Australian Times weekly newspaper | 10 July 2012

10 - 16 July 2012 – Issue: 420

COLD CHISEL IN LONDON

Ian Moss on AC/DC, bust-ups and Hard Rock Calling ENTERTAINMENT P15

SIT ON THIS

2 WEEKS TO GO A look at some of our Aussie Olympic hopefuls

Science in London, made fun!

VOICES P6

SPORT P17

41434

CLAIM YOUR TAX REFUND TODAY! TAX, FINANCIAL AND MIGRATION EXPERTS: Money Transfers, Tax Refunds, Visas, Limited Companies & Accounting, UK Bank Accounts, CV & Job Assistance, Travel Clinic, Shipping, Legal and Umbrella Services

www.1stcontact.com/mast2

AUSSIE INJURED AT THE RUNNING OF THE BULLS n A 26-year-old Australian is one of a number of people who have been hurt at Pamplona.

THE bulls have been notoriously feisty at this year’s Running of the Bulls in the Spanish city of Pamplona. Despite the world famous San Fermin festival not even half complete, already 15 people have been hospitalised and dozens of others injured. Two Brits and an American were gored on Monday when a straggling beast lagged behind in the daily run that saw a pack of six huge bulls and six steers tear through the northern city’s slippery cobbled streets.

As the bovine herd thundered from a holding pen to the Pamplona arena, a 550kg black bull called Fugado (Escapee) hung back before confronting the crowd.

Regional health authorities reported that Fugado skewered three runners with its horns: a 20-year-old Briton in the right leg; a 29-year-old Briton in the left leg and a 39-year-old American in the right knee; although none of the three were reported as seriously injured. The only Spaniard gored so far was a 73-year-old local man from Pamplona who was injured on Saturday, the first day of the festival.

A 26-year-old Australian was also one of six people to suffer injuries on Saturday, while a number of other people have been treated for cuts and bruises sustained in the adrenalinefueled dash along the 849-metre route.

Every year between 200 and 300 participants are injured in bull runs, although only around three per cent are seriously hurt.

Fifteen people have been killed by bulls in the runs since the first records began in 1924, with the last

TRAVEL SPECIAL

GOING TO AMERICA

Big hats, big portions, big fun!

A travel special worthy of the US of A | P7 fatality three years ago when a bull gored a 27-year-old Spaniard to death, piercing his neck, heart and lungs with its horns in front of hordes of tourists.

The morning runs are the highlight of the annual San Fermin festival, named after Pamplona’s patron saint.

The weeklong fiesta, which became world famous with the publication of Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel

The Sun Also Rises, features nonstop activities - including concerts, parades and amusement park rides - that aim to appeal to all ages. The event is a huge boon to the local economy and is seen as almost a rite of passage for many Australian travellers in Europe.

Last year over 20,000 thrill-seekers, dressed in white with red neck scarves, took part in the festival’s

0808 141 2314

eight daily bull runs. Nearly half of all participants came from abroad, with the United States, Australia and Britain accounting for the greatest number of foreigners.

Pamplona officials expect about half a million people will this year ...continued on p3

Abbott a ‘coward’ on border protection: PM Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Tony Abbott’s policy of turning back the boats would put navy officers’ lives at risk but the opposition leader insists the armed forces are meant to go into harm’s way “to help our country”.

Ms Gillard accused Mr Abbott of being a “coward” when it came to border protection as both sides of politics focused on the role of defence personnel in intercepting boats.

Mr Abbott last week said a coalition government would instruct the navy to board asylum seeker vessels, ensure they were seaworthy and then remove fuel so their only option was to return to Indonesia.

Former defence chief Chris Barrie expressed concern that such a policy would be dangerous, ineffective and stressful for the armed forces.

But Mr Abbott is standing by the coalition’s plan.

“I’m not saying this is particularly pleasant work,” he told ABC TV. “It is a very tough job. Yes, it’s dangerous work.

“But that’s why people join our armed forces. They go into harm’s way to help our country.”

The Liberal leader said turning ...continued on p3

2 | News

10 - 16 July 2012

Has the Australian public finally disengaged from our idiotic political representatives?

n

Australian MP Craig Emerson’s rendition of the Sky Hooks 1975 classic ‘Horror Movie’ went viral. But why the ridiculous, pre-meditated nonsense? Is it cheap PR? Or a desperate, far-fetched attempt to gain traction with a message, in an ever-demanding 24 hour news cycle?

Publisher: Bryce Lowry Editor: Tim Martin Production/Design: Jackie Lampard Australia Editor: Ashlea Maher Contributors: Bianca Soldani, Shannon Crane, Kate Ausburn, Sara Newman, Phill Browne, Paul Judge, Sandra Tahmasby, Amy Fallon, Rose Callaghan, Lesley Slade, Simon Kleinig, Kris Griffiths, Chris Ark, Nathan Motton, JP Breytenbach,

Cameron Jenkins, Will Denton, Lee Crossley, Shane Jones, Liam Flanagan, Emily Banyard, Mel Edwards, Will Fitzgibbon, Phoebe Lee, Bronwyn Spencer, Rebekka Hodges, Alex Ivett, Justin Ng, Sam Tilburn Advertising Manager: Dominic Young Directors: P Atherton, J Durrant N Durrant, R Phillips and A Laird Additional content:

Who are we?

Australian Times is written and compiled by young Australian journalists living in the UK. Contributing on a volunteer basis, they are uniquely placed to reflect the interests, opinions and attitudes of our community. If you would like to join us, contact info@australiantimes.co.uk Address: Unit 7C, Commodore House Battersea Reach, London SW18 1TW Tel: 0845 456 4910 Email: info@australiantimes.co.uk

WEBSITE:

The paper used to print this publication has been sourced from sustainable forests (farmed trees). Please reduce waste by recycling your copy or pass it on others.

DISCLAIMER The printed opinions of advertisers and writers are theirs and not necessarily shared by Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Unless otherwise stated, copyright of all original materials is held by Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Official media sponsors of the following organisations:

the hard word > NATHAN MOTTON

As a keen political follower I’m becoming more and more disinterested in the whole thing in Australia.

Period.

Is it just me or have they completely lost the plot? Why are we being exposed to such ordinariness, to such embarrassing claptrap by highly paid, elected members of parliament? Shouldn’t we the electorate stand up and say enough is enough? Or is the muted response simply confirmation that we the voting public well and truly switched off long ago?

Trade Minister Craig Emerson has long been considered by this scribe, no matter the political persuasion, as an intelligent, forthright, considered politician.

Not now.

When asked to respond to Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s comments that the small town of Whyalla would ‘be wiped off the map’ if the Government’s carbon tax was implemented, Mr Emerson broke out on live television in a rendition of Sky Hooks’s 1975 classic ‘Horror Movie’.

As the 57-year-old bopped away waiting for his cue to enter, The Hard Word looked on in horror (fitting, really) at this car-crash

Your Say On: Australianisms – teaching the Poms to speak ‘Strayan

You forgot all the ‘chuckin’ sayings…chuckin a sickie, chuckin a U-ey, chuckin up… shucks i miss home! I had a mate visit from Oz and i cracked up when i heard ‘wheres the dunny’ lol Sean

On: Craig Emerson does the ‘Whyalla wipeout’ over carbon tax

Hey, not a politics fan but this bloke got his message viral.

Wurd to that.

Lozza

On: Redback Tavern in London closed down

Yep, remember it all too well…got banned, climbed up on the popo building to get back in, jumped across to Redback and fell off the roof, was always going to struggle with that positioning….

Jeff

?

What’s your view

TV, which only got worse once he opened his mouth. Singing in tune is not something any of us are capable of at the best times, but to say this was woefully out of tune would be entirely generous.

The condemnation, and laughter came thick and fast from across the globe.

Only in March last year, Liberal Senator Mary Jo Fisher secured her own slice of, well, call it what you will, when she denounced the Government’s climate change policy with a similarly cringeworthy rendition of children’s song the ‘Hokey Pokey’.

As she twirled her hips, the South Australian sang that “you put petrol in, you take petrol out, you put petrol in and you shake the tax about”.

The condemnation was rightly flung at Senator Fisher, who will resign from politics next month after being reported by police for shoplifting for a second time.

But why the ridiculous, premeditated nonsense? Cheap PR? A desperate, far-fetched attempt to gain traction with a message, in an ever-demanding 24 hour news cycle?

Is this really the level that politics has reduced itself to? For this scribe, it’s impossible to ignore the sense that people have simply switched off from their politicians because, well, they just don’t

trust them. Legitimate messages are being completely missed as politicians desperately search for their 20 second soundbite on television.

But is this nothing more than an indictment on modern media. Is it our fault that videos like these go viral within a matter of hours? Is it our fault that this clip would have received more coverage in the days following the ‘incident’, than any considered discussion?

Not at all.

The media has a duty to report the news of the day, stories that matter, and of course in any news environment this story would gain serious leverage. If a Government minister, or any backbencher for that matter, breaks out in song, the public has a right to be informed where they can make up their own minds as to the validity of such an exercise.

But the message will be forgotten quickly, and replaced with: “Craig Emerson, that’s the politician that sung that Sky Hooks song a while back.”

It did more for Sky Hooks than any point-scoring about, wait... what was Mr Emerson singing about again?

On: Job-hunting in London, made that little bit harder

love ad protect terrorists & criminals, such as themselves!

As I was in London – On Thursday, I went to the said Police Station, where they had demanded Julian hand himself over for their further immoral, illegal abuses against him and I demanded that they explain themselves to me in this regard, but the lying bullies told me that it was a ‘Private’ case.

I said that it was NOT and that even if it were the case, I still had a right to know their side of the story, but they then gave me a stupid tel no – their ‘press’ office, instead. I told them that they ‘were indeed. NaziCommunists’.

In the Old South Africa, I was always treated with respect by the SAP who immediately offered me a cup of tea and sat down explaining the cases accordingly to myself, for me to then assess.

This proves again, that Britain knows nothing about Democracy and Proper Justice & Human & Civil Rights for people who are in the Right!

Claudine Fourie

That is hilarious but as I’ve previously lived in London, we all know how cut throat it is out there. Key to anything is proof read EVERYTHING! Funny typo though! Got a giggle out of me! :) Natalie

On: Swans upset Wildcats to blow AFL London finals race wide open

Go Swans…starting to get on a bit of a roll. As usual, informative and measured comments from El Presidente, just keeping a lid on things….the best in the business. Big Laids, getting the job done in the ruck as per usual, and making his presence felt on the opposition.

Adam Ansell

On: No US hint of extraditing Julian Assange: Carr

This being the case, then it proves once more how the British Authorities continue with it’s immoral, illegal, LIES and abuses against decent, innocent & vulnerable people. They are blatant gangsters [bullies] still, who only

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Share your comments on these and more stories online: AustralianTimes.co.uk

News | 3

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Coward claims a ‘bit rich’: Abbott Continued from p1...

boats back was “less dangerous” than having them take to sea in large numbers because if they kept coming there would be more tragedies.

Two boats capsized en route to Australia in late June with up to 100 people feared drowned.

