECIALS ONLY AVAILABLE AT YOUR IGA WEST DUBBO

29

$ .99

34.99

EVERYDAY

EACH

$

EXCLUSIVE TO US IN DUBBO!

TOOHEYS EXTRA DRY

25.00

ANY 3

$

39.99 CARTON

Stubbies or cans

WEST DUBBO DUBBO LIQUOR LIQUOR BARN WEST BARN 50 VICTORIA ST • 6882 8173 50 VICTORIA ST7TH • 6882 8173 SPECIALS END MONDAY DECEMBER 2015

“WE MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD”

THIS FRIDAY CHRISTMAS HAM RAFFLES 4/12/15

GIRLS OF EVERY WEDNESDAY TOUR & COUNTRY THURSDAY NIGHT

AMBER LAWRENCE + ALEYCE SIMMONDS + CHRISTIE LAMB

THIS SATURDAY 5/12/15

MOJO JUJU

Club Theatrette | Showtime 8pm | ALL AGES SHOW

EVERY WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY NIGHT mojojuju.net

Club Theatrette | Showtime 8.30pm | ALL AGES SHOW

Christmas CA$H PROMOTION A TOTAL TAL OF OF

*

$20,000 MUST BE WON

RECEIVE A TICKET WITH EVERY *$5 SPENT

3RD DRAW THIS WEDNESDAY 9/11/15

COFFEE SHOP OPEN TILL 9.00PM CHRISTMAS HAM RAFFLES ON THE NIGHT

CLUB MEMBERSHIP *$5.50 COURTESY BUS AVAILABLE THIS WEDNESDAY

CHANCE TO WIN!

iPAD AIRS

ALL MEMBERSHIPS RECEIVE A FREE ENTRY

Join or renew for your chance to WIN at www.dubborsl.com.au or Club reception

CLUB BISTRO ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET OPEN 7 DAYS LUNCH & DINNER CHILDREN’S MENU AVAILABLE LTPS/15/07969 LTPS/15/07949 *Conditions apply | Club Membership 1 Year: *$5.50 | Phone: 6882 4411 | dubborsl.com.au | Like us on Facebook

38

FOOD.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Roving Rachel cooks up an Irish storm Any thought that Ireland is a “nation of potato and cabbage eaters” is put to rest as Dublin chef Rachel Allen discovers a gastronomic feast along its coastline.

BY JEANANNE CRAIG HE sun didn’t always shine during Rachel Allen’s recent road trip along Ireland’s stunning Atlantic coast, but the chef and writer insists that was all part of the charm.

“When the weather wasn’t great, it was wild and dramatic and windy. We had a couple of boat trips that did more than clear out the cobwebs,” says Allen, who spent a month journeying along the rugged western terrain from Ballymaloe in County Cork to the rugged headlands of Donegal.

She visited numerous foodie locations along the route – and each stop-off forms a chapter in her new book, Coast, which is packed full of recipes inspired by her ‘culinary odyssey’.

There was Sneem village in Kerry, where she met black pudding-producing butchers; Galway City, to stock up on farmhouse cheese, and Rathmullan House in County Donegal, where Allen sampled some locally-brewed Kinnegar beer.

“The characters you meet along the way and their passion is just wonderful,” says the author, who also teaches at the acclaimed Ballymaloe Cookery School.

“I also learnt how to freedive for crabs and went snorkelling, looking at different seaweeds. I was constantly learning.”

Allen believes Ireland’s gastronomic output in recent years has helped reverse the opinion that it houses a “nation of potato and cabbage eaters”.

“Our produce is just the best in the world – when you think of our amazing seafood, our dairy, our meat, because of all our wonderful green grass and our grass-fed animals – it’s just fantastic,” she enthuses.

“I think it’s wonderful now that so many more chefs have confidence in our produce.

We’re importing less all the time. It’s wonderful seeing

T

Rachel Allen. PHOTO: PA/MAJA SMEND

people going for local produce and really showcasing it wonderfully by doing simple things to it.”

Allen took what she learned on her road trip back to share with her pupils at Ballymaloe.

The Dubliner was 18 when she enrolled in a course at the famous school and met now-husband Isaac (son of renowned chef Darina Allen).

“I love the teaching, and thankfully my mother-in-law Darina is wonderful at letting me go off and do this. I come back full of enthusiasm,” she says.

The mum-of-three, whose children range in age from six to 15, admits that despite the long days and distances involved, her journey up the Atlantic coast was “probably easier” than her usual day-to-day work.

Omelettes Are the Ticket for Holiday Brunches

BY ANGELA SHELF MEDEARIS

THE KITCHEN DIVA

Christmas brunch is a holiday tradition at our house, and eggs are always the star of the show. Year after year, eggs have been my choice for a healthy and inexpensive way to feed a crowd. My Oven-Baked Omelette recipe is quick and easy to make, and is a crowd-pleaser for breakfast, brunch or a light supper.

I love providing my guests with their choice of different types of pre-cooked

“Normally when I finish work, I have to come home and look after the children. [On the trip] we were staying in little hotels, guest houses or bed and breakfasts, so all I had to do was eat an evening meal and collapse into bed,” she adds with a laugh.

Have Allen’s kids picked up any of her kitchen prowess?

“Josh [the eldest] is good at catching fish. He’ll bring the fish back, he knows how to cook it himself but I’m awful, I’m one of these mothers, like the typical Irish mum who’ll say, ‘Ah no, I’ll do it’,” she confesses.

“I need to get them to do more, because they’re good actually.”

Want to try one of Allen’s tasty recipes at home? Here are three from Coast...

meats, diced vegetables and a variety of cheeses to personalize their omelettes.

The savoury tomato topping and the ingredient selections can be cooked the day before, refrigerated and re-heated to save time. It’s an easy, creative way serve breakfast or brunch for a crowd.

OVEN-BAKED OMELETTES (Serves 12.)

The pre-cooked toppings can be set up buffet style and quickly reheated in the microwave, with an electric skillet or on the stovetop in a sauté pan.

Cooking oil spray, butter or vegetable oil for sauté and baking pans 6 large eggs, separated

Coast: Recipes Inspired By Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Coast by Rachel Allen is published by Harper NonFiction 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon grated onion 3 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning 1/2 cup each, pre-cooked meat and vegetable toppings* Cheese for sprinkling or topping: Parmesan, Cheddar, American, Gouda, Goat cheese, etc. *Andouille sausage, salmon, Canadian bacon, ham, pork sausage, pork or turkey bacon, black beans, mushrooms, baby spinach leaves, chopped green onions, diced zucchini, diced squash, chopped onions or bell peppers, sliced black olives, etc.

PHOTO: PHIL CURRY

FOOD.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

39

IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR BAKED CHEESECAKE

RAW BEEROOT, FETA AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH TOASTED ALMONDS AND BALSAMIC DRESSING IRISH ONION SOUP WITH BLUE CHEESE TOASTS (Serves four as a starter) 25g butter 600g onions, peeled and cut into 5mm thick slices Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1L chicken or beef stock 150ml double or regular cream For the Blue Cheese Toasts: 8 x 1cm thick slices of baguette, white yeast bread or sourdough 75g blue cheese, crumbled To prepare: Melt the butter in a saucepan large enough to take the onions. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and stir. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for one-and-a-quarter to one-and-a-half hours, until the onions are very deep golden brown. You’ll need to stir the onions and scrape the bottom of the saucepan every few minutes while cooking.

When the onions have caramelised, add the stock and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cream, bring to a simmer and season to taste again with salt and pepper, then take off the heat.

When ready to serve, preheat the grill, then toast the bread on both sides and cut into smaller pieces, about 4cm. Pour the hot soup into heatproof bowls and top with the toasted bread. Crumble the blue cheese over the top, place the bowls under the hot grill and cook for one to two minutes until bubbling.

(Serves four to six as a starter) 30g whole almonds, cut lengthways into three slices 180g raw beetroot, peeled and sliced on a mandoline or a vegetable peeler 1-2mm thick One large ripe avocado, halved, stone removed, peeled and flesh cut into about 18 slices 30g watercress, separated into little sprigs 30g red onion, peeled and sliced on a mandoline or vegetable peeler 1-2mm thick 90g feta cheese, crumbled Few pinches of sea salt flakes For the balsamic dressing: 1tbsp balsamic vinegar 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil (the best you have) Pinch of fine salt Twist of black pepper To prepare: Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas mark 6. Combine all the ingredients for the balsamic dressing and set aside.

Put the almonds on a baking tray and cook in the oven for three minutes until golden under the skins.

(You can also do this in a frying pan on a mediumhigh heat.) Set aside.

Arrange the salad ingredients evenly on the plates: a layer of beetroot, about three slices of avocado, sprigs of watercress, red onion slices, crumbled feta, a pinch of sea salt flakes and a scattering of toasted almonds.

Drizzle each plate with a generous one to one-anda-half teaspoons of dressing and serve immediately.

To prepare: 1. Heat oven to 175C/350F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking oil spray, butter or vegetable oil. Place the pans in the oven to heat. In a large bowl, beat together egg whites and 3/4 teaspoons of the salt with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat.

2. In another bowl, mix the egg yolks, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, grated onion, flour and Italian seasoning. Beat until the mixture is thick and thoroughly blended. Gently fold in the egg whites.

Spread mixture in the hot cake pans. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

3. Use a knife to loosen the omelettes from

(Serves eight) For the base: 300g dark chocolate digestive biscuits 50g unsalted butter, melted 2tbsp double or regular cream For the top: 500g full fat cream cheese 150g caster sugar 4 eggs 100ml strong coffee 100ml Irish cream liqueur To prepare: Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas mark 3.

Put the base of a round 25.5cm (10in) spring-form cake tin upside down into the tin and secure the clasp.

Put the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor (or in a plastic bag) and whiz (or bash with a rolling pin) until they reach the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.

Tip out into a bowl, add the melted butter and cream and stir to combine. Press firmly into the bottom of the tin to create an even layer and flatten the top. Place on a baking tray, just in case any mixture leaks onto the floor of the oven while the cheesecake is cooking.

Put the cream cheese, sugar and eggs in a large bowl and whisk well to combine and get rid of any lumps in the cream cheese. Mix in the coffee and liqueur and pour into the tin on the tray.

Place the tray in the oven and cook for 35 minutes or until almost set. There should still be a thick wobble when you give the cheesecake a little shake. Turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside to sit for 30 minutes, then remove and leave to cool in the tin.

To remove the cheesecake from the tin, run a small sharp knife around the side of the cake, carefully unclip the tin and, with the help of a palette knife, slide the cheesecake off the base onto a serving plate (it should slide off easily because you have turned the base upside down).

Cut into slices to serve.

the sides of the pans. Invert the layers, bottom-side down, onto serving plates.

Cut the omelettes into wedges. Cover the pieces with foil to keep them warm.

4. Have your guests select the pre-cooked meats and vegetables of their choice. Add 1/2 teaspoon oil to medium sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pre-made tomato topping per serving to the pan, and heat for 2 minutes over low heat. Add your guest’s topping selections to the hot tomato topping and stir until warm, about 2 minutes.

5. Spoon the topping mixture over the omelette slice. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired. Serve immediately with sliced fruit and hot biscuits or rolls.

NOTE: If using a microwave, mix 2 to 3 tablespoons of the tomato topping and your guest’s pre-cooked topping choices together in a bowl. Micro-cook on high for 1 minute.

Tomato Topping: 2 tablespoons of olive oil 225g cherry tomatoes, diced 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 clove garlic, finely minced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper Using a medium pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add cherry tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 to 8 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to soften.

40

HEALTH.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

How good can one booze-free month really be?

BY LISA SALMON F a tablet was developed that reduced blood pressure, cholesterol and the risk of several life-threatening diseases, while at the same time helping people to lose weight, sleep and concentrate, it would be hailed as a new wonder drug.

While no such drug has yet been developed, it seems exactly the same effects can be achieved by stopping drinking alcohol for a month.

Tests on men and women who have taken part in the month-long alcohol abstinence campaigns such as Dry July (or ‘Dry January’ in some countries) found their liver function, blood pressure and cholesterol levels were better, and they were at lower risk of developing diabetes and liver disease.

The research, from University College London (UCL), also found some participants lost as much as 2.5kg, and reported improvements in concentration and sleeping.

“If you took a drug that reduced blood pressure and improved cholesterol and insulin resistance, it would be a blockbuster drug that would be worth billions,” says Professor Kevin Moore, the study’s principal investigator. “It would be an amazing drug and they’d be campaigning for it to be put in the drinking water.”

I

DOES IT LAST?

The big question now, says Professor Moore, is what the long-term effects of alcohol abstinence are. More research needs to be done to find out.

“Dry (months) makes you healthier, so it tells you that alcohol’s bad for you - but if you do stop drinking, are there any long-term benefits? We don’t know,” adds Moore, “although you can probably infer that it does have an impact. If this occurs after one month, what happens after three months?

Are these effects sustained?”

Before their alcohol-free month, the female participants in the research, which was presented to the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease this month, had been drinking an average of

29 units a week, or four units a day, and the men typically drank 31 units - both above government guidelines, which suggest men shouldn’t regularly exceed four units a day (equivalent to 700ml of 4 per cent beer), and women shouldn’t drink more than three units a day (equivalent to a 175ml glass of wine).

After four weeks, their liver stiffness (an indication of damage and scarring) had been reduced by 12.5 per cent, and their insulin resistance (a measurement of diabetes risk) had come down by 28 per cent.

“When you give up drinking for a month, a number of measurements improve, which suggest your cardiovascular risk of having a stroke is reduced,” says Professor Moore. “Insulin resistance improves substantially, which can also have an impact on cardiovascular risk.”

The abstinence also reduced the development of fatty liver disease, which affects 20 per cent of the adult population.

Being obese can cause fat deposits in the liver, sparking inflammation which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

GOBSMACKED

Professor Moore, who also undertook a much smaller, informal, alcohol abstinence study a year ago on a group of journalists, says he’s been “gobsmacked” by the results.

“This is an illustration of just how bad alcohol can be. It’s not saying that if you take a month off you can binge for the rest of the year, it’s saying this is how much healthier you are if you stop drinking.

“Some people who stop drinking haven’t even gone a week without drinking for years, and they’re quite scared about it.

“But when you do stop, the world doesn’t fall out from underneath you - you can get through the day without going into rampant alcohol withdrawal. People suddenly realise they can do it, and when they feel better - and many of them do - they then ask themselves whether a month off alcohol leads to a healthier 12 months.”

Another important question

PHOTO: PA/THINKSTOCKPHOTOS.

is whether people revert to their previous drinking behaviour after abstaining for a month.

“If they don’t, and it reduces their overall alcohol consumption, then that has to be a good thing,” says Professor Moore.

IS MODERATION KEY? While excessive alcohol intake is associated with a myriad of health problems, including increased risk of liver disease, heart problems, some cancers and mental health issues, and is a leading cause of preventable death in industrialised nations, many studies have suggested that alcohol - in particular red wine - can actually have health benefits, if drunk in moderation, of course.

A Harvard University study, for example, found moderate amounts raise levels of highdensity lipoprotein (HDL), or ‘good’ cholesterol, giving greater protection against heart disease. Separate Harvard

Dr Sarah Jarvis.

research also reported that red wine has anti-ageing properties, thanks to its resveratrol content (a compound found in the skins of red grapes).

Some studies also suggest that wine, especially red, may help protect against certain cancers, improve mental health, decrease the risk of developing dementia, and boost heart health.

Professor Moore is sceptical about there being any health benefits to drinking alcohol, however, although he admits he’s not familiar with all the data. “There is no way alcohol is good for you. No drug is not going to cause harm at the level alcohol is taken,” he states.

Another crucial piece of the jigsaw is that interpretations of what amounts to ‘moderation’ can differ widely, which throws some of the positive health findings into grey areas.

CONS OUTWEIGH THE PROS A British alcohol education charity called Drinkaware points out that beyond the lower risk guidelines, any potential benefits from drinking alcohol are outweighed by the harm it can cause.

For example, according to that country’s Department of Health, men who regularly consume more than eight units a day are four times more likely to develop high blood pressure,

while women who regularly consume more than six units a day double their risk of high blood pressure.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, Drinkaware’s medical advisor (inset), stresses: “In the long-term, the best evidence for avoiding alcohol-related harm comes from sticking within the recommended lower risk guidelines.”

She says light alcohol intake - up to one drink per day for women and one or two for men - may have an effect on reducing heart disease and stroke in middle-aged and older people. But there’s no evidence that drinking above government guidelines provides any benefit to the heart - men who drink heavily are over 60 per cent more likely to die from heart disease, and the risk to women is more than doubled.

She thinks Professor Moore’s study is promising because of the health benefits it identifies, and adds: “I support the idea of people having a month off from drinking alcohol, but only if it doesn’t mean that for the rest of the year they’re less concerned about cutting back.” z Various Australian websites offer advice. For a “Drinks Calculator” go to www.drinkwise.org. au and for government guidelines go to www.alcohol.gov.au. z Where to go for help if you or someone you know has problems with alcohol: Alcohol and Drug Information Services for NSW country areas: 1800 422 599

Perth aged care robot is an Australian first

HEALTH EXTRA

Residents at an aged care facility in Perth have been delighted by their newest addition, a 57cm-high robot who can host dance classes and even crack jokes.

Zora is the first robot to be introduced to an Australian aged care facility and was welcomed by delighted residents at Brightwater Madeley on Tuesday.

Zora can host activities such as exercise and music classes, book and news reading, and have one-on-one interactions with residents.

Using a tablet, care workers will program the robot, which is equipped with speech

recognition and voice synthesis in 19 languages.

Zora will be part of a study next year led by Brightwater’s senior researcher Karla Seaman to increase understanding of how human-robot interaction can reduce cognitive decline in older people.

“Many of our residents suffer some form of cognitive decline,” Brightwater chief executive Penny Flett said.

“To provide the best care possible, we must constantly offer them new and different stimulation experiences, both mentally and physically.”

The robot is already used in aged care

facilities throughout Europe and the US. Tommy Deblieck, the managing director and co-founder of the company that developed Zora’s software, Belgium’s QBMT, said it was rewarding seeing the impact of the robots on the quality of life of aged care residents.

“We have been very careful in programming exactly how Zora interacts with people and human gestures such as blinking, making eye contact and slight head movements,” he said at AAP the Perth launch.

THE PERFECT GIFT FOR

Christmas

IS AT LAWLER’S 9\I` `H`H ULVU QL^LSSLY` ࠮ 9LLM RHM[HU VJLHU ¶ IS\L VYHUNL ULVU ࠮ 9\I` `H`H QL^LSSLY` ¶ ULVU WPUR ࠮ 9\I` `H`H KHPZ` [VW ࠮ 9\I` `H`H QL^LSSLY` ¶ >OP[L [HZZLS ࠮ 9\I` `H`H ZLX\PU KYLZZ ࠮ 9\I` `H`H ^OP[L [HZZLS QL^LSSLY` ࠮ 9\I` `H`H NYLLU [HZZLS QL^LSSLY` ࠮ /VSPKH` ILSS WHYHKPZL KYLZZ ࠮ >PKL IYPT OH[ NYLLU ࠮4H_P HKYPM[ [\UPJ ¶ T\S[PJVSV\Y ࠮ 9\I` `H`H QL^LSSLY` ¶ ULVU WPUR ࠮ 9\I` @H`H QL^LSSLY` ¶ 5LVU VYHUNL [HZZLS ࠮ 4HKYPK SVM[ RHM[HU ࠮ >PKL IYPT OH[ IS\L ࠮ 9\I` `H`H 4VYVJJHU RHM[HU

Christmas AT LAWLER’S

....PAGE

2

2

3 1

5

6

4

7 9 1. One world round pizza board 30cm, $84.95 2. Casa regalo rectangle board 53cm x 17cm, $28.95 • Casa regalo round board 40x30x1.5, $30.95 3. Enamel serving spoons, $39.95 • Casa regalo round board set, $38.95 4. Copper classic photo frame 20x25cm, $24.95 5. Globe 360 topographical, $13.95 6. Copper photo mobile, $22.95 7. AC door mat, $52.95 8. Self help dispenser, $19.95 9. Gin kit UHÀ OO ‡ +RPHPDGH JLQ NLW $109.95 10. Fortune dispenser, $19.95 11. Bluetooth led speaker, $84.95

8

10

11

Lawler’s Christmas Catalogue • Products available at Delroy Chemmart Pharmacy, Narromine Pharmacy, Trangie Pharmacy and Lawler’s Pop-Up Christmas Shop

Christmas AT LAWLER’S

....PAGE

3

3 2

1

4 5 6

9 7

8

13 11

12 10

1. Creative therapy colouring book, $19.95 2. You need more sleep book, $22.95 • Stink outside the box book, $14.95 3. Stresshead massager, $11.95 4. Lipstick powerbank, $24.95 each 5. 90 degree view horizontal glasses, $19.95 6. Odor eraser steel soap, $14.95 7. Whistle musical straws (4), $9.95 8. Lines for all occasions books, $14.95 each 9. Time for tea mug w/infuser, $19.95 10. DB perfect brow kit, $14.99 11. DB eye shadow pallet, $14.99 12. DB neutral eye liner kit, $9.99 13. Grow up scratch wall ruler, $39.95

Products available at Delroy Chemmart Pharmacy, Narromine Pharmacy, Trangie Pharmacy and Lawler’s Pop-Up Christmas Shop • Lawler’s Christmas Catalogue

Christmas AT LAWLER’S

1

....PAGE

4

2

4

3

5

6

8

7 1. Crap dad jokes book, $19.99 each 2. Extremely embarrasing dad jokes book, $19.99 3. Men’s grooming kit, $18.95 4. Bottle counting opener, $9.95 5. Nice nosing you book, $29.95 6. Hammer 12 In 1 tool, $26.95 7. 100 reasons to panic about being single, $13.95 8. Man made book, $24.95 • Beard grooming kit, $49.95 • Moustache Kit, $39.95 9. NO! button, $13.95 10. Metallic retro pens, $12.95 11. Face mats $11.95

9

10

11

Lawler’s Christmas Catalogue • Products available at Delroy Chemmart Pharmacy, Narromine Pharmacy, Trangie Pharmacy and Lawler’s Pop-Up Christmas Shop

Christmas AT LAWLER’S

....PAGE

5

2

1

4

3

7

6 5 11

9

10 12

8

13

1. Half circle bangle, $80.00 • Knot bracelet, $17.95 Ring bangle, $21.95 2. Pigeon Hole navy earrings, $28.00 3. Twist bangle, $26.95 • Quartz gold bangle, $51.95 • Quartz bangle, $61.95 4. Pigeon Hole 4 set earrings, $35.00 5. Twist bangle – rose gold, $26.95 • Bar and ring bangle - rose gold, $22.00 6.Tiger tree black thread N/L, $32.95 7. Pom pom bangle - rose gold plate, $79.95 • Tiger tree fatimah hand - rose gold, $19.95 • Small gold necklace – beads cluster, $35.00 • Large gold necklace – beads cluster, $45.00 8.

Pigeon Hole cluster necklace – silver, $45.00 • Pigeon Hole beads cluster necklace - silver, $35.00 9. Zoda earrings, $19.95 10. Ruby yaya neon green armlet, $30.95 11. Knot half bangle - gold, $19.95 • Ring bangle, $21.95 •Knot bracelet $17.75 12. Fob bangle - rose gold, $25.95 • Bar cuff - rose gold, $22.95 13. Copper alarm clock minimal, $34.95 Products available at Delroy Chemmart Pharmacy, Narromine Pharmacy, Trangie Pharmacy and Lawler’s Pop-Up Christmas Shop • Lawler’s Christmas Catalogue

Christmas AT LAWLER’S

....PAGE

6

2

3

1

4

6

5 7

10

9

8

1. Penny lunchbox pear, $34.95 • Penny backack medium, $59.95 2. Ruby red shoes gift set, $29.95 3. Nail art carousel, $14.95 4. Ben and Holly pin puzzle, $14.95 5. Peppa Pig pin puzzle, $14.95 • Peppa Pig puzzle block, $14.95 6. Ruby red shoes china mug, $14.95 • Ruby red shoes scatter tray, $5.95 7. Woodland led lights, $9.95 8. The cute colouring Book, $11.95 • Brave as can be book, $19.99 9. Anabel tippy toes, $24.95 10. My little world zoom, $14.95 • My little world roar, $ 12.95 • My little world kiss, $12.95 11. Ben and Holly stacking blocks, $22.95 12. Twigseeds Xmas cards, $19.95 13. Colour away posters, $26.95 each

11

12

13

Lawler’s Christmas Catalogue • Products available at Delroy Chemmart Pharmacy, Narromine Pharmacy, Trangie Pharmacy and Lawler’s Pop-Up Christmas Shop

Christmas AT LAWLER’S

1

2

3

6

5

9

8

....PAGE

7

4

7

10

11

13

12 14

1. Desktop tennis, $21.95 2. Neon colouring book, $22.95 3. Finger printing set, $19.95 4. Flash and glow ball, $19.95 5. Wallet ninja 18 tools in 1, $19.95 6. Solar bugz, $9.95 each 7.

Desktop quick draw, $11.95 8. Turn off the TV comic kit, $21.95 9. Dinorocks, $4.95 10. Tabletop mini cards, $21.95 11. Tabletop mini cards, $21.95 12. Instant snow, $4.95 each 13. MunchTime chopsticks, $9.95 each 14.

Combat copter, $19.95 Products available at Delroy Chemmart Pharmacy, Narromine Pharmacy, Trangie Pharmacy and Lawler’s Pop-Up Christmas Shop • Lawler’s Christmas Catalogue

Christmas AT LAWLER’S

....PAGE

8

1

2

3 6

5

4

8

7

1. Roald Dahl games assorted, $14.95 each 2. Fingernail friends, $11.95 3. Animal gift wrapping kit, $24.95 4. Roald Dahl art set, $49.95 5. Ouch cotton baby wraps, $29.95 each 6. Dancing tattoos Christmas, $4.95 7. Colour my world jungle 42x250cm, $22.95 8. Twigseed diary, $24.95 • Twigseed wall calendar, $24.95

Find these products and more at, LAWLERS FAMILY Narromine Pharmacy

Trangie Pharmacy

Lawlers Christmas Shop!

Narromine Pharmacy® 53 Dandaloo Street Narromine 2821 Ph 02 6889 1039 Mon - Fri 9am - 6pm Sat 9am - 12:30pm

Trangie Pharmacy® 54 Dandaloo St, Trangie 2823 Ph 02 6888 7285 Mon - Fri 9am - 5.30pm Sat 9am - 12pm

119 Macquarie Street, opposite Myer Open 7 days Trading from 24th November - 7th January

PHARMACIES

Delroy Chemmart® Pharmacy Shop 15 Delroy Park Shopping Centre Minore Road Ph 6884 5603 MON- FRI 8:45am - 6:30PM SAT 9am - 4PM SUN 9am - 3PM

LAWLERS FAMILY PHARMACIES

Not all items available at all shops.

Lawler’s Christmas Catalogue • Products available at Delroy Chemmart Pharmacy, Narromine Pharmacy, Trangie Pharmacy and Lawler’s Pop-Up Christmas Shop

TRAVEL.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

49

A song of tropical paradise Fiji

BY CHRIS HUTCHINGS T’S warm, sunny, and peaceful.

What else could you ask for?

Oh, yes, the food? Sumptuous.

And, the people are warm, welcoming, and always smiling – and, it seems, all of them sing beautifully.

It isn’t New York, or London, or Paris.

It’s the perfect getaway: Fiji.

Many call Fiji the chill-out destination. The Fiji Tourism website calls it the home of happiness.

It’s easy to see why. Children smile at everything, and Fijians welcome you warmly.

Even if you want to, it’s hard to hold on to the tension collected living in the city or busy workplace. Hard not to let the smiles and warmth of this Pacific Island nation and its people melt your cares away.

Fiji has more than 300 tropical islands – and a lot to offer. Beautiful undulating countryside, scattered villages; lagoons, coral reefs and renowned dive sites; bustling, colourful markets teeming with fresh produce; locals with smiling eyes and warm welcomes and children with beaming, happy faces.

And singing. It seems everyone sings.

Everywhere, you’re greeted by a sweet

I

melodic welcome and farewelled with a sweet tuneful goodbye – whether boarding or alighting from an inter-island ferry, coming ashore at an island resort, or enjoying dinner in the restaurant the night before you leave for home.

Fijians seem to burst into song at every opportunity. Indeed, you’re likely to hear your waitress start softly signing as she returns to the kitchen after having taken your order. Singing just seems to be in their DNA. If you can, join the congregation at one of the many local churches for a Sunday service. You’ll be wowed by the harmonies as the members sing the hymns.

And Fiji now has an annual international golf tournament with its own PGA in its second year in 2015.

So, why not say Bula Vinaka! To Fiji.

But before you book, a tip. On your flight in, get a window seat. Then, as you make the slow descent toward the airport, you’ll have a bird’s-eye view of the islands dotting the ocean. Many are uninhabited, some are nothing more than a sandy beach in the middle of a cluster of coral, others again are a mere circle of bush surrounded by a ring of golden sand, itself surrounded by a ring of coral. It’s a beautiful sight.

WHEN TO GO?

WHENEVER you go to Fiji, it’s going to be warm, if not hot – depending on your personal calibration – and have a varying degree of humidity. It is tropical, after all.

But, no matter how hot you like the weather, you’ll probably want to avoid the rainy period. That typically runs from November through April, meaning, allowing for a cusp period, the best

time to visit is between late March and early December.

