Australian Times weekly newspaper | 2 October 2012

2 - 8 October 2012 – Issue: 432

OPERA OPENERS

WEEKEND ROUNDUP

Aussies tour with Glyndebourne

BONDING IN BORNEO

Fallout from Footy Finals

ENTERTAINMENT P5

Walking with the Wildlife

sport P16

TRAVEL P8

Facebook: Force for good or evil in Meagher case?

Insults fly as advertisers flee WOOLWORTHS and MercedesBenz have joined other corporate heavyweights in pulling their advertising from Alan Jones’s radio show after the broadcaster’s comments about the prime minister’s late father.

Also responding to community outrage, two regional radio stations pulled the plug on Jones’s networked show after he said Julia Gillard’s father “died of shame” because of her “lies”.

By late Monday, more than 39,000 people had signed up to an online campaign calling for Jones to be sacked and urging companies to boycott his show.

Financial services group Challenger, Freedom Furniture, Bing Lee, Dilmah tea, ING Direct have also announced they are withdrawing advertising and sponsorship of the breakfast program.

Woolworths posted on its Facebook site that it had decided to suspend advertising and in no way supported the comments.

The food giant also responded to reports that its community relations manager, Simon Berger, had donated a chaff bag jacket

n

Sites appear inciting hatred and violence against man charged with Jill Meagher’s murder, whilst others use Facebook to unite in peace march across Melbourne city.

SOCIAL media giant Facebook is yet to shut down sites inciting hatred and violence against the man charged with the murder of Melbourne woman Jill Meagher.

Victoria Police has asked Facebook to cancel about six sites but Deputy Commissioner Tim Cartwright says the social media network operator has declined. “(It’s) pretty disappointing, some of those sites are inciting hatred and really quite disgusting in the sorts of messages they’re portraying,” Mr Cartwright told reporters on Monday.

“The fact is a man’s been arrested, we have a good, fair legal process in this state, we need to let it run the course.”

Facebook said it was working with Victorian police and was committed to acting quickly to remove or restrict content if it violated the company’s policies or the law.

“We take our statement of rights and responsibilities very seriously and react quickly to remove reported content that violates our policies and also to restrict access to content in a country, where we are advised that it violates local law,” a Facebook statement said.

“While we do not comment on individual requests or cases, we can confirm that we are still in contact with the local law enforcement in Victoria.”

Mr Cartwright said some of the

comments posted were “pretty vile”, and there was a risk posting such material in the public domain could affect the trial of the accused.

“At the very least they’re trying to incite hatred and violence.”

A Facebook page was set up to help find Irish-born Ms Meagher after she disappeared in the early hours of September 22 and several tribute pages were established after the 29-year-old’s body was found and a suspect charged early on Friday morning.

A number of hate pages directed at the suspect have also been set up, with one attracting 44,000 likes.

Both Ms Meagher’s grieving family and Victoria Police have acknowledged the role social media played in the search for the ABC radio employee, but police on Friday issued a call for calm, asking people to refrain from posting “inappropriate comments that might jeopardise a successful prosecution”.

Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said police were working through their options following Facebook’s refusal to remove the sites.

“It is disappointing, and when you see the hatred that’s incited by some of these sites, it is very much the antithesis of what we saw yesterday with 30,000 people taking to the streets saying `let’s try and make this a ...continued on p3

...continued on p3

Tim Freedman from the Whitlams to without | P6

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2 | News

2 - 8 October 2012

What’s the difference?

By Paul Judge

Publisher: Bryce Lowry Editor: Alex Ivett Production/Design: Jackie Lampard Sports Editor: Tim Martin Contributors: Shannon Crane, Bianca Soldani, Kate Ausburn, Sara Newman, Phill Browne, Paul Judge, Amy Fallon, Rose Callaghan, Lesley Slade, Simon Kleinig, Kris Griffiths, Sepi Roshan, Erin Somerville, Melissa Shortal, Justin Ng, Gareth Mohen, Shane Jones, George

Katralis, Cameron Jenkins, Chris Ark, Will Denton, Lee Crossley, Phoebe Lee, Mel Edwards, Will Fitzgibbon, Bronwyn Spencer, Rebekka Hodges, Emily Banyard, Clare Boyd-Maccrae, Jonathon Waldheim, Paul Bleakley 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

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Recently we saw some idiots in the Sydney CBD run amok, damage property, hold up offensive slogans and generally look ridiculous. For me, this brought up memories of 2005 when some other idiots trooped down to Cronulla and did the same.