Ms Gillard said while in the past she had supported turning back boats, in government she’d received advice that doing so would put the lives of asylum seekers and navy officers at risk.

“Having received that advice, crystal clear, I am not prepared to risk the lives of navy personnel,” the prime minister told reporters in Brisbane.

Ms Gillard accused Mr Abbott of being a coward for apparently not raising the coalition’s policy of turning back the boats when he met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last week.

Mr Abbott didn’t deny he failed to raise the issue but stated: “Indonesia knows exactly what our position is.”

The prime minister said: “He didn’t have the guts to raise it.

“He (Mr Abbott) confirmed he was too much of a coward to raise with the president of Indonesia his so-called plan to turn back boats.”

Greens leader Christine Milne

mirrored the prime minister’s response.

Turning boats around would “guarantee” people drowned at sea and seriously undermine Canberra’s relationship with Jakarta, she told reporters in Adelaide.

“Tony Abbott didn’t even have the courage to raise the issue with the Indonesian president.

“He is saying he will ignore what the Indonesians want. He will turn back the boats, contrary to international law, contrary to what the navy wants to do and jeopardise more lives.”

The Greens want the government to invest more money in regional assessment of asylum claims and increase Australia’s humanitarian intake of refugees to stop people getting on boats.

Mr Abbott said it was “a bit rich” for the prime minister to call him a coward considering she didn’t raise the carbon tax with voters before the 2010 election.

Ms Gillard insisted the government’s multi-party border protection committee would go ahead despite Mr Abbott appearing to finally rule out any coalition MPs participating. - AAP

1 2 3

landline

New Zealand

landline

South Africa

to take over the reins for the sake of doing it," he told Sky News.

"There would have to be a very compelling argument and that argument would be the national interest.

"That is what drove him when he was prime minister before and that continues to be his focus."

Mr Hawker said Mr Rudd had made it clear he would not contest another caucus ballot for the leadership.

He also said Ms Rein had her own perspective and was not adopting any "tactic or strategic view" on a leadership return. - AAP

£5

£30

£37.50

£45

FREE* credit

when you bring your mobile number to Lycamobile

5 Receive calls for

0

m on ey

w he n

e

flock to the city of 200,000 residents during the festival, which dates back to medieval times.

The runs take place daily until 14

July and are broadcast on Spanish state television. – With sources Have you been to Pamplona? Tell us your Running of the Bulls stories at

£10 £20

£7 £15 £30

v g Sa min a Ro

Continued from p1...

Total Credit with Auto top-up

£6 £12 £25

Get up to £15

AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

Aussie revelers flock to Pamps

Total Credit with Online top-up

Top-up

AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

‘National interest’ test for Rudd return Labor strategist Bruce Hawker says a Kevin Rudd leadership comeback would only be on the cards if the "national interest" warranted it.

Mr Hawker, a close confidant of the former prime minister, was responding to a Fairfax interview with former first lady Therese Rein published on Saturday.

Ms Rein said if she ever agreed to Mr Rudd returning to the ALP leadership it would be "on the proviso that is was completely about the country, the national good".

Mr Hawker said on Monday the comments were carefully chosen.

"I think what she was saying .. is it wouldn't just be about coming back

Australia

landline

p/min

(connection charge 7p/call)

when ROAMING in..

AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

France

Germany Switzerland Belgium

EU

For your FREE Lycamobile SIM visit www.lycamobile.co.uk or call 020 7132 0322 Buy and top up online or in over 115,000 stores

Customers may not be able to use Electronic Top-Up at all locations where the top-up logo appears

1p/min promotion is valid from 01.07.2012 until 31.07.2012. #Unlimited calls from Lycamobile to Lycamobile: From the 1st to 31st of July 2012, customers with a minimum balance of 20p can enjoy free and unlimited calls from Lycamobile UK to Lycamobile UK. Any changes to rates will be notified on the rates section of our website at www. lycamobile. co.uk or call our customer services team on 020 7132 0322 to check rates or for more information. *This promotion gives up to £15 free mobile top-up credit when you bring your mobile phone number from a different UK mobile phone network to Lycamobile UK between 01/07/2012 and 31/07/2012. Free credit is given when the customer number is ported and live on Lycamobile UK and the first top-up is made. The amount of free credit given is dependent on the value of the first top-up: If the first top-up is up to £10, £5 free credit is awarded; if the first top-up is £20, £10 free credit is awarded; and if the first top-up is £30+, £15 free credit is awarded. Customers can bring their mobile phone number from any UK network apart from GT Mobile, Toggle Mobile or Lycamobile. Roaming calls offer: you will be charged 0p/min for the first 60 Minutes. A connection charge of 11p/ call will apply. After 60 Minutes every additional minute will be charged at 11p. All calls will be charged per sec. The offer applicable only for roaming in: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Turkey, India & Pakistan. Offer valid from 01/07/2012 to 31/08/2012. . By taking part in the Promotion customers will be deemed to have accepted and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. The benefits given in this Promotion cannot be transferred.

LM_UK_SA_times.indd 3

06/07/2012 17:56

4 | Voices

10 - 16 July 2012

Letter from a rather concerned customer lost in london > lexxy luther

Dear Hipster/Bartender (if that is your actual job) at The Westbourne, You really pissed me off.

Yes I know the sun has come out for the first time in weeks and possibly the massive influx of people to your pub has overloaded the neurons not damaged from too many lines of coke at the Drums concert, but I’m here to let you in on a secret: your job is to serve beer.

I know because I too have stood at one side of that bar with power in my puny hand over the multitudinous seething masses of thirsty revelers on the other side and chosen, not as you have done, to do my job. Which is - to enquire from customers what their liquid of choice is - and then (wait for the big reveal….) to give it to them in exchange for money.

Yes, I agree, your flexed biceps demonstrating your tattoo ‘to love is to die’ and t-shirt saying ‘f*ck you’ is a truly innovative and unique expression of your individuality and deserves to be admired, and yes your hair may be styled in the fashion of a wave, but this does not mean you can spend ten minutes examining yourself in the mirror lining the bar ignoring

A guide to Tube etiquette tube talk

the five deep crowd plaintively waving tenners in your direction.

Yes, I agree, sometimes customers are like cockroaches and you would like nothing better than squish them under your Brouges, and sure, it is annoying when they don’t smile, but I imagine that look of frustration is because you’ve chosen to play handsies with your hipster colleague instead of getting them a Pimms. And btw - the appropriate thing is to say to them ‘what can I get you?’ – not ‘why don’t you cheer up a bit?’!

Yes, I agree, ‘Californication’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers was a truly great album of the late 90s and does indeed require appreciation, but late Sunday afternoon behind a crowded bar is maybe not the best time or place to have a jamboree with your hipster friends whilst staring disdainfully at your potential customers for not also joining the impromptu dance party whilst wearing trilbys and an 80s knitted sweater.

> Sandra Tahmasby

Etiquette: A code of behaviour that delineates expectations for social behaviour according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class or group. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

To me etiquette means so much more, especially Tube etiquette.

I like to think of the Tube as a big dinner table and we (the commuters) are the guests. Like any dinner party, there are certain ways that one must and must not act.

Rules of Tube Etiquette:

1) It’s always a touchy issue when you see someone ‘large-ish’ on the Tube and think to yourself... ‘Are they pregnant?’

By offering them your seat you may run the risk of

Please sir, just give me my glass of Argentinean Malbec and let us both go about our business in peace.

unintentionally offending them but if you don’t offer them your seat they will assume that you were raised by an unruly pack of wolves. This, simply put, equates to ETIQUETTE HELL. My theory is to offer them your seat regardless and if they don’t end up being pregnant, just smile and say ‘I’m getting off at the next stop anyway!’

2) I never really understand why people have head phones on when they are only going to have their music on the highest possible volume! If I wanted to listen to music rest assured I too would have my ear phones blaring!

But unless it’s ‘I Would Do Anything For Love’ by Meatloaf, I don’t want to hear it- so TURN IT DOWN!

3) Chewing Gum is a great idea!

However chewing gum like you are a cow in a field- not so much! Chewing with your mouth closed is the polite and proper thing to do... no we don’t want to see your tonsils, no we don’t want to see your fillings and NO we don’t want to see you blow gum bubbles!

4) Reading the correct sized newspaper.. and yes there is a correct size! We’ve all been there, whether its sitting in a seat or standing up during rush hour.. someone passing the time whilst reading the most massive broadsheet newspaper, all the while it’s smacking you in the face or resting on your arm. I have one thing to say to

Sincerely, Customer AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

these people... read Australian Times and avoid making people feel like they are a fly being swatted.

When I was asked to be godmother to my little cousin Louis, I remember being told that my role would include things such as guidance, support and teaching the important stuff like shouting your mates a beer at the pub and helping little old ladies cross the street.

So at the same time, there are many other fundamental rules of etiquette that should also be included under Tube Etiquette: 5) Waking sleeping people up as everyone else leaves the carriage once the train has terminated is also a very kind gesture. A small nudge on the shoulder or yelling in their ear usually does the job - you choose which.

6) And most importantly, when offered the opportunity to become the ‘shoulder pillow’ you never thought you could be – accept it. Because let’s face it, no one wants to be a human bobble head in public!

Now, there’s nothing Disney about me but I do think these simple rules of etiquette will make that small difference to people’s overall Tube experience.

Maybe next time you’re at the ‘dinner table’ remember a few of these simple rules and transform yourself from ladette into lady!

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Mistaken identity?

By Bon8

The 2010 Bathurst 1-2 finish by Holden gave me that warm fuzzy feeling you very rarely get in life.

The Holden dominance was, of course, followed by a celebratory barbie and a couple of beers with mates which only seemed to accentuate the fuzzy feeling. As I saw the last of our friends out the front door, I cast my bloodshot eyes into the darkness where, sitting proudly in my driveway, was my Volvo V50 D5 Turbo.

Having been driving the glorious machine for the past 2 years, I suddenly felt a pang of something.

Regret? Sorrow? Something else?

Was it an epiphany induced by too many beers?

I was suddenly confronted with the question: why am I driving a Volvo?

I don’t even have a bald spot yet!

A bit grey around the edges maybe and I’ve lost a couple of seconds over the 100m but I couldn’t find a bowls club if I landed on one and I’m no soccer mum...

So suddenly I wasn’t so sure about my choice of wheels. Although the Volvo has twin poo shoots and can kick some serious butt off the mark, it’s not a Holden and my mates back home would be laughing in the aisles if they knew I was driving a Volvo.

But what option do I have? A Vauxhall? Is that a real option?

Could I quench my Holden thirst by getting myself a Vauxhall VXR8?

Firstly, what is that badge on the front? It’s not a lion. This is a GMH car based on the HSV Clubsport but it’s got a Griffin on the front. What the bloody hell is a Griffin anyway?

I decided I should take a closer look. I headed down to the

dealership and checked it out but it just felt…, well, strange. Was I hoping for something more? I couldn’t really put my finger on it.

Was I getting emotional? I was definitely getting worried. Maybe this is what it feels like when you bump into your doppelganger in the pub and he’s drinking Pimms and ordering a Ploughman’s lunch.