As regards temperatures, well Fiji rarely falls lower than 26C or gets hotter than 31C. And, a cooling trade wind blows from the east southeast for most of the year, making the temperature quite comfortable no matter when you go. z The writer was a guest of Outrigger AAP Resorts Fiji

Outrigger Fiji and Castaway Island were recently named winners in the Family Travel Awards. Photos: Outrigger Resorts.

Chinese tourists outspend others in Australia

TRAVEL BRIEFS

SYDNEY: Chinese tourist spending in Australia soared to $7.7 billion over the past year, rising at more than three times the rate of increase in overall visitor spending.

Spending by visitors from China rose 43 per cent in the 12 months to September compared to the previous year as a drop in the value of the Australian dollar helped make the country more affordable to overseas visitors.

Chinese visitor expenditure has now exceeded the tourist industry’s annual target of $7.4 billion – set in

2010 – five years ahead of schedule.

It’s also more than the combined $7.5 billion spent by Britons, Americans and Canadians.

Total inbound visitor spending grew 13 per cent to a record $34.8 billion, according to Tourism Research Australia.

The Australian tourist industry, which includes hotels, airlines, restaurants and operators, has received a welcome boost from the decline in the Australian dollar.

Even after its recent mini recovery, the Aussie is down almost

15 per cent against the US dollar compared to this time last year.

Tourism Research Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said the September quarter was the third straight quarter to boast double digit spending growth. The priority now is to get visitors out of the capital cities and spending their dollars across the whole country.

The 43 per cent increase in Chinese spending came as visitor numbers leaped by a quarter.

“The tyranny of time, distance and cost mean that Australia will

never be a high volume destination,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

“Our Tourism 2020 strategy is unashamedly focused upon yield: encouraging international visitors to stay longer, disperse further and ultimately do more and spend more while in our country.”

Food and wine spending by visitors is approaching $700 million, far exceeding the $500 million target the industry set itself when it launched a Restaurant Australia advertising campaign in December 2013.

AAP

50

TRAVEL.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Rich pickings in Puerto Rico

BY JAMES EDGAR T has just turned midnight on a balmy Friday night in San Juan, and I am getting into my groove.

Drumming troupes are playing along to the salsa beats blaring out of the bar, and I’m swaying my rum-rhythmed hips, effortlessly blending into the dancing crowd. Or so I think.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and I swing around to see a Puerto Rican woman twice my age shaking her head and grinning from ear to ear. I clearly look like I need some instruction.

My self-appointed tutor takes my hand and tells me to copy her step, and within minutes, it’s catching on.

But with the same speed with which it started, my lesson abruptly finishes, and she disappears into the night. I never even got her name...

Emboldened by my newfound expertise, I am now ready to take on the famous nightlife of this Caribbean capital city.

I am in La Placita de Santurce, where hundreds of people of all ages have spilled out of the open-fronted bars that are dotted around the square to dance and drink.

By day, this is San Juan’s food market, but by night, it transforms into a vibrant fiesta of colour, salsa and food.

I have just three days in Puerto Rico, which admittedly seems like an extravagant trip. (You could easily spend longer in this vibrant part of the world.) A three-day trip is best planned if you’re already holidaying in the US, and it’s also far more viable if you’re in the UK now that lowcost airline Norwegian is flying direct from Gatwick to San Juan with return flights as cheap as £250 return.

I force myself away from La Placita with the party in full flow – not because I want to leave, but because there are so many places to experience during my flying visit.

Next on my agenda is a bar that was voted one of the 50 best in the world in a 2015 poll – La Factoria.

No sign hangs above the door to this artistic hangout in the heart of Old San Juan, because this cocktail bar doesn’t need one.

Unpretentious and bohemian, La Factoria is the perfect place

I

The Sentry box at San Cristobel. Photos: PA

TRAVEL BRIEFS

to dance the night away to the ubiquitous sound of salsa. The challenge is trying not to get lost in this maze of tunnels and tiny rooms, while sipping fresh cocktails made with local rum.

Rum is everywhere in Puerto Rico, and the country is rightly proud of its long history with the spirit. The island is said to be the largest producer in the world, and despite a squabble over which barman came up with the recipe, the world famous pina colada cocktail was invented in San Juan.

My odyssey to the sugar canebased spirit begins at Bacardi’s ‘Cathedral of Rum’ in Catano, just outside the capital.

The distillery, built in 1958, is the largest premium rum facility in the world, where almost 85 per cent of Bacardi’s production comes from – it churns out a staggering 21 million cases per year for shipment around the world.

My basic tour scratches the surface of the history of Bacardi, from its beginnings in neighbouring Cuba to worldwide domination of the rum market, but it does give me a platform on which to blag my way around the local bars, and of course, a complimentary Cuba libre.

I am staying at the Hilton Caribe, a historic hotel on the eastern side of the Isleta de San Juan.

The first Hilton outside the US, it’s where bartender Ramon ‘Monchito’ Marrero Perez claims to have served the pina colada first, at the hotel’s Beachcomber Bar in August 1954.

The true origin of the rum, coconut milk and pineapple juice cocktail will probably never be discovered, but there are certainly few better places to sip one at sunset.

Puerto Rico’s geographical position meant the island was a key strategic territory when European explorers arrived in the region.

For many ships using the transatlantic trade winds, Puerto Rico was the first land to be sighted after weeks at sea, so it was seen as an important gateway to the riches of the Caribbean.

The Spanish took control in the early 16th century and built impressive fortifications to protect its most valuable outpost from attackers, such as the British and Dutch. They ruled for 400 years until Puerto Rico was declared a territory of the United States.

Three forts – San Felipe del

Air NZ named top airline for a third time

Aust surfers’ could impact Mexico tourism

WELLINGTON, NZ: Air New Zealand has been named airline of the year for the third time in a row by website AirlineRatings.com.

The website, which calls itself the only safety and product rating website for the airline industry, was gushing in its praise for the partially government-owned carrier.

It won its 2016 awards because of its “continuous passenger innovations, environmental commitment, record-breaking financial performance, operational safety and motivation of its staff that have

LOS ANGELES: Officials in the Mexican state of Sinaloa fear the publicity around missing Australian surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman will damage their tourism industry.

Sinaloa governor Mario Lopez Valdez and tourism secretary Francisco Cordova Celaya have vowed to find the people responsible for the Australians’ fate.

“This is a bad look, we will seek to shed light on this and find those responsible,” Mr Valdez told the Proceso news website.

cemented the airline an industry trendsetter”.

Air NZ was also rated best for economy and premium economy classes, where it has designed its own seats.

Etihad won best first class, Singapore Airlines best business class, Qantas best business lounges and catering and Singapore Airlines best inflight entertainment.

Four airlines shared the best lowcost carrier award: Virgin America, Scoot (Asia/Pacific), Kulula.com (Middle-East/Africa) and Norwegian.

AirlineRatings.com’s top 10 airlines: 1. Air New Zealand 2. Qantas Airways 3. Etihad Airways 4. Cathay Pacific Airways 5. Singapore Airlines 6. Emirates 7. EVA Air 8. Virgin Atlantic /Virgin Australia 9. All Nippon Airways 10. Lufthansa AAP

TRAVEL.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

51

The river at El Yunque rainforest.

La Placita de Santurce.

The view from San Cristobel.

The waterfall at El Yunque rainforest.

Palomino Island.

Morro, San Cristobal and San Juan de la Cruz – make up La Fortaleza, which, along with a large section of the old city wall, is a Unesco World Heritage site.

San Cristobal, the largest Spanish fort in the so-called New World, stands guard on the eastern side of the walled city of Old San Juan.

With its thick walls, dungeons, strategic tunnels and sentry boxes, it’s easy to imagine what life was like for the soldiers – and prisoners – here.

Breathtaking views along the coastline and out across the Atlantic are a welcome reward for the hike to the top of the ramparts.

Away from Puerto Rico’s main town, there is so much more to explore.

My next hotel stop is on the northeastern tip of the island at

the El Conquistador resort, which has its own private island, Palomino, with pristine beaches and a range of watersports.

A short drive away is El Yunque, the only tropical rain forest in the United States national forest system.

Measuring 28,000 acres, hundreds of plant species live here, including 150 ferns, 240 tree species – 88 of which are endemic or rare and 23 are exclusively found in El Yunque.

A huge amount of rain falls here, so taking a natural shower under one of the forest’s spectacular waterfalls is reason enough for a visit.

Also nearby is Laguna Grande, where billions of bioluminescent plankton light up the water when they are disturbed.

I take a tour across the water with Kayaking Puerto Rico, who

The Bacardi distillery.

guide me through a tunnel of mangroves as I drift over the jet black sea water.

Before long, I notice the mystical effect my paddle has on the microscopic creatures, which glow as the blade cuts through the surface.

It’s no wonder the ancient civilizations here believed this lagoon had higher powers.

Measuring just 177km wide and 65km high, Puerto Rico is easy to get around, making it a potential candidate for a long weekend break.

In three days, I’m able to experience some of the country’s key highlights – although learning how to salsa like a local might take me a bit longer. z James Edgar was a guest of Norwegian

La Factoria bar.

Nativity scene carved out of ice in Graz

Coral spawn a spectacular site on Qld reef

GRAZ, AUSTRIA: Graz, like so many other global cities, sets up a huge Christmas tree outside its town hall every year.

Thousands of people are there for the ceremonial lighting when the 25,000 light bulbs are switched on. But Graz has more.

The city in southeastern Austria has a unique annual attraction: a Nativity scene hewn out of massive chunks of ice.

This can be seen in the arcades of the Landhaus, the landmark 16th-century Renaissance-style building where the Styrian state parliament meets.

The world’s largest Nativity scene made of ice is always opened with a live

CAIRNS: The soup of eggs and sperm might smell peculiar but spawning coral has pulling power.

The spectacular annual event has again attracted scientists and tourists to the Great Barrier Reef, which has lit up with the glow of colourful gametes over the past few days.

Dr Greg Torda, who has spent the spawn working 16-hour days on Orpheus Island, north of Townsville, says the event likely peaked on Monday night.

“It’s one of the most spectacular natural events I’ve ever seen,” the ARC Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies post-doc-

music concert, with the man-sized figures sculpted from 50 tonnes of ice glistening in the Christmas lights. Since they tend to melt, replacement sculptures are kept at the ready.

The entire city with its narrow alleys, hidden back courtyards and the Schlossberg castle overlooking the town is one glittering Christmas display every December.

Naturally the windows of the shops feature sumptuously decorated Christmas trees.

In the past this was hardscrabble country and the farmers would only have simple decorations on their Christmas trees.

torate research fellow told AAP. Swimming through a spawn is regularly described as like being in a snow globe and the resulting bio matter causes slicks to be seen from the air.

The event gives researchers a rare opportunity to test the expected affects of climate change on young coral, which is especially important ahead of an expected worldwide coral bleaching event early next year.

Mr Torda thinks the “coral recruits” will have a hard start to life if water warms but says the extent of the problem can’t be estimated yet.

AAP

52

TRAVEL.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Arrivederci, Three months and ten kilos after arriving in the Land of Love, Weekender’s ELLA MCMILLAN bid a sad farewell to her Italian adventure –vowing she’ll soon be back.

MAGINE my relief, after a strenuous and lengthy application process, at receiving an acceptance letter from Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan.

New home? Check. Bag packed?

Check. Student visa? Probably should’ve checked that. Regardless, I was off on a new adventure – to live in a city with a language of which I knew very little, full of people about whom I knew even less.

But my newfound loneliness wasn’t to last. Through a Facebook group of all the incoming foreign exchange students, I met two girls who wanted to travel through Southern Italy ahead of the start of semester. Figuring it would be a nice change to have an organised and detailed itinerary, I obliged and flew from Paris to Naples, home of the mafia, Camorra.

My first impressions of Italy did not disappoint – a province of colours, flavour and culture were intertwined in one of its oldest cities.

I checked into the Hostel of the Sun and carefully made my way into town, weaving among erratic motorists in Fiats and on scooters, to meet Nicola and Hillary, my new travelling companions.

It was the final month of summer and although temperatures were expected to cool, that day was a warm 27 degrees.

We found a small, quiet restaurant down an alleyway and shared our first Italian dish of rockmelon and prosciutto before I conceded defeat to a nasty travel bug and failed to translate my worsening symptoms to a local pharmacist.

Later, I reluctantly declined an invitation to the world’s largest celebration of pizza and admitted myself to the closest hospital. After repeating “molto mal di stomaco” which literally meant “very stomach pain”, I was seen by a doctor in emergency who treated me for free in exchange for giving his son English lessons for the remainder of my stay. For a broke backpacker, those words were gold.

I

ESPITE a slow recovery, a few days later I jumped on a horse to conquer Mount Vesuvius. Our guide knew little English but managed to explain to us how to tell the horse to “stop” and “go”. What he didn’t tell us was that we’d soon go from a calming walk to a fast gallop! Before long we were at the top and looking at the most incredible view from a volcanic mountain which had famously caused the devastation of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Next stop was Isle of Capri. We boarded the hydrofoil at Dock Beverello and arrived to take a bus from Capri’s piazza up the winding and narrow cliff roads to Anacapri. We were stoked to reach Mount Solaro (also known as the Cloud

D

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

Roma

TRAVEL.

53

One of a string of centuries-old seaside villages along the Italian Riviera as part of Cinque Terre in Northern Italy.

54

TRAVEL.

Catcher) via chairlift, floating above carefully manicured gardens and vineyards on a journey to the summit to experience the views from the top of the island from where we hiked back down.

On the island it seemed like an endless summer with perfect weather and scenery impossible to translate through photos alone surrounded us as the sun set on stunning Marina Piccola.

Following a warm visit to beautiful Augustus Gardens, I could barely contain my excitement to swim at the pebbled beaches where the water was refreshingly cold. It wasn’t until our final night that we treated ourselves to a foodgasm thanks to Buoncore Gelateria, instilling our new passion for all thing Caprese.

The next day, via another hydrofoil, we arrived at Praiano along the Amalfi Coast and inevitably became lost – but, luckily, not for long.

With the help of locals, we found the beginning of what would be our four-hour, five-kilometre hike along the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods). We started, full of life, at Convento San Domenico and were awed by the environment that engulfed us, even stopping to let past a group of mountain goats being shepherded across the track.

In broken Italian and reciprocally broken English (Itaglish) we chatted along the way with locals who lived and farmed along the cliff’s edge, patting every seemingly stray cat we encountered.

Finishing at Novelle, following a rigorous downward flight of stairs, we miraculously found what

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender little strength we had to explore our final destination of Positano before taking a short and winding bus ride to Sorrento. It was there our B&B host Giuseppina picked us up from the station.

We watched our giant pizza being prepared from scratch inhaling the different smells of varying ingredients at every process and devoured it the second it was placed in front of us, mouths watering.

The next day we awoke to a delicious, traditional, homemade Italian breakfast of coffee and Nutella-filled pastries, which provided a delectable start to an early morning transit to Cinque Terre.

It was fun to explore the string of centuries-old seaside villages along the Five Lands of the Italian

In broken Italian and reciprocally broken English (Itaglish) we chatted along the way with locals who lived and farmed along the cliff ’s edge, patting every seemingly stray cat we encountered.

Riviera, comprising of Monterosso al mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore.

Despite some of the tracks still being closed (due to torrential rains causing mudslides), we managed to wrangle our way across fences, through gates and dark tunnels and past nude beaches, to finalise the trek with a much deserved swim. Simultaneously sad and excited, this was our last stop before making our way to our soon-to-be new home in Piazza Michelangelo Buonarroti, Milan, just in time for Fashion Week.

We settled in quickly and easily, finding a wealth of eateries and places to have Aperitivo (drinks before a large meal), one of my now-favourite Italian traditions. The Yguana Cafe was our regular hotspot, with incredible food and a variety to match.

Three months and a hefty ten extra kilos later, I’d tried and tested every delicious aspect of Italian cuisine and culture, learning there was a reason it’s left such a powerful mark on Western culture.

Italy, I’ll be back.

Mass at St Peter’s Basilica and St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

TRAVEL.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

55

The Grand Canal snakes through the city of Venice as people use gondolas and boats as their primary mode of transportation.

The monumental three-tier amphitheatre that is the Colosseum, once a gladiator’s stage.

An elderly Italian man gazes out the window of a shop in Rome nearby the famous Spanish steps.

The sunset sets on a construction worker undertaking maintenance on Milan’s central cathedral, the Duomo.

56

HOME.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

5 tips for saving water

BY JULIA GRAY

1

ABOUT a third of the water we use at home is for flushing the loo, but you can save a lot by only flushing when there’s something solid to flush away. If this doesn’t appeal, you can restrict the amount of water used for each flush by fitting a water-saving loo, such as a dual-flush one that has a big and a little flush. You can also put something (a brick, or a plastic bag designed for the job – some councils/water companies provide these free of charge) in the cistern, so it doesn’t use as much water to flush.

2

TAKING a shower uses around two-thirds less water than taking a bath, but this is providing you’re only in the shower for a few minutes and it’s not a power shower – power showers can use more water than a bath. You’ll save most water by fitting a flow-restricting shower or an aerating shower head. These use less water per minute and shouldn’t leave you showering in a dribble. Some good ones use flow regulators to limit the maximum flow of water, with a special shower head that uses aerating technology to create the sensation of a normal flow using a lot less water. Ask at your hardware store.

3

IF you have a dripping tap, fix it as quickly as possible because it will soon waste litres of water. Often the tap just needs a new washer, which isn’t hard to fit. You can also save water by fitting flow restrictors or regulators to your home’s taps, or tap inserts that aerate the water.

ONE of the best ways to save water is to install a grey-water recycling system. This typically takes waste water from the bath, shower and basin (and sometimes other waste water too) and uses it for the loo and outside tap. There are various ways to do this, some of which are expensive, but it can be as straightforward as fitting a waste-pipe splitter to separate the water from your bathroom’s loo from the room’s other waste water.

Check your local council regulations first.

IN the garden, rainwater can be collected in a water butt by connecting it to a downpipe, which is a fairly simple DIY job. This makes watering the garden easier, especially when there’s a hosepipe ban. A more elaborate version of this is a rainwater harvesting system. There are different versions, but it’s often a system that collects rain from the guttering and pumps it to where it’s needed. More than half of the mains water we use at home could be replaced by rainwater in this way, so it could make a big difference.

4 5

Make a succulent pumpkin centrepiece

BY DONNA ERICKSON

CREATIVE FAMILY FUN

Seeing a big tub of pumpkins in the supermarket this week reminded me that pumpkins aren’t just for Halloween. Available in green, white, blue-grey and various shades of orange, like the deeply ribbed Cinderella pumpkin, they make an eye-catching centrepiece when you glue moss and living succulents on top.

Keep the succulents misted as they root into the moss, and enjoy

an attractive creation in your home into the December holidays and beyond. When the pumpkin eventually begins to soften and age, toss it in the compost bin and pot the succulents indoors in soil in a flowerpot or outdoors in a frost-free garden bed.

Kids will enjoy making the centrepiece with you this week. Swirling the nontoxic sticky glue, handling the wiry moss and arranging the succulents and add-ins make for artful fun.

Here’s what you’ll need for one succulent pumpkin centrepiece: z One clean pumpkin with a flat top surface and centre indentation

PHOTOS: PA/THINKSTOCKPHOTOS.

works best. z Water-soluble white glue that dries clear z Sphagnum moss available in garden centres or craft stores z Several succulents. Use cuttings from your garden or purchase at garden centres z Natural add-ons such as seedpods, acorns, tiny pinecones, eucalyptus Here’s the fun: 1. Set pumpkin on a newspapercovered work surface. Remove stem with clippers, being careful not to cut into the pumpkin.

2. Drizzle glue around the top area

HOME.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

57

5 tips for choosing and using coving

BY JULIA GRAY

1

MANY period properties, particularly ones built in the early 20th century and prior, originally had coving and cornicing in many of the rooms. A room without coving can look bare – it’s amazing what a difference it makes. As well as being decorative, coving is a good way to hide hairline cracks and other imperfections. It also makes it easier to get a neat line between a different wall and ceiling colour when painting.

STYLES of coving changed over the years, so try to match any coving you buy to the period of your home.

If you have coving in some rooms, this is the best indication of the style, or your neighbours’ homes may have original coving you can copy. Specialist coving companies sell popular period-style designs and some can match existing coving, and repair and restore it.

PERIOD coving is made of plaster, and many coving specialists make and fit plaster coving, but I wouldn’t recommend putting it up yourself because it’s very heavy. DIYers should play safe and stick to lighter coving materials, which are easier to work with and won’t be potentially dangerous Coving on the interior of a period property. Photos: PA/thinkstockphotos. if they fall down. The lightest and easier coving to use is expanded polystyrene, but there are other DIY-friendly types, including polyurethane and duropolymer.

AS well as getting coving that’s the right period for your home, it’s important to get the right size for the room. Big rooms with high ceilings can take large, more elaborate designs, while smaller rooms with lower ceilings are better suited to narrower, plainer coving. Coving can, of course, be used in modern properties to add interest to a room, but it tends to be a plain, concave design.

IT’S a good idea to buy coving with pre-cut corners, as cutting the corners yourself can be tricky. Even precut corners don’t necessarily fit perfectly because rooms in old houses often aren’t square, so you may have to do some clever filling. Always use the adhesive recommended for the coving you’ve bought and have some panel pins to hand – you may need them to keep the coving up while the adhesive dries. You’ll need to use lots of paintable caulk or flexible filler to fill in and around lightweight coving – this is time-consuming, but necessary to get a good finish.

2

3

4 5

of the pumpkin in swirls.

Cover with the moss about 1.5cm thick, pressing firmly in place. Let dry.

3. Remove roots and soil from the succulents from containers. Dip 1/2-cm stems into glue and poke into the moss.

For balance, place a tall succulent for a focal point near the centre and add remaining succulents and add-ons around it over the moss. (An adult may use a glue gun to affix the add-ons, if you prefer) Care: Set the centrepiece on a trivet or tray. Mist succu-

lents and moss weekly, making sure the pumpkin remains fresh and dry. The succulents will begin to root through the glue into the moss. Keep away from excessive heat, freezing temperatures and rain.

Extra idea: Make succulent pumpkin place cards for each place setting at the table for your next family gathering, using single minis, such as the Munchkin pumpkin. Tuck a name card in each one and set at each plate. Guests may take it home to enjoy.

NOW HERE’S A TIP

BY JOANN DERSON z Three ways to use an empty tissue box: 1) store plastic grocery bags inside; 2) line with a small plastic trash bag and use in your car as a travel trash can; 3) cut out the bottom and use it to disguise an extra toilet tissue roll in your guest bath! z Love oranges? Save the peels to add to your potpourri mix. Remove as much of the pith as possible, and cut into strips. Air dry in bright light for about a week. Or you can set the strips on parchment and dry in a partially closed oven set to 80C/175F for

about 45 minutes. Check often. z “When the last serving of jam has been used, I will happily add some oil and vinegar to the jar, along with a few choice spices, then shake. It’s an instant vinaigrette, with a fruity tang.” – Contributed

by C.L. z Keep your jeans or other denim items from fading by soaking them in a solution of cold water and salt (approx one tablespoon for every two litres) for about an hour before washing. z “To clean a can opener, get it wet and run a folded paper towel through it while turning the handle. Works best if done after each use.” – Contributed by H.P.

58

HOME.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Scent the halls

BY GABRIELLE FAGAN HE power of scent is wellknown – it can turn back time, bring back memories and transport us to other worlds in a nanosecond, which probably explains why more and more of us are embracing

T

Bloody Rosemary and Woodland Martini fragranced candles

Reed diffuser

home fragrances. Especially at Christmas time, when we feel nostalgic as well as merry.

The season, of course, has its characteristic traditional scents, from fir trees and

woodsmoke to mince pies and mulled wine – and just a hint of those conjured by the magic of a room spray, candle or diffuser, can evoke the warm, welcoming spirit of holiday time.

There are a myriad more increasingly sophisticated scents too, which can appeal individually and say as much about our style and taste as a personal fragrance.

As we become a more multicultural nation, the number and variety of scents that can remind us of Christmas are increasing.

“Fragrance is all about the beauty of the outdoors, and those who want to be reminded of all their best childhood memories of the season need look no further than the enchantingly beautiful scents conjuring crisp frosted pines, fir tree... holly, ivy and soft

white musk notes,” says Roz Wicks, marketing manager at fragrance house, Symrise.

“For some, nothing makes the season like the smell of spice and there’s an increased focus on food inspired scents this year – brambleberries, cranberries, clementines, cloves, gingerbread, roasted chestnuts, cinnamon, ginger, tonka beans and cardamom.

These will fill the house with warmth and cheer.”

Pine and Eucalyptus candle

and the wax is clear of debris or dust. Keep a candle on a flat surface and not near draughts, which can cause flickering and

Triple wick candle in star embossed tin

Those seeking glamorous scents for late-night soirees could, she suggests, embrace oriental notes; rich frankincense, sweet myrrh, velvet rose, sandalwood, cedar and golden amber, to conjure a party atmosphere.

Choose super scents for every seasonal occasion, whether to soothe stress as you battle with the preparations, conjure festive atmosphere or simply ramp up the party spirit...

WICK WISDOM Use a candle snuffer when extinguishing candles. This avoids movement in the wick and debris falling into the melted wax which will cause smoke when you relight. Ensure wicks are trimmed to a maximum length of 5mm before lighting

The Ajon by IIUVO

Meatloaf Mash-Up combines leftovers

BY DONNA ERICKSON

CREATIVE FAMILY FUN

Nothing says comfort, security and home like an old-fashioned meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Try this tasty supper with your family, or better yet, invite another family over to enjoy this generous-size recipe of Outside-Inside Meatloaf.

We call it the all-in-one vegetable/potato/ meatloaf, because when you slice the main dish, the kids discover that everything is hidden inside – everything, that is, except the salad and bread, which your guests could bring to complete this fabulous “let’s get together” meal.

fragrance of its own. Yankee Candle’s Advent House In The Snow features a tea light for every day in one of seven seasonal scents, including spiced orange, snowflake cookie and winter glow, as well as a Christmas Eve votive. If you’d like to specifically match your fragrance to your personality, the company’s Fragrance Finder app can help you refine your choice (yankeecandle.co.uk).

Check local stores for similar options.

STRESS SOOTHERS For all its charm, the pressures of Christmas preparation can

Ichi reed diffuser

uneven burn. Make sure you burn a candle long enough so the wax fully pools across the surface, but no longer than four hours at a time.

ADVENT COUNTDOWN Make each day in the lead up to Christmas special, with a

It’s also the perfect solution for using big meal leftovers. Extra portions of mashed potatoes, peas and corn are the perfect ingredients to complete this recipe. Even the day-old dinner rolls are useful. They’re all part of the mix.

OUTSIDE-INSIDE MEATLOAF MASHUP (Serves 8.)

Approx 1kg lean ground beef 2 eggs, slightly beaten 2 cups fresh or packaged breadcrumbs 2 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 3 cups prepared mashed potatoes

Liquid Amber candle

leave us feeling frazzled rather than festive – so call for the

HOME.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

59

SPA light candle, vanilla, orange and cinnamon

says Laura Lee, a florist and event specialist.

MAN UP Botanical candle

a great stress-buster. For an exotic take on tranquillity, Japanese Takahashi Hiroko has an innovative new range of four fragrances, presented in bone china containers with striking monochrome designs. Ichi is redolent of a rain-refreshed landscape with notes of lily of the valley, jasmine and vetiver.

“Just like a favourite perfume, scented candles can transport

COSY NIGHTS Redcurrant & Cassis Cloche Candle

scent soothers! Running a hot bath, dimming the lights and

Sitting in the lounge room and writing shopping lists – or, more importantly, Santa requests – is essential, and the right scent could help you make light work of the task. Try a blend of clementines, mulled wine and firewood. Alternatively, look for the blended notes of sweet cinnamon and clove with a dash of fresh orange, for a traditional aroma. Companies such as Air Wick offer many choices.

WOODLAND WALKS

Home fragrance doesn’t have to a girly pleasure nowadays, as there are plenty of scents to appeal to the boys. The tangysweet odour of old books, beeswax polish and wood-panelling is conjured up for a ‘library’ scent using plum, peach, leather, violet and patchouli in one fragrance we discovered called Bibliotheque. There’s even a limited-edition Room Spray, with similar scent, described as “timeless, unique and quite addictive”!

Alternatively, a Havana Candle, combines the macho scent of Cuban tobacco and oak.

she says. Bloody Rosemary has uplifting notes of rosemary, grapefruit and oak, while Woodland Martini is a velvety mix of sage, Douglas fir needles, cedar and musk.

DIVINE DINING Enhance a gourmet feast with Diptyque’s Liquidambar which is spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, then blended with muscovado sugar for a sweet aroma.

FLOWER POWER Heady floral fragrance adds a hint of luxury and evokes rooms filled with bouquets.

“Perfume is said to complete a woman’s outfit, and home fra-

PARTY SPARKLE

The Midwinter in posy vase

us back in time and bring back wonderful memories, with many people using a favourite seasonal scent year after year,”

Partying and socialising with family and friends is all part of the fun of the season. Before you pop a cork, instantly conjure a party atmosphere with a Champagne Rose Candle which has notes of brut rose champagne, chilled and poured over

The Havana candle

Signature Range Candles

Bibliotheque limited edition room spray

lying back to soak up the scent of a Spa Light Candle which aims to bring peace with vanilla, and then re-energise with orange and cinnamon, is

1 cup cooked peas or corn 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese Ketchup or mustard for drizzling on top To prepare: 1. Heat oven to 175C/350F. 2. In a large bowl, with very clean hands, let your child thoroughly mix together the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings.

3. Place on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper and form a 20-by-30cm rectangle. Use a rolling pin to make it even and smooth.