Both groups claimed to be acting in response to a perceived slight on their ideals and beliefs, and both seemed to be seeking restitution. And both groups, rather than find a sensible and peaceful way to engage in a genuine discussion about the important underlying issues, instead chose to run riot and end up looking like a bunch of dills.

The difference being, the group last week involved Muslims acting out against what they perceived to be a threat to their religion and cultural beliefs. The people in 2005 were mainly of white Anglo Saxon background acting out against what they considered to be a threat to their “Australian” way of life and selfdefined culture.

Following on after last week’s protests there has been a surge of anti-Muslim, anti-multicultural rage amongst the media, public and Australian community. Our call-back radio, social media and newspaper columns were full with the anger of a particular segment of the Australian public. Those parts who believe the protests are endangering the community and who say allowing immigrants with diverse backgrounds into Australia is a threat to us and our

Fun??

?

national security.

This reaction is in contrast to that which we saw after the 2005 riots.

No one suggested then that we send those protestors back to the UK where they descended from, or to ban Christianity. True, the majority of people didn’t support their actions or agree with their beliefs, but conversely the criticism in response was fairly benign in comparison to the feedback of the community to recent events.

Growing up in country NSW, I didn’t meet a Muslim until university. Those I met at university were generally quiet guys who didn’t drink; shy but friendly. Moving to London I met a lot more who identified as Muslim, and I consider them friends. They drive me home after a night out, listen to my women troubles, help me come up with solutions to world political problems and let me play tacky dance music. They run my local off-license, greet me with a cheery ‘Hello Mr’ and know which newspaper I read.

They work with me, and sometimes will come have a beer after work or invite me to play in their football team.

They bring in food after Ramadan to share even though they did all the hard work. They invite me to their weddings and give me an insight to their family and cultural life.

It saddens me when people in Australia use the actions of a small group to use as justification for a blanket response against the majority.

Every group has their idiots, whether it is within a religion, a nation or a football team. It’s not fair to stereotype a whole group when many

within that group are probably just as annoyed by the minority’s actions as everyone else.

A lot of people say Australia is the best country in the world, maybe it’s true. I certainly will always love and defend my country no matter where I live. However, we need to address some of the darker issues we have of intolerance and racism. When Norway was subject to a brutal terrorist attack in 2011 claiming the lives of 77 mainly young people by someone with twisted ideological beliefs, they had a response. The response from the government and the wider community was a reinforcement of their cultural beliefs, with the Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg saying the attacks had failed to alter Norway’s attitude to an open society.

Tolerance, understanding and peace; they would not be swayed from pursuing these ideals. Hopefully we as Australians, when tested by the mindless actions of a minority, can respond with something similar. How both groups acted now, and in 2005, disgusted most of us. How the rest of the community reacts in turn is the bigger question.

Explaining the English:

Facts ? ? Aunt Mabel reveals all What does TESCO stand for?

Tesco was set up by a Mr Jack Cohen in 1924. Starting as a market trader in East London, Jack used to trade tea bought from TE Stockwell (at 9p per lb) which he then packed in 1/2lb packets to sell at 6p a pop. Needing a name, he added the first two letters of his surname (CO) to make TESCO – not a store therefore, but his ‘ownbrand’ tea. ‘Tesco Stores’ was first registered as a private company when Jack threw open the doors of his first store in Burnt Oak, then in Becontree, in 1932-33.

Puzzled by the Poms? Send your question to Aunt Mabel at editor@ australiantimes.co.uk with subject heading ‘Explaining the English’

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Your Say On: Holy Kimbra!

Rocking the pulpit at the Union Chapel

Agreed! The Union Chapel was a unique and contrasting venue to Kimbra’s quirkiness, rock the pulpit indeed.

Zoey Irvin www.facebook.com/AustralianTimes

On: Aussie Adam Garcia helps gorillas overrun London

Stop making a mockery of the gorillas with those stupid

?