The dealers had an R8 in the yard and it looked great but again something was wrong. It’s a bit like meeting the twin sister of the women you love....she looks the same but is totally not and just sitting in the R8 gave me a weird feeling.

Actually she’s not a sister, maybe more of a second cousin....

Perhaps it’s the history? We saw the Clubsport evolve from... well, I guess the VB Commodore or even all the way back to the original Monaros. The point is, we drove

these cars; our dads drove them and our grandfathers. I used to sit on my dad’s knee and drive the HQ Prem up our street on a Sunday arvo.

The R8 is gorgeous, and sounds awesome, but for me it doesn’t quench anything. It’s just not the same and this is clearly a case of mistaken identity.

However, I think I just may have a solution. When it’s time to trade up next year, my cunning plan to soothe that Holden yearn is to import a straight HQ V8 Prem from home. Pre ‘73 of course so then there’s no road tax. Win win. Better get ordering.

But this whole dilemma has begged a question. Could a Ford bloke go straight down and pick up a new Mondeo, and still get that fuzzy feeling?

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

!

K E E W S I H T LONDON O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE WEDNESDAY 11TH JULY GLASGOW O2 ACADEMY SUNDAY 15TH JULY

MANCHESTER HMV RITZ MONDAY 16TH JULY

BUY AT TICKETMASTER.CO.UK A Live Nation presentation in association with CAA

SEETICKETS.COM www.coldchisel.com

6 | Voices

10 - 16 July 2012

Staying up late Rocket-ing salad to the at London’s top of the dish wish-list Science Museum chris’s p n

The beauty of London is the myriad of amazing stuff this great city throws at us and when our London adventurer heard you could explore the local Science Museum via cocktails and discos, she raced on down to tick two off her list.

bron in

the don BRONWYN SPENCER

Now I’m not much of a science geek with things like physics and chemistry going right over my head but I was still keen to check out the Science Museum and I thought what better way to do it than with a cocktail in hand.

No, you can’t usually wander the science museum with a cocktail but I decided to combine two of my London Top 100 list (#46 – Science Museum and #72 London Lates) and go on a late night visit. Many of the museums open up their doors for extended opening hours either every week or more exclusively. The Science Museum open their doors on the last Wednesday of every month The main feature of this event was the new Alan Turing exhibit dedicated to the code breaker and his work.

The exhibit was packed full of other attendees so I didn’t get to see as much as I would have liked but what I did see was fascinating as it features some of the earliest technology in artificial intelligence amongst his other work of codebreaking during the war.

From there it is on to the many other exhibits that the Science Museum is famous for. It is the most interactive museum I had visited by far, and I spent a long time in the “Who Am I?” exhibit playing with the touch screens and learning about a range of human features. From how the mind works with regards to phobias, to how your gender defines you, this whole area was probably the only part of science

that didn’t go over my head. One of the benefits of going to a adults only late night session is you don’t have to fight kids for the touch screens!

The late night isn’t just cocktails and freedom to be a big kid, the museum offers a wide range of guided tours around many of the exhibits such as The Making of the Modern World, for those who are a science geek at heart. There are also workshops such as ‘swagger studies’ by the Oxford Brookes University and Turing Sunflowers where you can grow your own flowers. If workshops and demonstrations aren’t your thing you can try your scientific knowledge at the pub quiz or even meet the man or woman of your dreams at a speed dating session.

A favourite of mine however is the Silent Disco, where you all wear headphones and boogie around like a dork to either channel you can hear while the rest of the museum is left to ponder what song you are breaking it down to. For those who prefer live music – don’t’ fear there is also some of that too. Basically, late nights provide so much entertainment it’s hard to spend time visiting the actual museum.

I would highly recommend a visit to the Science Museum as I do find it the most interactive and different museum and for someone like me with a short attention span it is perfect. However, make sure you don’t miss these late nights, they are widely popular and the lines are quite long but they are a cheap fun night out where you can have a few drinks, hang with your friends but also learn something along the way.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

kitchen > CHRIS ARK

Australia, being one of the great culinary leaders of the world for modern food, leaves no doubt that your choice for a good old salad around the barbie has reached new heights.

This means we all have, at some stage, moved away from the old iceberg lettuce and reached out for the more exotic salad fillers available to us. One of my all time favourite green leaves to munch on at a BBQ would have to be a bunch of freshly picked rocket leaves.

This peppery salad leaf is steeped in Italian heritage and marries perfectly with any Mediterranean ingredients to hit the table.

Rocket salad is so versatile it can be used in almost any dish – from soups to using a few tangy leaves to spread over your favourite pizza.

In Claridge’s kitchen, we make summer rocket pasta where we blanch the leaves and add to our pasta dough to make deep green peppery pasta before turning it into ravioli filled with prawns and scallops.

But of course, one of the most common uses of rocket is creating big bowls of leaves tossed with vineripened tomatoes, caramelized red onions and shavings of Parmesan cheese.

And if you needed more reason to crown rocket the greatest - it is perfect with a number of vinaigrettes and dressings. It all depends on the mood you are in and what you are cooking on the BBQ. With salad dressings, follow the classic 3:1 ratio - 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Splashing a few drops over just before serving lifts the flavours of the salad further and makes it the perfect accompaniment.

Aged balsamic is the classic go to or fresh lemon for fish and chicken is hard to beat, simple yet refreshing.

Another useful recipe tip I have for the BBQ, especially for my rocket pesto recipe is to substitute the rocket for basil - it is hard to beat.

So lets get cracking on a few simple salad ideas for this king of salad leaves. Enjoy and happy cooking!

Chris’s to summer salads

Roasted butternut squash, pine nut and rocket salad with yoghurt and mint What you need:

• Two handfuls of roast squash, chilled, 3 tsps of toasted pine nuts, ½ cup of Greek yoghurt flavoured with mint cucumber and black pepper. Thinly sliced red onion.

Three handfuls of fresh rocket

What to do:

• Lie out the squash onto a large dish and arrange the ingredients over the squash. Splash the yoghurt over the salad and drizzle with fresh olive oil, serve and smile.

Classic smoked salmon, rocket, sun blushed tomatoes, basil and preserved lemon What you need:

• 250g freshly smoked salmon, 5 handfuls of rocket, small jar of sun blushed tomatoes, ½ bunch of basil leaves, olive oil, 3 cheeks of preserved lemons thinly sliced (found on most supermarket shelves).

What to do:

• Toss the rocket, tomatoes, and basil and preserved lemon together in a large bowl and lay on a large plate.

Place the smoked salmon over the leaves and any remainder basil leaves, then dress with the olive oil and sea salt.

Rocket Pesto – You will need a hand blender or Mortar and pestle What you need:

• 3 handfuls of fresh picked rocket, 4 tsp of toasted pine nuts, ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 1 clove of garlic finely chopped, olive oil, salt and pepper.

What to do:

• Roughly chop the leaves and place into a jug for blending, add the Parmesan, pine nuts and garlic.

Add ½ cup of olive oil and start blending. When the leaves are broken down slowly add the olive oil till a smooth paste forms. Once a paste develops, taste and add a little salt.

Perfect for a hot or cold pasta salad, warm charlotte potatoes or char grilled salmon steaks.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

travel

n

We get tangled in the star-spangled banner and head across the Atlantic for a super-sized American special, exploring some of the best bits of the United States

Image by LilGoldWmn

8 | Travel

10 - 16 July 2012

tting This week we’re pu

America on the map

Coast to coast, the American way

– by bus!

By Megan McIntyre A sudden burst of light streams from the overhead lights, stirring most of the sleepers on board. “Sorry ladies and gentlemen,” our friendly driver whispers over his microphone. “It appears the station has moved on me.”

Sleepy laughter from some of the bus rouses those still dozing. It is two in the morning and disorientation is quickly replaced by moans as passengers stretch out cramps courtesy of the narrow seating.

“No, seriously,” the driver pleads.

“If somebody is getting off the bus in Charlotte, please come up the front and let me know where the station is!”

“Rom,” I whisper to my friend, “he’s lost. The driver is lost.”

We are not fazed. This is our sixth overnight bus journey in two weeks, and we quickly became accustomed to mishaps. Blown tyres, medical emergencies, lost luggage, and now, a directionless driver. Greyhound certainly provided a gauntlet of experiences.

It was a simple enough plan, successfully executed by generations of backpackers. Buy a bus pass and cross the USA. From Los Angeles, we would cross the country from west to east, finishing in New York, stopping wherever we felt the desire along the way. An abundance of ‘red-eye’ trips reduced accommodation costs – anything to save money for the stops we would make along the way.

The journey from coast to coast proved as memorable as the cities we visited. The drivers, with their

simple rules, and fellow passengers left an impression of middle America one can not receive on a four hour flight or in the comfort of a train’s sleeper carriage.

Each trip began with the driver explaining a few simple rules. Each ended with Rom and I shaking our heads in bemusement at the ‘Only In America’ antics of fellow passengers.

Everyone aboard a Greyhound is heading to or away from something.

Those with mobile phones are often loud enough to let their fellow passengers discover what that something is.

One young girl was travelling to visit her father, whom she had not seen for three years. A rough looking man, armed with a bunch of wilting flowers, was heading home to his pregnant wife.

The most memorable was a lady en route from Texas to New Orleans, who regaled the bus with tales of her new love and how she was heading to surprise him. A quick phone call to his house revealed that he was happily married and a surprise visit from his girlfriend was something that his wife may not entirely

approve of.

The toilet on the bus is like a black hole; the people who manage to emerge from the little room at the back of the coach never look the same. The stench it gathers after one or two uses means that unless your bladder is close to bursting point, you hold.

There are rest stops every two hours or so and it is then most people take advantage of the restrooms, allowing passengers on board a small relief from the smell of last night’s dinner.

This gets quite difficult on overnight trips. The seats are small and cramped for an average sized person, so given any chance, people occupy two seats and spread out.

What better way to relax and feel at home than by removing those shoes that you have walked around in for the last three days straight. For the sake of fellow passengers, it is best

to leave the shoes on, or at the very least, make sure you have fresh socks and a spray handy.

Most people using Greyhound are aware of this and happy to obey, although there is no denying that a good portion of those departing at New Orleans are either incredibly hungover or still digesting their breakfast of beer. Regular rest stops allow smokers an opportunity to light up and the zero tolerance on alcohol means most trips go smoothly from point A to B. For those trying to board after a steady drinking session, the drivers will helpfully point you in the direction of a chair and provide the next departure time, before driving off without you. One gentleman did not approve of a driver’s suggestion and chased the bus onto the expressway, before falling over.

Perhaps in a last attempt to convince the bus driver of his eligibility for the bus, he removed his shoe and pitched it at the back of the disappearing coach. It was last seen flying backwards as he could not gather his senses enough to ably launch it.

There was a time that Greyhound embodied the free spirit of hippies and the romantic notion of hitting the open road. Most middle-aged Americans we encountered scoffed at the thought of sitting on a bus from the City of Angels to the Big Apple.