4. Spread the potatoes over the

Yankee Candle Advent House In The Snow, containing tealight candles in one of seven seasonal scents

meat with a spatula, leaving a 2-3cm border all around. Top with vegetable and cheese.

5. With adult assistance, your child can roll up the large meatloaf lengthwise, lifting up the paper to get it started. Remove paper and place the meatloaf seam-side down on a foil-lined baking pan.

Pat it together firmly, pinch ends closed and drizzle ketchup or mustard on top.

6. Bake uncovered for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until completely done.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a large serving platter for slicing.

NOW HERE’S A TIP

BY JOANN DERSON z Candles will burn more evenly if you refrigerate them for a few hours before lighting. z “To make your drains freshsmelling, shake a half-cup of baking soda into the drain. Then pour 2 cups of vinegar that you have warmed on the stove. It will froth and bubble. When it’s done, run the hot water and give it a little scrub.” – Contributed by R.C. z Visit the dollar store for lowcost toys to use on car or plane

cassis berries and edible white rose petals.

The aptly-named Cocktail Gardener candle range from Amazon has four fragrances, created by mixologist, Lottie Muir. “These candles are inspired by years of experimenting with the intense aroma and flavour of plants to capture the joy of nature in a glass,”

trips. You can get several busy toys and dole them out one at a time. Most parents will attest to what a lifesaver this can be. z “When planning to visit my hometown for the holidays, I set aside a few hours to take the kids to the park or a nice playground. Then I message all my old friends and classmates with kids (Facebook is great for this) a few weeks ahead of time and let them know when I will be there. It’s great to catch up while the kids play, and even if no one shows up, we still have a fun

grance completes a home, because it should be tailored to the style and personality of the owner,” says Leo Gibbon, cofounder of new home fragrance company, IIUVO. Its Ajon candle has a scent inspired by Gibbon’s mother’s floristry workshop and contains a blend of orange blossom, jasmine, rose and the essence of a classic gardenia.

Look for budget-friendly options at local stores if you prefer.

break.” – Contributed by F.L. z Old baking trays make great temporary mud and moisture trays for dirty shoes. Stash one at the entry to your home, and you will have less dirt tracked across your floors. z “Keep knitting yarn in check with empty tissue boxes. Set your yarn ball inside the box, and let the string lead out of the top.

When not in use, tape the string to the side of the box. Boxes can be stacked and stored for future projects.” – Contributed by C.W. in Indiana

60

Entertainment Arts Books Music What's On TV

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Picnic platters are Mickey Mouse this season

BY CHERYL BURKE DRTCC

F you know anything about fashion you will recognise the name Karl Lagerfield. Although both an artist and a photographer, Lagerfield’s name is synonymous with style and he is head designer of fashion houses Chanel and Fendi and has his own label.

If you’re wondering what Karl Lagerfield has to do with Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre (DRTCC) and if he has chosen to showcase a new collection on a custom catwalk at our venue, you may be slightly disappointed.

While we hosted Alex Perry and Central West’s Australia’s Next Top Model earlier this year, and DRTCC is a fantastic venue for a range of events you may never have thought of, Chanel model Kendall Jenner will not be making an appearance (that we know of!) on our stage in 2016.

However, current patrons and patrons-to-be can get excited because as of last weekend, our Subscription Season is now open... tah-dah!!! And as Karl Lagerfield says “Buy what you don’t have yet, or what you really want, which can be mixed with what you already own. Buy only because something excites you, not just for the simple act of shopping.”

So between now and the end of January, I will be applying Lagerfield’s wise words to shopping for what I don’t yet have – tickets to a minimum of five shows from the DRTCC 2016 Season Booklet; what I really want – tickets to at least another five shows; mixing it with what I already own – tickets to Guy Sebastian and David Strassman; and buying because I am excited about the program and being a subscriber for the second year in a row!

I’m even excited about buying food, not the regular weekly grocery shop kind, but the kind associated with one of the new benefits for subscribers. With a saving of 10 per cent, I can dine out or sleepover at one of four hospitality venues that have partnered with the DRTCC to offer this discount, meaning more money in my pocket to buy more things that excite me. It’s a win-win.

As a member of the DRTCC team, I had insider knowledge of the 2016 Calender of Events for at least a month prior to Sunday’s big reveal. However, similar to arriving first at a breakfast date and having extra time to peruse the menu until others in your group appear, I have still not decided which shows to select as part of my subscription. Sometimes I am a pancakes and berries person, and other times I opt for the savoury egg and bacon roll. Depending on my mood and past experience I will probably apply the same strategies in making

I

my show choices, over a coffee of as will Aboriginal Comedy Allcourse. stars because I like stand-up. My cynical self is also excited about When I was three years old, Matt Hale Comedy Hypnotist, alGodspell hit Broadway. When though my non-adventurous self I was five years old the movie will see me not volunteering to be Godspell was released. Somehow a participant. My adventure will the record made its way into our simply be to attend, and take a house and I have been a fan ever picnic platter that includes spillsince. I even purchased the alproof foodstuffs. bum through iTunes last year. To see that My experiences as Dubbo Theatre Com- ` a child seeing Dispany is bringing this Current patrons ney on Ice live will production to the have me happily suband patronsstage is very exciting. scribing to The Very I will now have the to-be can get Hungry Caterpillar opportunity to see it excited because Show, Snugglepot live, know what it is as of last and Cuddlepie, The actually about, and Listies 6D and volweekend, our hopefully sit quietly unteering to borrow, in the audience with- Subscription at maximum, two out jumping on stage Season is now young children to and joining the cast in open...tah-dah!!! take along with me. singing my favourite Attending such live song Save the People. performances when I Sometimes the only reason I sewas young shaped my love of live lect wine is because I like the look theatre and concerts, and created of the label, and then I am pleasa misplaced belief that ice-skating antly surprised I like the taste. is easy. Not unlike thinking the Unfortunately, based on this bagpipes were simple to play. In method I would be choosing evemy early 20s I lived and worked ry single show in the season bookin Edinburgh, and as much as I let because I love all the graphics, was more of the age to go clubso I need to be less arbitrary in bing and get “wicked” at music my selection process. Being that festivals, I could not live within I like comedy, both the Sydney 10 minutes walking distance of and Melbourne Comedy Festivals Edinburgh Castle and not attend will be part of my subscription, the Royal Edinburgh Military

Tattoo. The experience of seeing The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards when they perform at Dubbo Regional Theatre may not require me to dress in five layers of clothing or sit on a freezing cold seat outdoors for the duration of the show, but I am looking forward to it nonetheless.

In August this year DRTCC shook things up with a burlesque cabaret style show, which was not for everyone, at least not those younger than 18 years of age and patrons who were not overly keen on sexual references and lots of flesh. In July 2016 you will not be judged if you are excited to purchase tickets for Boudoir Burlesque, at least not by me, who may be seated at the next table. In addition to the anticipation of seeing the show, my spill-proof foodstuffs platter will get a test run before November and Matt Hale.

If you completed a survey after the Paris Underground it was not in vain; ticketing staff who entered the data into a spreadsheet for management review can attest to this fact. Patron feedback helps generate a more enjoyable experience, and although you cannot eat or drink in the theatre auditorium, the convention centre is another cup of tea, or glass of wine, or whichever you prefer. Encouraging patrons to bring their own platters and creating a more intimate seating plan for both shows in the convention centre next year illustrates that responses from patrons are valued and taken on board. At the risk of sounding like a cheesy award acceptance speech, without our patrons we would not exist.

So thank you and goodnight, and remember, all good things must come to an end. Your ultra excitement about buying tickets as part of a Subscription package will be seriously curtailed when the Subscription period finishes on Friday 29 January, 2016. After this date you will need to take your excitement down a notch as individual tickets go on sale Monday, February 1, 2016.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre will be closed from Thursday, December 23 at 3 pm until Monday, January 4 at 9.30am for the Christmas holiday. Tickets and subscriptions may still be purchased during this time online at drtcc.com.au December 12 & 13 – Everybody Dance Now January 18 & 19 – Guy Sebastian ‘You..Me..Us’ Regional Tour 2016 February 5 – Elvis – If I Can Dream February 6 – Anh Do – The Happiest Refugee Live!!

February 19 – Gold The Ultimate ABBA Show celebrates Dancing Queen The 40th Anniversary Tour February 20 – The 7 Sopranos – Valentine’s Tour February 26 – Strassman’s “iTedE” February 27 – Jon English – Trilogy of Rock

BOOKS.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

61

Jong looks death in the face

BY KATE WHITING RICA JONG has just finished chatting with fellow author Joanna Trollope on radio, and has tripped across the road to meet me in the bar.

Her throat, understandably, is dry and, as she takes a window seat, rather than ordering a cocktail or glass of wine, as she may have done once, she sends an assistant out to find some lozenges.

At 73, she’s finding the tour for her new book Fear Of Dying tiring, and admits: “Whenever I get back to the hotel, I just crash with exhaustion.”

Her first novel in more than a decade (she’s recently been writing poetry), it’s a follow-up of sorts to 1973’s Fear Of Flying, which has sold more than 27 million copies and made Jong a celebrity Second Wave feminist, on a par with Germaine Greer and Gloria Steinem. Where that book, shockingly back then, followed Isadora Wing’s search for the perfect no-strings sex, this one is about a woman and friend of Isadora’s, in her sixties dealing with parents dying, a pregnant daughter and sick husband.

“It’s a stage of life that is very intense and very emotional,” Jong says, pushing blue horn-rimmed shades back into her blonde hair.

She remembers how her first editor said, ‘You know, there’s never been a bestseller about a woman over 40.’

“This was years ago – and the first thing I said was, ‘Then I should write it!’ It’s been in my head a long time, but we’re not hearing about these further stages of women’s lives, which are so interesting.”

Fear Of Dying centres on Vanessa Wonderman, an ageing actress, whose 80-something husband is left impotent after an aneurysm and whose oncepowerful parents are ebbing away. To cope with the emotional upheaval – and to try and turn the clock back – she signs up to Zipless.com, a site similar to Tinder, in search of sex – which throws up some funny and, frankly, disturbing results.

If women wanting sex without commitment was taboo in the 1970s, women in their sixties wanting sex at all is swept under the carpet in society today.

“But they do!” protests Jong, who’s blissfully happy with her fourth husband, a lawyer and her “soulmate” Ken. “It’s not that they don’t have it, it’s that it’s taboo to write about it. There’s this privacy thing in Britain which often results in a kind of hypocrisy. People do it, but they don’t talk about it.”

Neither do we really talk about death.

“There’s a wonderful Italian proverb, which goes like this, ‘At the end of the game, both king and pawn go in the same box’. I mean, what could be more clear? However much power you have, you’re going to wind up in a box.”

Jong based much of Fear Of Dying on her own experiences of being a wife, mother and daughter – and watching her parents slowly fade.

“When my mother died, she was incredibly peaceful. She was 101, she was really ready,” she says.

“My father was the one who fought against time. I saw him being the health freak, getting on the treadmill as if he could not die, and it was really sad in a way, because he had that male thing of, ‘I can do whatever I want’. But you really can’t. I saw them both approach life and death differently, which was

E

Erica Jong. PHOTO: PA/MARY ANN HALPIN.

fascinating.”

In her original draft, Jong’s protagonist Vanessa found a way to go back to being 30 again “by magic”.

“I tried to imagine getting her wish to look 30, but knowing what she knows at 60. It seemed very artificial, so I tore up that draft of the book,” she says, looking glamorous in a burgundy cowl-necked sweater with chunky turquoise beads and a sky-blue coat.

“I wouldn’t swap. I believe humans are spiritual beings encased in a fleshly body – and the body is very much a part of our being. I wouldn’t reverse time, I accept time. It’s not easy, but I do.”

Life has not always been straightforward for Jong, but she’s got through the tough times with “grit and humour”, she says, laughing. Born in New York, the middle daughter of a painter mother and porcelain doll-maker father, she married her college sweetheart, who was schizophrenic, and their marriage was annulled.

“He was so smart and so lovely and so imaginative, but the marriage came apart...”

In the late sixties, she lived on an army base in Germany with her second husband, psychiatrist Allan Jong, a period she wrote about in Fear Of Flying.

Her only daughter Molly, from her third marriage to novelist Jonathan Fast, struggled with addiction, and now has three children to whom Jong is a

“hasn’t changed enough” for women – and is backing Hilary Clinton’s campaign to be the first female US president.

“If you want to see an encapsulated version of why it’s not enough, look at the way Hilary Clinton is treated in the press. Look at the fact America has not yet had a female president. Look at the fact she’s daily slandered in even our most supposedly intellectual papers...”

She rails against modern “mummy Nazis” who try and dictate how mothers should give birth and look after their children: “I think the sort of feminism that tries to preach to women the way you must do things, is the antithesis of real feminism: real feminism’s about choice.”

Jong is active on Twitter and likes Instagram for the “beautiful images”, but thinks social media is ultimately disappointing as a way of meeting people.

“I never looked for sex on the internet, but people tell me their love stories all the time. I can’t get on a plane without somebody telling me about their sex life, right?” she says with a wry smile.

“People are very disappointed with the internet as a way of finding love, sex or romance. So in a way, I’m satirising the dream in my book.

“My daughter met her husband on JDate and they have a very good marriage, but that was 12 years ago, and I think people are very disillusioned with social media. It doesn’t tell the truth, it’s all about images and I don’t think there’s reality there. A lot of it is about monetising your life. I don’t trust it.”

Jong’s own experiences of the tough side of celebrity have put her daughter, also a writer, off wanting to be famous.

“She saw what fame had done in my life and said, ‘It’s not that great, people following you around, writing false things about you’. She was invited to be on the reality show Housewives Of New York and she could have made a lot of money.

“But she said, ‘I don’t want to expose my children to all the bullshit that comes with that kind of idiotic fame’. Which is amazing. She’s not Kim Kardashian, she will not do anything to get free clothes.

I’m very proud of her.”

Looking back on her life, Jong has no regrets, although she admits: “There were things I did that were incredibly stupid, who hasn’t?”

But she still has fears.

“I certainly don’t want to become ill or lose my mind. I would like to go on writing about older women and older men, because it’s so fascinating. I have many books in my head and I hope I have the power to write them.”

doting grandma.

She remains on good terms with Fast and they even take holidays together as a family.

“We sit on the floor and do LEGO with our grandchildren,” she says, smiling.

“I’m a witness to his life, he’s a witness to mine – I wouldn’t want to lose that.”

She says it’s been “miraculous” watching her twin grandchildren, a girl and a boy, grow up – and her granddaughter is already a young feminist.

“My granddaughter says to me, ‘I went to school today and they told us that women were slaves in many countries, is this true? We have to change that’.

“Smart little girls mature much faster than their brothers.

Her twin brother Darwin has meltdowns at seven, she hasn’t had a meltdown since she was three. And when Darwin has a meltdown, she turns to me and her mother and says, ‘He’s not an easy child is he?’” she says, chuckling.

Since Fear Of Flying was first published, the world has changed enormously, there’s the internet for one, but Erica Jong, in 1975.

PHOTO: AP/HO/PA Jong believes it still

Fear Of Dying by Erica Jong is published in hardback.

62

BOOKS.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

The untold story of a quest for Olympic glory is a truly rewarding read O FICTION

BY KATE WHITING THE BOOKCASE

O BOOK OF THE WEEK The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story Of The Sugar Ditch Kids And Their Quest For Olympic Glory by Julie Checkoway is published in trade paperback

by Little, Brown.

SOICHI Sakamoto was a man with a dream: to train up a team of underprivileged Maui kids into Olympic swimmers. This was the 1930s, when such visions were lofty enough at the best of times. Add to that the fact Sakamoto had no coaching experience; in fact he couldn’t even swim, and that the irrigation ditches of Maui’s sugar cane fields would double up as training pools – but none of that stopped the ThreeYear Swim Club (3YSC) from eventually making a splash on the international swim scene.

THEIR triumphs overcame far, far greater adversities than those early practicalities however, and this is what makes their story – one which author Julie Checkoway was moved to save from remaining a little-known legend – relevant beyond the pool of swimming and sports history fans.

IT’S also a beautifully narrated record of life at a time of immense racial prejudice and inequality, global conflict which threatened and postponed not only training regimes and the Games themselves, but the very lives of multiple members of the team, and an awe-inspiring reminder of how shared dreams – specifically Olympic dreams – have the power to alter destinies and unite nations.

AFTER seeking permission of remaining living members of the 3YSC, Checkoway had a challenge on her hands gathering up pieces of a jigsaw that, in places, was scattered by scarce records and interruptions including the Second World War. She apologises at the end of the book for any ‘glaring flaws’ and ‘oversights’ – if these do exist, however, the easy flow of her prose and respect for her subjects more than make up for it. A truly rewarding read.

10/10 (Review by Abi Jackson)

Cockfosters: Stories by Helen Simpson is published in hardback by Constable.

This is the sixth collection from the highly acclaimed British short story writer, author of Hey Yeah Right Get A Life and Constitutional.

Simpson’s characters are ageing with each collection, and in Cockfosters we see them dealing with the challenges of middle age – menopause, empty nests, mouldering marriages and mortality.

The stories are sad and tender, sometimes political or formally inventive, and always beautifully observed.

In the title story, tube stations become mini-chapter headings as we follow a pair of old school friends as they chatter about getting older all the way up the Piccadilly line, on the trail of a pair of lost varifocals.

Kythera, meanwhile, is an unabashed hymn of love from a mother to her grown-up daughter, structured around the recipe for a much-loved lemon drizzle cake. She has men’s number, as always.

My favourite is Cheapside, in which a high-powered lawyer on his second wife tries to interest a teenager in a law career. Our sympathies are entirely with the latter.

8/10 (Review by Dan Brotzel) Stars Of Fortune by Nora Roberts is published in hardback by Piatkus.

THE New York Times bestseller returns with another set of three tales about magic, destiny and love.

In the first book, reclusive painter Sasha Riggs is plagued with haunting dreams involving herself and five enigmatic people on the Greek island of Corfu. As she frantically paints her visions, she finds herself repeatedly painting a man who commands the lightning. Desperate to understand what it means, she travels to Corfu where she meets those from her visions and finally the man from her paintings.

Irish magician Bran Killian understands his destiny: find the mysterious

jewel known as Fire Star. He realises Sasha’s visions are the key to finding the jewel. However, he never expected to fall for her so soon. As the six band together to search for the Fire Star, an evil entity threatens to destroy their existence.

Like her previous trio collections, Roberts has you captivated from the start.

9/10 (Review by Julie Cheng) The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams by Stephen King is published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton.

THESE 20 tales once again demonstrate Stephen King’s range; alongside the horror which made his name are suspense, realist slices of small-town life, a Western, and even a couple of narrative poems.

Inevitably, certain themes from his past work recur – temptation and addiction, Maine, boyhood adventures, even killer cars. But this is only really a problem when they recur within the collection; one story about a human yet unageing harbinger of death, or de-

mises mysteriously foretold in writing, would probably be ample for any given book.

King has always been a prolific writer more than a consistent one, and a couple of these stories could surely have done with another go-over. Still, highlights including a heartbreaking vignette of two men and a dog at the end of the world, and the eerie account of a very unusual Kindle, remind us why King has been so successful for so long.

7/10 (Review by Alex Sarll) A Cold Death In Amsterdam by Anja de Jager is published in hardback by Constable.

LOTTE Meerman is a cold-case detective with the Amsterdam police.

Following a tip-off, she is re-examining a 10-year-old unsolved murder.

It seems straightforward enough – a cuckold husband shoots his rival – until she discovers some discrepancies in the original investigation, which was led by her father, also a detective, now retired.

BOOKS.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 Against her better judgement, Lotte decides to cover for him and doesn’t tell her colleagues or boss that she’s related to the key suspect. The pressure is on to find the real killer before her secret is discovered, or her father will go to jail and she will lose her job.

Anja de Jager’s debut novel is a tightly written, cleverly plotted whodunit that keeps you guessing almost to the last page. Lotte Meerman is a flawed (aren’t they always?) but believable character and it’s refreshing to read a murder mystery that’s not gratuitously violent or wantonly bloody and gory.

7/10 (Review by Catherine Small)

comfortable. I am sure many of those claims would be refuted, but writing anonymously allows him to make comments others in the game would not dare to.

One day The Secret Footballer will be unmasked. Until then, we can continue to enjoy his amusing, informative writing.

9/10 (Review by Simon Peach)

O NON-FICTION The Secret Footballer: Access All Areas by anonymous is published by Guardian Faber Publishing.

JUST who is The Secret Footballer? It is an ageold question to which a website is dedicated, with suggestions aplenty on social media. Whoever the former English Premier League player behind the pseudonym is – and I certainly have a strong suspicion – their ability to lift the lid on our national sport continues to make for fascinating reading.

The anonymous author takes you through the murky backwaters of modern-day football, making some uncomfortable claims in this open, cutting and, at times, crude book. His opinion of the country’s top clubs in a hotchpotch A-Z is as funny as it is interesting, while some of the subjects he shines a light on are important if un-

London Fog: The Biography by Christine L. Corton is published in hardback by The Belknap Press of Harvard University.

THICK pea-souper smogs are popularly associated with the Victorian London of Dickens, Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper (none of whose murders, Corton notes, actually took place on foggy nights). But their precursors were first noted in the 17th century, and they still occasionally (and lethally) recurred as late as 1962.

Corton’s capacious account covers their history and ill effects; also the perverse pride some Londoners took in them. Here too is the damning story of the endless, ineffectual government committees and half-hearted legislation which for decades failed properly to address the issue; parallels with modern inaction on global warming are obvious, though oddly never explicitly raised.

There’s fascinating material here, but it would have had more impact for winnowing; too much material is repeated, too many very similar Victorian potboilers explored in excessive depth. Still, perhaps that sense of being lost in endless mazes of Victoriana fits the topic.

6/10 (Review by Alex Sarll)

Animal Farm I T’S a tough job being a farmer these days. If we step back to 1788, the prime interest was to make the colony self-sufficient in food. There was none of the ship loads of imports from other countries that occurs today. Our forebears went on to create a major food source – in WWII our production helped allies that were restricted in that capacity. But time has passed and George Orwell provides the precise format in “Animal Farm” when Squealer, the propagandist, gained influence.

With all the promotion of climate change surrounding the Paris event, there are questions across the population including why are they having such a costly dinner party when there is science that both supports and denies the change. We all know that the temperature, the rainfall, the wind gusts are totally unpredictable and that only one side of the “scientific agenda” is promoted.

Just last week an Australian politician was seeking to silence the voices of any opponents to his proposal for massive action by 2050. At the same time a journalist featured El Nino events occurring in 1972/3, 1982/3 and 1997/8 that produced excessive temperatures and below average rainfalls.

From a farmer’s viewpoint, in the 1950s I recall a station owner out west near Gilgunnia saying that “within each ten years, one will be excellent, three will be good, three will be ordinary and two will be very dry”. Authors Morgan and McCrystal have written “Poles Apart” in

which they research what is right about climate change. It becomes clear that journalists writing on the subject just quote a speaker and don’t fact-check whether their agenda is supported scientifically.

The same folk remain silent when it comes to opposing new coal mines and drilling on farming country. Gregory Zuckerman has written “The Frackers” which provides an understanding of the process. Over the last ten years fracking has transformed the energy resource in the USA. That country is now virtually self-sufficient in oil and gas. But farming country in midwest states from the Canadian border to Texas is covered in oil wells and gas outlets. These triggered seismic environmental controversy and unleashed furious opposition. Much of this occurred in the wheat and cornbelt. The process is repeated here with revenue for governments solving short term budget matters.

“The Planet of the Thinking Animal” by Tor Hundloe deals with humans surviving the 21st century. The author presents two options: change the way we live, or find two more planets to support the world’s burgeoning population. How do we feed and provide water to the extra five

63

O CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE WEEK Norman The Slug Who Saved Christmas by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet is published in paperback

by Simon and Schuster.

SUE Hendra and her partner Paul Linnet are back with a suitably silly festive offering just in time for Christmas – and it’s a sequel.

Norman first appeared in 2011, and charmed parents and toddlers with his desperate attempts to fit in with his snail friends in Norman The Slug With The Silly Shell.

Having given up on wanting to be a snail, he’s quite happily tucked up on Christmas Eve, when Santa accidentally drops a sack from his sleigh right next to Norman. At first believing he’s been so good, he’s getting a sackful of gifts, he soon realises they’re for the Shelby Family in Slime Avenue, Wiggleton. So he uses his famous ingenuity to return the gifts to their rightful home – with a little help from his slimy friends.

While the original was so quirky, it couldn’t help but raise a smile on readers’ faces, The Slug Who Saved Christmas seems ever-so-slightly like a rushed attempt to share a slice of the festive pie. But little fans of Norman – of which there are many – won’t mind one bit.

7/10 (Review by Kate Whiting)

ADVERTORIAL

billion people who will be on the planet in 2050? Professor Hundloe examines the social, economic and environmental policies faced with these problems.

Criticism is levelled at rural landholders about land degradation but so often this is a convenient line in the writer’s text.

John Fenton has written “The Untrained Environmentalist” in which he features a grazier who changed the property for the better over the past 50 years.

A CSIRO book, “Defending the Social License of Farming”

by Williams and Martin, also deals with the issues, challenges and new directions for agriculture. It discusses climate, water scarcity, animal welfare and biodiversity.

Farmers are increasingly expected – by city dwellers, by people with no clues about what is involved in growing crops or handling livestock – to demonstrate their environmental and social responsibility as a pre-condition to carry out their preferred farming and commercial practices. The critics who so often have regular weekly incomes don’t relate the experience of lamb sales being down

` Criticism is levelled at rural landholders about land degradation but so often this is nothing more than a convenient line in the writer’s text.... a

From the bookshelves

by Dave Pankhurst The Book Connection $30 per head in a week or $20 per tonne coming off the price of wheat.

Many rural people buy Bill Gammage’s “The Biggest Estate on Earth” and urban folk are encouraged to read it. It describes how Aboriginal people managed the land in a far more systematic and scientific fashion than is often realised. If today’s farmers were permitted to manage their land in the same manner we would see less of the massive losses experienced by communities.

Thomas Friedman is the author of “Hot Flat & Crowded” which deals with rapid population growth which means that we cannot continue to do things the same old way. When we see a diaspora of people from cities to the country and the reduction of the massive contamination of air pollution by freeway traffic and exhaust concentrations, we will know that there is genuine effort to solve social and environmental problems.

“Managing Water For Australia” by Hussey and Dovers examines social and institutional challenges. Australian water policy and management are undergoing rapid and immense change in response to drought, technological advances, demographic and economic shifts.

This brings together research by

leading social scientists and the issues in achieving sustainable water management.

The latest propaganda promoting the Green agenda is for zero emissions by 2050. With the billions of dollars being spent on Sydney infrastructure and the massive apartments plan, there is no attempt to have people move to the productive inland to create industry.

Ben Goldacre is the author of “I Think You Will Find It’s a Bit More Complicated Than That” – in this he features the way the media and politicians use statistics and other information to make policy or statements. He has “been skewering purveyors of bad science: from journalists to quacks, government ministers and whole fields of academia – in the process he has explained how real science works.”

What do they make in Sydney?

Manufacturing anything? Producing food? Value adding anything? Just as in “Animal Farm”, those out in the fields doing the work and growing crops were heavily outnumbered by the “pigs and the dogs” who were doing the clerical and administration. And Squealer keeps up the propaganda role, telling the workers how lucky they were having such good leaders.

Enjoy your browsing, Dave Pankhurst

64

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Abdul Abullah

THE THINKING MAN’S MUSLIM Hate mail is nothing new to Australian artist Abdul Abdullah – after all, he’s a Muslim who openly through his work questions the demonisation of his faith and the people who practice it. His haters suggest he should just “go home” – ironic, given the artist, who has two paintings shortlisted for the Archibald Prize and is soon to visit Dubbo, is a seventh generation Aussie. AS TOLD TO Yvette Aubusson-Foley What do you think about the portrayal of Muslims and Islam in the media?

I studied to be a journalist before I went into art school. That was my plan A. Then I picked up some electives in art and it seemed to suit my personality better. Since the start of the “war on terror”, since 9/11, there’s been a definite change in the portrayal of Muslims in the media and how we’re represented. In the popular imagination we’re the bad guys now. A lot of the focus is on us. Even the recent things about the idea of reform is something that could be argued, but the way they put it – with the blame on the ideology for the situations that we face – washes its hands of responsibility of foreign intervention and these sorts of things that have lead to genuine grievance in the Middle East and Australia and other countries with Muslim populations.

What message are you trying to convey with your art practice?

I’m trying to contribute to the development of a little bit more empathy in the public discourse by getting people to walk in other people’s shoes a little bit more; to promote cross-cultural and cross-generational understanding.

It’s frustrating that the diversity of humanity should need to be explained but inevitably it seems to always come to the front; to remind people of that humanity.

What role can art play in the world of any youth feel-

ing marginalised?

A lot of my art looks specifically at my Muslim experiences but recently I’m looking more broadly at other marginalised people globally. I think the work can speak to anyone in a sense, because everyone does feel a sense of alienation or vilification or projecting of criminality on them depending on where they’ve come from.

I’ve done a lot of work with outreach programs and kids who seem to relate a lot with those ideas of being put to the side or being voiceless and the frustrations associated with that.

After 9/11 Islamophobia peaked; your mother was chased by a gang and her headscarf forcibly removed.

What are your thoughts?

While that did happen to my mother, experiencing those anxieties through her (was) formative in the way (I) see the world, and although I talk about empathy a lot it’s difficult not to see people at the Reclaim Australia rallies or the Patriot Front as enemies because they’re the type of people that would be assaulting my mother.

(Journalist) Waleed Aly gave you advice on dealing with hate mail. What do people say to you?