What’s your view

looking costumes. Act like grownups and have a decent run.

Doreen Rosanen

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On: Europe on my Mind

What a fabulous testament to 14 fabulous days I’ll never forget!

Well done Steph :) Clarizze Aquino www.facebook.com/AustralianTimes

On: Australians could be tod to earn £31k or leave the UK

paid for a degree only to have the visa scheme cancelled after fees were received but before we graduated. This is all just so endlessly frustrating.

Lauren Easton www.facebook.com/AustralianTimes

On: Crocodile escapes on a place during Australian Qantas flight

Hahaha only in Australia!

Nerida Springett

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Pity if you’re in the arts. Oh and pity for those of us this year who

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

News | 3

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Police estimate 30,000 honour Jill Meagher in Sydney Road march Continued from p1... safer and fairer community’,” he told Fairfax Radio on Monday.

“We’ve all got a social responsibility and Facebook is part of our community, and I would’ve thought it would only have been reasonable.”

Adrian Ernest Bayley, 41, of Coburg, has been charged with Ms Meagher’s rape and murder. He is in custody awaiting a committal mention hearing on January 18.

A news report on Monday suggested Bayley is being moved to higher security in jail amid fears he will be attacked by other inmates.

A Corrections Victoria spokesman

said it does not comment on individual inmates.

A different expression of grief was on display yesterday, when a city united in a peace march to honour Jill Megher. Following a call on social media on Friday for a march along Sydney Road, past the bridal shop that has become somewhat of a memorial to this young Irish woman, thousands came from across town to join the tribute.

Police set the number at 30,000 as the busy Sydney Road thoroughfare was closed to traffic for more than an hour. Premier Ted Baillieu has said it was a show of strength against violence.

Alan Jones ‘apologises’ for PM father insults Continued from p1...

that was bought by Mr Jones at the Liberal Party function where he made the remarks.

The jacket, a reference to Jones’s controversial 2011 suggestion that Ms Gillard should be stuffed in a chaff bag and thrown into the sea, was auctioned during the fundraiser.

“We’ve acknowledged that a staff member, in a private capacity, attended the Young Liberals function,” Woolworths said.

Jones has publicly apologised for using his speech to a Sydney University Liberal Club fundraiser to make the comments about Ms Gillard and her father, who died last month aged 83. Commentators have remarked the apology did not appear genuine, as Jones went on to further attack the PM on Labor policies.

“Challenger does not feel the apology made by Alan Jones reflects the gravity of the offensiveness of the comments,” a company spokesman said in a statement.

Mercedes-Benz Australia instructed its dealers to cease advertising on Jones’s show.

“We don’t associate our brand with that,” said corporate communications manager David McCarthy.

Also on Monday, regional radio station 2QN, based in Deniliquin in the NSW Riverina, and Albury station 2AY discontinued their broadcasts of Jones’s show following negative feedback from listeners.

The comments by Jones, who has rackets, be slightly smaller than the vigorously campaigned against coal seam gas (CSG) development in last point. ng NSW, also led to his dumping as a speaker at an anti-CSG concert in northern NSW. Michael McNamara, an organiser

of the Rock the Gate Northern Rivers concert, said threats had been made to boycott the event if it was attended by Jones.

It was not the threats that prompted the withdrawal of the invitation but Jones’s “abhorrent” comments, Mr McNamara said in a statement.

The remarks, published on Sunday, have sparked outrage on social media and were swiftly condemned by politicians on all sides.

Others offered him tentative support.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman commended the broadcaster’s “guts” for publicly apologising to Ms Gillard and said he wouldn’t have a problem appearing on his radio show.

But Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said the remarks went to the dark heart of the Liberal Party. “(It) says anything goes, engages in personal abuse day in and day out, (and) is particularly strong in its abuse against women,” he said.

He also described as “pathetic” the brief statement Opposition Leader Tony Abbott put out in response to the comments. – AAP

“I think it’s an enormously powerful statement but in many ways I’m not surprised, because I think Victorians are very, very keen for a change of culture in regard to violence and particularly violence against women,” Mr Baillieu told ABC radio on Monday.