“Why do that when you can fly?” they would ask, bemused.

Travel | 9

AustralianTimes.co.uk

However, for one group of randy senior citizens, Greyhound provided enough cover for their wandering hands, as they relived memories on the back seat of one overnight voyage.

This rule is the most obeyed.

Respect from driver to passengers and back again emanates from the cramped seats. Your driver not only delivers you from one place to the next, but is a helpful source of information: where to eat, drink and sleep and more importantly, where not to. Even when the coach is sputtering back to the terminal to change a popped tyre, a driver’s sense of humour and personality

Economy

Melbourne Sydney Perth Adelaide Darwin Brisbane Auckland Christchurch Cairns

£649 £667 £709 £715 £745 £717 £749 £786 £799

keeps spirits high.

Bussing it across the States is a cheap way to travel, especially if you want to see a range of places and survive on a tight budget. But even more special than the price are the memories formed by sharing a bus with a broad cross-section of American society, those who are often hidden postcard views but reveal the heartland of the country.

Bus travel may not be glamorous and you may have moments where you wonder why you are doing it (especially when frantically searching for a lost bag at a bus change at 3am). But when it is all over, the good memories - memories of a midnight lightning storm illuminating the desert in Arizona and the joy of your first glimpse at the skyline of New York – are what remains strongest in your mind.

Want another way to see America?

Business Class Melbourne Sydney Perth Adelaide Darwin Brisbane Auckland Christchurch Cairns

£1,929 £1,939 £2,529 £3,140 £3,265 £2,480 £2,549 £2,725 £3,660

Worldwide Packages - Hot Deals Thailand 4* 9nights Starting from £699 Thailand 5* 9nights Starting from £799 Srilanka 5* 7 nights starting from £949 India 4* 7 nights Starting from £999 Mauritius 4* 8nights Starting from £1199 *Package prices shown are per person based on sharing a twin/double room..terms & conditions apply.

Offers subject to availibilty.

Call now for more offers!

Many more offers ...

All fares subject to availability & include taxes.other terms and conditions apply.

Email: sales@flightsearchesltd.co.uk Address: Suite 27 Unimix house Park royal NW10 7TR Tel: 0208 961 1751

30%

Worldwide Travel Specialist

off for all AT readers Exclusive to Australian Times readers, we have a whopping 30% discount off the below departures on our 8 day Moroccan Mosaic adventure.

08 Sep 2012 - 15 Sep 2012 15 Sep 2012 - 22 Sep 2012 13 Oct 2012 - 20 Oct 2012 27 Oct 2012 - 03 Nov 2012 10 Nov 2012 - 17 Nov 2012 24 Nov 2012 - 01 Dec 2012 08 Dec 2012 - 15 Dec 2012 Prices start from £419.00 p/p Valid on bookings made until

end July 2012.

Contact us at:

Tel.: +44 0800 088 6002 Email: tours@encounterstravel.com www.encounterstravel.com

Y4447

A hassle free version, without the pitfalls of the Greyhound experience?

Why not have a look at Topdeck’s new American tours at Topdeck.travel/ deals/born-on-the-4th-of-july AustralianTimes.co.uk/travel

10 | Travel

10 - 16 July 2012

y l u J f o h t 4 e h t n o n r Bo a c i r e m A h t r o N ck e d p o T g n i c u d Intro What do you associate with North America?

Maybe the laid-back cool of California and the soul of New Orleans, the energy of Las Vegas and the history of Washington DC, the beauty of the Canadian Rockies and the grandeur of Yosemite National Park… well that only begins to scratch the surface of what this continent has to offer!

and you’ll get to enjoy the experience with a group of like-minded young travellers, all aged between 18 and 39.

You’ll travel in modern, well-appointed coaches, enjoy plenty of delicious included meals, and stay in quality accommodations which don’t break the bank. In fact, our trips offer excellent value compared to the costs of going it alone – Between strolling across the Golden Gate Bridge yet another advantage of group travel. in San Francisco, hiking on the Athabasca Glacier We’ve also made sure that every trip is packed in Alberta, listening to live country music in a with unforgettable ‘Totally Topdeck’ experiences Honky Tonk bar in Nashville, or driving Route 66 - always included, and always special. Listening through the Arizona desert, you’ll realise that to the folk songs of the native Navajo tribe, there’s so much more to North America than watching a gorgeous sunset over the Grand meets the eye.

Canyon, feeling the spray of the thunderous Niagara Falls – these are moments that will live Topdeck’s brand new range of North American with you long after your trip has ended. trips are the best way to sample the delights of the US and Canada. You don’t have to waste For centuries North America has drawn travellers time and energy sourcing accommodation and from across the globe, exuding an infectious transport options, as our fantastic itineraries charm that’s impossible to resist. If you’d like ensure you see all the highlights and take the to start planning your own North American hassle out of travel. Our superb North American adventure with Topdeck, why not check out Road Crew are there to share their extensive www.topdeck.travel knowledge and ensure everything runs smoothly,

Travel | 11

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Totally Topdeck

Banff National Park

Yellowstone National Park Maid of the Mist boat tour at Niagra Falls

Overnight in Yosemite National Park

Jeep tour of Monument Valley

New York City skyline

Party in Las Vegas Tour of Graceland in Memphis

Washington DC night time illumination tour

Sunset over the Grand Canyon

Why Topdeck North America?

15 amazing itineraries in USA & Canada Visit some of America’s greatest cities and National Parks Like-minded travelling companions, all aged 18 to 39 First rate transport, accommodation and Topdeck Road Crew Free time and more meals included Included tipping Passionate Topdeck crew Loads of ‘Totally Topdeck’ inclusions.

See more at www.topdeck.travel

CALL US 0845 257 5411

Open 8am-9pm

L8291 / Y2992

12 | Travel

10 - 16 July 2012

BACK HOME IN

PARADISE n

The land of the brave and home of the free is such a vast and varied country that it can take years to explore all its different but beautiful nooks and crannies. SHARON SPENCE LIEB visits a forgotten part of America (and Florida for that matter), where the alligators splash and the Tallahassee tall tales spring eternal.

tting This week we’re pu

Florida on the maP

FeshotritvBraealkss &S

2012

Oktoberfest Camping 4 DAY

Make your own way

5 DAY Prostmeister

21 - 24 Sep, 28 Sep - 1 Oct, 4 - 7 Oct

21-25 Sep, 28 Sep-2 Oct, 4 -8 Oct

FROM

£109

FROM

6 DAY Steinmeister

7 DAY Grossmeister

20 -25 Sep, 27 Sep-2 Oct, 3-8 Oct

21-27 Sep, 28 Sep - 4 Oct, 3 -9 Oct

FROM

FROM

Camping

£229

Camping

£249 3 DAYS Brugge

August Bank Holiday

Camping

Camping

£289

Our campsite atmosphere is second to none.

All Oktoberfest camping trips include a fully cooked breakfast, plus transport between the campsite & the beer halls.

Make e most ofth e Summeth r Bank Holiday!

24 -27 August 2012

ONLY

£229 4 DAYS Amsterdam August Bank Holiday 24-27 August 2012

ONLY

£249 www.topdeck.travel/times

4 DAYS Edinburgh Fringe Festival & Tattoo

Central hostel multi-share 24 -27 August 2012

ONLY

£279 Call 0845 257 5411 Open 8am-9pm

L8291 / Y2992 *Terms and conditions apply. Prices quoted are for specific departures only. All trips subject to availability. Discounts are off the base trip price only, and do not apply to food funds, sailing funds and local payments. Flights not included. Exchange rates correct at time of printing, and subject to currency fluctuations, depending when payment is made. See online for full terms and conditions.

Back in 1979, I received an unusual writing assignment.

A Singapore guidebook publisher asked me to drive the entire state of Florida and write a 70,000 word travel guide. Daunting? I was crazy to say yes. But off I went, on a solo six week road trip through Florida.

My book won best travel guide of the year and now my one dusty copy lives on a shelf, a distant happy memory.

The last place I visited before flying home: Wakulla Springs Lodge and State Park.

On a recent visit to Tallahassee, Florida I was lucky to visit again.

My companion was Katie Kole, who swam at Wakulla Springs as a kid, and now is Marketing Communications Director for Visit Tallahassee.

Wakulla Springs State Park is a 6,000 acre wildlife sanctuary, hidden in Spanish moss-draped Florida woodlands. It’s only 16 miles south of Tallahassee, but it’s a whole other Universe on the Wakulla River boat tour.

“Welcome to Wakulla - one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs,” says Ranger Bob. “I’ve been here ten years, so I have at least ten answers.”

As our boat drifts away from the dock, kids and parents excitedly get out their cameras and hi tech gear.

“Mamma gator with her babies on the right bank,” calls out Ranger Bob. Everyone rushes to the right side of the boat to get a photo.

Everyone under thirty instantly emails their photos to Facebook.

“Cooter turtles, stacked like pancakes on cypress trees,”he calls out, as we all rush to the left side for photo opps. Everyone under thirty instantly texts their friends around the world: “Hey, I just photographed wild turtles!”

“Top of that tree, do you see the osprey nest with daddy osprey standing guard? On the bushes, check out that anhinga drying her wings?” Mass hysteria and

scrambling to get the perfect close up. The really cool second graders have already edited their photos, downloaded iTune rock songs, and uploaded their productions to YouTube. Ellen DeGeneres has invited one of them on her show.

Tomorrow.

This old fashioned riverboat nature tour continues for an hour, a kaleidoscope of slithering ‘gators, shiny turtles, graceful birds, delicate pink swamp roses, and romantic swaying trees.

“Did you know ‘Tarzan’s Secret Treasure’ was filmed here with Johnny Weismuller in 1941? And back in 1953, remember ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ was made at Wakulla?” asks Ranger Bob asks.

Nobody knows these movies but us oldsters. We nod to each other, smiling at those silly old movies we adored. One precious golden ponytailed five year old asks “Who is Tarzan???”

“Wakulla means ‘Land of Strange Mysterious Waters’,” Ranger Bob says quietly. “So how about if we have 60 seconds of silence and listen to the river? Can you turn off all your electronics? For just one minute?”

Nature lovers aged three to eighty stop chattering. We hear birds hoot, chirp, caw, tweet. Wind rustles the Spanish moss tangled inside ancient cypress trees.

I can’t take any more pictures. My eyes are tearing. Thirty-two years since I was here? Thank you God, thank you humans, for keeping one of Florida’s last pristine places perfect.