I hesitate to talk about race, but there’s a sense of white fragility, where it nearly comes from a defensive position. I used the Australian flags in my work, which is documented in photography and people took

offense at them based on some pretty dubious assumptions about my intentions and what I represent.

Often it’s just straight out. I got a funny one recently which was just “F**k you” – sorry. Things like that, anonymous sort of things. Weird ones where they say, “I agree with what you’re saying but I can’t possibly agree with your stance on the Cronulla riots”, because they argue that that wasn’t racist and to me it seemed pretty racist. But otherwise it’s just stupid stuff like “go home” or “you’re a liar”.

Or people question my heritage. It’s funny talking about heritage but actually it absolutely doesn’t matter but I kind of use it as a way of disarming people a little bit being aware of their own biases.

What are your thoughts on the public discourse about Islam?

One thing I’m a little bit concerned about coming up, in the sense that I know it’s going to cause more issues, is (American atheist and author) Sam Harris coming to Australia on a tour.

I’m of the Noam Chomsky school of progressive politics, and Harris, although he’s super intelligent and well read and he’s written a lot of books and he talks about a lot of other things – he’s currently providing the language for this sort of anti-Islamic where he calls Islam a lot of bad ideas.

He’s a self-prescribed new atheist and he has a hierarchy of religions and Islam is the worst for him.

65

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

Testing our tolerance Study finds Islamophobia alive and well Wedding (conspiracy to commit), 2015, Digital Print by Abdul Abdullah I wanted to paint him as a mountain, 2014, portrait of Richard Bell, shortlisted for the Archibald Prize

` Although I talk about empathy, it’s difficult not to see people at the Reclaim Australia rallies or the Patriot Front as enemies because they’re the type of people that would be assaulting my mother.

Because his arguments are so well structured, when you peel them apart they’re not really saying much.

It filters down with the idea that has been recently in the media which is that Islam needs reform. But coming from these points of view of people who are not going to achieve any positive outcomes. Pauline Hanson is yelling from the rooftops “Islam needs reform” – there aren’t going to be any positive outcomes. She has no integrity in that conversation. It’s an argument that puts the responsibility on an ideology, on the “other”, or the enemy; so they can wash their hands of their responsibilities.

What’s at the core of your work for audiences to experience?

I just want them to think. I’m never going to talk about the nuts and bolts of Islam. I don’t even consider myself an advocate for the religion. I don’t want to make any propaganda as such. I want to look at the experience of people who happen to come from the religion who are in this country and shine a light on their negative experiences, the bias and the prejudices that they face. l Artist Abdul Abdullah will be giving a public talk at the Western Plains Cultural Centre on Monday, December 14 at 10am. Titled “Identities, Aspirations and Belonging Marginalised youth and art” the address lasts for an hour and entry is $5 per person.

MUSLIMS in Sydney experience high rates of racism but also report a strong sense of belonging to Australia, according to a study commissioned by CSU, Western Sydney University, and the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy Australia to investigate the experiences and perceptions of ordinary Muslims in Sydney.

Co-investigator Associate Professor Mehmet Ozalp from the CSU Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation said the study comprised a mix of face-to-face interviews with Muslims at religious events (345 respondents), as well as a random sample of phone interviews with Muslim households (240 respondents). Slightly more women than men participated (56 per cent to 44 per cent), and half the respondents were aged under 35 years old (49 per cent).

“The study finds that Muslims experience a high level of racism and there is visible Islamophobia in Australia,” Professor Mehmet Ozalp said. “However, it is not universal across society, and there is no conclusive evidence for widespread alienation among Australian Muslims.

“The report finds that the primary concerns of Australian Muslims are education and employment as with the rest of the society, and there is a very strong sense of belonging among the Australian Muslims to Australia. They are comfortable in identifying themselves as Australian and Muslim.

Key findings of the report include: l Almost two-thirds of the respondents (57 per cent) had experienced racism. This level of discrimination and hate-talk is three times the rate of all other Australians (on average). l Ninety-seven per cent agreed that it is a good thing for a society to be made up of people from different cultures, compared to the average of all Australians of 87 per cent. l A large majority (85.8 per cent) of the telephone respondents felt that relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in Australia are friendly. l Education was the clear forerunner for issues of concern for Sydney Muslims, with a lack of concern with international affairs (2.9 per cent ranked it as a high priority).

This reflects the distance between overseas conflicts and the ‘everyday’ lives of Australian Muslims. l The majority of Australian Muslims in this study not only identified themselves as Australian but also felt a sense of belonging to Australia. An even larger substantial majority indicated that it was important for their children to get fully accepted as Australians (90 per cent). l Two-thirds indicated that they frequently mix with non-Muslims in their social lives, challenging the assumption that Muslims self-segregate.

“The fact that Muslims feel Islam is compatible with Australian norms and they support values of diversity and multiculturalism while they experience high levels of racism, shows that Muslims are not at odds with Australia and that they are resilient in dealing with Islamophobia and racism,” Professor Ozalp said.

“While this should not reduce the importance of dealing with Islamophobia, it gives us hope that both Muslims and the wider society has a capacity to deal with it effectively.”

66

THE SOCIAL PAGES.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Short Shots at Narromine FOR a little town, Narromine certainly punches well above its weight when it comes to bringing people together, which is exactly what the dynamic duo behind the town’s funkiest new venue, Soul Food Design Depot, did last week with “Short Shots” - an innovative shopping evening with a difference. Proprietors Amanda Ferrari and Mel Hamilton invited guests along to not only do a spot of Christmas shopping from the diverse and unique range of gift ware and artwork available at Soul Food Design Depot, but to hear from two inspirational local speakers, Meg Kennedy and Weekender’s Editor Jen Cowley.

Meg, from Warren, spoke about the challenges and joys of swapping city life for the bush and juggling family with a fledgling business, while Jen entertained the crowd of about 100 women with tales from Christmases past along with sharing her experiences of working on community and humanitarian projects both locally and around the world.

Hannah Newbigging, Gabi Browning and Jade Clark

Guest speakers Meg Kennedy and Jen Cowley

Xanthe Keiran and Jenny Sullivan

Bec Austin and Sal Ceeney

Kylie Hutchison and Cathy Bender

Mel Hamilton and Amanda Ferrari

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

THE SOCIAL PAGES.

Cath Connors, Helen Shepherd and Meredith Andrews

Susie Rae and Nerida Barber

Mel Hamilton and Amanda Ferrari, owners of Soul Food Design Depot

Mary-Anne McKinney, Ella Kennen and Lucy Ferguson

Mary Barrett with Mardi and Emma Redmond

Grace Brennan and Kelli Piddington

Ev Barber, Tracy McIntyre and Margie Collins

67

68

THE SOCIAL PAGES.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Festivities and fellowship THE Rotary Club of Dubbo Macquarie’s annual Christmas party certainly had a festive flavour this year, with members gathering at the home of fellow Rotarians Jen and Steve Cowley to enjoy some good old fashioned fellowship and of course, a Christmas smorgasbord of festive fare. A raucous Secret Santa provided much hilarity as members swapped gifts, with some light-hearted but spirited bargaining and bartering as the night progressed.

President Sylvia Dunn said members felt they had much to celebrate this Christmas, with the work of Rotary continuing to change and enrich lives not only locally and nationally but right across the globe.

The Rotary Club of Dubbo Macquarie meets each Tuesday throughout the year, and welcomes anyone who would like to make a difference to their community to consider joining the Rotary team.

Sue and John Curley

Kim and Peter Bartley

Kim and Peter English

Peter and Pauline Kuhner

Judy Jakins, Lawrie Donoghue and Robyn Blake

David and Sylvia Dunn

Jenny and Peter McInnes

Glenn and Natalie Bramble-Dunkley

Jen and Steve Cowley

Mark Horton and Gargi Ganguly

LIKE TO SEE YOUR

wow factor PHOTO PUBLISHED?

Your image as a double page

spread!

WE KNOW THERE ARE SOME VERY TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHERS ACROSS OUR REGION, AND WE'D LIKE TO SHARE!

Dubbo Weekender invites you to send your high resolution "WOW factor" photos for possible publication as a double page spread in the region's only weekly commentary and current affairs news magazine.

Please email: editor@dubboweekender.com.au

dubboweekender.com.au

Freeh

12 mont n Subscriptio

GET PUBLISHED + FREE SUBSCRIPTION

Any subject - that's up to you! But your photo must be high resolution (at least 5MB) and KFGCNN[ YKNN DG NCPFUECRG YKFG VQ Ƃ V C FQWDNG page spread. If we publish your photo as a Big Picture, you'll receive a free 12 month subscription to Weekender and we’ll send you a PDF to put into your portfolio.

Email your photos, along with your name (as you'd like it to appear if your photo is published) and a brief description of your image - what, why, where and how it was taken, for instance.

DUBBO

weekender

Please note: Photos must be previously unpublished, and Panscott Media reserves the right to use the image in online content and for promotional purposes.

70

THE SOCIAL PAGES.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

13th Annual Dubbo Sports Awards

BY CHERYL HUSBAND MEMBER for Parkes Mark Coulton hosted the 13th Annual Dubbo Sports Awards at the RSL theatrette on Friday, November 20. Mr Coulton is pictured in most of our photos with the award recipients.

Robyn Coulton with Jason Saddington

Back, Will Malloy, Hugh Sienkiewicz, Harry ^ƟŵƉƐŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĂŶŝĞů DĂůůŽLJ͕ ĨƌŽŶƚ͕ >ƵĐĂƐ >ĂƌŐĞ͕ >ĂƚƌĞůů &ŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ĞĐůĂŶ >ŝŶĚůĞLJ

Alison Cullen, Karen Granger with Nita McGrath

Rebecca Kennedy with Claire Sienkiewicz

Bella Yeo and Isabella Johnston

ĂĐŬ͕ WĞƚĞƌ ŝĂŵŽŶĚ͕ ^ƚĞƉŚĞŶ ĂƐŚĂŵ͕ ,ĞůĞŶ ^ŝŵŵĂŶƐ͕ ĨƌŽŶƚ͕ ZŽďLJŶ ŝĂŵŽŶĚ͕ DĂƌŝƚĂ ĂƐŚĂŵ͕ ŚƌŝƐ ZŽďŝŶƐŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ZŚŽŶĚĂ ĞƩƐ

ĞƌŶĂƌĚ 'ŽŽĐŚ ǁŝƚŚ ĂƌŵĞů &ŽLJƐƚĞƌ

ŝůů DĐ ŽŶĂůĚ ǁŝƚŚ ŚŝƐ ĨĂŵŝůLJ

ǀƌŝů ZŝĐŚĂƌĚƐ͕ :ŽĚŝĞ͕ ĞĚĚŝŶ ĂŶĚ ^ĐŽƩ Todhunter

tŝůů ĂŶĚ ĂŶŝĞů DĂůůŽLJ ǁŝƚŚ >ƵĐĂƐ ĂŶĚ ^Ăŵ >ĂƌŐĞ

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

THE SOCIAL PAGES.

71

13th Annual Dubbo Sports Awards

William Johnston, selectĞĚ ĂƐ ĂƉƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^t W^^ ZƵŐďLJ hŶŝŽŶ dĞĂŵ

WĂƚƌŝĐŬ ĞƌƌLJŵĂŶ͕ ƐĞůĞĐƚ<LJůĞ 'ŝďƐŽŶ͕ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ :ĂŵĞƐ ŽƵƌĐŚŝĞƌ͕ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϲ ƚŚĞ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϲ ŽƵŶƚƌLJ ŽƵŶƚƌLJ Θ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚƐ ys ĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϱ ŽƵŶƚƌLJ ZƵŐďLJ hŶŝŽŶ dĞĂŵ hŶŝŽŶ dĞĂŵ ZƵŐďLJ hŶŝŽŶ dĞĂŵ

dLJƐŽŶ &ƵůůĞƌ͕ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ >ůŽLJĚ DĐ ĞƌŵŽƩ hŶĚĞƌͲϭϴ ^ĐŚŽŽůďŽLJƐ ZƵŐďLJ hŶŝŽŶ dĞĂŵ

EŝĐŽůĞ 'ƌŽƐĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ,ƵŶƚĞƌ tĞƐƚĞƌŶ ,ŽƌŶĞƚƐ KǀĞƌͲϯϱƐ ZĞŐŝŽŶĂů dŽƵĐŚ &ŽŽƚďĂůů dĞĂŵ͕ ĂŶĚ ǁŽŶ ƚŚĞ EĂƟŽŶĂů dŽƵƌŶĂŵĞŶƚ

ŽƌƌŝŶĞ DĞĚůŝŶ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ,ƵŶƚĞƌ tĞƐƚĞƌŶ ,ŽƌŶĞƚƐ KǀĞƌͲϯϱƐ ZĞŐŝŽŶĂů dŽƵĐŚ &ŽŽƚďĂůů dĞĂŵ ĂŶĚ EĞŝů tĞďƐƚĞƌ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t ǁŽŶ ƚŚĞ EĂƟŽŶĂů dŽƵƌŶĂŵĞŶƚ DĞŶ͛Ɛ ϱϬƐ dŽƵĐŚ &ŽŽƚďĂůů dĞĂŵ

<ŝŵ ĚǁĂƌĚƐ ĂĐĐĞƉƟŶŐ :ĂĐŬ ůůĞŶ͛Ɛ ĂǁĂƌĚ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ E^t ŽŵďŝŶĞĚ ĂƚŚŽůŝĐ ŽůůĞŐĞƐ Θ E^t ůů ^ĐŚŽŽůƐ ^ǁŝŵŵŝŶŐ dĞĂŵ

ŶŐĞůĂ ůĂĐŬĞƩ͕ ^ŝůǀĞƌ DĞĚĂůůŝƐƚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂŶ DĂƐƚĞƌƐ 'ĂŵĞƐ ^ŽŌďĂůů dĞĂŵ

ZĞďĞĐĐĂ <ĞŶŶĞĚLJ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t ůů ^ĐŚŽŽůƐ KƌŝĞŶƚĞĞƌŝŶŐ dĞĂŵ

DĂƌŝƚĂ ĂƐŚĂŵ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ tĞƐƚĞƌŶ ZĞŐŝŽŶ ƌĂŐŽŶ ŽĂƚ WĂĚĚůŝŶŐ

,ĞůĞŶ ^ŝŵŵŽŶƐ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ tĞƐƚĞƌŶ ZĞŐŝŽŶ ƌĂŐŽŶ ŽĂƚ WĂĚĚůŝŶŐ

^ƚ DĂƌLJ͛Ɛ WƌŝŵĂƌLJ ^ĐŚŽŽů ZƵŐďLJ hŶŝŽŶ ϭϬͲĂͲƐŝĚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĐŽĂĐŚĞƐ͕ DĂƌŬ ŽƵůƚŽŶ͕ ĂŶĚ :ĂƐŽŶ ^ĂĚĚŝŶŐƚŽŶ ʹ E^t W^ ZƵŐďLJ hŶŝŽŶ <ŶŽĐŬŽƵƚ &ŝŶĂůŝƐƚ

^Ăŵ ĂǀŝƐ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t tŽŵĞŶ͛Ɛ ϰϬƐ dŽƵĐŚ &ŽŽƚďĂůů dĞĂŵ

ZŚŽŶĚĂ ĞƩƐ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ tĞƐƚĞƌŶ ZĞŐŝŽŶ ƌĂŐŽŶ ŽĂƚ WĂĚĚůŝŶŐ

72

THE SOCIAL PAGES.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

13th Annual Dubbo Sports Awards

Dubbo Rams Under-14 Women’s Team with Mark Coulton and Jason Saddington – Western Basketball Junior League & State Shield Winners

Dubbo Rams Under-16 Women’s Country Premier League Team with Mark Coulton, and Jason Saddington – NSW Basketball Country PreŵŝĞƌ >ĞĂŐƵĞ ŽŵƉĞƟƟŽŶ ZƵŶŶĞƌ hƉ

/ŶĚŝǀŝƵĂů ŽŶƚƌŝďƵƟŽŶ͗ ZŽď DĐ<ĞĐŚŶŝĞ͕ :ŽŶĂƚŚŽŶ WŽǁLJĞƌ ĂŶĚ WĂƵů <ĞLJƚĞ͕ ǁŝƚŚ :ĂƐŽŶ ^ĂĚĚŝŶŐƚŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƌ 'ƌĞŐ DĂƩŚĞǁƐ ʹ ĨŽƌ ĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ dŽƵĐŚ &ŽŽƚďĂůů

/ŶĚŝǀŝƵĂů ŽŶƚƌŝďƵƟŽŶ͗ ZŽď DĐ<ĞĐŚŶŝĞ͕ :ŽŶĂƚŚŽŶ WŽǁLJĞƌ ĂŶĚ WĂƵů <ĞLJƚĞ͕ ǁŝƚŚ :ĂƐŽŶ ^ĂĚĚŝŶŐƚŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƌ 'ƌĞŐ DĂƩŚĞǁƐ ʹ ĨŽƌ ĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ dŽƵĐŚ &ŽŽƚďĂůů

ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ŽŶƚƌŝďƵƟŽŶ ĨŽƌ ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌƐŚŝƉ ŽĨ ƵďďŽ ƐƉŽƌƚ ǁĂƐ awarded to Taronga Western WůĂŝŶƐ ŽŽ͘ WƌĞƐĞŶƚĞĚ ƚŽ <ĂƚŚůĞĞŶ Oke by Craig Gale

:ŽŚŶ DĐ'ƌĂƚŚ ǁĂƌĚ ĨŽƌ ĐŽŵŵŝƚment to swimming was presented ƚŽ ŝůů DĐ ŽŶĂůĚ ďLJ EŝƚĂ DĐ'ƌĂƚŚ

Mark Coulton with Jason Saddington

DĂƌŐŝĞ DŽƵůĚ ĂĐĐĞƉƟŶŐ ƚŚĞ ^ĂŵƵĞů DŽƵůĚ ĂǁĂƌĚ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ Lilli Campbell with Mark Coulton, ƚŚĞ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂŶ KƉĞŶ DĞŶ͛Ɛ ŽƵŶĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϱ try & NSW Opens Men Country 'ŝƌůƐ /ŶĚŽŽƌ Θ &ŝĞůĚ ,ŽĐŬĞLJ dĞĂŵƐ ,ŽĐŬĞLJ dĞĂŵ

Jason Saddington being interǀŝĞǁĞĚ ďLJ 'ĞŽī DĂŶŶ

Craig Grainger with Mark Coulton ƌĞĐĞŝǀŝŶŐ ĂǁĂƌĚƐ ĨŽƌ LJĐůŝŶŐ ŽŶ ďĞŚĂůĨ ŽĨ LJůĂŶ ĂŶĚ <Ƶƌƚ ĂƚŚĞƌ ĂŶĚ >ƵŬĞ ŶƐŽƌ

ZLJĂŶ ^ŝŵƉƐŽŶ͕ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϯ ŽLJƐ &ŝĞůĚ ,ŽĐŬĞLJ dĞĂŵ

:ĂĐŬ ƌƐŬŝŶĞ ǁŝƚŚ DĂƌŬ ŽƵůƚŽŶ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϱ ŽLJƐ &ŝĞůĚ ,ŽĐŬĞLJ dĞĂŵ

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

THE SOCIAL PAGES.

73

13th Annual Dubbo Sports Awards

DŝůůŝĞ 'ŽŽĐŚ͗ E^t W^^ ůů ^ĐŚŽŽůƐ ƚŚůĞƟĐƐ ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉƐ ϭϭ LJĞĂƌƐ ,ŝŐŚ :ƵŵƉ ^ŝůǀĞƌ DĞĚĂůůŝƐƚ

ůůĂ WĞŶŵĂŶ͕ ĨŽƌ E^t W^^ ůů ^ĐŚŽŽůƐ ƌŽƐƐ ŽƵŶƚƌLJ ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉƐ ϵ zĞĂƌƐ ϮŬŵ ZƵŶ 'ŽůĚ DĞĚĂůůŝƐƚ

dƌĂĐĞLJ ,ĂƌĚŝĞͲ:ŽŶĞƐ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂŶ tŽŵĞŶ͛Ɛ DĂƐƚĞƌƐ tŽƌůĚ ƵƉ Θ E^t tŽŵĞŶ͛Ɛ DĂƐƚĞƌƐ ,ŽĐŬĞLJ dĞĂŵƐ

,ĂLJĚĞŶ >Ğǁ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϱ ŽLJƐ &ŝĞůĚ ,ŽĐŬĞLJ dĞĂŵ

dŽŵ ŽĂĚLJ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t LJĐůŽŶĞƐ hŶĚĞƌͲϭϯ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ

WĂƚƌŝĐŬ EĞůƐŽŶ͕ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶƚŚŽŶLJ ƚůĞĞ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t LJĐůŽŶĞƐ hŶĚĞƌͲϭϯ /ŶĚŽŽƌ E^t LJĐůŽŶĞƐ hŶĚĞƌͲϭϯ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ

ĞĚĚĂŶ dŽĚŚƵŶƚĞƌ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t LJĐůŽŶĞƐ hŶĚĞƌͲϭϯ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ

DŝƚĐŚĞůů >ŝŶĐŽůŶ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t LJĐůŽŶĞƐ hŶĚĞƌͲϭϯ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ

ŶƚŚŽŶLJ ƚůĞĞ ĂĐĐĞƉƟŶŐ ŚŝƐ ďƌŽƚŚĞƌ dŚŽŵĂƐ ƚůĞĞ͛Ɛ ĂǁĂƌĚ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t LJĐůŽŶĞƐ hŶĚĞƌͲϭϱ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ

WĂƚƌŝĐŬ EĞůƐŽŶ ĂĐĐĞƉƟŶŐ ŚŝƐ dŚŽŵĂƐ EĞůƐŽŶ͛Ɛ ĂǁĂƌĚ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t LJĐůŽŶĞƐ hŶĚĞƌͲϭϱ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ

dŽŵ ĂƌďĞƌ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϳ LJĐůŽŶĞƐ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ

ĚůĂŝ ^ŚŝƉƉ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϳ LJĐůŽŶĞƐ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ

DĂĐŬŝŶůĞLJ ^ŚŝƉƉ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ E^t hŶĚĞƌͲϭϯ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ dĞĂŵ

ŵŵĂ ,ƵŐŚĞƐ ĨŽƌ hŶĚĞƌͲϭϳ E^t LJĐůŽŶĞƐ 'ŝƌůƐ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƌŝĐŬĞƚ EĂƟŽŶĂů ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐ

>ĞŽŶŶŝĞ DƵƌƌŝŶ ĂĐĐĞƉƟŶŐ ŵĞůŝĂ ZĂŝĚĂǀĞƚĂ ĂǁĂƌĚ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ E^t W^^ ĂƐŬĞƚďĂůů dĞĂŵ

74

WHAT’S ON

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

T H E R E G I O N AT A GLANCE

hear

HE Rotary Club of West Dubbo is proud to present Carols by Candlelight on December 20. Be part a beautiful Australian tradition where local artists, choirs and bands will entertain and lead the community singing in Victoria Park. Unite in a celebration of the Christmas spirit.

Food, drinks, safe flame candles and glow sticks will go on sale when gates open from 6pm. Father Christmas will visit excited kids at around 8.30pm.

T

ISTEN to the walls of old Stuart Town whisper the poems of Banjo Patterson. Stuart Town was originally called Ironbarks, the village Banjo Paterson used for his poem, ‘Man from Ironbark’. The Historic Town Walk encompasses the Open Air Museum, Railway Station, Bicentennial Rock, Cobbler’s Cottage, the Ironbark Inn and much, much more!

Pop into the Rural Transaction Centre for a detailed map and further information.

The Historical Walking Tour and Heritage Drive brochures are also available at the Visitor Information Centre in Cameron Park, Wellington which is open Monday to Friday 9am – 4.30pm and 10am to 2pm Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.

L

see

ATHURST Miniature Railway operates every third Sunday of the month, this December 20. The Miniature Railway is located next to the Tennis Centre in Durham Street. Train rides are available weather permitting and passengers must wear covered footwear. The club started in 1977 and today

B

do

HE Macquarie valley, in the heart of New South Wales is one of the State’s, and indeed Australia’s, best kept secrets, until now.

Macquarie River Trails is designed to let you explore the many attractions and wonders of this rich farming re-

T

etc.

UBBO’S Riverside Markets will welcome a special guest on Sunday, December 20 as Michelle Little performs the songs of Patsy Cline for one day only.

The set will add to the Riverside Market’s vibrant atmosphere, bringing buyers and sellers to a picturesque venue.

The markets showcases stall holders with a range of quality mixed merchandise; fresh produce, art and craft, col-

D

ryone is sure to have a great family day out, visit www.bmrs.asn.au for more information.

operates and maintain nearly 600 metres of track at the John Mathew’s sporting complex in Durham Street Bathurst.

Over the years many buildings, features and a lot more track for your enjoyment have been added. Many members, both past and present, have contributed to the scale and success of this layout. Eve-

EE our land of sunburnt plains from Caloma lookout, set on one of the highest points in the Wanda Wandong sector of Goobang National Park. A

S

short 50m stroll leads to the rewarding westerly views. It’s a great place to truly appreciate the diverse range of flora and fauna this incredible park has to offer where you can often spot native wildlife.

Set in and around the Narromine area, visit www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au for more information.

gion, one that is blessed with a vibrant river, friendly people and a laid back lifestyle.

The Macquarie River Trails takes in the area from Lake Burrendong near Wellington, downstream along the Macquarie River through Dubbo,

Narromine and Warren to the Macquarie Marshes.

There are close to 200 sites and attractions in this area organised under eleven ‘trails’ – river, nature, heritage, local produce, cycling, fishing, art, bird watching, education, riverbeds and

tucker. Relax, recover, unwind, discover is their slogan! If you only spend a week, you’ll probably have to come back. But that’s okay, you’re welcome anytime. \ Make sure to get the downloadable app to guide you and jump on www.rivertrails.com.au for more information.

lectables, plants, clothing, tools and toys, all new and pre-loved. New stallholders are most welcome and trading is between 8:30am and 12:30pm at the Macquarie Lions park.

ering plants, shrubs and trees from more than 2,000 species are growing on 164 hectares overlooking the beautiful Lake Burrendong. The Arboretum’s mission is to preserve and promote Australia’s unique flora.

Many rare and endangered species are being grown there. The Arboretum was established in 1964, and has proven to be especially successful at growing plants from Western Australia and areas

of low rainfall. It has received worldwide recognition for its remarkable collection of Australian plants and its pioneering role in the cultivation and promotion of our unique flora. At all times there are some native plants in flower but from late winter to early summer the Arboretum explodes into colour as the hakeas, grevilleas and wattles are in bloom. Indoor plant lovers will love the collection of sub tropical plants.

ANCY yourself an avid gardener?

Burrendong Botanic Garden and Arboretum near Mumbil has one of the largest collections of Australian plants in cultivation. Over 50,000 flow-

F

To add your event to HSDE, email whatson@dubboweekender.com.au

WHAT’S ON.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

75

OPEN WEEKENDER COFFEE & MEALS

OLD BANK RESTAURANT KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϭϮ Ɵ ů ůĂƚĞ 'ŽŽĚ ĨŽŽĚ͕ ŐŽŽĚ ŵƵƐŝĐ͕ ŐŽŽĚ Ɵ ŵĞƐ Ψϭϱ ůƵŶĐŚ ƐƉĞĐŝĂůƐ 232 Macquarie Street, 6884 7728

REFLECTIONS RESTAURANT

Open Monday to Saturday from 6pm ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂŶ ĐƵŝƐŝŶĞ ƵƐŝŶŐ ůŽĐĂů ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞ͘ &Ƶůů Ăƌ ĨĞĂƚƵƌŝŶŐ ZŽďĞƌƚ KĂƚůĞLJ tŝŶĞƐ͘ YƵĂůŝƚLJ /ŶŶ ƵďďŽ /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟ ŽŶĂů Newell Highway (next to the golf course), 6882 4777.