“To that extent, I think many Victorians would’ve come from all over the place to join that otherwise spontaneous gathering.”

The public outpouring has continued with a mystery artist creating a large graffiti mural paying tribute to Ms Meagher in a city laneway.

The mural in Hosier Lane reads “Rest in Peace Jill”. - AAP

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4 | Voices

2 - 8 October 2012

Community must answer Say it with spice when victims get blamed n

by Alex Ivett One can only imagine the distress and heartache that Jill Meagher’s family and friends surely experienced in the long days following her disappearance. Not knowing what may have happened to her, who might be involved and when they may see her again, there was, in that time nothing for them but unanswered questions and unrestricted fears.

Now those worst fears have been realised, with the discovery of her body and a suspect facing court for her alleged rape and murder. A community left asking how did this happen, to a 29 year-old woman walking home following after-work drinks on a Friday night – not particularly late, and in a not particularly dangerous area.

In the days leading up to this unimaginable discovery, where the primary and only question should have been where is she, it was distressing to me in the extreme to see some of the commentary emerging in the mainstream media and social sites.

Imagine, if you can, if it had been your sister, daughter, wife or girlfriend missing. On top of waking daily to the nightmare of her being gone, you also wake to have people in the community

E

questioning whether she herself might somehow be to blame for it.

Why? Well, because she was out drinking. Because it was late and she chose to walk home alone. Because she was out without her husband. Because she was a woman.

Comments appeared on Facebook on a page dedicated to finding Jill, suggesting that she was “obviously drunk”, had obviously “lead someone on” [sic] and “the consequences followed her”. This person even wrote that “in my opinion....she met with foul play as a result of her actions inside the pub/bar”. Before you excuse this as a ‘lone nutter’ abusing the social media forum to make himself feel he had an opinion worth sharing, there were similar displays of moralising in talkback radio and mainstream media.

What this demonstrates, apart from a disgusting lack of respect for the victim, and her family and friends, is a pervasive attitude in our society towards women victims that leans towards attributing some level of blame onto their shoulders. This is particularly so where there is the slightest suggestion of the woman in question demonstrating a level of independence not consistent with

‘traditional’ stereotypes. Why was she out drinking without her husband, people asked. Why, I ask, was this even relevant to the question of her missing.

Why should a woman, any woman, not be entitled to go out alone with friends, and then walk home alone, without fear or blame. Is this not something we as a society should expect of ourselves and of others?

Instead, as Clementime Ford has so aptly noted at the time, that despite the fact Jill was still missing “some folk are still relishing the opportunity to remind women that if they don’t want anything bad to happen to them, they should be more careful about drinking/staying out late/talking to strangers who aren’t their husbands/wearing suggestive clothing/walking while female/having a vagina in the first place.”

Indeed. Somehow, the discussion had subtly shifted from finding Jill, to an opportunity for some to once again waggle their fingers at ‘naughty’ females, reminding them instead that their place is at home, in the kitchen, where it’s safe. It is now our job to shift it back to a more constructive discussion on how to prevent this kind of mindless violence, without laying blame on the victims themselves.

H

Taking time out from Claridge’s kitchen, our man Chris Ark shows us how to warm up the winter months with just the right combination of hot and spicy flavours.

chris’s

kitchen > CHRIS ARK

Like most Australians I harbour a love of Asian food, recently reignited by a two week holiday to Australia where I revisited all my favourite Asian restaurants and picked up my copy of Charmaine Soloman’s “The Hot and Spicy Book”.

The Godmother of recipes that pack a punch with chillies, Charmaine’s cookbook is a Bible for those wanting to learn how to combine spices, seafood and fresh herbs using simple techniques. Perfect comfort fare for the cooler months.

Along with the change in temperature is a change in new season ingredients.

Eggplants, zucchini’s, pumpkin and bokchoy are freshly available, and the perfect accompaniment to spicy foods and Asian flavours. Try slow

cooking beef chunk or osso bucco with a tasty Indonesian curry, or pair a light coconut curry with coriander and fresh Scottish mussels. Knock up a batch of fresh satay sauce and throw in some chicken and fresh tofu.