“Raise one arm if you feel lucky to be here today,”says Ranger Bob. Skinny kid arms and wrinkly sausage arms all go up. Both of mine wave, at the alligators, birds, turtles. We’re together again, back in paradise.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

Travel | 13

AustralianTimes.co.uk

This week’s top Reader Offers Topdeck and thediriscounts American sized

ide! They’re vel are headin’ States good folk now that Topdeck Tra the by for on out iati red rec figu app ly to show their ween 4 July Y’all have probab excited about it and discounts. Book bet pretty darned tootin’ s, they are offering some super-duper e. Plus, if you are a past Topdeck der pric rea trip es the Tim off t for “your 5% Aussie do is to pay a deposi and they’ll give you and the 31 August, e you an extra 5% off. All you have to Topdeck.travel/north-america to giv d passenger, they’ll 31 August. For further details, hea trip of a lifetime” by

Encounter a Nubiaonff adventure at 20%

nine day tour rets of Egypt with their ro with a ing you discover the sec t in Cai Encounters Travel are helpway up the Nile into Upper Egypt. You star where an incredible re heading to Aswan which takes you all of the itional Nile felucca ds and the Sphinx befo visit to the Great Pyrami uded in you tour. You will then start your trad ’ll get to visit incl is ey. Here you Vall Nile the trip to Abu Simbel in or Lux re heading back to your way to cruise down the Nile on and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings befo 20% off. Just tell get ples and tem July zing 28 ama ting e som more! Book their tour star Cairo. But wait, there’s sent you! _adventure_tour.html them Australian Times out Encounterstravel.com/egypt/nubian ck che info re For mo

s s e n d a M Summer

50% OFF

only *selected trips

14 DAY European Wonder Dep. 19 & 26 Jul, 16 Aug 2012 Includes Swiss Alps, Rome, Venice, Amsterdam, plus more!

NOW

WAS £1145

£670

22 DAY Europe Unplugged

20 DAY European Getaway

22 DAY

WAS FROM £1230

WAS FROM £1465

WAS £2145

NOW FROM

NOW FROM

NOW

Includes £195 food fund

DON ’T M I SS OUT!

Dep. 26 Jul, 16 & 23 Aug 2012 Includes French Riviera, Vienna, Munich, Amsterdam, plus more!

£735

Includes £240 food fund

Dep. 28 Jul, 11 & 25 Aug 2012 Includes Swiss Alps, Florence, Venice, Prague, Berlin, plus more!

£867

Includes £270 food fund

www.topdeck.travel/times

European Adventure Dep. 5 Aug 2012 Includes Paris, Barcelona, Sailing in Greece, Dubrovnik, plus more!

£1305

Includes £465 food fund

Call 0845 257 5411 Open 8am-9pm

L8291 / Y2992 *Terms and conditions apply. Prices quoted are for specific departures only. All trips subject to availability. Discounts are off the base trip price only, and do not apply to food funds, sailing funds and local payments. Flights not included. Exchange rates correct at time of printing, and subject to currency fluctuations, depending when payment is made. See online for full terms and conditions. New bookings only.

Topdeck reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time.

14 | Entertainment

10 - 16 July 2012

The charming, story-telling Mr Leung n

Lawrence Leung’s Beginning. Middle. End. - Soho Theatre, Monday 2 July. us. The fan fiction however is a minor REVIEW | By Paul Judge The usher welcoming us into the theatre looks a lot like the comic Lawrence Leung we’ve come to see tonight. He then takes off his black shirt and tells us he’ll go behind the curtain and we can all cheer him on. The penny drops, it is him.

A nice personal touch to start.

It is a very relaxed mood for his show ‘Beginning. Middle. End.’ which is based around his reaction to finding out someone posted erotic fan fiction about him and Toadie from Neighbours.

Less 50 Shades of Grey though, it’s just plain weird as he reads some extracts to

part of the story as he takes us through a tale touching on university crushes, being the victim and being the hero, and oddly - his rivalry with Colin Firth. That actually is a very funny part of the show as men all round can relate to losing out to fictional characters like Mr Darcy.

It’s a different comedy show from what I’m used to be. It has more of a story element to it than a bunch of oneliners. He’s no doubt a funny guy and has a crazy imagination but sometimes I found the jokes a tad contrived or over exaggerated as if to make sure we knew this was a funny part.

Overall the show gets you thinking too; he raises some interesting points

What we’re following

Cold Chisel 11 July @Shepherd’s Bush Empire

#Cold Chisel

@LauraBF Road trip in our Holden, going to the v8s, listening to Cold Chisel taking selfies with my sis in the sunshine :)

about we might perceive ourselves while others can see a different angle. I liked that, a few laughs mixed in with some beginner psychology. If my lecturers at university had used that method I might have got a better mark.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment

What’s On

@SquigglyRick Pub across the road just started playing some Cold Chisel. Last drinks, punters, your beer is now more expensive than iron ore. #carbontax @loveskeensting Me: Do we have any holiday homework? Society & Culture teacher: Listen to these Rolling Stones and Cold Chisel albums, its good shit. Me: Ok!

The Temper Trap 11 July @ Somerset House Bliss N Eso 17 July @ The Garage, Islington Sneaky Sound System 21 July @ Electric Brixton BT River of Music Oceania Stage 21-22 July @ Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich Xavier Rudd 8 August @ Koko

@VanessaOHanlon Seeing Ita Buttrose refraining from bursting into Cold Chisel #nearimpossible

Darren Hayes 24 September @ IndigO2,

@penguin_tummy FACT: cats hate cold chisel

Gotye 12 November @ Hammersmith Apollo

Check out what we’re following today on AustralianTimes.co.uk and follow us on Twitter @AustralianTimes

For full details...

...and more Aussie gigs go to: AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment

Entertainment | 15

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Ian Moss on Cold Chisel: Regrets, he has a few n

With Cold Chisel set to play their first northern hemisphere dates in almost 30 years this week, Ian Moss chatted to TIM MARTIN about what it’s like being back on the road, how Cold Chisel could have been as big as AC/DC and how you don’t always need to be the best of friends to become a legendary Aussie rock band.

It’s a grey and early London morning when I pick up the phone to chat to one of Australia’s most revered rock legends. For the man on the other end however, it’s neither grey nor early but is a balmy (yet wintery) Sydney evening. And as much as I would like it, Mr Ian Moss is not in a telephone booth (nor is he with Tucker’s daughter) but is negotiating the notorious traffic of Australia’s most picturesque capital city.

“It’s hard to believe we’re about to be playing in one of the biggest and oldest cities in the world,” the Cold Chisel veteran laughs down the line.

“And at one of the most well known concerts. And we’re up high on the list and part of it. Not a bad spot at all!”

He’s talking about Chisel’s spot at Hard Rock Calling this Friday, where they are third on the Hyde Park festival bill, above Iggy and The Stooges and behind Mars Volta and Soundgarden only.

It’s certainly a change of fortunes for a band who haven’t played north of the equator in almost three decades.

“We’re pretty excited, you know.

Obviously we wish it hadn’t been quite so long but we’re just pretty grateful that after all these years we’ve still got a band that can still manage to play pretty well and pull a few crowds.”

Cheap wine

While it may have been a long time between drinks in the UK for the guitarist’s famous band, there’s no chance of them being rusty. 2011 saw Cold Chisel go on an intensive tour of Australia that included 37 gigs in just 60 days.

“Our main preparation for the UK was our Light The Nitro tour, which went fantastically. That was our big try out with the new drummer [Charlie Drake], having lost Steve Prestwich early last year. And it couldn’t have gone better! The tickets, the venues, the consistency of the band from night to night, and more importantly the fact we all got on – it was a pretty intense tour that’s for sure.”

Band harmony hasn’t always been Cold Chisel’s strongest suit.

Frontman Jimmy Barnes was renowned for walking out on the

band during tours in the early days - so much so that Moss had to frequently add lead vocals to his guitarist duties. And while things may have changed a bit since the big sounds and bigger egos of the 1970s and 80s, Moss maintains that you still don’t have to be the best of friends to make great music.

When the war is over

“Cold Chisel is a band that may have some differences and doesn’t do a lot of hanging out together when we’re not on stage but first and foremost – whenever we do get on stage, we’ve got that ‘kids in a lolly shop’ kind of excitement feeling which seems to happen so easily, so readily and so consistently every time we get on stage.”

It’s that exact feeling that led them to write and record some of Australia’s most iconic rock classics. Think Cold Chisel and you will undoubtedly recall ‘Khe Sahn’, ‘Flame Trees’ or ‘Cheap Wine’ (or any other of their many, many hits). You’ll remember Barnes’ screaming solos, Moss’ rocking guitar riffs, Don Walker’s powerful lyrics and the precision of Prestwich on the drums. You’re likely to imagine packed Aussie dance floors; pubs, singlets, mullets and a couple of cold tinnies. They were the definitive Aussie band with the definitive Aussie sound. And in a lot of respects, they still are. Except instead of the talented Prestwich, who tragically passed away due to a brain tumour last year, they now have Drake banging the drums.

Remembering him forever now

Moss reckons Prestwich’s passing was a serious wake up call for the rest of the band.

“Hopefully a certain amount of all the macho bravado might have died off a bit [when Steve died] and perhaps everyone thought, ‘well, shit, anyone can go at any moment’.

You just never know when your time is up. I think there was a certain amount of appreciation of - ‘enjoy it while you can because it’s not always going to happen to someone else, one day it’s going to happen to you’.”

It’s at this point that I ask Ian Moss

if there are any poignant regrets he holds for his Cold Chisel career.

“There’s a whole bunch of hindsight sort of things there. Not trying Europe and the US...it’s just one of those things where the band was really peaking and had just started touring overseas and possibly one of the issues was that we’d hit a nice level of comfort here in Australia.

“Guys had started with future wives and things like that and to really tackle America and Europe would have meant going back to the old grindstone of just the boys on the road – of sharing hotel rooms and doing it tough for quite a while.

Maybe we just left that run a bit too late. Maybe if we’d done the right thing, the thing that AC/DC did...”

Standing on the outside

It’s here that Moss envisages Cold Chisel’s future taking on an AC/DClike trajectory.

“They woke up real quick to that [the overseas market]. They started around the same time as us but they high-tailed it to England around late ‘77, early ‘78 and thought if this is going to be a grind, let’s not grind our guts out around Australia, let’s go overseas and do it there.

Let’s get over there now and do it. In hindsight I wish we’d done something similar...”

But what of Cold Chisel’s phenomenal domestic success?

Would he have risked their reputation, of them being one of the most loved and well known bands in Australia, for a chance of overseas glory?

“Given the chance again – I’d take the risk. AC/DC are certainly huge and loved here as well, they didn’t lose anything at all by not slogging it out in Oz for years and years.”

some of the members (looking at you Barnsey) – but when Cold Chisel board that last plane out of Sydney to take the London stage on Wednesday (and Friday) this week, those misfits will be the good old Chisel that we’re used to. They’ve got everything we want.

They’ve got everything we need. And all they wanna do is make noise for you. Rock on Cold Chisel, rock on.

Don’t miss Cold Chisel at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Wednesday (11 July) and at Hard Rock Calling (13 July) or the chance to vote for your favourite Chisel song right now at

AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment

Water into wine

While Moss may lament what may have been, there is no denying that Cold Chisel are still huge, both back home and indeed, in the UK. They have legions of fans around the world and are almost as popular now as they were in their heyday. As well as their momentous Hard Rock Calling spot, the boys will be taking their classic Aussie sound around Britain, starting with the Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Wednesday night.