,ĞĂĚ ŽǀĞƌ ƚŽ /' tĞƐƚ ƵďďŽ ĨŽƌ ƐŽŵĞ ŐƌĞĂƚ ǁĞĞŬůLJ ƐƉĞĐŝĂůƐ͘

CLUBS & PUBS PASTORAL HOTEL

VELDT RESTAURANT KƉĞŶ ĨŽƌ ďƌĞĂŬĨĂƐƚ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ƚŽ &ƌŝĚĂLJ ĨƌŽŵ ϳĂŵ͘ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ĨƌŽŵ ϴĂŵ͘ Open for dinner Monday to Saturday Under Quest Serviced Apartments ŽŶƚĞŵƉŽƌĂƌLJ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂŶ DĞŶƵ 22 Bultje St, 6882 0926

KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϭϬĂŵ ƚŽ ϰĂŵ͕ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϭϬĂŵ ƚŽ ϵƉŵ͘ ZĞƐƚĂƵƌĂŶƚ ŽƉĞŶ ĨŽƌ ůƵŶĐŚ ĂŶĚ ĚŝŶŶĞƌ͘ Open Saturday and Sunday ĂůĐŽŶLJ ďƌĞĂŬĨĂƐƚ͛Ɛ ĨƌŽŵ ϴĂŵ Ͳ ϭϭ͘ϯϬĂŵ ^ĞƌǀŝŶŐ ŝůů͛Ɛ ĞĂŶƐ Žī ĞĞ 110 Talbragar St, 6882 4219

TED’S TAKEAWAY

DUBBO RSL CLUB RESORT

Open Saturday 8am to 1am Sunday ϴĂŵ ƚŽ ϭϬƉŵ͘ YƵĂůŝƚLJ ĞŶƚĞƌƚĂŝŶŵĞŶƚ͕ ďůĂĐŬďŽĂƌĚ ƐƉĞĐŝĂůƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ďŝƐƚƌŽ͘ Cnr Brisbane and Wingewarra Streets, 6882 4411

Open Saturday and Sunday ϴ͘ϯϬĂŵͲϴƉŵ dŚĞ ďŝŐ ǀĂůƵĞ ŝŶ ƚĂŬĞĂǁĂLJ ĨŽŽĚ͘ 'ƌĞĂƚ ǁĞĞŬůLJ ƐƉĞĐŝĂůƐ͘ 26 Victoria St, 6882 7899

CLUB DUBBO

VILLAGE BAKERY CAFE

Open Saturday and Sunday 6am to ϱ͘ϯϬƉŵ͘ Gourmet pies DŽƵƚŚͲǁĂƚĞƌŝŶŐ ĐĂŬĞƐ ĞůŝĐŝŽƵƐ ƉĂƐƚƌŝĞƐ 'ŽƵƌŵĞƚ &ƌĞŶĐŚ ŐĂƌĚĞŶ ƐĂůĂĚ ďĂŐƵĞƩ ĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƐĂůĂĚƐ͘ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ďƌĞĂŬĨĂƐƚ ĂŶĚ ďƌƵŶĐŚ 113 Darling Street (adjacent to the railway crossing), 6884 5454

STICKS AND STONES

KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ĨƌŽŵ ϵĂŵ͘ ZŝǀĞƌǀŝĞǁ ŝƐƚƌŽ ϭϮƉŵ ƚŽ ϮƉŵ ĂŶĚ ϲƉŵ ƚŽ ϵƉŵ͘ ZĞůĂdžĞĚ ĂŶĚ ĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJ ĂƚŵŽƐƉŚĞƌĞ͘ Whylandra St, 6884 3000

THE CASTLEREAGH HOTEL KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϭϬĂŵ ƚŽ ϮĂŵ͕ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϭϬĂŵ ƚŽ ϭϮĂŵ͘ ZĞƐƚĂƵƌĂŶƚ ŽƉĞŶ ĨŽƌ ůƵŶĐŚ ĂŶĚ ĚŝŶŶĞƌ ϳ ĚĂLJƐ Ă ǁĞĞŬ͘ Cnr Brisbane and Talbragar Streets, 68824877

Open Saturday and Sunday ƌĞĂŬĨĂƐƚ ϳ͘ϯϬ ʹ ϯƉŵ >ƵŶĐŚ ϭϮD ʹ ϯƉŵ ŝŶŶĞƌ ϲƉŵ ʹ YƵŝĞƚ ŝŶĞ ŝŶ Žƌ dĂŬĞĂǁĂLJ͘ tŽŽĚĮ ƌĞĚ WŝnjnjĂƐ͕ ŚŽŵĞŵĂĚĞ ƉĂƐƚĂƐ͕ ĐŽī ĞĞ ĂŶĚ ĚĞƐƐĞƌƚƐ͘ 'ůƵƚĞŶ ĨƌĞĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĞŐĞƚĂƌŝĂŶ ŽƉƟ ŽŶƐ ĂƌĞ ĂůƐŽ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ͘ ʹůĂʹĐĂƌƚĞ ĚŝŶŝŶŐ 215A Macquarie St, 6885 4852

KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ĨƌŽŵ ϵĂŵ ZĞƐƚĂƵƌĂŶƚ ŽƉĞŶ ĨƌŽŵ ϭϭ͘ϰϱĂŵͲϮƉŵ ĂŶĚ ϱ͘ϰϱͲϵƉŵ͘ 101 - 103 Erskine Street, 6884 2044

THE GRAPEVINE

RSL AQUATIC & HEALTH CLUB

^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϴ͘ϯϬĂŵͲϰƉŵ 'ŽŽĚ ĨŽŽĚ͕ ŐŽŽĚ ĐŽī ĞĞ ĂŶĚ ŐŽŽĚ company 144 Brisbane St, 6884 7354

HOG’S BREATH BREKKY

Open Saturday and Sunday ϴĂŵ ʹ ϭϭĂŵ ,ŽŵĞŵĂĚĞ WĂŶĐĂŬĞƐ ŽƐƐ ,ŽŐ͛Ɛ ŝŐ ƌĞĂŬĨĂƐƚ EŽǁ ƐĞƌǀŝŶŐ ZŽďƵƐƚĂ ĂŶĚ ƌĂďŝĐĂ ĐŽī ĞĞ ďĞĂŶƐ ĨƌŽŵ EĞǁ 'ƵŝŶĞĂ ĂŶĚ ŽƐƚĂ ZŝĐĂ͘ 193 Macquarie Street, 6882 4477

SPORTIES

GYMS KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϳ͘ϯϬĂŵͲϱƉŵ KƉĞŶ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϴ͘ϯϬĂŵͲϯƉŵ 'LJŵ͕ /ŶĚŽŽƌ ƉŽŽů͕ ^ĂƵŶĂ͕ ^ƚĞĂŵ ƌŽŽŵ ^ƋƵĂƐŚ ĐŽƵƌƚƐ Cnr Brisbane and Wingewarra Streets, 6884 1777

SHOPPING THE BOOK CONNECTION KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϴ͘ϯϬĂŵ ƚŽ ϰƉŵ͘ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϭϬĂŵ ƚŽ ϮƉŵ͘ EĞǁ ĂŶĚ ƵƐĞĚ ďŽŽŬƐ͘KǀĞƌ ϲϬ͕ϬϬϬ ŬƐ ŝŶ ƐƚŽƌĞ͘ 178 Macquarie St, 6882 3311

QUINN’S MYALL ST NEWSAGENCY ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ĨƌŽŵ ϱĂŵͲ ϭƉŵ͘ EĞǁƐƉĂƉĞƌƐ͕ ŵĂŐĂnjŝŶĞƐ͕ ƐƚĂƟ ŽŶĞƌLJ ƐƵƉƉůŝĞƐ͘ 272 Myall St, 6882 0688

THE SWISH GALLERY KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϵĂŵ ƚŽ ϭϮƉŵ͘ ŝƐƟ ŶĐƟ ǀĞ ũĞǁĞůůĞƌLJ͕ ĐƌĞĂƟ ǀĞ ĐŽŶƚĞŵƉŽƌĂƌLJ ĚĞĐŽƌ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ŚŽŵĞ ĂŶĚ ƐƚLJůŝƐŚ ŐŝŌ Ɛ͘ 29 Talbragar St, 6882 9528

THE ATHLETES FOOT KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϵĂŵ Ɵ ů ϮƉŵ ǀĞƌLJƚŚŝŶŐ LJŽƵ ŶĞĞĚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƉĞƌĨĞĐƚ Į ƚ for your foot 176 Macquarie Street, 6881 8400

GROCERIES DMC MEAT AND SEAFOOD KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϲĂŵ ƚŽ ϯƉŵ ,ƵŐĞ ǀĂƌŝĞƚLJ͕ ďƵůŬ ďƵLJƐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĚ ŚŽƚ ƐƉĞĐŝĂůƐ ǁĞĞŬůLJ͘ 55 Wheelers Lane, 6882 1504

BRENNAN’S MITRE 10

IGA WEST DUBBO

&Žƌ Ăůů LJŽƵƌ /z ƉƌŽũĞĐƚƐ͕ ŚĂƌĚǁĂƌĞ͕ ƚŽŽůƐ ĂŶĚ ŐĂƌĚĞŶ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ^ĞĞ ƵƐ ŝŶ ƐƚŽƌĞ ĨŽƌ ŐƌĞĂƚ ƐƉĞĐŝĂůƐ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϴĂŵͲϰƉŵ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϵĂŵͲϰƉŵ 64-70 Macquarie Street, 6882 6133

KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϳ͘ϯϬĂŵ ƚŽ ϲƉŵ͘ 'ƌĞĂƚ ǁĞĞŬůLJ ƐƉĞĐŝĂůƐ ĂŶĚ ĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ͘ 38-40 Victoria Street, 6882 3466

ORANA MALL SHOPPING CENTRE ϱϮ ^ƉĞĐŝĂůƚLJ ^ƚŽƌĞƐ͕ ŝŐ t͕ tŽŽůǁŽƌƚŚƐ ĂŶĚ ĞƌŶĂƌĚŝ͛Ɛ ^hW /' ͘ ĂƐLJ WĂƌŬŝŶŐ͕ ŶŽǁ ĂůƐŽ ǁŝƚŚ ĂƉƉƌŽdž͘ ϭϲϬ ƵŶĚĞƌĐŽǀĞƌ͘ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϵ͘ϬϬĂŵ ʹ ϱ͘ϬϬƉŵ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϭϬ͘ϬϬĂŵ ʹ ϰ͘ϬϬƉŵ ǁǁǁ͘ŽƌĂŶĂŵĂůů͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ Cnr Mitchell Highway & Wheelers Lane, 6882 7766

THE PARTY STOP KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϵĂŵͲϰƉŵ Party Costumes ĞĐŽƌĂƟ ŽŶƐ ĂůůŽŽŶƐ 'ŝŌ Ɛ ĨŽƌ ŵŝůĞƐƚŽŶĞ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ dŚĞŵĞĚ ƉĂƌƟ ĞƐ 142 Darling Street, 6885 6188

DUBBO ANTIQUE & COLLECTABLES KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ͕ ϭϬĂŵ ƚŽ ϯƉŵ ŶƟ ƋƵĞ ĨƵƌŶŝƚƵƌĞ͕ ĐŚŝŶĂ͕ ĐĂƐƚ ŝƌŽŶ͕ ŽůĚ ƚŽŽůƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽůůĞĐƚĂďůĞƐ͘ 4 Depot Road, 6885 4400

DUBBO GROVE PHARMACY KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϵĂŵ Ɵ ů ϭϮ ŶŽŽŶ 'ŝŌ ǁĂƌĞ͕ :ĞǁĞůůĞƌLJ ,ŽŵĞǁĂƌĞƐ 59A Boundary Road, 6882 3723

THINGS TO DO WESTERN PLAINS CULTURAL CENTRE KŶĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ůĂƌŐĞƐƚ ŐĂůůĞƌŝĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŵƵƐĞƵŵƐ ŝŶ E^t Ŷ ĞǀĞƌͲĐŚĂŶŐŝŶŐ ĂƌƌĂLJ ŽĨ ĞdžŚŝďŝƟ ŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ƚŽƉ ŶĂƟ ŽŶĂů ĞdžŚŝďŝƟ ŽŶƐ͘ 76 Wingewarra Street, 6801 4444

OLD DUBBO GAOL KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϵͲϱƉŵ >ĂƌŐĞ ĚŝƐƉůĂLJ ŽĨ ĂŶŝŵĂƚƌŽŶŝĐƐ ĂŶĚ ŚŽůŽŐƌĂƉŚƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ Ă ƌĞĂůŝƐƟ Đ ŝŶƐŝŐŚƚ ŝŶƚŽ Ă ďLJŐŽŶĞ ĞƌĂ ŽĨ ƉƌŝƐŽŶ ůŝĨĞ͘ 90 Macquarie Street, near the old clock tower, 6801 4460

TARONGA WESTERN PLAINS ZOO KƉĞŶ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ ϵͲϰƉŵ͘ dŚĞ njŽŽ͛Ɛ ĞŶĐŽƵŶƚĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƐŚŽǁƐ Žī Ğƌ ǀŝƐŝƚŽƌƐ ƚƌƵůLJ ƐƉĞĐŝĂů ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĨĂǀŽƵƌŝƚĞ ĂŶŝŵĂůƐ͘ Obley Road, off the Newell Hwy, 6881 1400

READINGS CINEMA ŽŵĨŽƌƚ͕ ƐƚLJůĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ΨϭϬ Ɵ ĐŬĞƚƐ ϯ ĞdžƚƌĂ͘ ĂŶĚLJ ďĂƌ͖ ϱ ƐĐƌĞĞŶ ĐŝŶĞŵĂ ĐŽŵƉůĞdž͖ ŝŐŝƚĂů ƐŽƵŶĚ ŽůďLJ ŝŐŝƚĂů ϯ ƉƌŽũĞĐƟ ŽŶ >ƵdžƵƌLJ ĂƌŵĐŚĂŝƌ ĐŽŵĨŽƌƚ 49 Macquarie St,6881 8600

CALL FOR A GREAT RATE ON A LIST FOR YOUR BUSINESS HERE! 6885 4433.

76

3-DAY LOCAL TV GUIDE

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Friday, December 4 Rachel Khoo’s Cosmopolitan Cook SBS, 6pm Cook Rachel Khoo has the looks, but does she have the flair? Decked out in drool-worthy dresses and cooking up a storm in her quaint and cute kitchen, everything looks great in this series. Even the people Khoo meets seem to ooze a hip vibe, and the food is uniformly pleasing to the eye. Perhaps the only missing ingredient is a sense of abandon, as Rachel doesn’t always appear effortless in front of the camera. But that’s a small quibble in an otherwise visual treat. Tonight, she explores groovy Nice. Back home she cooks socca cakes with ratatouille and mini orange trifles with candied carrot.

ABC

MOVIE: Dark Shadows

Neighbours

GO!, 8.30pm, M (2012)

ELEVEN, 6.25pm

Johnny Depp is perfectly cast to star in this absorbing comedy-drama based on the gothic soap opera of the same name. Known for playing such quirky characters as Captain Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter, Depp takes on the role of wealthy 1750s playboy Barnabas Collins. After he breaks the heart of a witch, she turns Barnabas into a vampire and buries him alive. When he is accidentally freed some 200 years later, he returns to his mansion to find it in ruin and occupied by a host of his dysfunctional descendants. Michelle Pfeiffer is along for the ride as family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.

eason Fans hang out all year for the season u are finale of Neighbours, because you ma. guaranteed a triple-shot of drama. ed or It doesn’t matter how far-fetched ridiculous the circumstances thrown up are; the crazier the better. It must be a heavy burden for the writers of the soapie to shoulder, because they always know in the back of their minds that they must outdo themselves next year.

So, if there’s anything errant viewers should take away from this is that tonight is the night to indulge in some Ramsay Street action. Stars Stefan Dennis (right).

PRIME7

WIN

TEN

SBS

6.00 ABC News Breakfast. (CC) 9.00 ABC News Mornings. (CC) 10.00 Gardening Australia.

(R, CC) 10.25 Grand Designs Abroad.

(R, CC) 11.15 Pointless. (R, CC) 12.00 News. (CC) 1.00 Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight. (PG, R, CC) 2.00 The Midwives: A Baby At Any Cost. (M, R, CC) 3.00 One Plus One. (R, CC) 3.30 Australian Story. (R, CC) 4.00 The Cook And The Chef.

(R, CC) 4.30 Eggheads. (R, CC) 5.00 News: Early Edition. (CC) 5.25 Grand Designs Abroad.

(R, CC) Hosted by Kevin McCloud.

6.00 Sunrise. (CC) David Koch and Samantha Armytage present the news, sport and weather, with business and finance updates.

9.00 The Morning Show.

(PG, CC) The latest news and views, including segments on health, astrology, gossip, cooking, counselling and fashion.

11.30 News. (CC) 12.00 Golf. (CC) Australian PGA Championship. Second round. From the Royal Pines Resort, Queensland.

5.00 The Chase Australia. (CC) Contestants race to answer quiz questions correctly to avoid being caught by The Chaser.

6.00 Today. (CC) 9.00 Mornings: Summer.

(PG, CC) Highlights of the year in review.

11.30 News. (CC) 12.00 WIN’s All Australian News. (R, CC) 1.00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show. (PG, CC) Variety show featuring celebrities, musical guests and ordinary people with interesting tales to tell.

2.00 Extra. (CC) Entertainment news program.

2.30 Alive And Cooking. (CC) Hosted by James Reeson.

3.00 News Now. (CC) 4.00 News. (CC) 5.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. (CC) Hosted by Eddie McGuire.

6.00 Entertainment Tonight.

(R, CC) 6.30 Ben’s Menu. (R, CC) 7.00 Neighbours. (R, CC) 7.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. (PG, R, CC) 8.00 Family Feud. (R, CC) 8.30 Studio 10. (PG, CC) 11.00 The Living Room.

(PG, R, CC) 12.30 Dr Phil. (PG, CC) 1.30 The Talk. (PG, CC) 2.30 Entertainment Tonight.

(CC) 3.00 Judge Judy. (PG, CC) 3.30 Good Chef Bad Chef.

(R, CC) 4.00 Ben’s Menu. (CC) 4.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. (PG, CC) 5.00 Eyewitness News. (CC)

6.00 France 24 International News. 6.30 Deutsche Welle English News. 7.00 Al Jazeera English News. (CC) 7.30 Italian News. 8.10 Filipino News. 8.40 French News. 9.30 Greek News From Cyprus. 10.30 German News. 11.00 Spanish News.

12.00 Arabic News.

12.30 Turkish News.

1.00 PBS NewsHour. (CC) 2.00 Sensation: The Story Of The Who’s Tommy.

(R, CC) 3.00 Pagans And Pilgrims.

(R, CC) 3.30 Salvage Hunters. (R, CC) 4.30 Town With Nicholas Crane: Oban. (R, CC) 5.30 Letters And Numbers.

(R, CC)

6.15 Pointless. (CC) Presented

by Alexander Armstrong.

7.00 News. (CC) 7.30 7.30. (CC) Current affairs program.

8.00 A Taste Of Landline.

(CC) Highlights of some of the most memorable stories from Landline, with a particular emphasis on food.

8.30 DCI Banks. (M, R, CC) Banks tackles a case involving the murder of a student who was found in a shop storeroom. The discovery of a wheelchairbound woman’s body, on the dumping ground of a serial killer, takes an unexpected twist after the victim’s true identity is revealed in the investigation.

10.00 A Moody Christmas.

(PG, R, CC) With Hayden not attending the Christmas celebrations, Dan and Cora decide to announce they are a couple.

10.35 Lateline. (R, CC) (Final) 11.05 The Business. (R, CC) (Final) Hosted by Ticky Fullerton.

11.20 Rage. (MA15+) Continuous music programming.

6.00 PRIME7 News. (CC) 6.30 News. (CC) 7.00 Better Homes And Gardens Summer. (CC) (Series return) Joh, Adam and Jason team up to help a single mum sell her home at auction with a makeover.

8.30 MOVIE: Double Jeopardy. (M, R, CC) (1999) A woman who was convicted of murdering her husband learns he staged his own death, framing her for a crime she did not commit. Determined to make him pay for what he did, she breaks her parole and sets off in search of him with authorities close on her heels. Ashley Judd, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Greenwood.

10.45 MOVIE: Empire State.

(MA15+, CC) (2013) After failing to get into the police academy, a man who has gone to work as a security guard is unwittingly drawn into an elaborate scheme to rob an armoured truck company’s cash stores. However, standing between them and success is a determined police officer and an angry mobster. Liam Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Angarano.

6.00 News. (CC) 7.00 WIN News. (CC) 7.30 Great White: Secrets Revealed. (PG, R, CC) Shark attack survivor and former navy diver Paul De Gelder and cameraman Andy Brandy Casagrande IV journey across Australia, uncovering the vital differences between fatal and non-fatal attacks from a great white shark.

8.30 MOVIE: Licence To Kill.

(M, R, CC) (1989) After his best friend’s wife is killed by a drug lord, British secret agent James Bond disobeys his superiors orders and goes rogue from MI6 in order to get revenge on the man by destroying him and his organisation. Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi.

11.15 MOVIE: Any Which Way You Can. (M, R, CC) (1980) After entering a bareknuckle boxing match at the prompting from the Mafia, a car mechanic and amateur boxer becomes involved with a motorcycle gang and a mischievous orang-utan. Clint Eastwood, Geoffrey Lewis, Sondra Locke.

6.00 Family Feud. (CC) Two families try to win big prizes by guessing the most popular responses to a survey of the public.

6.30 The Project. (CC) Join the hosts for a look at the day’s news, events and hot topics.

7.30 The Living Room.

(PG, R, CC) Dr Chris Brown travels to Australia’s Top End in search of a monster crocodile. Chef Miguel Maestre bakes a homemade beef brisket pie. Host Amanda Keller teaches Deborah Mailman how to “act”.

8.30 The Graham Norton Show. (M, CC) Irish presenter Graham Norton chats with celebrity guests, including actors Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy. Music by Irish band The Corrs.

9.30 Just For Laughs Montreal Comedy Gala. (M, R, CC) Some of the world’s best comedic talent takes to the stage for the 2015 Montreal Comedy Festival Gala.

11.00 The Project. (R, CC) Join the hosts for a look at the day’s news, events and hot topics.

6.00 Rachel Khoo’s Cosmopolitan Cook.

(R, CC) Rachel Khoo visits Nice, France, where she gets into the swing of this cosmopolitan Riviera city.

6.30 World News. (CC) 7.30 MOVIE: The Adventures Of Tintin. (PG, R, CC) (2011) A young reporter embarks on a treasure hunt after a model of a ship he bought is stolen.

Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig.

9.30 Richard III: The King In The Car Park. (PG, R, CC) Follows scientists as they set out to discover if the skeleton discovered under a car park, in Leicester, belongs to the muchmaligned Richard III of England. Using facial reconstruction techniques, they will reveal if after 500 years the resting place of the last Plantagenet king has been found.

10.55 World News. (CC) 11.25 MOVIE: Kiss Me. (M, R) (2011) A woman falls for her future step-sister after meeting her for the first time at their parents’ engagement party.

Ruth Vega Fernandez, Liv Mjönes, Krister Henriksson.

1.35 WIN’s All Australian News. (CC) 2.35 A Current Affair. (R, CC) 3.05 Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye. (PG) A diplomat files a complaint against Bobby.

4.00 Extra. (R, CC) 4.30 Good Morning America.

(CC)

12.00 The Doctors. (CC) Doctors with different specialities provide advice on health issues and medical breakthroughs.

1.00 Infomercials. (PG, R) 2.30 Home Shopping.

1.25 MOVIE: The Sky Crawlers. (M, R) (2008) Stephanie Sheh.

3.30 Quadrophenia: Can You See The Real Me? (PG, R, CC) 4.40 Destination Flavour Bitesize. (R) 5.00 CCTV English News.

5.30 NHK World English News.

5.00 Rage. (PG, CC) Continuous music programming.

1.00 Home Shopping.

CLASSIFICATIONS: (P) For preschoolers (C) Children’s programs (G) General viewing (PG) Parental guidance (M) Mature audiences (MA15+) Mature audiences only (AV15+) Extreme violence.

(R) Repeat (CC) Closed Captions. Please Note: Listings are correct at the time of print and are subject to late change by networks.

0412

3-DAY LOCAL TV GUIDE.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

77

Friday, December 4 PAYTV HIGHLIGHTS MOVIES

GENERAL

DOCUMENTARY

SPORT

6.20pm P.S. I Love You (2007) Drama. Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler. A dying man leaves letters for his wife to read once he is gone. (M) Romance

7.30pm The Vampire Diaries.

(MA15+) FOX8

7.30pm The Island With Bear Grylls. Bear Grylls visits the men at the end of their stay on the island. (M) Discovery

7.30pm Basketball.

NBL. Round 9. Cairns Taipans v Sydney Kings. Fox Sports 3

8.30pm Alexander (2004) Action. Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie. Follows the life of Alexander the Great. (MA15+) Action 10.35pm Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014) Action. Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci. (M) Premiere

ABC2/ABC KIDS 6.00 Children’s Programs. 2.25 Pocoyo. (R, CC) 2.30 Charlie And Lola. (R, CC) 2.45 Bing.

(R) 2.55 Sarah And Duck. (R) 3.00 Bookaboo. (R, CC) 3.15 dirtgirlworld. (R, CC) 3.30 Play School. (R, CC) 4.00 Bananas In Pyjamas. (R, CC) 4.10 Bubble Bath Bay. (R, CC) 4.25 Mister Maker. (R, CC) 4.45 The Furchester Hotel.

(R, CC) 5.00 Curious George. (R, CC) 5.25 Peppa Pig. (R, CC) 5.30 Octonauts. (R, CC) 5.50 Puffin Rock. (R, CC) 6.00 Ben And Holly.

(R, CC) 6.10 Peter Rabbit. (R, CC) 6.25 Tree Fu Tom. (R, CC) 6.50 Shaun The Sheep. (R, CC) 7.00 Spicks And Specks. (R, CC) 7.30 Total Wipeout. (PG, R, CC) 8.30 Young Surrogates. (PG, R, CC) 9.25 Ladyboys. (M, R, CC) 10.10 Second Chance. (M, CC) (Final) 10.20 Jimmy Fallon. (PG, CC) 10.50 TFI Friday. (CC) 11.00 Maddie Parry: Tough Jobs. (M, R, CC) 11.30 Jewish Mum Of The Year. (M, R, CC) 12.20 Hell On Wheels. (MA, R, CC) 3.10 News Update. (R) 3.15 Close. 5.00 Penelope. (R, CC) 5.05 Toby’s Travelling Circus. (CC) 5.15 Joe & Jack. (R, CC) 5.20 Waybuloo.

(R, CC) 5.40 Tilly And Friends. (R, CC) 5.50 Children’s Programs.

ABC3 6.00 Children’s Programs. 11.05 Making Media. (R, CC) 11.35 BTN. (R, CC) 12.00 Wizards Vs Aliens.

(R, CC) 12.25 The Sleepover Club.

(R, CC) 12.50 Great Big Adv. (R, CC) 1.10 WAC. (R, CC) 1.35 Steam Punks! (R, CC) 2.00 Arthur. (R) 2.25 Hairy Legs. (R, CC) 2.35 Masha And The Bear. (R, CC) 2.45 Canimals. (R) 2.50 Shaun The Sheep. (R) 3.00 Nerds And Monsters. (R, CC) 3.25 Dennis The Menace And Gnasher. (R, CC) 3.50 SheZow. (R, CC) 4.00 Numb Chucks. (R, CC) 4.15 A Gurls Wurld.

(R, CC) 4.40 News On 3. (CC) 4.45 Studio 3. 4.50 Camp Lakebottom.

(R, CC) (Final) 5.00 Doodles.

5.05 Endangered Species. (R, CC) (Final) 5.15 Roy. (CC) 5.40 The New Adventures Of Figaro Pho. (R, CC) 5.55 The Amazing Extraordinary Friends. (R) 6.15 DOIP: Department Of Imaginary Problems. (CC) 6.20 The Next Step. (CC) 6.50 News On 3. (CC) 7.00 Horrible Histories.

(PG, R, CC) 7.30 Officially Amazing.

(R, CC) 7.55 Deadly 60. (R, CC) 8.30 Ready For This. (R, CC) 8.55 Kobushi. (R, CC) 9.00 K-On! (CC) 9.25 Kamisama Kiss. (PG, CC) 9.50 Ouran High School Host Club. (PG, R, CC) 10.10 Close.

8.30pm Sons Of Anarchy.

Guest stars Marilyn Manson.

(MA15+) FX 9.30pm Just For Laughs.

Showcases a top line-up of local and international stand-up talent performing live at the Sydney Opera House. (M) The Comedy Channel

8.30pm Shot Down: Escape From Nazi Europe. (PG) History 8.30pm River Monsters.

Jeremy revisits the stories that have haunted him the most.

(PG) Discovery

7.30pm Soccer.

A-League. Round 9.

Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets.

Fox Sports 4 9.00pm Ironman.

Mass Participation Series.

Highlights. Eurosport Hilary Swank stars in P.S. I Love You

7TWO 6.00 Shopping. (R) 7.00 It’s Academic. (C, CC) 7.30 The Deep. (C, CC) 8.00 Larry The Lawnmower. (P, R, CC) 8.30 Harry’s Practice. (R, CC) 9.00 Home And Away. (PG, R, CC) 9.30 NBC Today. (R, CC) 11.00 Dealers. (PG, R) 12.00 Dr Oz. (PG, CC) 1.00 Mr Selfridge. (PG, R, CC) 2.00 Better Homes. (R, CC) 3.00 Air Rescue. (PG, R, CC) 3.30 I Dream Of Jeannie. (R, CC) 4.00 Bewitched. (R, CC) 4.30 60 Minute Makeover. (PG, R) 5.30 Dealers Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. (PG, R) 6.30 Bargain Hunt. (R) 7.30 Great Train Robbery.

(PG, R, CC) Presented by Dominic Sandbrook.

8.30 Escape To The Country.

Presented by Jules Hudson.

10.30 Storage Hoarders.

(R) Presented by Aggie MacKenzie.

11.30 Best Houses Australia. (R) Hosted by Gary Takle.

12.00 Hotel Secrets. (M, R, CC) 1.00 Bargain Hunt. (R) 2.00 Storage Hoarders. (R) 3.00 Escape To The Country. (R) 5.00 Harry’s Practice. (R, CC) 5.30 Shopping.

7MATE 6.00 Shopping. (R) 7.00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. (R) 7.30 Jake And The Never Land Pirates. (R, CC) 8.00 Doc McStuffins. (R) 8.30 Sofia The First. (R, CC) 9.00 Fish Hooks. (R, CC) 9.30 Dream Car Garage. (R) 10.00 The Amazing Race. (PG, R, CC) 11.00 Shannon’s Legends Of Motorsport. (PG, R) 12.00 Jail. (M, R) 1.00 Inside: Cocaine Sub Hunt. (M, R) 2.10 SCU. (PG, R, CC) 3.40 Auction Kings.

(PG, R) 4.40 Swamp People. (PG, R) 5.40 Seinfeld. (PG, R, CC) 6.40 MOVIE: Johnny English.