The combinations are endless and the more you experiment, the better you will become with balancing the flavours and spice levels.

At home I have purchased a decent wok, which is the workhorse of the pans in my kitchen. What can’t it do?

A wok can reach a high temperature quickly, hold a decent amount of ingredients and can double as a steamer within seconds by filling the base with water or stock and adding a cake rack to raise the ingredients.

I even cook pasta in mine as it can hold enough for 5-6 friends with out making a mess.

This week’s recipe of fresh prawns and glass noodles throws in a little of everything, and has all the flavours necessary to beat off the winter blues.

d n a s n w a r p fresh glass noodles

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• 300g of fresh prawns, peeled • 150ml of peanut oil or veg oil • 1.5 teaspoons of fresh chopped ginger • 4 cloves of fresh garlic • 2 red chillies finely chopped • 4 teaspoons of chilli sauce • ½ cup of water • ¼ cup of tomato ketchup • 1 tablespoon of sugar • 1 teaspoon of light soy • Eggplant diced in 1cm thick slices • Zucchini sliced in 1cm slices • Bok Choy roughly chopped • ½ bunch of fresh spring onions • ½ bunch of fresh coriander leaves • ½ packet of glass noodles blanched and dressed with peanut oil.

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What to do!

This method requires you to cook things quickly, so have all the ingredients and plates ready so you can go from the wok to the plate Visit: AustralianTimes.co.uk/move-to-australia

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• Place your wok on the stove and bring to a low-medium heat to start.

Add the oil and allow to heat up.

• Add the prawns and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Throw in the garlic, ginger and chilli. The oil should just simmer and not spit everywhere. Add the sauces, water and sugars and allow to reduce to a sauce consistency.

• Meanwhile add the vegetables and increase the heat to just below high.

Once the vegetables are cooked add the noodles, coriander and spring onions and mix well.

• Remove from the heat and divide between the plates and serve.

Enjoy!

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Entertainment | 5

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Australian operatic talent on show as Glyndebourne Tour 2012 travels the UK n

Two Aussie singers will perform with Glyndebourne, one of opera’s biggest names.

by Will Fitzgibbon GLYNDEBOURNE, a name that evokes palpitations of awe and excitement in the breast of any opera singer, has chosen to showcase young Australian talent in its upcoming touring season across the UK. Melbourne bass-baritone Derek Walton and Perth-born mezzosoprano Lauren Easton will appear in the Glyndebourne Tour 2012, starting on 4 October.

It is Welton’s debut for the famed opera company. Welton will play Figaro in Glyndebourne’s newest production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.

This year’s production of Figaro is set in 1960s Spain, a country recovering from the trauma of the Franco dictatorship. As Welton tells Australian Times, it is this background that influences everything from the musical interpretation to the singers’ body language on stage.

“For me, the main thing is to be different”, he said of playing opera’s most famous personal valet. “It isn’t ever the same thing. Every single Figaro will mean a different take on the piece.”

After having studied at the Guildhall in London and bursting onto the scene at the Salzburg Festival Young Singers Project, Welton has made a space for himself in the UK and in Europe.

Welton is booked pretty solidly until 2014.

Welton has been in the UK for six years and will be eligible for citizenship in a few weeks. He’s also just bought a flat.

Mezzo-soprano Lauren Easton is another talented Australian singer, albeit with a different relationship with the UK Border Agency.

Having recently finished study in Wales with the help of a scholarship from the Australian International Opera Awards, Easton interprets

Sound Bites

Image by Robert Workman

a central role in Glyndebourne’s production of the contemporary opera The Yellow Sofa.

“It’s a few steps away from Mozart but it contains the same amount of melodrama”, says Easton in explaining the 2009 opera by young British composer Julian Philips.

Described as a soap opera with heartache, sex and a ‘Hispanic, fiery heart’, The Yellow Sofa tells of love, deception and a colourful item of living room furniture.

In playing the role of Amarela, Easton will mix her highly trained operatic voice with snippets of the traditional Portuguese folk singing, Fado.

“It’s just over an hour of complete energy”, says Easton of the intimate chamber opera.

“There is no chance for a breather and we are on stage the whole time.

Not until the audience has left the building can you relax.”