And Moss is just as excited as playing to the army of SheBu expats as he is of sharing the Hyde Park stage with Chris Cornell and Iggy Pop. “Yeah, we’re just as excited about that as well. I’ve heard about Shepherd’s Bush for years and years and years but never played there, and it’s going to go off. Great venue, great atmosphere and it’s really going to go off for us, while we’re there.

“With a bit of luck there will be a lot of people and a lot of people who haven’t seen the band in a long time!

We expect there to be a terrific and enthusiastic atmosphere and we’re ready to rise to that.”

They may have a new man behind the drums, a new mindset on life, and a newly found sobriety for

Quickfire with Cold Chisel’s Ian Moss Favourite Cold Chisel song: ‘One Long Day’ Favourite song of all-time: ‘Things We Said Today’ (The Beatles) Favourite band: The Beatles Favourite London activity: Play tourist and visit all the historic sights and museums and stuff like that.

Favourite pastime when not making music: Flying – I’ve got a pilot’s licence, I love to get up there and fly.

16 | Jobs & Money

10 - 16 July 2012

Dollar Review

The Australian Dollar strengthens on rate cuts THE Australian Dollar strengthened this past week as the Chinese and EU Central Banks cut interest rates. The Aussie opened the week on 1.5339 to the British Pound and steadily strengthened to 1.5081 to the Pound on Friday.

China, Australia’s biggest trading partner, recorded AUD $11.1 with the country in the month of May. The People’s Bank of China dropped the one-year lending rate by 31 basis points and the one-year deposit rate by 25 basis points. This week will see an array of Chinese data being released including the second quarter GDP levels. The market seems hesitant about the release of this data which is likely to point to a further slowdown in the world’s second largest economy.

“The ECB didn’t announce extraordinary measures yesterday, such as possible bond purchases,” said Junya Tanase, chief currency strategist at JPMorgan Chase & Co on Friday.

“The market is jittery about the status quo in terms of the ECB’s handling of sovereign risks. The Aussie and Kiwi

lizzy@heatlondon.co.uk sarah@heatlondon.co.uk

are trading softer in such a risk-averse environment.”

US jobs report disappointed the market as investors continue to see signs of a growing global economic slowdown. The US labour market added only an additional 80 000 jobs, which was below the expectant 100 000. This leaves the US unemployment rate unchanged at 8.2 percent.

Monday will see the release of the Australian jobs figures followed ABS labour force data for June released on Thursday.

GBP / AUD: 1.5164 EUR / AUD : 1.203 USD / AUD : 0.979 NZD/ AUD : 0.7812 Exchange rates as of 08:27, 9 July 2012

Composed by Elizabeth Britz of 1st Contact :: Note: The above exchange rates are based on “interbank” rates. If you want to transfer money to or from Australia then please register/login on our website, or call us on 0808 141 2335 for a live dealing rate. Make use of a Rate Notifier to send you alert when the Australian exchange rate reaches levels you are looking for.

Ask the Experts

WORLDWIDE TAX SOLUTIONS

Is your tax situation a mess?

Allow WWTS to clean up for you!

A World Wide Tax Solution Company is the answer to all your tax problems and needs.

WWTS CAN OFFER:  Administer and enforce laws of taxation within the UK and Internationally  Advice and consult on all matters of taxation  Accountancy Services and Formation of companies  20 years Australian tax experience

Office of Immigration Services Commissioner

Q:

I have recently visited a community website and there are a number of classified advertisements with people advertising their immigration advice services. Is there a body regulating immigration advisors in order to protect clients?

A:

Yes, in order to render immigration advice in the UK you have to be regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner or OISC. They also have different levels of advisors, so depending on the complexity of a problem an advisor may assist you or not. All OISC advisers are required to display their certificates of registration or exemption.

The only exception to this rule is persons regulated by the Law Societies of England and Wales, and Scotland.

So unless someone is regulated as set out above, they are prohibited from rendering UK immigration advice, and are committing an offence if they do so.

You will also be pleased to hear that Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants are registered with the OISC to Level 3, which is the top level and therefore we can provide you with immigration advice on all UK immigration matters.

Breytenbachs Immigration Contact: Teresa Tel: 07789952025 Email: teresa@worldwidetax.co.uk Website: www.worldwidetax.co.uk

JP Breytenbach

Director of Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants www.bic-immigration.com info@bic-immigration.com

Sport | 17

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Football Psychology: Confidence before kick-off n

Our Aussie man inside Fulham FC, SCOTT MILLER, discusses confidence in the English Premier League and how football players use different techniques to pump themselves up before a big game.

inside the cottage > Scott miller

All professional footballers that I have worked with use numerous different techniques to develop and maintain confidence throughout their career. The majority of players get confidence from various sources and use different ways to find that extra motivation.

Believing is where it begins

It continually astounds me the level of self belief elite athletes have these days. Now, and I must stress this - it can’t be misinterpreted as arrogance – it is just a complete belief that they should be in the first 11 every week.

My position as a fitness coach is one that sees me as a conduit between the coaching staff and the players. I know the players come to me looking for information on how the manager is thinking for the next game. This can be a difficult situation as I am involved in discussions regarding players form and ability at that period of time, and on the flip side, the player telling you that he should be starting as he believes he is the best in that particular position, regardless of his current form in training or in games.

Belief and believing is crucial to any success you have in life. Every week in the Premiership these guys play against fantastic players - there are no easy games - and the standard is so high that if you do not believe in your own ability you will simply deselect yourself through bad performances.

Reinforce

Now we all know someone or another that talks about themselves all the time.

Of course, this can be an annoying character trait, and a difficult one to put up with, however for professional

footballers reinforcement is one of the biggest factors that can build confidence, especially if that player is out of form or possibly out injured.

Many athletes don’t give themselves enough credit for the successes and other skills that contribute to the team’s success. Season after season you play so many games that they can roll into one but it’s important to give or acknowledge credit when credit is due.

We had a situation last year where we were playing well in the Premiership and in Europe. We were playing top European teams on the Thursday night, having great success but not recognising the achievement. A game that springs to mind is Juventus at home, beating them 4-1! It was a huge mini success (as we call it) however the opportunity to take a breath and realise what we had achieved was overlooked as we had to recover and prepare for a game on the Sunday in the Premiership.

Talk about past successes, they’re important!

behaviour around the training ground when they have been dropped. You will find individuals will go either two ways. The first is where they simply work harder to get back into that team, and use every resource available to do so, such as fitness coaches, match analysis and coaching staff.

The second way is one where the individual feels sorry for himself.

They don’t use the expertise on hand, they tend to leave the training ground very soon after training and they distance themselves from the situation.

Of course this is down to the individual’s personality and ability to deal with pressure and set back, but we all know which philosophy will lead to improved results and performances.

Use the past to feel confident today.

Most football players would say that past success and experience in playing is the number one source for confidence today.

You can tap into your success in the past to help you feel confident today by replaying successful games, practices and conversations with other professionals.

Australian athletes to watch at London 2012

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Patience is a form of confidence. A patient player is a confident player. The challenge in football is to stay patient when things are not going your way.

It’s easy to give in to internal doubt and criticism when you are not on top in your sport. But the better choice is to stay patient with results and wait for good things to happen. A patient football player says to himself that it might not be happing right now, but I know my form will take a turn for

Dream it!

The old saying ‘you have to see it before you can achieve it’ is so true and one that all players utilise as a tool for success. Visualisation is very important - whether it be of being successful on a large scale such as winning trophies or focusing on smaller successes such as winning the next game or being selected for your debut.

It’s so easy for kids to have big dreams about the future, but as adults that same ability gets beaten down by others. However, the art of dreaming or visualisation is too powerful not to utilise.

Keeping the dream alive means seeing and feeling success close to hand. To win at your sport, you have to see yourself win over and over again.

With that vision, comes confidence that it is all possible.

Matt Mitcham Men’s diving - 10m platform

Russell Mark Men’s shooting double trap

2

WEEKS TO GO

Scott Miller is an Aussie expat living in London and the First Team Fitness Coach for Fulham Football Club.

Follow him on Twitter @ScottGMiller

Stay patient

Doubt, what doubt?

We, as individuals, all go through stages of self-doubt in life - it’s only natural. However sometimes we need to change our mindset or environment to improve the situation.

For footballers, doubt can destroy a career. And basically, it all boils down to confidence. Part of staying confident is battling your own internal doubt. No one is perfect and in times of adversity it’s tough not to have any doubts about winning.

Over the years I have listened to a number of guest speakers, all of which have worked with top tennis players, NBA basketball players and the obvious footballers.

A common theme from these professionals and from my experience is that a player only doubts himself when he is not in the starting 11. I have seen many instances where a player’s technical ability and physical ability decreases through self-doubt.

They lose all faith in the team, the manager, the backroom staff, and I always take an interest in player’s

the better.

Nat Cook

Women’s beach volleyball

Bronte Barratt Women’s swimming - 200m, 400m, 4x200m (freestyle)

Sam Beltz Elisa Barnard Men’s rowing - lightweight four Women's archery individual

18 | Sport

10 - 16 July 2012

NRL mystery for league bound SBW Brutal mountain stages Continued from p20... stellar season with the Chiefs which has elevated him to first-choice All Blacks inside centre ahead of long-serving World Cup star Ma’a Nonu.

While he declined to name the NRL team he’s to join next year, 26-year-old Williams has been strongly linked to the Sydney Roosters for several months.

“This is due to a handshake agreement made a few years ago - before I came back to New Zealand - with an NRL club,” Williams told a media conference in Hamilton.

Williams, who controversially walked out on the NRL’s Canterbury Bulldogs mid-season in 2008 to switch codes to play rugby in France, said nothing had been signed with his 2013 NRL club and he wasn’t in a position to elaborate.

Asked if he would like to stay with the Chiefs, he replied: “In a perfect world yes, but it’s a pretty difficult situation.

“I just have to make the most of that.

“At this stage, if all things go well on their part, then I will be playing league.

“When I go there, I can’t have this in the back of my mind. I have to start fresh and give them my all, which I will.”

As for whether he regretted the handshake, he said: “It’s a tough one.”

He hadn’t expected to enjoy his time with the Chiefs as much as he did but it wasn’t an issue he could dwell on.

Williams admitted to nerves when he made his announcement at the Chiefs’ headquarters.

He brushed off the brickbats that might come his way over his decision, saying be couldn’t dwell on negatives.

Despite speculation that he could return to New Zealand rugby in time for the All Blacks World Cup title defence in 2015, Williams said he hadn’t decided on his sporting future beyond next year.

If he did return, it would be with the Hamilton-based Chiefs, “even if there was no money here”.

A member of New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup winning effort last year, he hoped it could be possible for him to return to the All Blacks one day.

“But in saying that, I’m not going to hold my breath,” he said.

“There’s some great players here.

Those players deserve all that they get.

“I’ve chosen my path and now I’ve got to walk it.”

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said

crucial for Cadel’s Tour tilt Continued from p20...

it was tough losing a player who was starting to fulfil his promise in the 15-a-side game.

“It is a shame and disappointing that New Zealand rugby is losing him,” Hansen said.