(PG, R, CC) (2003) 8.30 MOVIE: Four Brothers.

(M, R) (2005) After their mother is murdered during a grocery store hold-up, adopted brothers reunite to seek justice. Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Garrett Hedlund.

10.40 MOVIE: So I Married An Axe Murderer. (M, R, CC) (1993) Mike Myers.

12.40 Jail. (M, R) 2.40 NFL. NFL. Week 12. Denver Broncos v New England Patriots.

Replay. From Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado.

GO! 6.00 PAW Patrol. 6.30 Sooty. 7.00 Wild Kratts. 7.30 Move It. 8.00 Kitchen Whiz. 8.30 Rabbids. 9.00 Imagination Train. 9.30 Little Charmers. (R) 10.00 SpongeBob. (R) 10.30 PAW Patrol. (R, CC) 11.00 Yu-Gi-Oh! Classic. (PG, R) 11.30 Scooby-Doo! (PG, R) 12.00 Young Justice. (PG, R) 12.30 The Batman.

(PG, R) 1.00 Green Lantern. (PG, R) 1.30 Sonic Boom. (PG, R) 2.00 Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V. (PG, R) 2.30 Wild Kratts. (R) 3.00 SpongeBob. (R) 3.30 Rabbids. (PG, R) 4.00 Kids’ WB. (PG) 4.05 Scooby-Doo! (PG, R) 4.30 Young Justice. (PG, R) 5.00 Ben 10. (PG, R) 5.30 Teen Titans Go! (PG, R) 6.00 Regular Show. (PG, R) 6.30 MOVIE: The Spiderwick Chronicles.

(PG, R) (2008) 8.30 MOVIE: Dark Shadows. (M, R, CC) (2012) Johnny Depp. 10.55 MOVIE: Teen Wolf. (PG, R, CC) (1985) 12.45 GO Surround Sound. (M, R, CC) 1.00 Regular Show. (PG, R) 1.30 Rabbids. (PG, R) 2.00 Wild Kratts.

(R) 2.30 The Batman. (PG, R) 3.00 Little Charmers. (R) 3.30 Yu-Gi-Oh! (PG, R) 4.00 Power Rangers. (PG, R) 4.30 Green Lantern. (PG, R) 4.50 Thunderbirds. (R) 5.30 Yu-GiOh! Classic. (PG, R)

GEM 6.00 Friends. (PG, R, CC) 6.30 Skippy. (R) 7.00 Hoarding: Buried Alive. (PG, R) 8.00 Gilmore Girls.

(PG, R, CC) 9.00 New Style Direct.

9.30 Global Shop. 10.00 Danoz.

10.30 Alive And Cooking. (R, CC) 11.00 Friends. (PG, R, CC) 12.00 Secret Dealers. (PG, R, CC) 1.00 MOVIE: It’s Great To Be Young!

(R, CC) (1956) 3.00 Alive And Cooking. (CC) 3.30 Monarch Of The Glen. (PG, R) 4.30 Come Dine With Me. (PG) 5.30 Gilmore Girls.

(PG, R, CC) 6.30 Friends. (PG, R, CC) 7.30 A Current Affair. (CC) 8.00 Antiques Roadshow.

(R, CC) Fiona Bruce and the team visit Sussex.

8.30 MOVIE: Not Without My Daughter. (PG, R) (1991) An American becomes trapped in Pakistan. Sally Field, Alfred Molina.

11.00 MOVIE: A Perfect Murder. (M, R, CC) (1998) 1.10 MOVIE: The Raging Moon.

(PG, R) (1971) Malcolm McDowell, Nanette Newman. 3.20 MOVIE: Mr Forbush And The Penguins.

(PG, R) (1971) John Hurt, Hayley Mills. 5.15 River Cottage Bites. (R) 5.30 Friends. (PG, R, CC)

ONE 6.00 Infomercials. (PG, R) 8.00 Extreme Fishing. (PG, R) 9.00 Extreme Fishing. (PG, R) 10.00 Totally Wild. (R, CC) 10.30 My Surf TV. (R) 11.00 M*A*S*H. (PG, R) 12.00 MasterChef Aust. (PG, R, CC) 2.30 Monster Jam. (R) 3.30 iFish.

(R, CC) 4.00 Diagnosis Murder.

(PG, R) 5.00 Operation Repo. (PG) 5.30 Whacked Out Sports. (PG, R) 6.00 Family Feud. (CC) Hosted

by Grant Denyer.

6.30 M*A*S*H. (PG, R) 7.30 The Indestructibles: 4572-Metre Freefall.

(PG, R) A look at close scrapes with death.

8.30 Black Ops: City Under Siege. (M, R) Mumbai comes under attack.

9.30 MOVIE: True Justice: Blood Alley. (M, R) (2012) A martial arts expert takes on a gangster. Steven Seagal.

11.30 Bellator MMA. (M) Mixed martial arts tournaments.

1.30 Home Shopping. 2.00 Diagnosis Murder. (PG, R) 3.00 Robson’s Extreme Fishing Challenge. (PG, R) 5.00 Operation Repo. (PG, R) 5.30 Whacked Out Sports. (PG, R)

ELEVEN 6.00 Toasted TV. 8.00 Totally Wild. (C, CC) 8.30 Toasted TV. 9.30 Wurrawhy. (P, R, CC) 10.00 Touched By An Angel. (PG, R) 11.00 Family Ties. (PG, R) 12.00 Medium. (M, R, CC) 1.00 JAG. (PG, R) 2.00 Judging Amy. (M, R) 3.00 Infomercials. (PG, R) 3.30 Raymond. (PG, R, CC) 4.00 Frasier.

(PG, R) 5.00 King Of Queens. (PG, R) 5.30 Becker. (PG, R, CC) 6.00 Family Feud. (CC) 6.25 Neighbours. (CC) (Final) 7.00 Everybody Loves Raymond. (PG, R, CC) 7.30 The Simpsons. (PG, R, CC) 8.00 Futurama. (PG, R, CC) Bender meets chef Elzar, his hero.

8.30 Bondi Ink Tattoo. (M, R) Moses meets Steve McKinnon.

9.30 Dating Naked. (M) (Final) Chris and Kerri make their decisions.

10.30 Sex And The City.

(MA15+, R) 11.50 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) 12.50 James Corden.

(PG) 1.50 JAG. (PG, R) 2.55 Medium. (M, R, CC) 4.00 Touched

By An Angel. (PG, R) 5.00 Family Ties. (R) 5.30 Family Ties. (PG, R)

SBS 2 6.00 Indonesian News. 6.10 Hong Kong News. 6.30 Chinese News.

7.00 Russian News. 7.30 Polish News. 8.00 Bosnian News. 8.30 Macedonian News. 9.05 Croatian News. 9.40 Serbian News. 10.20 Portuguese News. 11.00 Japanese News. 11.35 Punjabi News. 12.05 Hindi News. 12.30 Dutch News.

1.00 Urdu News. 1.30 Tamil News.

2.00 Thai News. 2.30 Sri Lankan Sinhalese News. 3.00 Bangla News. 3.30 Armenian News. 4.00 Mysterious Cities Of Gold. (PG, R) 4.30 Massive Moves. (R, CC) 5.30 Do Or Die. (PG) 6.00 The Numbers Game. (PG) 6.30 MythBusters. (PG, R, CC) 7.25 Soccer. A-League. Round 9.

Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets. From Allianz Stadium, Sydney.

10.00 MOVIE: Star Trek: First Contact. (M, R) (1996) The Enterprise travels through time. Patrick Stewart.

12.00 Space Dandy. (PG) 12.30 Assassination Classroom. (PG) 1.00 PopAsia. (PG) 3.00 NHK World English News. 5.00 Korean News. 5.30 Indonesian News.

NITV 6.00 Yarramundi Kids. 6.30 Bizou. 7.00 Move It Mob Style.

7.30 Waabiny Time. 8.00 Mugu Kids. 8.30 Bushwhacked! 9.00 Tipi Tales. 9.30 Move It Mob Style.

10.00 The Other Side. (PG) 10.30 Around The Campfire. 11.00 Kings Seal. 12.00 I Live, I Breathe, I Surf.

1.00 City Slickers Rodeo. 1.30 Survive Aotearoa. 2.30 Mugu Kids.

3.00 Tipi Tales. 3.30 Move It Mob Style. 4.00 Waabiny Time. 4.30 Bushwhacked! 5.00 Go Lingo.

5.30 Mysterious Cities Of Gold.

(PG) 6.00 The Other Side. (PG) 6.30 Backyard Shorts. (PG) Shorts from communities across the country.

7.00 Message Stick. (CC) 7.30 The Other Side. (PG) Paranormal investigators engage spirits.

8.00 Guardians: Evolution: Awakenings. (PG) 8.30 Aunty Moves In. 9.00 Once A Queen. Grafton celebrates its trees.

10.00 By The Rapids. (PG) 11.00 Mysterious Cities Of Gold. (PG) 11.30 Backyard Shorts. (PG) 12.00 Volumz. (PG)

6.00 ABC News Breakfast. (CC) 9.00 ABC News Mornings. (CC) 12.00 News. (CC) 1.00 Capital Hill. (CC) 2.00 News. (CC) 4.00 News With The Business. 5.00 News With Grandstand. 6.00 News. (CC) 6.30 The Drum. (CC) 7.00 News With Grandstand. (CC) 8.00 News With The Business. (CC) 9.00 News. (CC) 9.30 Lateline. (CC) (Final) 10.00 The World. (CC) 11.00 News. 11.30 7.30. (R, CC) 12.00 News. 12.30 The Drum. (R, CC) 1.00 BBC Impact. 1.30 Lateline. (R, CC) (Final) 2.00 Al Jazeera Newshour.

3.00 BBC World News. 3.30 7.30. (R, CC) 4.00 BBC World News. 4.30 BBC Focus On Africa. 5.00 Al Jazeera Newshour.

ABC NEWS

0412

78

3-DAY LOCAL TV GUIDE.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Saturday, December 5 MOVIE: Matilda

MOVIE: Blue Jasmine

Breathless

PRIME7, 7pm, PG (1996)

SBS, 8.30pm, M (2013)

ABC, 8.30pm

Mrs Doubtfire cutie Mara Wilson is Matilda Wormwood, a spirited youngster with telekinetic powers who teaches her neglectful parents and sadistic principal (Pam Ferris) a lesson they’ll never forget. Luckily for Matilda, she’s got the kind Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz) in her corner for support. Based on the Roald Dahl story, Danny DeVito directs and stars in a cute, dark and smart tale fit for all-ages consumption.

Prolific filmmaker Woody Allen may have delivered one of his finest works to date with Blue Jasmine, a showcase for the amazing talents of Cate Blanchett. Cutting between her past and present life, we are presented with unhinged 40-something Jasmine (Blanchett), a former New York socialite, who after falling on hard times after the breakdown of her marriage to Hal (Alec Baldwin), goes to San Francisco to stay with her free-spirited sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) and earn her own money.

A fascinating riches-to-rags story that examines themes of class, we witness Jasmine’s dastardly struggle to stand on her own two feet.

This medical drama, set in the ’60s, has a fair whiff of Masters of Sex aboutt it, minus the ardrobes play steamy scenes. The sets and wardrobes lavish attention to the era, but it is the changing role of women in society that iss main focus of ay look the smart story. So, while it may o the pleasing, that’s second fiddle to drama, which is set in the gynaecology unit of a London hospital. It’s a time of change, when the male dominance in an industry catering for women is starting to shift.

Tonight, Elizabeth (Natasha Little) is still dealing with the situation regarding Mulligan (Iain Glen). Stars Jack Davenport (right).

ABC

PRIME7

WIN

TEN

SBS

6.00 Rage. (PG, CC) 11.15 Pointless. (R, CC) 12.00 Grand Designs Abroad.

(R, CC) 1.00 Restoration Home.

(R, CC) 2.00 How We Got To Now: Sound. (R, CC) (Final) 3.00 The Search For The Ocean’s Super Predator.

(PG, R, CC) 4.00 Great Southern Land: Living On The Edge.

(R, CC) Part 4 of 4.

5.00 Outback ER: Roo And Emu Accident. (PG, R, CC) Follows outback emergency staff.

5.30 Midsomer Murders.

(PG, R, CC) A feminist is murdered.

6.00 Home Shopping. (CC) 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. (CC) Latest news, sport and weather.

10.00 The Morning Show: Weekend. (PG, CC) Highlights from the past week.

12.00 Golf. (CC) Australian PGA Championship. Third round.

From the Royal Pines Resort, Queensland.

5.00 Medical Emergency.

(PG, R, CC) A single mother’s life hangs in the balance after a high-speed, head-on collision.

5.30 Border Security: Australia’s Front Line.

(R, CC) Narrated by Grant Bowler.

6.00 PAW Patrol. (R, CC) 6.30 Dora The Explorer. (R, CC) 7.00 Weekend Today: Saturday. (CC) 10.00 Mornings: Summer.

(PG, CC) 12.00 Australian Geographic Adventures. (R, CC) 12.30 Hot In Cleveland.

(PG, R, CC) 1.00 Human Nature Christmas Special. (PG, CC) Human Nature celebrates Christmas.

2.00 MOVIE: My Dog Skip.

(PG, R, CC) (2000) Frankie Muniz.

4.00 Food For Thought Tour Tassie. (CC) 5.00 News. (CC) 5.30 Fishing Australia. (CC)

6.00 RPM. (R, CC) 7.00 Good Chef Bad Chef.

(R, CC) A decadent food showdown.

7.30 The Home Team. (R, CC) Experts renovate an Aussie home.

8.00 Family Feud. (R, CC) Hosted by Grant Denyer.

8.30 Studio 10: Saturday. (CC) Highlights from Studio 10.

11.00 The Living Room.

(PG, R, CC) Dr Chris travels to the Top End. 12.00 Motor Racing. (CC) International V8 Supercars Championship. Round 14.

Sydney 500. Qualifying and races 34 and 35. From Homebush Street Circuit, Sydney.

6.00 France 24 English News.

6.30 Deutsche Welle English News. 7.00 Al Jazeera English News. (CC) 7.30 Italian News. 8.10 Filipino News. 8.40 French News.

9.30 Greek News From Cyprus.

10.30 German News. 11.00 Spanish News. 12.00 Arabic News.

12.30 Turkish News.

1.00 PBS NewsHour. (CC) 2.00 Tales From The Bush Larder. (R, CC) 2.30 Heston’s Fantastical Food. (R, CC) 3.25 Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong Bitesize. (R) 3.35 Monster Moves. (R, CC) 4.30 Alexander’s Lost World.

(PG, R, CC) 5.25 The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance. (R, CC)

7.00 News. (CC) 7.30 New Tricks. (PG, CC) After the body of a lottery winner is found in the foundations of a swimming pool, the team investigates.

8.30 Breathless. (PG, CC) Elizabeth continues to try to manage the situation with Mulligan alone, but it soon becomes clear that things have spiralled out of control.

9.20 Miniseries: Undeniable.

(M, R, CC) Part 1 of 3.

A woman is shocked to encounter the man she believes killed her mother two decades earlier.

10.05 Happy Valley. (M, R, CC) Catherine’s investigation ramps up after she tells her boss about her suspicions about Tommy Lee Royce.

11.00 Agony Aunts. (PG, R, CC) Celebrities including Judith Lucy, Denise Scott and Myf Warhurst, open up about love and relationships.

11.25 Agony Uncles. (M, R, CC) Australian celebrities open up about love and relationships.

11.55 Rage. (MA15+) Music videos chosen by a guest programmer.

6.00 News. (CC) 7.00 MOVIE: Matilda.

(PG, R, CC) (1996) An intelligent girl, with the world’s worst parents, is taken under the wing of a caring teacher. Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman.

9.10 MOVIE: Kindergarten Cop. (M, R, CC) (1990) A tough city cop goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher in order to find the mysterious ex-wife of a drug dealer. He hopes to use her to catch her former husband, but first he must identify which of the children is the son of his target from the teeming hoards at the school.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed.

11.35 MOVIE: Sanctum.

(M, R, CC) (2011) A team of divers must battle raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic, after they become lost in the underwater labyrinth which makes up the system of caves they are exploring in the wake of a tropical storm. Rhys Wakefield, Allison Cratchley, Ioan Gruffudd.

6.00 News. (CC) 7.00 Schools Spectacular.

(PG, CC) Coverage of the Schools Spectacular from the Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney.

Features dance and musical performances by students from across NSW, showcasing the talents of 2000 dancers, a choir of 1500, an 80-piece symphony orchestra and 50 soloists.

10.00 Pink! Live In Australia.

(M, R, CC) Footage from Pink’s The Truth About Love tour at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. Featuring tracks from her albums, including Raise Your Glass, Walk Of Shame and Just Like A Pill.

11.20 MOVIE: Singles.

(M, R, CC) (1992) A group of 20-somethings, including a waitress and a rock musician, whose lives revolve around the apartment building in Seattle, where they live, share their dreams, music and efforts to find true love.

Bridget Fonda, Matt Dillon, Bill Pullman.

6.00 Modern Family.

(PG, R, CC) 6.30 Bondi Vet. (PG, R, CC) Dr Chris Brown heads to Kyabram Vet Clinic, in country Victoria.

7.30 David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities: Life In The Dark. (R, CC) Sir David Attenborough looks at how hedgehogs and rhinos have developed protective skins.

8.00 David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities: Curious Imposters.

(R, CC) Sir David Attenborough looks at some animals that are able to trick others.

8.30 MOVIE: Avatar. (M, R, CC) (2009) In the future, a paraplegic former marine finds his loyalties tested after he is given the chance to assimilate into an alien culture, thanks to an artificial body, known as an “avatar”, which he operates remotely. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver.

11.45 48 Hours: Murder In Aspen. (M, R, CC) A member of Aspen “royalty” is slain in her sleep.

6.30 World News. (CC) 7.30 Wild Amazon: Savage Realm. (PG, R, CC) Part 2 of 2. Continues by exploring the survival strategies of the wildlife which calls the Amazon home.

8.30 MOVIE: Blue Jasmine.

(M, CC) (2013) In the wake of her disastrous marriage to a businessman, a New York socialite moves to San Francisco to live with her sister, in hope of finding herself. However, it is not long before falls into emotional peril as she becomes attracted to two men at the same time. Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard.

10.20 RocKwiz. (PG, R, CC) Music quiz show, hosted

by Julia Zemiro. Featuring appearances by singer Isabella Manfredi, singersongwriter Stephen Cummings and musician Georgi Kay. Stephen and Isabella will close the show with a duet of Badfinger’s Baby Blue at the end of the night.

11.20 Borgen. (M, R, CC) The eyes of the world are on Copenhagen as the peace talks between North and South Kharun begin.

1.15 MOVIE: Cadillac Records.

(M, R, CC) (2008) A record mogul searches for talent.

Adrien Brody.

3.15 WIN Presents. (R, CC) 3.30 Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye. (PG) 4.30 Extra. (R, CC) 5.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) 5.30 Fishing Australia. (R, CC)

1.00 Infomercials. (PG, R) 2.00 Home Shopping.

4.30 Healthy Homes TV. (R, CC) The latest ideas and inspirations for the home, garden and lifestyle with Walt Collins and Dani Wales.

5.00 Hour Of Power. Religious program.

12.25 Borgen. (M, R) Laura is admitted to hospital.

2.40 Borgen. (PG, R, CC) 3.45 Borgen. (M, R, CC) 4.55 Destination Flavour Bitesize. (R) 5.00 CCTV English News.

5.30 NHK World English News.

5.45 France 24 Feature.

5.00 Rage. (PG) Continuous music programming.

2.00 Home Shopping.

CLASSIFICATIONS: (P) For preschoolers (C) Children’s programs (G) General viewing (PG) Parental guidance (M) Mature audiences (MA15+) Mature audiences only (AV15+) Extreme violence.

(R) Repeat (CC) Closed Captions. Please Note: Listings are correct at the time of print and are subject to late change by networks.

0512

3-DAY LOCAL TV GUIDE.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

79

Saturday, December 5 PAYTV HIGHLIGHTS MOVIES

GENERAL

DOCUMENTARY

SPORT

8.30pm Birdman (2014) Comedy. Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis. A former on-screen star mounts an ambitious show. (MA15+) Masterpiece

7.30pm The Amazing Race: All-Stars. Hosted by Phil Keoghan. (PG) FOX8

7.30pm Man Finds Food.

(PG) TLC

5.00pm Soccer.

A-League. Round 9. Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory.

Fox Sports 4

8.30pm American Sniper (2014) Action. Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller. (MA15+) Action 10.25pm Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) Action. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana. A brash space adventurer steals a mysterious orb. (M) Premiere

ABC2/ABC KIDS 6.00 Children’s Programs. 2.10 Raa Raa! The Noisy Lion. (R, CC) 2.25 Pocoyo. (R, CC) 2.30 Charlie And Lola. (R, CC) 2.45 Bing. (R) 2.55 Sarah And Duck.

(R) 3.00 Bookaboo. (R, CC) 3.15 dirtgirlworld. (R, CC) 3.30 Play School. (R, CC) 4.00 Bananas In Pyjamas. (R, CC) 4.10 Bubble Bath Bay. (R, CC) 4.25 Mister Maker. (R, CC) 4.45 The Furchester Hotel.

(R, CC) 5.00 Curious George. (R, CC) 5.25 Peppa Pig. (R, CC) 5.30 Octonauts. (R, CC) 5.50 Puffin Rock. (R, CC) 6.00 Ben And Holly. (R, CC) 6.10 Peter Rabbit.

(R, CC) 6.25 Tree Fu Tom. (R, CC) 6.50 Shaun The Sheep. (R, CC) 7.00 Spicks And Specks. (PG, R, CC) 7.30 Penn & Teller: Fool Us. (PG, CC) 8.15 Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow. (PG, R, CC) 9.00 Live At The Apollo. (M, R, CC) 9.45 Inside Amy Schumer. (M, R, CC) 10.10 The Office. (M, R, CC) 10.40 Extras. (M, R, CC) 11.10 Story Club. (M, R, CC) 12.05 I Rock. (M, R, CC) 2.00 News Update. (R) 2.05 Close. 5.00 Penelope. (R, CC) 5.05 Toby’s Travelling Circus. (CC) 5.15 Joe & Jack. (R, CC) 5.20 Waybuloo.

(R, CC) 5.40 Tilly And Friends. (R, CC) 5.50 Children’s Programs.

ABC3 6.00 Children’s Programs. 7.35 Secret Life Of Boys. (R, CC) 7.40 YooHoo & Friends. (R, CC) 7.55 Camp Lakebottom. (R, CC) 8.15 Nerds And Monsters. (R, CC) 8.30 The Penguins Of Madagascar.

(R) 9.00 Good Game: SP. (CC) 9.25 Total Drama World Tour. (R, CC) 9.55 The Day My Butt Went Psycho. (R, CC) 10.15 Endangered Species. (R, CC) 11.05 Prank Patrol Road Trip. (R, CC) 11.30 Strange Hill High. (R, CC) 11.55 3 On 3.

(R, CC) 12.00 A Gurls Wurld. (R, CC) 12.30 Camp Lakebottom.

(R, CC) 2.20 Sorry, I’ve Got No Head. (R, CC) 2.50 Canimals. (R) 3.00 Deadly 60. (R, CC) 3.25 Splatalot. (R, CC) 3.50 Studio 3.

3.55 Horrible Science. (R, CC) 4.15 The New Adventures Of Figaro Pho. (R, CC) 4.30 Big Babies. (R, CC) 4.45 Kobushi. (R, CC) 4.50 The Amazing Extraordinary Friends. (R) 5.15 Spooksville. (PG, R, CC) 5.40 World’s End. (R, CC) 6.10 Riders Of Berk. (R, CC) 6.30 Rocket’s Island.

(CC) 7.00 Nowhere Boys. (PG, R, CC) 7.30 Operation Ouch! (R, CC) 8.00 Deadly 60. (R, CC) 8.25 Good Game: SP. (R, CC) 8.55 Degrassi: The Next Generation. (PG, R, CC) 10.45 Close.

8.30pm Whose Line Is It Anyway?. (M) Comedy Channel

8.30pm Barrett-Jackson.

Returns to Reno-Tahoe for car auction action. (PG) Discovery Turbo

9.00pm Betty White’s Off Their Rockers. A fearless band of senior citizens make it their mission to execute cleverly crafted pranks. (M) Comedy Channel

9.30pm The Ancient Life.

Host Brit Eaton immerses himself in foreign lands in search of lost worlds and great mysteries. (PG) Discovery Science

5.30pm Cricket. Fourth Test.

India v South Africa. Day 3.

Fox Sports 2 7.30pm Basketball.

NBL. Round 9. Townsville Crocodiles v New Zealand Breakers. Fox Sports 3 Michael Keaton stars in Birdman

7TWO 6.00 Shopping. (R) 7.00 Saturday Disney. (CC) 9.00 Jessie. (R, CC) 9.30 Shake It Up. (CC) 10.00 Shopping. (R) 11.00 Thorney’s Cooking Central. (PG, R) 11.30 Great South East. (CC) 12.00 Creek To Coast. (CC) 12.30 Sydney Weekender. (R, CC) 1.00 Qld Weekender. (CC) 1.30 WA Weekender. (CC) 2.00 Melbourne Weekender. (CC) 2.30 Great Escapes. (R) 3.00 Malaysia Kitchen. 3.30 Trash To Treasure.

(PG, R) 4.30 60 Minute Makeover.

(PG, R) 5.30 Dealers. (PG, R) 6.30 Bargain Hunt. (R) 7.30 The House That £100K Built. (R) 8.30 Escape To The Country.

Presented by Nicki Chapman.

9.30 Nick Knowles’ Original Features. (R) Presented by Nick Knowles.

10.30 Trash To Treasure. (PG, R) 11.30 Bargain Hunt. (R) 12.30 Private Practice. (MA15+, R, CC) 1.30 Escape To The Country. (R) 2.30 MOVIE: The Gay Falcon. (PG, R) (1941) George Sanders. 4.00 MOVIE: The Falcon In Hollywood.

(PG, R) (1944) Tom Conway. 5.30 Shopping.

7MATE 6.00 A Football Life. (PG, R) 8.00 Shopping. (R) 9.00 Zoom TV. (PG, R) 10.00 Fifth Gear. (PG, R) 11.00 SCU. (PG, R, CC) 12.00 Motor Racing. Ultimate Sprintcar Championship. 12.30 Market Values. (PG, R) 2.00 Shannon’s Legends Of Motorsport. (PG) 3.00 Dust Up. (PG, R) 3.30 Ice Pilots.

(PG, R) 4.30 The Border. (PG, R) 5.30 Ultimate Factories. (PG) 6.30 Air Crash Investigations.

(PG, R, CC) 7.30 Air Crash Investigations: Volcanic Ash – Flight Of Terror. (PG, R, CC) Examines the effects of volcanic ash on planes.

8.30 Mountain Men. (PG) (New Series) Looks at people living in the mountains.

9.30 American Hoggers. (M) (New Series) Follows a family who hunts feral pigs.

10.30 Gator Boys. (PG, R) 11.30 Rat B*stards. (M, R) 12.00 World’s Worst Tenants. (M, R) 1.00 Ice Pilots. (PG, R) 2.00 Ultimate Factories. (PG, R) 3.00 Fifth Gear. (PG, R) 4.00 Zoom TV. (PG, R) 4.30 Shannon’s Legends Of Motorsport. (PG, R) 5.30 Shopping.

(R)

GO! 6.00 Thunderbirds. (R) 7.00 Rabbids. (PG, R) 7.30 The Day My Butt Went Psycho. (C, R, CC) 8.00 Teen Titans Go! (PG, R) 8.30 Scooby-Doo! (PG, R) 9.00 Looney Tunes. (R) 9.30 Adv Time. (PG, R) 10.00 The Batman. (R) 10.30 Ben 10: Omniverse. (PG, R) 11.00 Buzz Bumble. (C, R, CC) 11.30 Move It. (C, R, CC) 12.00 Kitchen Whiz.

(C, R, CC) 12.30 SpongeBob. (R) 1.30 Wild Kratts. (R) 2.00 Fishing Australia. (R, CC) 2.30 Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V. (PG) 3.00 Green Lantern.

(PG, R) 3.30 Ben 10: Omniverse.

(PG, R) 4.00 Thunderbirds Are Go. (PG, R) 4.30 Sonic Boom. (PG, R) 5.00 Tom And Jerry. (R) 5.30 Looney Tunes. (R) 6.00 ScoobyDoo! Mystery Incorporated. (PG, R) 6.30 MOVIE: Agent Cody Banks.

(PG, R) (2003) Frankie Muniz.

8.30 MOVIE: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

(M, R, CC) (2012) Martin Freeman.

12.10 Arrow. (M, R, CC) 2.00 Green Lantern. (PG, R) 2.30 Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V. (PG, R) 3.00 Sonic Boom.

(PG, R) 3.30 Yu-Gi-Oh! (PG, R) 4.00 Power Rangers. (PG, R) 4.30 Wild Kratts. (R) 4.50 Thunderbirds. (R) 5.30 Yu-Gi-Oh! Classic. (PG, R)

GEM 6.00 MOVIE: It’s Great To Be Young! (R, CC) (1956) 8.00 Danoz.

8.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R, CC) 9.00 Adventures In Rainbow Country. (R) 9.30 MOVIE: They Who Dare. (R, CC) (1954) Dirk Bogarde. 11.45 MOVIE: The Comedy Man. (PG, R, CC) (1964) Kenneth More. 1.35 MOVIE: Frankie And Johnny. (R) (1966) Elvis Presley, Donna Douglas. 3.25 MOVIE: The Great Race. (R, CC) (1965) Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon.