In the meantime, Williams could play in next year’s rugby league World Cup. He said he was open to representing the Kiwis, for whom he played seven Tests before his code switch, but said his form would need to justify selection first.

The Japan club contract allows Williams, who is the New Zealand PBA heavyweight boxing champion, one fight during the season. - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Aussie Saville loses boys’ Wimbledon final Australia’s Luke Saville failed in his bid to become the first player in nearly four decades to win back-toback Wimbledon boys’ singles titles.

The South Australian teenager was trumped by Canada’s Filip Peliwo 7-5 6-4 in the final on Court One in 92 minutes in London.

Saville defeated the north American at the Australian Open boys’ final

but was unable to repeat the result in sunny conditions following early morning rain in SW19.

The Australian had been attempting to become the first player since American Billy Martin in 1974 to win the title on consecutive occasions.

“It was a pretty average performance on my behalf,” Saville said.

“I felt a lack of rhythm out there

and I had about a ten-minute hit this morning before it rained again and again this morning.

“I served extremely poor today but I can’t take anything away from Filip and that is why he won. He was much better.” - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Manou says her Olympic fight feels futile Olympic outcast Tamsyn Manou says her bitter fight to run in London feels futile as Australia's campaign strikes another selection snag.

As separate claims of bias unsettle equestrian circles, Manou says Australian officials prefer to have no runner in her 800m event than to give her a chance at this month's London Games.

Manou, the 10-time 800m national champion, failed to log an automatic qualifying time in a European race at the weekend - her last chance to book an Olympic berth.

But the 33-year-old is considering appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the same overarching body involved in Australia's unseemly equestrian selection spat.

Manou cites her national title-holder status and clocking a B qualifying time as basis for making a fourth Olympics, but concedes winning any appeal "seems futile".

"I need an absolute miracle," Manou wrote on Twitter on Monday.

"Have a time that could get me in, won trials, but AA (Athletics Australia) have tougher selection than IAAF." In other posts, Manou wrote: "AA would prefer no 8 (800m) runner than give me a chance ... glad I supported them domestically for 20 years" and "unfortunately I'm relying on people who don't seem to want a full team of sprinters/mid runners".

Manou needed a time inside 1min 59.90sec in Belgium on Saturday but finished in 2:01.51. She has not run

below two minutes in four years.

But, like dressage rider Hayley Beresford, Manou seems set on a lastditch appeal to CAS. Beresford lost her CAS appeal after being overlooked for the dressage team, claiming bias resulted in the selection of Kristy Oatley - the granddaughter of wealthy equestrian benefactor Bob Oatley.

Oatley, who in Sydney a dozen years ago finished ninth as Australia's best Olympic individual dressage result, was named alongside her cousin Lyndal Oatley and medal prospect Edwina Tops-Alexander.

Beresford claimed Kristy Oatley was afforded greater chances to make the team.

There have also been claims of bribery, intimidation and personality clashes in the shaping of other sections of Australia's Olympic team.

Weightlifter Daniel Koum is accused of demanding a $5000 bribe to lift at an event in Samoa, knowing if he didn't Australia wouldn't qualify any lifters for London. Mike Keelan, the coach who said he paid Koum, was sacked a month out from the Games.

And archer Odette Snazelle applied for an interim violence order against the father of Elisa Barnard, a rival for an Olympic spot.

Snazelle accused Barnard's father of intimidation at selection events, but the AVO was dismissed in court.

Barnard was selected for London, while Snazelle missed.

Rower Pippa Savage also protested being tossed out of the women's quad sculls boat after continual clashes with crewmates.

The 31-year-old was reinstated as a reserve on appeal, but will only make the London Games if another rower gets sick or injured. - AAP

What do you think about the appeals and allegations? Should athletes contest these decisions or accept their lot? Tell us at AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Countdown to the

London Olympics 2 weeks to go

Unforgettable Australian Olympic moments Atlanta 1996: Australia’s Oarsome Foursome Australia’s Olympic rowing prowess is legendary, thanks in no small part to the devastating Oarsome Foursome who took the rowing world by storm in the 1990s. After winning gold in the coxless fours in Barcelona in 1992; Nick Green, James Tomkins and Mike McKay were joined by Drew Ginn to try and defend their title at Atlanta in 1996. Heading into the Barca Games the ‘Oarsome Foursome’ had been double world champions and favourites for gold. But they had a fairly different lead in to Atlanta and were unfavoured compared to some of their European rivals.

Nevertheless they produced a stunning display to fight off challenges from the Italians, Brits and Romania to win a second successive Olympic gold and cement their place in Australian Olympic history.

day," he said.

"It's also been perfect for us that there are some guys who are close (to the lead) and want to make the race a little harder and some guys who have lost two or three minutes and want to make up time."

Evans was also outnumbered in last year's Tour, when he duelled with brothers Andy and Frank Schleck before snaring the title on the secondlast day.

But Wiggins is a more well-rounded rider than the Schlecks and his team looks even stronger for the mountains.

Australian duo Richie Porte and Mick Rogers will provide crucial support for Wiggins on the big climbs.

Rogers still has his own unfulfilled Grand Tour ambitions and while his sole job is to help Wiggins in the mountains, the three-time world time trial champion has not given up on being a team leader again before he retires.

"I felt great and I was really happy to do that far on the climb,

too," Rogers said of his stage seven performance which helped Wiggins maintain a 10-second advantage over Evans.

"I did so much work on the front leading into the climb as well.

"If I had a little bit of protection, I could have gone a couple of kilometres longer.

"But it doesn't matter - we're in the right position."

Rogers finished ninth in the 2006 Tour and, the following year, was on the verge of taking the race lead when he crashed out with a broken collarbone.

Then came several years of illness, but now the 32-year-old is fully fit and brimming with confidence.

He notes that Evans did not win the Tour until he was 34.

"I still believe I can podium on a Grand Tour, or a top-five and that's still a challenge I want to do," he said.

"Mentally, I feel I'm coming into my best years." - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Luke Lewis seeking fresh NRL challenge It was while preparing for last month's second State of Origin clash that Luke Lewis decided he had to end his 17-year association with Penrith.

Frustrated with the club battling once again at the wrong end of the NRL ladder, Lewis was still angry at being stripped of the captaincy by coach Ivan Cleary.

He was also unhappy that the club was doing little to douse speculation his close friend and NSW teammate Michael Jennings was being shopped around to other teams after being dumped to reserve grade by Cleary.

Such was the disillusionment, Lewis not only wanted to be away from the club he joined as an 11-year-old, he was even contemplating waking away from the sport for good.

The Kangaroos back-rower, who made his NRL debut in 2001, is the highest earning player at the Panthers, who are crippled by a salary cap that is hampering their attempts to rebuild.

However, general manager Phil Gould, who agreed to Lewis's request to be released from the final two years of his contract, denied the 28-yearold was being shipped out to ease the club's salary cap woes.

"No one here at Panthers has ever suggested or initiated a plan to remove Luke from the club prior to the expiry of his current contract," Gould said at a media conference at Centrebet Stadium on Monday.

"Luke doesn't want to go through the pain of a club rebuilding and his goals don't marry up with ours. He wants to play at a club with a chance of winning a premiership.

"Because he is a long-serving player we get a heavy discount on the salary cap. It most certainly wasn't a salary cap decision."

Lewis, who said at the start of the season being named as captain was the highlight of his career, admitted his decision to move was tough, but one he had to make.

"Personally I need something different," he said.

"For me and the club it's best we part ways."

Gould revealed Lewis's mind was in

turmoil when he met him at the NSW team hotel in Sydney last month and the issue of retirement was brought up.

"It's a conversation I've had with a number of footballers at a similar age," Gould said of the man who has played 200-plus NRL games.

"We quickly dispelled that one and decided he has plenty of football still in him."

Lewis denied he was genuinely serious about hanging up his boots, but said the chat with Gould helped clear his thoughts and decide his future.

"It's where my headspace was at the time and where my life was going," he said.

"It's something I mentioned to Gus. He just came out and tried to clear my head.

"He did that and I've been in a good frame of mind over the last couple of weeks. The good thing is that it helped me come to this decision."

Lewis denied reports he'd already spoken to St George Illawarra or Cronulla and said he had no idea where he would be playing in 2013.

Gould said he would be given a huge farewell at his final home game against the Gold Coast in round 25.

"He's a role model for all kids in western Sydney, He will always be a member of the Panther family." - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Sport | 19

AustralianTimes.co.uk

RUBDOWN Getting a bit too big for their AFL boots

Coach hoping for some Aussie cricket ‘mongrel’ THE

Continued from p20...

Trott 64 not out.

Aussie skipper Michael Clarke later rued how his team cannot find a recipe for victory.

Arthur didn’t lay blame on individuals but he was especially annoyed at how his players have failed to translate good preparation into performance.

“I’m disappointed and really shocked (at the results),” Arthur told reporters.

“We haven’t played anywhere near our real potential.

“That could be to the fact we haven’t been allowed to play to our potential or haven’t grasped the moments when they’ve been there.

“We haven’t found a way to put England under any sort of pressure and that’s disappointing and infuriating me.

“We’ve been outplayed and we’re better than that. That’s the real disappointing thing.

“I’ve just had a real good meeting with the team, a tough meeting, a hard meeting,” Arthur added.

“Spoke some home truths. I want to see how they respond on Tuesday. I’m looking to see how they stand up, how they respond to that. I’ve got no issues with losing - I’ve said that a million times - teams are going to play better than us. That happens.

“I want to see a bit of mongrel come Tuesday, I really do.

“We’ve been a bit submissive this whole series. We’ve been allowed to be bullied, and we’re better than that.”

Arthur’s frankness may sound peculiar given Australia are still holding the top world ranking in oneday internationals, but he emphasised they are a team in transition.

“This is not a character assassination of our team,” he said.

“I’m just looking for answers that

By Will Denton

are going to strengthen our team and lift us again.

“For us, as management, it’s about finding that balance between their talent and performance.

“But somehow they are just not transforming that. That is what is perplexing me a little bit.” - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Aussies in the hunt for Super finals race Continued from p20...

hands after they outlasted NSW 1915 on Saturday night and, if they beat the Blues in Canberra this weekend, they’ll claim the Australian conference and a home final.

The only scenario that would result in them missing the playoffs would be if they failed to get a point against the lowly Blues and if Queensland scored four tries or more to trounce NSW in their final-round game.

Only then would the defending premiers cut a five-point gap to join the Brumbies on 58 competition points and progress courtesy of 11 wins to ACT’s 10.

Mowen admits his team can’t help but take a nervous glance at the precarious Super Rugby table, but said there’s a

calmness about the Brumbies as well.

“There was a huge loading through that period and a lot of the guys said they thought the nightmares of pre-season had come back to get them,” said Mowen.

“We picked up a bit of fatigue out of that and that’s just the way it is. You have to pay a toll to work that hard but I think it’s going to pay dividends at the end of the year.

“We’re extremely clear about the way we want to play.

“I certainly felt by Christmas that something really special could happen.”

Queensland’s one advantage in their bid for a wildcard finals berth is the 10 wins they already have on the board, which is crucial for countback.

Currently, the Reds (53 points) are in seventh place, with the Crusaders (56 points, 10 wins) and Bulls and Sharks (both 54 and nine wins) clinging to the three wildcard spots.

If the Bulls fall to an upset loss or fail to win with a bonus point against the Lions in Pretoria, or if the Sharks suffer the same fate against the Cheetahs in Durban - then the door is open for the Reds if they get maximum points against the battling Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium.

The only way the Crusaders could risk dropping out is if they lose to the Force in Christchurch.

Queensland secured a tough 19-13 win over the Highlanders on Friday night and coach Ewen McKenzie defended his side’s safety-first approach in not playing for a vital bonus point.

“You have to win the game first,” McKenzie told AAP. “What people don’t understand is the scoreboard creates a lot of pressure.

“We have to play well over 80 minutes and you get the reward over 80 minutes so that’s the challenge there.”

The Blues ran over the top of the Force 32-9 in Auckland, while the Rebels fell just short of a breakthrough win in South Africa, losing 37-32 to the Lions in Johannesburg.

The Chiefs and Stormers have already wrapped up top spot in the respective New Zealand and South African conferences.

NSW coach Michael Foley says his side weren’t satisfied with another close loss and would need to address the problem in the off-season. - AAP

It’s happened again. The golden cliché that all clubs are supposed to live and die by has claimed some major casualties, and they don’t get much bigger than Collingwood and Essendon. These two armies got a wee bit ahead of themselves in Round 15, falling victim to the most ancient rule in competitive team sports – ‘ONE WEEK AT A TIME’.

The Pies arrived at the G on Friday not to discuss team structures but where exactly the best Taco’s are in Fitzroy. Bucks already had his most condescending speech prepared for his presser, with a final comment inquiring if a first year coach wins a flag, do they get automatic induction into the AFL Hall of Fame. Eddie was going to play the cruellest of practical jokes on Stephen Kernahan, by breaking into his house and wrapping a Carlton scarf on the toilet roll holder for when he arrived home. One thing Collingwood didn’t do though was play footy versus the Blues, who were about as switched on as a Russian guard dog and about as brutal. Oh and wasn’t it ugly for the 50000 or so Pie fans questioning ‘you’s blokes are supposed to be good at footy and that’. The Blues are now suddenly back on the radar and if they don’t get sucked into the vortex that Brett Ratten’s ears have created from the

external pressure, they should be ok.

As for the Bombers? Well the idea to trial a clash strip that consisted of grey instead of black has resulted in a toxic cloud of burned polyester gases so big, some disorientated Essendon fans attempted to find a job. Again, the players fell victim to believing the hype and Hirdy’s decision to book a personal hair stylist for everyday in September, looks a tiny bit hasty. Credit must go to Saints though as they too look like seeing some finals action.

GWS on the other hand, will be having a bit of free time during finals as they got completely and utterly destroyed by the Hawks. It was almost unwatchable but like a car crash, you just simply couldn’t look away. Kevin Sheedy said he learned a valuable lesson after a 162-point loss, stating that it is possible to build a Lego Millennium Falcon during a football match.

The Suns gave Geelong a bit of a scare, although the Cats were super excited about the trip to Wet and Wild afterwards.

Swannies flogged the Lions, Crows won the derby and Freo – with the ugliest half of footy ever – somehow beat the Doggies. And so begins the race to September…

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

London to host biggest Tag Rugby Festival in the UK!

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Aussie Webber wins British Grand Prix

Mark Webber claimed the ninth win of his career on Sunday when he swept to a dramatic and perfectlyjudged victory in an incident-filled British Grand Prix.

In a race run in welcome, if rare, dry conditions, the 35-year-old Australian steered his Red Bull through 52 laps of complex tactical and strategic racing to overtake pole sitter and longtime leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari close to the end.

It was Webber’s second win this year, after triumphing at Monaco, his fourth straight podium at Silverstone and his second British GP victory in three years.

“Great day for us and a great day for me,” he said over the team radio.

Webber’s Red Bull team-mate and defending double world champion Sebastian Vettel came home third to ensure the champions had two men on the podium.

Webber’s win was watched by a capacity Silverstone crowd of 120,000 spectators who had braved torrential rain for most of the weekend.

Alonso’s second place enabled him to stay on top of the drivers’ title race with 129 points ahead of Webber on 116.

Felipe Massa finished fourth in the second Ferrari ahead of his former Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and his Lotus colleague Romain Grosjean.

Seven-time world champion Michael

Schumacher of Mercedes finished seventh ahead of home favourite Lewis Hamilton who produced some spectacular racing on his way to eighth for McLaren.

“I really enjoy driving here – I think this one’s, bizarrely, taken a little bit longer to sink in than some of the other ones I have had,” an ecstatic and exhausted Webber said after the race.

“I don’t think I’ve had a win where I’ve grabbed the victory so late.

Strategy wise the team did a great job, I needed to make those stints work very, very well.”

Webber said he and his team would be “traditionally” partying long into the night so celebrate such a special win.

“Sensational day for the team and I am very proud, very proud – to win here again is very special for me.”

Alonso made a near-perfect start in the rare dry conditions when the lights went out.

The Spaniard pitted after 16 laps and rejoined ahead of Webber, but Hamilton stayed out on his hard tyres and inherited the lead which he fought to retain during a remarkable battle with Alonso on lap 19.

First, Alonso passed the Briton, then Hamilton responded and regained the lead only to be re-passed by the Spaniard again in thrilling fashion.

By lap 21, Alonso led Hamilton, who pitted to allow Webber back into

BEST OF THE BEST: Will the 2011 London Tag Rugby Championships champions, DTF, lift the trophy in 2012?

By Phillip Browne

third place.

Hamilton was fast again, but as the leading cars pitted again for fresh tyres amid a flurry of fluctuating strategic decisions which also saw Alonso dash in for his set of compulsory soft tyres, 14 laps from the finish, after 38 laps.

One lap later Japanese Kamui Kobayashi clattered into his own mechanics when he made a major error as he rushed into the pits.

Alonso, on fast-wearing tyres, was left to struggle to preserve them in the closing laps as the field closed up and Webber moved within reach of the Spaniard, finally diving past him to take the lead at Brooklands on lap 49.

That set up a thrilling finish with Webber pulling away ahead of Alonso in the final laps. - Tim Martin with sources AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

The team at Try Tag Rugby have now opened registrations for the third annual London Tag Rugby Championships which will take place on Saturday, 18 August at the East London Rugby Club in West Ham. The 2012 London Tag Rugby Championships will be the biggest and best to date, with overseas teams confirmed, an easily accessible venue on the Tube network and an onsite bar and BBQ. There will be a party atmosphere and a DJ lined up to whip the London Tag Rugby community into a post game frenzy!

Teams will take part in mixed and men’s competitions across two divisions. There will be a Champions League (to crown the best mixed and men’s teams in London) for any teams which made an A Grade Grand Final throughout 2012 (or equivalent outside of London), and a social grade open to all other teams. Each team which takes part will get a guaranteed 90 minutes of game time. Already confirmed for the mixed Champions League are Ireland’s 2011 Champion

team, the Bircroft Panthers. The Panthers are also entering a team in the mixed social grade as are a team from northern England.

It’s going to be a cracking tournament and one not to be missed!

All details on how to enter a team can be found at TryTagRugby.com Meanwhile, Late Summer Tag Rugby registrations in London & Reading are now open. Late Summer competitions all commence this week and are expected to break the current record season (Early Summer 2012) participation figures of 142 teams!

Leagues will take place at; Acton, Balham, Canada Water, Finsbury Park, Highbury, Hoxton, Reading, Richmond, Southfields, Wandsworth Town, West Ham & White City.

If you would like to get involved in one of the fastest growing sports in London, new team and individual registrations are welcome. This is a great chance to develop a network of friends if you are new to London.

To register for a Try Tag Rugby competition or event, go to www. trytagrugby.com or email info@ trytagrugby.com for more details.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OF TAG

The bid to be Tag Rugby’s best in London P19

CADEL AIMS TO SHAKE UP TOUR DE FRANCE n

Australia’s Tour de France defending champion Cadel Evans will look to the mountains this week to try and put the pressure on Britain’s leading man, and yellow jersey fancy, Bradley Wiggins.

Defending Tour de France champion Cadel Evans will try to turn the strength of Bradley Wiggins' Sky team to his own advantage.

After Tuesday's rest day, the Tour will feature its first mountain stage with a 194.5km route from Macon to Bellegarde sur Valserine in the Jura region.

It will include the first "HC", or top category, climb of this year's race, the brutish 17.1km Col du Grand Colombier.

On Saturday, Wiggins took the yellow jersey and Sky displayed their collective climbing prowess on the steep finish to stage seven.

While Evans was among the leaders and improved from sixth to second overall, the stage also showed that Sky will have superior numbers through the mountains.

Their firepower forced several other "GC", or general classification, riders to lose valuable time.

But that means plenty of strong climbers will want to shake the race up and maybe try to gain time back on Wiggins with some speculative attacking.

The more riders attacking Sky, the more potential allies for Evans.

"It's a different situation to years gone by - people are isolated, a lot of the leaders are isolated," Evans said after stage eight.

"Especially guys like (Jurgen) Van Den Broeck or maybe (Alejandro) Valverde, who have already lost time, they don't have anything to lose.

"So they're much more willing to put it out there."

Despite Sky's obvious strength, Evans' BMC team director John Lelangue was also far from disheartened.

"We're confident ... we know what we're doing, there are still two weeks to go until Paris so let's take it day-by...continued on p18

WEBBER WEAVES F1 MAGIC

Fighting Aussie win at Britain’s Silverstone | P19

Arthur appeals to Aussie fighting spirit

Australia cricket coach Mickey Arthur has demanded some mongrel spirit in Tuesday’s final one-day match after giving the team some home truths following the series loss to England.

The home side cruised to a comfortable eight-wicket win on Saturday in Durham after Australia made just nine for 200 in their 50 overs, England reaching the modest target with 13 balls to spare.

They were never threatened as Ian Bell made 69 and Jonathan ...continued on p19

Brumbies to outlast Super Rugby rivals

During the four-week Super Rugby break in June, instead of freshening up, the Brumbies started another pre-season.

But despite displaying some sluggish side-effects over the past two weeks, captain Ben Mowen is confident the heavy conditioning will give his underrated side the legs and mental clarity under fatigue to take out their first title since 2004.

Destiny remains in the Brumbies ...continued on p19

Sonny Bill Williams to return to NRL

Sonny Bill Williams says he’ll be fulfilling a handshake agreement made several years ago when he returns to rugby league in the NRL in 2013 after walking away from rugby union’s world champion All Blacks.

Dual international Williams revealed the agreement on Monday at a media conference where he announced he was taking up “an offer that I pretty much couldn’t refuse” for a stint with Japanese rugby club Panasonic Wild Knights after completing his contract with Super Rugby leaders the Chiefs after their finals campaign.

He admitted it would be tougher than he’d expected to leave New Zealand rugby after enjoying a ...continued on p18