6.30 Heartbeat. (PG, R, CC) A woman goes missing.

8.45 Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. (PG, R) Strange coincidences and troubling memories plague a brideto-be.

10.45 Dalziel And Pascoe. (M, R) Pascoe discovers three bodies.

11.55 MOVIE: The Servant.

(M, R, CC) (1963) A young man hires an uncouth servant. Dirk Bogarde.

2.10 MOVIE: The Great Race.

(R, CC) (1965) Tony Curtis.

5.00 Adventures In Rainbow Country. (R) 5.30 Postcards Summer.

(R, CC)

ONE 6.00 Shopping. 8.00 M*A*S*H. (PG, R) 9.00 Animal Extra. (R, CC) 9.30 Operation Repo. (PG, R) 11.00 Extreme Fishing. (PG, R) 12.00 All 4 Adventure. (PG, R, CC) 1.00 RPM. (R, CC) 2.00 Car Torque. (R, CC) 2.30 Daryl Beattie Adventures: The Simpson Desert. (R, CC) 3.00 Motor Racing. Australian GT Championship. Round 6. 4.00 4x4 Adventures. (R, CC) 5.00 Adv Angler. (R) 5.30 Extreme Fisherman. (R) 6.30 Monster Jam. 7.30 Freddie Flintoff: Lord Of The Fries. (PG, R) 8.30 The X-Files. (M, R, CC) A team of geophysicists is killed.

9.30 MOVIE: Nerve. (MA15+) (2013) A man searches for his dead wife’s lover.

Christian Clark.

11.30 Graceland. (M) (Final) 12.30 Black Ops. (M, R) 1.30 Bellator MMA. (M, R) 3.30 Whacked Out Sports. (PG, R) 4.00 Robson’s Extreme Fishing Challenge. (PG, R) 5.00 Motor Racing. World Series Sprintcars.

The 43rd Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic. Replay. From Premier Speedway, Warrnambool, Victoria.

ELEVEN 6.00 Toasted TV. 8.00 Totally Wild. (C, CC) 8.30 Scope. (C, CC) 9.05 The Loop. (PG) 11.35 Family Ties. (PG, R) 12.30 Frasier. (PG, R) 1.30 Raymond. (PG, R, CC) 2.30 TBL Families. (PG, R, CC) 5.30 Becker. (PG, R, CC) 7.00 Everybody Loves Raymond. (R, CC) Ray gives Amy’s brother some dating tips.

8.00 Everybody Loves Raymond. (R, CC) Ray insults the twins’ new friend.

8.30 The Graham Norton Show. (M, R, CC) Guests include Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy.

9.30 Sex And The City.

(MA15+, R) Carrie’s breakfast is disrupted.

10.55 Empire. (M, R) Cookie tries to rescue her sister.

11.50 The Loop. (PG, R) 2.20 Everybody Loves Raymond. (PG, R, CC) 3.20 Becker. (PG, R, CC) 4.30 Everybody Loves Raymond.

(R, CC) 5.00 Family Ties. (R) 5.30 Family Ties. (PG, R)

SBS 2 6.00 Indonesian News. 6.10 Hong Kong News. 6.30 Chinese News.

7.00 Russian News. 7.30 Polish News. 8.00 Hungarian News. 8.30 Macedonian News. 9.05 Croatian News. 9.40 Serbian News. 10.20 Portuguese News. 11.00 Japanese News. 11.35 Punjabi News. 12.05 Hindi News. 12.30 Dutch News.

1.00 Soccer. A-League. Round 9. Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets.

Replay. 3.00 Planet Sport. (PG, R) 4.00 Departures. (PG, R) 5.50 MOVIE: Tales From Earthsea. (PG) (2006) 7.55 If You Are The One. Hosted by Meng Fei. 9.00 MOVIE: Star Trek: Insurrection. (PG, R) (1998) The crew of the Enterprise learns of a Federation plot against the inhabitants of a unique planet with magical properties. Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner.

10.50 24: India. (M) (New Series) 1.30 MOVIE: Road, Movie.

(M, R) (2009) 3.15 CCTV News In English From Beijing. 5.00 Korean News. 5.30 Indonesian News.

NITV 6.00 Tipi Tales. 6.30 Waabiny Time. 7.00 Move It Mob Style.

7.30 Bizou. 8.00 Mugu Kids.

8.30 Bushwhacked! 9.00 Go Lingo. 9.30 Move It Mob Style.

10.00 NAIDOC Awards 2015. (PG) 12.00 Fusion Feasts. 12.30 The Other Side. (PG) 1.00 Guardians: Evolution. (PG) 1.30 Aunty Moves In. (PG) 2.00 Once A Queen.

3.00 Surviving. 3.30 Desperate Measures. 4.00 Our Footprint.

4.30 Around The Campfire. 5.00 Ngurra. 5.30 Kriol Kitchen.

6.00 I Live, I Breathe, I Surf.

7.00 Unearthed.

7.30 MOVIE: White Tuft, The Little Beaver. (2008) A young beavers becomes lost in a forest. Benoît Brière, André Dussollier.

9.00 All Our Relations: Elijah Harper. (PG) Six Indigneous celebrities go on journeys into the past to reveal inspiring stories.

9.30 MOVIE: Charlie Zone.

(MA15+) (2011) Glen Gould, Mpho Koaho.

11.15 The Syron’s Call.

11.30 Unearthed.

12.00 Volumz. (PG)

6.00 Morning Programs. 11.00 News. (CC) 11.30 Australia Wide. (CC) 12.00 News. (CC) 12.30 A Taste Of Landline. (R, CC) 1.00 National Press Club Address. (R, CC) 2.00 News. 2.30 The Mix. (CC) 3.00 News. (CC) 3.30 The World This Week. (R, CC) 4.00 News. 4.30 The Drum Weekly. 5.00 News. 5.30 One Plus One. (R, CC) 6.00 Foreign Correspondent. (CC) 7.00 News. (CC) 7.30 The Mix. (R, CC) 8.00 Four Corners. (R, CC) 8.45 The Quarters. 9.00 News. (CC) 9.30 Australia Wide. (R, CC) 10.00 News. (CC) 10.30 The World This Week. (R, CC) 11.00 News. 11.30 One Plus One. (R, CC) 12.00 National Press Club Address. (R, CC) 1.00 BBC World News. 1.30 The Drum Weekly. (R) 2.00 Al Jazeera Newshour. 3.00 BBC World News. 3.30 A Taste Of Landline. (R, CC) 4.00 BBC World News. 4.30 The Mix. (R, CC) 5.00 Al Jazeera Newshour.

0512

ABC NEWS

80

3-DAY LOCAL TV GUIDE.

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

Sunday, December 6 Antiques Roadshow

MOVIE: Hitchcock

Grey’s Anatomy

ABC, 6pm

TEN, 10.30pm, M (2012)

PRIME7, 10.30pm

There’s something incredibly therapeutic about Antiques Roadshow.

The laconic pace and range of gems to be discovered make for an interesting and educational half hour.

The looks of pure delight on some of the entrants’ faces when they discover the “old thing from the back of the cupboard” is actually worth a small fortune is also heartwarming.

All in all, it always contains a feelgood story. Tonight, the knowledgeable and helpful team are back among the striking ruins of Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire.

Among the discoveries are an extraordinarily small stuffed dog and an eye-catching carved chair.

This thoroughly enjoyable pop-art biopic focuses on the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and the making of his seminal classic, Psycho. Also central to the plot is Hitchcock’s fascinating relationship with his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren), who acted as his chief adviser. Both Mirren and Hopkins – who still doesn’t look much like Hitchcock, despite a fat suit and an excellent makeup job – are at the top of their games in this intriguing glimpse into a slice of cinema history. Scarlett Johansson also catches the eye as Janet Leigh and nails Psycho’s famous shower scene.

We should be thankful we don’t live in the world of Grey’s Anatomy – the dramas, tears and general unhappiness would simply be too much to take. It would be a grey and depressing life, indeed.

Especially now that McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey, right) has exited and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo, right) seems to becoming more and more, well, mean. And let’s not even start on the miserable character of Amelia (Caterina Scorsone).

Tonight, as rumours continue to swirl around the hospital, Grey Sloan Memorial is inundated with injured firefighters from a wildfire.

ABC

PRIME7

WIN

TEN

SBS

6.00 Rage. (PG, CC) 7.00 Weekend Breakfast. (CC) 9.00 Insiders. (CC) (Final) 10.00 Offsiders. (CC) (Final) 10.30 Australia Wide. (R, CC) 11.00 The World This Week.

(R, CC) 11.30 Songs Of Praise. (R, CC) 12.00 A Taste Of Landline.

(R, CC) 12.30 Back Roads: Ceduna.

(PG, R, CC) 1.00 From The Heart: Antarctica. (R, CC) A look at Antarctica.

1.30 The Mix. (R, CC) (Final) 2.00 Soccer. (CC) W-League.

Round 8. Adelaide United v Perth Glory.

4.25 Kitchen Cabinet. (R, CC) 5.00 New Tricks. (PG, R, CC)

6.00 Home Shopping. (CC) 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. (CC) 10.00 The Morning Show: Weekend. (PG, CC) Highlights from the past week.

11.00 Kochie’s Business Builders. (CC) Information and advice for businesses.

11.30 I Dream Of Jeannie.

(R, CC) After Jeannie invites Roger to visit her home, she creates one using magic populated by TV characters.

12.00 Golf. (CC) Australian PGA Championship. Final round.

From the Royal Pines Resort, Queensland.

5.00 News. (CC) 5.30 Sydney Weekender. (CC)

6.00 6.30 7.00 10.00 10.30 11.00

PAW Patrol. (R, CC) Dora The Explorer. (R, CC) Weekend Today. (CC) My Surf TV. (CC) Cybershack. (PG, CC) Surfing. (CC) World League. Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal. Highlights.

MOVIE: Dennis The Menace Strikes Again!

(R, CC) (1998) Justin Cooper.

MOVIE: Little Big League.

(PG, R, CC) (1994) A boy inherits a baseball team.

Luke Edwards, Jason Robards.

Explore Thailand. (CC) News. (CC) AFP: Australian Federal Police. (PG, R, CC)

6.00 Creflo Dollar Ministries.

(CC) 6.30 Hillsong. (CC) 7.00 Mass For You At Home.

7.30 Joel Osteen. (CC) 8.00 Everyday Gourmet With Justine Schofield. (R, CC) 8.30 Studio 10: Sunday. (CC) 10.00 The Bolt Report. (CC) (Final) 11.00 Good Chef Bad Chef.

(R, CC) A decadent food showdown.

11.30 Car Torque. (PG, R, CC) 12.00 Motor Racing. (CC) International V8 Supercars Championship. Round 14.

Sydney 500. Qualifying, Top 10 Shootout and Race 36. From Homebush Street Circuit, Sydney.

6.00 France 24 English News.

6.30 Deutsche Welle English News.

7.00 Al Jazeera English News. (CC) 7.30 Italian News.

8.10 Filipino News.

8.40 French News.

9.30 Greek News From Cyprus.

10.30 German News.

11.00 Spanish News.

12.00 Arabic News.

12.30 Turkish News.

1.00 The World Game. (CC) 2.00 Speedweek. (CC) 4.00 Cycling. (CC) Launceston Criterium. From Tasmania.

5.30 Apocalypse: The Rise Of Hitler: The Führer.

(M, R, CC) Part 2 of 2.

6.00 Antiques Roadshow.

(CC) Fiona Bruce and the team pay a return visit to Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire.

7.00 News. (CC) 7.40 Doctor Who. (PG, CC) (Final) Returning to Gallifrey, the Doctor faces the Time Lords in a struggle that will take him to the end of time itself.

However, having been betrayed and trapped, there is no telling how far he will go.

8.45 Inspector George Gently. (M, R, CC) After the body of a girl washes ashore, Gently and Bacchus’ investigation leads them to the Blue Bird Holiday Camp where the traditional family atmosphere has given way to something far more permissive.

10.15 Humans. (M, R, CC) (Final) Having captured Leo, Max, Mia, Fred and Niska, Hobb reveals he intends to disassemble the synths.

11.00 Andy Warhol: Drella.

(M, R, CC) Part 2 of 2. Ric Burns explores the work of one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, Andy Warhol.

6.00 News. (CC) 7.00 Sunday Night. (CC) Current affairs program, hosted by Melissa Doyle.

8.00 The Force: Behind The Line. (PG, R, CC) Police get more than they bargained for after they pull over a car for speeding. A woman is caught using counterfeit money at a fast food store.

An unregistered vehicle proves to be a motorist’s downfall.

8.30 Blindspot. (M, CC) After one of Jane’s tattoos sends the team to a remote location, they find themselves cut off from the FBI home office and faceto-face with a dangerous criminal, in a case that puts Jane and Weller’s strained relationship to the test.

Patterson breaks the rules to solve a puzzle.

9.30 Quantico. (M, CC) The trainees attend a lecture run by a guest speaker, a former agent and profiler.

10.30 Grey’s Anatomy.

(M, R, CC) 11.30 Royal Pains. (M, CC) After discovering that Russel stole a rug from one of their clients, Paige feels like she cannot trust him anymore.

6.00 News. (CC) 7.00 60 Minutes. (CC) Featuring reports from Liz Hayes, Tara Brown, Allison Langdon, Michael Usher, Charles Wooley and Ross Coulthart.

8.00 Christmas With The Australian Women’s Weekly. (PG, CC) Tips and ideas for the festive season, featuring recipes from Julie Goodwin and Luke Mangan.

9.00 The Mentalist. (M, CC) (Series return) After a chance encounter with a military officer leaves him feeling suspicious, Jane reopens the investigation into the murder of the man’s wife, a case which was meant to have already been solved.

10.00 The Mentalist. (M, R, CC) Jane and Lisbon decide to keep their relationship a secret from their colleagues as they investigate the murder of an undercover agent. An ambitious young agent, Michelle Vega, joins the team.

11.00 Person Of Interest.

(M, R, CC) Samaritan demonstrates its true power by taking control of New York for 48 hours.

6.00 Family Feud: Sunday.

(CC) Two families try to win big prizes by guessing the most popular responses to a survey of the public.

6.30 Modern Family.

(PG, R, CC) Gloria challenges Jay’s claims he always wanting to become a novelist.

7.00 Modern Family.

(PG, R, CC) Phil teaches Gloria how to skate in spectacular fashion. Haley helps Alex talk to some boys.

7.30 TBL Families. (PG, CC) Michelle announces that today’s last-chance training session will be their last with all the trainers.

8.30 Limitless. (CC) After Naz is detained on suspicion of funding terrorism, Brian and Rebecca reveal a family secret of hers.

9.30 NCIS. (M, R, CC) After a stolen drone is linked to a terrorist, the team partners with the Department of Defense to track down the device.

10.30 MOVIE: Hitchcock.

(M, R, CC) (2012) Follows filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville, during the filming of Psycho (1960). Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren.

6.30 World News. (CC) 7.35 Greeks, Romans, Vikings: Romans – The Founders Of Europe. (PG, R, CC) Part 2 of 3. Explores the truth behind the myths and age-old clichés about ancient cultures.

8.35 Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery. (CC) (New Series) Utilising the latest scientific techniques and archaeological research, the life of Jesus Christ is explored through six objects.

10.10 Inquisition: The Tudor Heretics. (MA15+, CC) Part 3 of 4. Takes a look at England’s history of religious persecution.

From Catholics being arrested in the wake of Henry Vlll’s creation of the Church of England to Catholic Queen Mary I’s purge of Protestants from 1553 to 1558, England has a rich and bloody history.

11.05 MOVIE: Children Of Glory. (AV15+, R, CC) (2006) The Hungarian water polo team faces off against the Russians at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. Kata Dobó, Iván Fenyö, Sándor Csányi.

1.00 Rake. (M, R, CC) (Final) 2.00 Inspector George Gently. (M, R, CC) 3.30 Humans. (M, R, CC) (Final) 4.00 Voices From The Cape.

(R, CC) 4.30 Eggheads. (R, CC) Quiz show.

5.00 Order In The House.

(R, CC) (Final)

12.30 Home Shopping.

5.30 Seven Early News. (CC)

12.00 Gotham. (MA15+, R, CC) 1.00 Impractical Jokers.

(M, CC) 1.30 Anger Management.

(M, R, CC) 2.00 Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye. (PG) 3.00 20/20. (R, CC) 4.00 Good Morning America: Sunday. (CC) 5.00 News: Early Edition. (CC) 5.30 Today. (CC)

12.30 48 Hours: Crazy Love.

(M, R) A look at the murder of Benji Novack.

1.30 Danoz Direct. (R) Home shopping.

2.30 Home Shopping.

4.00 Life Today With James Robison. (PG) Religious program.

4.30 CBS This Morning. (CC)

1.10 MOVIE: Buddenbrooks: The Decline Of A Family.

(M, R) (2008) 3.45 Sex, Death And The Meaning Of Life.

(M, R, CC) 4.40 Destination Flavour Bitesize.

(R) 5.00 CCTV English News. 5.30 NHK World English News. 5.45 France 24 Feature.

12.00

1.30

4.00 5.00 5.30

CLASSIFICATIONS: (P) For preschoolers (C) Children’s programs (G) General viewing (PG) Parental guidance (M) Mature audiences (MA15+) Mature audiences only (AV15+) Extreme violence.

(R) Repeat (CC) Closed Captions. Please Note: Listings are correct at the time of print and are subject to late change by networks.

0612

3-DAY LOCAL TV GUIDE.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

81

Sunday, December 6 PAYTV HIGHLIGHTS MOVIES

GENERAL

DOCUMENTARY

SPORT

6.00pm The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (2014) Fantasy.

Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman.

(M) Premiere

7.30pm Million Dollar Listings LA. Follows young real estate agents as they try to sell high-end properties. (M) Arena

3.00pm Basketball.

NBL. Round 9. Melbourne United v Adelaide 36ers.

Fox Sports 3

8.30pm Taken 3 (2014) Action. Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace. An ex-covert agent is wrongly accused of murder.

(MA15+) Premiere

8.30pm Supergirl. Action/ drama based on Superman’s cousin. (M) FOX8

4.30pm Posh Pawn Christmas. James shocks the team by offering free valuations for charity and Caprice sells a designer dress for a worthy cause. Lifestyle

9.30pm Trip Tank. (MA15+) Comedy Channel

9.10pm How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) Animation.

Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett.

(PG) Family

ABC2/ABC KIDS 6.00 Children’s Programs. 2.10 Raa Raa! The Noisy Lion. (R, CC) 2.25 Pocoyo. (R, CC) 2.30 Charlie And Lola. (R, CC) 2.45 Bing. (R) 2.55 Sarah And Duck.

(R) 3.00 Bookaboo. (R, CC) 3.15 dirtgirlworld. (R, CC) 3.30 Play School. (R, CC) 4.00 Bananas In Pyjamas. (R, CC) 4.10 Bubble Bath Bay. (R, CC) 4.25 Mister Maker. (R, CC) 4.45 The Furchester Hotel. (R, CC) 5.00 Octonauts. 5.50 Puffin Rock. (R, CC) 6.00 Ben And Holly.

(R, CC) 6.10 Peter Rabbit. (R, CC) 6.25 Tree Fu Tom. (R, CC) 6.50 Shaun The Sheep. (R, CC) 7.00 Spicks And Specks. (PG, R, CC) 7.30 True Stories. (PG, R, CC) 8.20 Good Game: Pocket Edition. (R, CC) 8.30 Louis Theroux: Twilight Of The Porn Star. (M, R, CC) 9.30 Head First. (MA15+, R, CC) 10.30 Ladyboys. (M, R, CC) 11.20 Buzzcocks. (M, R, CC) 11.50 Live At The Apollo. (M, R, CC) 12.40 Stan Lee’s Superhumans. (PG, R, CC) 1.25 Great Ormond Street. (PG, R, CC) 2.25 News Update. (R) 2.30 Close. 5.00 Penelope. (R, CC) 5.05 Toby’s Travelling Circus. (CC) 5.15 Joe & Jack. (R, CC) 5.20 Waybuloo.

(R, CC) 5.40 Tilly And Friends. (R, CC) 5.50 Children’s Programs.

ABC3 6.00 Children’s Programs. 7.35 Secret Life Of Boys. (CC) 7.40 YooHoo & Friends. (R, CC) 7.55 Camp Lakebottom. (R, CC) 8.15 Nerds And Monsters. (R, CC) 8.30 The Penguins Of Madagascar.

(R) 9.00 Horrible Histories. (R, CC) 9.25 Total Drama World Tour. (R, CC) 9.55 The Day My Butt Went Psycho. (R, CC) (Final) 10.15 Endangered Species. (R, CC) 11.05 Prank Patrol Road Trip. (R, CC) 11.30 Strange Hill High. (R, CC) 12.00 A Gurls Wurld. (R, CC) 12.30 The Next Step. (R, CC) 1.55 Horrible Histories. (R, CC) 2.25 Sorry, I’ve Got No Head. (R, CC) 2.50 Canimals. (R) 3.00 Deadly 60. (R, CC) 3.25 Splatalot. (R, CC) 3.55 Studio 3. 4.00 Roy. (R, CC) 4.30 Hank Zipzer. (R, CC) 4.55 So Awkward. (R) 5.25 Little Lunch.

(R, CC) 5.40 Studio 3. (R) 5.45 Gortimer Gibbon’s Life On Normal Street. (R) 6.10 Studio 3. (R) 6.15 Riders Of Berk. (R, CC) 6.30 Rocket’s Island. (CC) 7.00 Nowhere Boys. (PG, R, CC) 7.30 Operation Ouch! (R, CC) 8.00 The Haunting Hour. (PG, CC) 8.45 Wolfblood. (PG, R, CC) 9.10 Good Game: Pocket Edition. (PG, R, CC) 9.20 Rage. (PG, R) 1.50 Close.

8.30pm Bride Of Jaws.

Searches for the legend of Joan of Shark. (M) Discovery

5.00pm Soccer.

A-League. Fox Sports 4 9.00pm Biathlon. World Cup. Men’s Pursuit. Eurosport

9.30pm Monster Mako. (M) Discovery Liam Neeson stars in Taken 3

7TWO 6.00 Shopping. 7.00 Tomorrow’s World. (PG) 7.30 Michael Youssef.

(PG) 8.00 David Jeremiah. (PG) 8.30 Shopping. 9.30 Home And Away Catch-Up. (PG, R, CC) 1.30 Lyndey Milan’s Taste Of Australia.

(R) 2.00 World’s Strictest Parents.

(PG, R, CC) 3.00 World’s Strictest Parents. (PG, R, CC) 4.00 SCU: Serious Crash Unit. (PG, R, CC) 4.30 60 Minute Makeover. (PG, R) 5.30 Dealers. (PG, R) 6.30 Bargain Hunt. (R) 7.30 The House That £100K Built: Tricks Of The Trade. (R) Presented by Kieran Long and Piers Taylor.

8.30 Escape To The Country.

Alistair Appleton helps a housebuyer.

9.30 Escape To The Continent.

A look at homes for sale in Dordogne, France.

11.00 Best Houses Australia.

Hosted by Gary Takle.

11.30 Bush Pilots. (PG, R) 12.30 Bargain Hunt. (R) 1.30 Dealers Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. (PG, R) 2.30 Escape To The Country. (R) 3.30 Escape To The Continent. (R) 5.00 Home Shopping.

7MATE 6.00 Shopping. (R) 6.30 Hook, Line And Sinker. (PG, R) 7.30 Shopping. (R) 9.30 Shannon’s Legends Of Motorsport. (PG, R) 10.30 NFL Game Day. (PG) 11.00 Iceberg Hunters. (PG, R, CC) 11.30 The Hook & The Cook. (PG, R) 12.00 Hook, Line And Sinker. (PG, R) 1.00 The AFN Fishing Show. (PG) 1.30 Big Angry Fish. (PG) 2.30 Fishing Western Australia. (PG) 3.00 Mark Berg’s Fishing Addiction. (PG, R) 4.00 North Woods Law. (PG, R) 5.00 Turtleman. (PG, R) 5.30 MythBusters. (PG, R, CC) 7.30 The Big Bang Theory.

(PG, R, CC) Sheldon uncovers a secret about Penny.

8.30 MOVIE: Hitch. (M, R, CC) (2005) A “date doctor” falls for a sassy journalist. Will Smith, Eva Mendes.

11.00 MOVIE: Desperado.

(AV15+, R, CC) (1995) 1.30 Big Angry Fish. (PG, R) 2.30 Mark Berg’s Fishing Addiction. (PG, R) 3.30 Hook, Line And Sinker. (PG, R) 4.00 Jail. (M, R) 5.00 NFL. NFL. Week 13. New York Giants v New York Jets. From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.

GO! 6.00 Thunderbirds. (R) 7.00 Rabbids Invasion. (PG, R) 7.30 The Skinner Boys. (C, R, CC) 8.00 Teen Titans Go! (PG, R) 8.30 Scooby-Doo! (PG, R) 9.00 Looney Tunes. (R) 9.30 Adv Time. (PG, R) 10.00 Young Justice. (PG, R) 10.30 The Batman. (PG, R) 11.00 Power Rangers Dino Charge. (PG) 11.30 Rabbids. (PG, R) 12.00 Sonic Boom. (PG, R) 12.30 SpongeBob. (R) 1.30 Wild Kratts. (R) 2.00 Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V. (PG) 3.00 Green Lantern. (PG, R) 3.30 Teen Titans Go! (PG, R) 4.00 The Batman. (PG, R) 4.30 Adv Time. (PG, R) 5.00 Scooby-Doo! (PG, R) 5.30 Looney Tunes. (R) 6.00 Thunderbirds Are Go. (PG) 6.30 MOVIE: Marmaduke. (PG, R, CC) (2010) 8.30 MOVIE: The Truman Show. (PG, R) (1998) Jim Carrey.

10.30 MOVIE: Date Movie. (M, R, CC) (2006) 12.00 American Digger. (PG) 12.30 The Originals.

(MA15+) 1.30 Green Lantern. (PG, R) 2.00 Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V. (PG, R) 3.00 Power Rangers Dino Charge.

(PG, R) 3.30 Yu-Gi-Oh! (PG, R) 4.00 Power Rangers. (PG, R) 4.30 Wild Kratts. (R) 4.50 Thunderbirds. (R) 5.30 Yu-Gi-Oh! Classic. (PG, R)

GEM 6.00 Skippy. (R) 6.30 Tasty Conversations. (R, CC) 6.40 MOVIE: Manuela. (PG, R, CC) (1957) 8.30 Danoz. 9.30 Rainbow Country. (R) 10.00 MOVIE: West Of Zanzibar. (R, CC) (1954) 12.00 Postcards Summer. (CC) 12.30 MOVIE: The Searchers.

(R, CC) (1956) 3.00 Basketball.

NBL. Round 9. Melbourne United v Adelaide 36ers. 5.00 Secret Dealers. (PG, R, CC) 6.00 MOVIE: Funny Farm.

(PG, R, CC) (1988) Chevy Chase.

8.00 MOVIE: City Slickers.

(PG, R, CC) (1991) Three city men take a cattle-driving holiday. Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern.

10.30 Step Dave. (M, CC) 11.30 Believe. (M, R, CC) 12.30 Postcards Summer.

(R, CC) 1.00 Spring In WA With The Garden Gurus. (CC) 1.30 Adventures In Rainbow Country. (R) 2.00 Danoz Direct.

3.00 New Style Direct. 3.30 Global Shop. 4.30 Enjoying Everyday Life With Joyce Meyer. (PG) 5.00 Seaway. (PG, R, CC)

ONE 6.00 Shopping. 8.00 Undercover Boss. (PG, R) 9.00 Storm Season.

(PG, R, CC) 9.30 Car Torque. (R, CC) 10.00 Extreme Fishing. (PG, R) 11.00 Fishing Edge. 11.30 World Sport. (R) 12.00 Snap Happy.

12.30 4x4 Adventures. (R, CC) 1.30 David Attenborough’s Great Natural Wonders Of The World. (R, CC) 2.30 Driven Not Hidden. 3.00 Temporary Australians. (PG) 3.30 Operation Repo. (PG, R) 4.00 Bolt Report. (R, CC) 5.00 What’s Up! Downunder. (R, CC) 5.30 iFish. (CC) 6.00 Family Feud: Sunday. (CC) 6.30 M*A*S*H. (PG, R) 7.30 Extreme Collectors. (R) 8.00 Extreme Collectors.

(PG, R) 8.30 Cops. (PG, R) Follows police officers on patrol.

9.00 Cops: Adults Only. (M, R) Follows police officers on patrol.

9.30 MOVIE: Sahara. (M, R, CC) (2005) An explorer searches for a lost ironclad.

Matthew McConaughey.

12.05 World Sport. 12.35 48 Hours.

(M, R, CC) 1.30 Cops: Adults Only.

(M, R) 2.00 Robson’s Extreme Fishing Challenge. (PG, R) 5.00 Extreme Fishing. (PG, R)

ELEVEN 6.00 Toasted TV. 9.00 Infomercials. (PG, R) 9.30 TMNT. (R) 10.00 Kuu-Kuu Harajuku.

(C, CC) 10.30 Sabrina. (PG, R, CC) 11.00 Infomercials. (PG, R) 11.30 Charmed. (PG, R, CC) 2.30 Neighbours. (R, CC) 5.00 Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman. (PG, R) 6.00 Family Feud: Sunday. (CC) Hosted by Grant Denyer.

6.30 Futurama. (PG, R, CC) 7.00 The Simpsons. (R, CC) 7.30 Futurama. (PG, R, CC) Robots revolt against humanity.

8.00 The Simpsons. (PG, R, CC) Homer makes a deal with Fat Tony.

8.30 MOVIE: John Tucker Must Die. (PG, R) (2006) Three girls seek revenge.

Jesse Metcalfe, Sophia Bush.

10.30 Everybody Loves Raymond. (PG, R, CC) 11.00 House Of Lies. (MA15+) 11.30 The Crazy Ones. (M) 12.00 Charmed. (PG, R, CC) 3.00 Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.

(PG, R, CC) 4.00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (R) 4.30 Everybody Loves Raymond. (PG, R, CC) 5.00 Home Shopping.

SBS 2 6.00 Indonesian News. 6.10 Hong Kong News. 6.30 Chinese News.

7.00 Russian News. 7.30 Polish News. 8.00 Maltese News. 8.30 Macedonian News. 9.00 PopAsia.

(PG) 11.00 Japanese News. 11.35 Punjabi News. 12.05 Hindi News.

12.30 Dutch News. 1.00 MOVIE: Tales From Earthsea. (PG, R) (2006) 3.05 Secret Life Of… (PG, R) 3.35 The Pitch. (PG, R) 4.30 Heston’s Feasts. (M, R, CC) 5.25 Vs Arashi.

6.25 Dare 2 Dance.

7.25 If You Are The One. 8.30 South Park. (M, R, CC) Canadians go on strike.

9.00 Drunk History. (M) Hosted

by Derek Waters.

9.30 South Park. (M) Jimmy’s integrity as a newsman is challenged.

10.00 Ali G: Remixed. (M, R) 10.30 Turn Me On: The History Of The Vibrator. (MA15+, R, CC) 10.50 More Sex Please, We’re British. (MA15+, R) 11.45 Sex With Sunny Megatron. (MA15+) 12.15 In Her Skin. (M) 1.55 MOVIE: The Big Dream. (M, R) (2009) 3.50 CCTV News In English From Beijing. 5.00 Korean News. 5.30 Indonesian News.

NITV 6.00 Tipi Tales. 6.30 Waabiny Time. 7.00 Move It Mob Style.

7.30 Bizou. 8.00 Mugu Kids. 8.30 Bushwhacked! 9.00 Go Lingo.

9.30 Move It Mob Style. 10.00 NITV On The Road: Boomerang Festival. 12.00 The Medicine Line.

12.30 Away From Country. (PG) 1.30 Good Tucker. 2.00 Rugby League. Koori Knockout. Men’s fourth quarter-final. Wanaruah Warriors v Newcastle Yowies. 3.00 Our Spirit To C-Gen. 3.30 MOVIE: White Tuft, The Little Beaver.

(2008) Benoît Brière. 5.00 Te Kaea. 5.30 The Prophets.

6.00 Awaken. Hosted by Stan Grant.

7.00 NITV News 2015: Year In Review.

8.00 Custodians.

8.20 12 Canoes. (PG) 9.30 MOVIE: Che: Part Two. (M) (2008) In 1956, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and a band of Castro-led Cuban exiles mobilize an army to topple the regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista. Benicio Del Toro, Julia Ormond, Oscar Isaac.

11.45 Whistle In The Wind.

12.00 Volumz. (PG)

6.00 Morning Programs. 12.00 News. (CC) 12.30 The Drum Weekly. (R) 1.00 News. 1.30 Compass. (PG, R, CC) 2.00 News. 2.30 One Plus One. (R, CC) 3.00 News.

(CC) 3.30 Offsiders. (R, CC) (Final) 4.00 News. 4.30 The Mix. (R, CC) 5.00 News. 5.30 Australia Wide. (R, CC) 6.00 News. (CC) 6.30 Tough Ride. (CC) 7.00 News.

(CC) 7.10 IQ2 Debate: The Nuclear Deal With Iran. (CC) 8.00 Insiders. (R, CC) (Final) 9.00 News. (CC) 9.30 One Plus One. (R, CC) 10.00 News. (CC) 10.30 The Mix. (R, CC) 11.00 News. 11.30 The Drum Weekly. (R) 12.00 Foreign Correspondent. (R, CC) 1.00 BBC World News. 1.30 The Mix. (R, CC) 2.00 Al Jazeera Newshour. 3.00 BBC World News. 3.30 Australia Wide. (R, CC) 4.00 BBC World News. 4.30 One Plus One. (R, CC) 5.00 Al Jazeera Newshour.

0612

ABC NEWS

Gi f t s $ & Un 20 de r 19

$

19

20

$

POPE KIDS HOSE SET • 8mm x 10m hose with hand spray.

KIDS WHEELBARROW • Ready to assemble. • Ages 3 and over.

(106) 9310317014890

(110) 9316487164410

39

$

ARMOR ALL CAR CLEANING GIFT BUCKET • Contains 1L car wash, sponge, 125ml protectant, air freshener and windscreen wash.

GRILLED DIGITAL FORK THERMOMETER • Temp range 14° to 300° C. (Batteries sold separately).

(112) 9345216001184

(120) 9316487168135

49

$

49

$

$

BLACK & DECKER AUTO HAND DUSTBUSTER • 12V. • Accessory kit included.

CRYSTAL MOBILE HANDHELD CB RADIO WAS $44.99 • Set of 2. • Range up to 6km. • 80 narrow band channels.

20

$

ROCKWELL 130W ROTARY HOBBY DRILL • Includes 233pce accessory set.

(167) 5035048488263

(143) 6947372518402

(131) 9317114912473

49

$

49

$

GRILLED 20PCE BBQ TOOL SET • Includes spatula, tongs, fork, grill brush/scraper, 4 steak knives and forks, 4 corn holders and 4 kebab skewers.

ROCKWELL 12V LI-ION CORDLESS SONICRAFTER KIT • Includes 50pce accessory kit, 2 x Li-Ion batteries and 1 hour charger.

(149) 9316487168128

(139) 6947372568506

99

$

WAS $149

Gi f t Unde s r $ 50

119

$

SODASTREAM PLAY DRINKS MAKER • Makes carbonated drinks.

• See in store for full range of colours.

RC TECH QUADCOPTER TER WITH HD CAMERA AMERA • 4 channel. • 6 axis gyroscope.

• 2Gb micro SD card.

• Rechargeable ble drone battery LiPro. • Recommended ded for ages 12+.

12+

(169) 8718692610248

(176) 9319236486078

Gi f t s Un de r $ 120 $ 99 MOBICOOL 32L THERMOELECTRIC COOLER BAG • Cooling capacity to 15°.

• 12V and 240V. • Folds flat for storage.

(168) 9331391004249

Brennans Mitre 10 - Keep updated and win!

64-70 MACQUARIE ST, DUBBO, PH 6882 6133 Terms and conditions apply. See instore for details. On sale until 24th December 2015 or until sold out. Limited stock.

THE PLAY PAGES.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

83

THE

BIG

1

ACROSS

1. Foodie 5. Stockpiles 9. Bosses 12. Drearier 16. Orphan girl musical 17. Antelope 18. Pinning up (on notice board) 20. Long-tailed North American animal 22. Cures 23. Hits on 24. Keen, ... to go 26. Business conglomerate 27. Commit to memory 28. Sth African expresident (6,7) 31. Feelings 32. From Calcutta 34. Inaccurate 36. ... & aah 37. Abashed 40. Royal Navy flagship aircraft carrier, ... Royal 42. Sense receptor 43. Not during their lifetime 45. Book appendix 47. Was painful 49. Comes towards 50. Handed over to authorities (6,2) 52. Obtain access (3,2) 54. Exclude 55. Spew forth 56. Sinful 58. Archfiend 59. Wading bird 60. Attendant 61. Fulfil (demand) 62. Searches thoroughly 63. Great dislike 64. Telephone rest 67. East Timor’s capital 68. Fix with hammer 69. Nominating 72. Now, without further ...

74. Rusting 78. Keyboard key 79. Charged atom 80. Garland 81. Jewelled crown 82. Opening 85. Actress, ... Witherspoon 87. Occurrence 88. Unwell 90. Remote computer links 91. Chops 92. Authentic 93. Jumps 94. Scrub hard 95. Abel’s killer 96. Booze 97. Fluency of speech 100. Outside limit 102. Trainer

103. Table & ...

104. Genders 106. Surfing area 108. What?

109. BSE, mad ... disease 110. Army commando regiment (1,1,1) 112. People who solicit votes 116. Granny 118. Replies 120. Urn 121. Poor (excuse) 123. Personally 125. Steal a look 126. Infants’ beds 127. Mexican money unit 128. Castro’s land 129. Castrates (horse)

130. Bid 131. Pimples 132. Groom feathers 134. Avid 136. Green power, ... energy 139. Touchiest 141. Upper leg bone 142. Embroidery expert 144. Muffler 146. Twos 147. Salted away 148. Underwater vessel 149. Varieties 151. Effort 152. Reclaim 155. Listed (of boat) 158. Suspect’s defence 159. Cul-de-sac

(4-3,6) 162. Strict 164. Spanish capital 165. Sell 166. Pus-filled sores 170. ... out a living 171. Cello player 172. Marzipan ingredient 173. Drive forward 174. Adjoins 175. Lucky 176. Craftier 177. Savoy or Ritz 178. Hint at

DOWN 1. Hansel’s sister 2. Separate 3. Refreshing 4. Became narrow 5. Cry of praise

6. Between 7. Wilts 8. Police grass 9. In this place 10. Circle parts 11. Frosty is one 12. Dirtier 13. Accomplishment 14. Teacher’s writing surface 15. Readjusts (clock) 19. Whisky measures 21. Very dry 25. Swiss city 26. Baffles 29. Spoke 30. More curious 33. Detailed 35. On the wagon 36. Iridescent 38. Technician

39. Infuriating 41. Nursery school 42. Bolt fastener 44. Sailor’s drink 46. Rated 48. Bypass 49. Arrested 51. Matures 53. Countries 55. Bus or truck 57. Hallucinogenic drug (1,1,1) 60. Automated teller machine (1,1,1) 65. Magic word 66. Tibetan priests 70. Broad expanse 71. Beyond repair 73. Waterproof fabrics 75. In days gone by 76. Clearly

77. Xmas carol, The First ...

78. Stuffed quilt 83. Mystified, all ...

(2,3) 84. Slip-up 85. Showers heavily 86. English county 89. Small barrel 91. Shade 92. Returns favour 96. Spirit 98. Large sedan, stretch ...

99. 100th of dollar 101. Jet black 103. Demean 105. Scuffs (shoes) 107. Every six months (4-6) 111. Hope 112. Obscenity

113. University treasurer 114. Saturates 115. Speediest 117. Lacking ethics 119. Washingtonbased spy group (1,1,1) 120. Stagnate 122. Colourless liquid fuel 124. Dead ... Scrolls 132. Trips to Mecca or Lourdes 133. Psychic ability (1,1,1) 134. Continent 135. Seconds (shop) 137. Glass stopper 138. Reconstructing 140. Meek 141. Falsely incrimi-

nated 143. Bacon slice 145. Mince/potato dish (7,3) 150. Puts in good order (6,2) 153. Inferred 154. Consumables 156. Age-old (verities) 157. Communicates 158. Verb modifier 160. Sponges 161. Recite, ... off 163. Outhouse 166. Light & roomy 167. Top of the bill 168. Silk band 169. Speck of soot © LOVATTS PUZZLES MEG3537

This series of The Big 1 crossword is nearly exhausted. Would you like us to find a similar replacement, or are there other puzzles you’d prefer to see here?

We’d appreciate your feedback. email feedback@dubboweekender.com.au or call our Dubbo office on (02) 6885 4433.

84

THE PLAY PAGES.

WUMO

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

by Wulff & Morgenthaler

FIND THE WORDS This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any direction but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have completed the puzzle, there will be 16 letters left over.

They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

Take a break

OUT ON A LIMB

by Gary Kopervas

FLASH GORDON

by Jim Keefe

Arakoon Avoca Ballina Batemans Bay Byron Bay caravans Dee Why dive Iluka Katoomba

Kiama Laurieton laze lush Mollymook motel Mullaway Narooma ocean Orange parks

Patonga rest Sawtell South West Rocks suntan surf Thredbo tourist Tuncurry Urunga

vacation Valla Wooli Woy Woy Yamba

Š australianwordgames.com.au 880

WEEKENDER SUDOKU Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

GRIN & BEAR IT

by Wagner

LAFF-A-DAY SNOWFLAKES There are 13 black hexagons in the puzzle. Place the numbers 1 to 6 around each of them. No number can be repeated in any partial hexagon shape along the border of the puzzle.

THE PLAY PAGES.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 21. Save a ship and rescue about fifty (5) 24. He shoots out from hiding (6) ACROSS 6 7 25. He is named 3. She may take for the post (9) the wheel with dazzling effect (9) 26. It plays between two and 8. Growing four (4) source of arrow 27. Essential poison (4) employee in the 9. As decreed, I 12 13 go in the artillery security business? (3,6) (9) 15 10. Do return to DOWN tidy around a 1. Yet someone 17 curiosity (6) has to pull the 11. Strong beer (5) trigger (9) 20 14. She puts quite 2. Not an easy a lot of ice in her paper on the subbeer (5) ject of Dickens?

15. Not all an ac(4,5) tor may play (4) 4. Offhand and 16. Unthinking breezy (4) worker who is all 5. One in a crowd for automation (5) gets a lift (5) 26 18. It gets me 6. The way to the back in the news- top â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and why paper (4) you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get 20. A revolution- there (4,2) DUAL CROSSWORD 18,965 ary invention (5) 7. Cut a prison

DUAL CROSSWORD 1

2

3

4

5

8 9 10 11 14 16 18

19 21

22

23

24

25

27

CRYPTIC CLUES

term (4) 9. This is an alternative to returning to her (5) 11. New bales of fur (5) 12. Act â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as a dismantler? (4,5) 13. Pantry is apparently not yet full (5-4) 17. Re-unite it with new string (5) 19. Some meat and veg. (6) 22. A guard to face (5) 23. Lied about being out of work (4) 24. Withered rose rescued in part (4)

QUICK CLUES ACROSS 3. Competent (9) 8. Circle (4) 9. Residue (9)

10. Oozed (6) 11. Moor (5) 14. Coppice (5) 15. Merit (4) 16. Attain (5) 18. Row (4) 20. Doorkeeper (5) 21. Entice (5) 24. Impudent (6) 25. Indispensable (9) 26. Loyal (4) 27. Dare (9)

85

GO FIGURE >> The idea of Go Figure is to arrive at the figures given at the bottom and right-hand columns of the diagram by following the arithmetic signs in the order they are given (that is, from left to right and top to bottom). Use only the numbers below the diagram to complete its blank squares and use each of the nine numbers only once.

DOWN 1. Sue (9) 2. Translate (9) 4. Ran away (4) 5. Angry (5) 6. Inborn (6) 7. Want (4) 9. Allude (5) 11. Core (5) 12. Random (9) 13. Enchanted (9) 17. Haste (5) 19. Disclose (6) 22. Adhesive (5) 23. Network (4) 24. Boast (4)

MEGA MAZE

CRYPTO-QUOTE >> AXYDLBAAXR is LONGFELLOW: One letter stands for another. In this sample, A is used for the three Ls, X for the two Os, etc. Single letters, apostrophes, the length and formation of the words are all hints. Each week the code letters are different.

KIDSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; MAZE

Available now to Macquarie Alarms Customers!

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Arm & disarm your alarm system â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Open & close doors & gates â&#x20AC;&#x201C; View the history of your alarms

SESSIONS FROM THU 3 DECEMBER UNTIL WED 9 DECEMBER

COMFORT, STYLE & VALUE

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Panic with GPS tracking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lower cost, higher security

Protect your family & employees by downloading the app on multiple devices.

11 Rosulyn Street Dubbo

1300-854-727 www.massecurity.com.au

TICKETS 3D EXTRA

THE NIGHT BEFORE (MA 15+) DAILY: 12.50 3.50 8.50 IN THE HEART OF THE SEA (M) DAILY: 10.30 1.20 6.00 2D HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2 (M) DAILY: 10.30 1.30 4.30 7.30 8.30 SPECTRE (M) DAILY: 10.20 1.20 4.20 7.30 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 (PG) DAILY: 11.00 1.30 4.00 6.30 CREED (M) DAILY: 3.00 6.00 8.40 THE DRESSMAKER (M) DAILY: 10.20AM

READINGCINEMAS.COM.AU

DUBBO PH: 6881 8600

86

THE PLAY PAGES.

INSANITY STREAK

Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015 | Dubbo Weekender

by Tony Lopes

DUAL CROSSWORD TOO 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 9

10

11 12 13

14

15 16

17

PRINCE VALIANT

by Murphy & Gianni

18

19 20

21

22

POINT TAKEN

by Paul Dorin

JUST LIKE CATS & DOGS by Dave T. Phipps

23

CRYPTIC CLUES

23. Not repeated in the initiation ceremony (4)

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Keep going at the back of the field (4) 3. Fish to be all at sea! (8) 9. A reform, maybe, close at hand (7) 10. Come in to put on record (5) 11 and 1Dn. Unique opportunity for a healthy new-born infant! (3,6,2,1,8) 13. To some degree, Sir Walter fails to finish “The Talisman” (6) 15. Goes in search of flower-holders (6) 17. Sponsor after money for metal worker (12) 20. State I had sent back the ring (5) 21. Ancient ruler of the Sun and Moon, maybe (7) 22. Designated spot for pitchers (4-4)

1. See 11 Across.

2. Almost cover up the debris from the cliff (5) 4. Keen to restyle a mantle (6) 5. How the sports meeting with no races taking place progressed? (12) 6. Observing moral obligations when there’s no rebate on excise tax? (7) 7. Not often found in polar areas (4) 8. There are working models at these exhibitions (7,5) 12. Gets near to what those who cause disaffection do (8) 14. Sam’s car could produce contemptuous remarks (7) 16. Compensated for being removed from the film scene? (6) 18. A devil of a

HOCUS-FOCUS

STRANGE BUT TRUE z It was Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky (pictured right) who made the following sage observation: “Silence will save me from being wrong (and foolish), but it will also deprive me of the possibility of being right.” z If you were to live in the US state of New Jersey, you would have to pay eight times as much in real estate taxes as residents of Hawaii do. z Given the popularity of both Legos and Star Wars, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that the first licensed, themed Lego set was an X-Wing fighter, released in 1999. z Those who study such things say that wearing skinny jeans can cause varicose veins. z In the 1930s, during the Bolshevik Revolution, a Communist patrol in Siberia came across an isolated fundamentalist Russian Orthodox

by Samantha Weaver settlement. Christians were persecuted in the Soviet Union, and one of the soldiers shot and killed a man working in the village.

This prompted the man’s brother, Karp Lykov, to flee into the forest with his wife and two young children.

A sad story, perhaps, but nothing unusual – until you find out that the Lykov family remained in complete isolation for 42 years. It wasn’t until 1978 that surveyors in a helicopter saw in a remote area a clearing that was obviously not of natural origin.

Investigation revealed that Karp and his four children (his wife had died in 1961) were living in a crude log dwelling. They’d had no contact with the outside world since fleeing their village in 1936, and two of the children had never seen a human not related to them. z A male lion can mate up to 50

times in one day.

Thought for the Day: “Language is the apparel in which your thoughts parade in public. Never clothe them in vulgar and shoddy attire.” – George W. Crane

fellow holding me up (5) 19. Record field event America fails to complete (4)

QUICK CLUES ACROSS 1. Be depressed (4) 3. Disrespectful (8) 9. Blame (7) 10. Sum (5) 11. Warring (12) 13. Scored (6) 15. Forefather (6) 17. Unfriendly (12) 20. Depression (5) 21. Expiating (7) 22. All (8) 23. Network (4)

DOWN 1. Dying (8) 2. Scholar (5) 4. Raised (6) 5. Rotting (12) 6. Item (7) 7. Speak (4) 8. Noisily (12) 12. Power (8) 14. Perplex (7) 16. Wrench (6) 18. Sea-water (5) 19. Competent (4) 18,907

by Henry Boltinoff

THE PLAY PAGES.

Dubbo Weekender | Friday 04.12.2015 to Sunday 06.12.2015

YOUR STARS 坥

for the week commencing December 7

BY CASSANDRA NYE

坩

ARIES (MAR 21-APR 20) You are in a thoughtful mood which is just as well as you have a lot to think about. The important thing to remember is that there is no point in clinging to the past. But that does not mean you should not listen to someone of experience. Listen carefully to others as there will be real gems of information to help you.

LEO (JUL 23-AUG 23) Say and do something different to get noticed this week. When attention is upon you, give out the real message. A romantic gesture needs careful planning. The less people who are involved the less chance of it going wrong, that’s for sure! As you are capable of concentrating on long term projects this is a great time to impress the boss with your efficiency.

坦

坪

TAURUS (APR 21-MAY 21) Think-

ing outside the box gets you on track. This is especially true when it comes to tasks at work. Some may be running down in the run up to the holiday, but your areas are still active. Think big and aim high. Be there for your boss when you spot stresses and strains. It will be noted that you are not the first to bolt for the exit if things get difficult.

坧

GEMINI (MAY 22-JUN 21) Mov-

ing a situation on is fine but avoid cutting corners. Paperwork becomes important as midweek arrives and letting something slip now would be silly. Time that you take now will pay off in the future. Finances may be linked to a personal project that involves others. Be fair but not to the detriment of your family cash flow.

坨

CANCER (JUN 22JUL 22) There is little

point in expecting others to do what you tell them if you are not around to check up. Disappointing, I know, but you need to be practical. When it comes to organising something for the holidays you may think that there is plenty of time. That is only true if things are on schedule now. Sometimes you just have to depend on yourself.

VIRGO (AUG 24-SEP 23) When

your eye is on the ball you can be great at managing finances.

Sometimes, though, there are so many distractions that your attention is elsewhere. This week could see you lose money simply by not paying attention. If you find that you have paid a bill twice or forgotten to collect money owed to you, stop! Check that paperwork and take a deep breath.

坫

LIBRA (SEP 24-OCT 23) Get others to do some of the work this week. It will give you time to plot and plan for the weeks ahead. Although there seem to be many bargains around, hold fire, as they get better. Expensive and large items will be much cheaper after the holiday if you are able to wait. Keep your eyes open for someone who is going to agree a date and then go back on it.

SCORPIO (OCT 24-NOV 22) A couple

坬

of short forays socially are set to get you in the holiday mood. If you find that the smallest stress to your system makes you feel rough, look after yourself. People always seem to have their health checks in the new year, but why not have yours now?

It is easy to neglect those little niggles when you are very busy, isn’t it?

坭

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 23-DEC 21) Move on from an upsetting

time or comment. This week sees you in a forgetful mood. Not good if you pay your bills twice but great if you want to rule out negative forces!

Your creative juices are flowing well. This extends into your love life to bring a special sparkle to the weekend. Make it special.

Monday’s Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! Sagittarius, at times you find the hustle and bustle around you exciting but there is a limit. In the months ahead you may struggle to get that balance between work and home. The important thing is to get your friends and family onside. Admit how you are feeling.

22-JAN 20) Going shopping? Don’t

Tuesday’s Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! So much going on, Sagittarius! How will you cope in the months ahead. I will tell you how. You will get others to do some of the work while you deal with more important matters.

Some of that involves your family who you should not neglect.

take it for granted that you know what others want, especially family. You may feel it a bit crass to ask but that is better than wasting your hard earned cash. An elderly relative may need something in particular done for them but be slow to ask. Stay attuned to their life and feelings.

Wednesday’s Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! Your basis for health and happiness lies in your home, Sagittarius.

Anything that takes you away from that can be resented. However, there are some opportunities that need you to be somewhere else. Communicate your feelings and thoughts to loved ones.

坯

Thursday’s Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! If there were two of you, Sagittarius, you would still be pushed for time, wouldn’t you? Don’t give up on trying to organise your life better though. It will be so worthwhile in the long run. Do, don’t just talk about doing.

坮

CAPRICORN (DEC

AQUARIUS (JAN 21-FEB 19)

With a good sense of self-worth you have never seen yourself as simply part of the crowd. However, a recent quiet period may have given that impression to others. Are you ready to reinstate your personality and get into more of the social scene? There couldn’t be a better time and you won’t be disappointed. Someone who sees themselves as being in competition with you has become quite complacent.

坰

PISCES (FEB 20-MAR 20) This

is not a time when you want to save money. You would much rather be spending it. Even so, if you have a big item to find, after the holiday could be better. I know that you want to be organised but couldn’t you simply write yourself a note? Be aware that keeping cash in your pocket means that you will overspend.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel actress Dame Judi Dench (left) is 81 on December 9. Best-selling author Bill Bryson (above) is 64 on December 8.

Friday’s Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! Show a strong face when it comes to business in the coming months. You do feel good but not always. There is no need to let your competitors know that. Give attention to your health and family. They are what counts.

Saturday’s Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! Someone wants to take care of you.

Avoid letting pride make you refuse that help. Look at it any way that you like, Sagittarius, but not in a negative way. Many would like to be loved as much as you.

Sunday’s Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! Sagittarius, it will be hard to know where to start in this great new year. New paths beckon and there doesn’t seem to be much signposting! Will you trust experience or your computer sat nav? Old methods still work you know!

SOLUTIONS AND ANSWERS for this week’s puzzles and tests The Big 1 Crossword 3537

87

This week's Sudoku

This week's Snowflakes

This week's Go Figure!

Mega Maze

FIND THE WORDS solution 880 Off on annual leave DUAL CROSSWORD 18,965 CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS Across: 3 Catherine; 8 Upas; 9 Ordinance; 10 Oddity; 11 Stout; 14 Alice; 15 Part; 16 Robot; 18 Item; 20 Wheel; 21 Salve; 24 Sniper; 25 Addressee; 26 Trio; 27 Key worker. Down: 1 Automatic; 2 Hard Times; 4 Airy; 5 Hoist; 6 Road up; 7 Nick; 9 Other; 11 Sable; 12 Take apart; 13 Still-room; 17 Twine; 19 Marrow; 22 Visor; 23 Idle; 24 Sere.

QUICK SOLUTIONS Across: 3 Efficient; 8 Ring; 9 Remainder; 10 Seeped; 11 Heath; 14 Copse; 15 Earn; 16 Reach; 18 Tier; 20 Usher; 21 Tempt; 24 Brazen; 25 Necessary; 26 True; 27 Challenge. Down: 1 Prosecute; 2 Interpret; 4 Fled; 5 Irate; 6 Innate; 7 Need; 9 Refer; 11 Heart; 12 Haphazard; 13 Entranced; 17 Hurry; 19 Reveal; 22 Paste; 23 Mesh; 24 Brag.

DUAL CROSSWORD TOO 18,907 CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS Across: 1 Last; 3 Flounder; 9 Forearm; 10 Enter; 11 The chance of a; 13 Mascot; 15 Stalks; 17 Brassfounder; 20 Idaho; 21 Solomon; 22 Camp-site; 23 Once. Down: 1 Lifetime; 2 Scree; 4 Lament; 5 Uneventfully; 6 Dutiful; 7 Rare; 8 Fashion shows; 12 Estrange; 14 Sarcasm; 16 Offset; 18 Demon; 19 Disc.

QUICK SOLUTIONS Across: 1 Mope; 3 Flippant; 9 Reproof; 10 Total; 11 Belligerence; 13 Nicked; 15 Parent; 17 Inhospitable; 20 Blues; 21 Atoning; 22 Everyone; 23 Mesh. Down: 1 Moribund; 2 Pupil; 4 Lifted; 5 Putrefaction; 6 Article; 7 Talk; 8 Vociferously; 12 Strength; 14 Confuse; 16 Sprain; 18 Brine; 19 Able.

CryptoQuote answer

The Baker’s Dozen Trivia Test: 1. They all feature John Lennon playing the harmonica. 2. “Laverne & Shirley”. 3.

Ned Kelly. 4. “Emma”, by Jane Austen.

5. Hands (one hand equals four inches).

6. Barometer. 7. A poult. 8. Yoda, in “The Empire Strikes Back”. 9. “Silver Bells”.

10. Canker sores. 11. Roberta Flack, in 1974. 12. Armin Zoggeler of Italy in the luge event (1994-2014). 13. “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” by Rod Stewart in 1978. The song was criticised by many due to its disco-like arrangement, but it spent four weeks at the top of the charts.

2014 Genesis

$59,990 DRIVE AWAY > UNCOMPROMISED LUXURY > ONLY 2,000KM S/N: Y6011

i30 Active Hatch FROM

$20,990 DRIVE AWAY > AUTOMATIC

2015 iMax FROM

$38,990 DRIVE AWAY > PETROL > AUTOMATIC

Hyundai ix35 FROM

$33,990 DRIVE AWAY

Hyundai i40

> DIESEL > AWD

FROM

$25,990 DRIVE AWAY > WHITE OR SILVER S/N: Y2440

2015 Elantra FROM

Accent - Hatch or Sedan

$21,990 DRIVE AWAY > TROPHY SERIES > ALLOY WHEELS > LEATHER TRIM > AUTOMATIC > WHITE ONLY

$15,990 DRIVE AWAY > AUTOMATIC

1 ONLY!

Hyundai i20

$14,000 DRIVE AWAY > 3 DOOR > AUTOMATIC S/N: Y2373

Offer valid whilst stocks last and excludes govt. fleet and rental buyers. $1000 Gift Card for every new Hyundai vehicle purchased excluding Tuscon during December on September 2015 Built Vehicles or Older. The dealer can choose to substitute the $1000 EFTPOS card with another offer of the same value. Hyundai reserves the right to change, supersede or extend these offers at its discretion. See your participating Hyundai dealer for details. HMCA9543/FPC/DLR. Not actual vehicles shown.

BOURKE STREET, DUBBO â&#x20AC;˘ 02 6884 6444 Grahame Miller: 0428 961 337 sainsburyautomotive.com.au MD:17302