This is the second time Easton has graced Glyndebourne stages; she performed in Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg after another signer fell ill at the last minute.

“You read about that but it doesn’t happen to me”, Easton remembers thinking at the time.

Image by Melbourne Headshot Company

Despite her success, not having UK heritage means that Easton may have to return to Australia and seek to obtain an Exceptional Talent Visa from back home.

Having been deigned talented enough to perform with one of the world’s greatest opera companies, it seems many in the UK think Easton already has the title worthy of the visa.

After a month of performances at Glyndebourne’s picturesque permanent location near Lewes, the 2012 tour continues throughout November and into December with performances in Woking, Norwich, Wimbledon, Plymouth, Canterbury, Milton Keynes and Stoke-on-Trent.

Visit Glyndebourne.com/season/ glyndebourne-tour-2012 for information on dates and tickets for the Glyndebourne Tour 2012.

with Paul Judge

REVIEW: Deep Sea Arcade @ XOYO 27 September There seems to be core of Australian groups at the moment who have decided the psychedelic pop rock sounds of the 70s is their sound of choice. Whatever prompted this resurgence, it’s working for them. Tame Impala and Pond are two groups leading this charge, with Sydney’s Deep Sea Arcade following close behind. Listening to the ethereal sound of this five-piece band invokes visions of running through fields sporting long hair and tie-dye clothing. A crown of dandelions on your head is optional.

Taking the stage at XOYO they show they possess more than just a sway in the modern sound of choice as they mix it with upbeat tempo

tunes. Playing at the end of XOYO’s ‘Breakout East’ night – a showcase of new and emerging talent – the venue is at tenth capacity. However it doesn’t stop the boys from punching through their songs with a professional edge and enthusiasm, which inspires a good chunk to the audience to create some questionable interpretative dance moves. It’s a demonstration of how much they really just love to play music, share their songs with the audience and create a floating vibe obviously born of countless jam sessions.

Playing predominantly from their new album Outlands, they blend the dreamy slowness of songs like “Girls” and “Granite city”, with others like “Steam” and “Lonely in your arms” kicking a more upbeat tempo. If you

put Supergrass, the Kinks and the Beachboys in a blender you might get close to an idea of the sound, and it comes up trumps in a live setting.

After also squeezing in old favourite “Keep on walking”, an outstanding cover of Chemical Brother’s “Let forever be” demonstrates the reach of their talent, and shows how a live band can transform into a cult dance classic into their own live set lovechild.

VERDICT: Great set by a band who inject upbeat fun into their performance.

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6 | Entertainment

2 - 8 October 2012

From the Whitlams to right now: tracing the journey with Tim Freedman n

In town for an intimate solo show at the Union Chapel, Tim Freedman takes time out with GEORGE KATRALIS to talk schooners of scotch at the Sandringham, and the remarkable career that has followed.

It is those significant events of your life that stick strongest in your memory.

That first kiss. A special birthday.

Your last day of school. For some (like myself) this list will include your first over 18’s gig.

For me, I was lucky enough to see a band as synonymous to Sydney’s Inner West as vintage fashion, the Enmore Theatre or the 24-hour Oporto. None other than a band topping the list of Australian greats: The Whitlams.

Their humble beginnings can be traced back to Saturday afternoon acoustic sessions at the now iconic

Sandringham Hotel – playing to that mixed early 90’s crowd of grunge heads riding off the back of the Nirvana fandom, alongside the regular pub-dwelling Newtown drunkards.

It was in this mix that the Whitlams, then a three piece band consisting of founding members Tim Freedman, Stevie Plunder and Andy Lewis, took to the rather dimly lit stage.

As Tim Freedman tells Australian Times: “We turned up on the scene with no drums, three part harmonies and schooners of scotch.”

Enough at least to take the first steps on a 20 year career that has seen Tim produce six Whitlams studio albums, one new (and his first) solo album, receive countless Aria awards and gain recognition as one of Australia’s best and most talented songwriters.

When asked about those early days with the band, and the subsequent rise up to fame, Tim recalls: “From the start we were different.

We did residencies and put in the hours. It was an old fashioned apprenticeship.

Just before addiction takes hold is a golden minute.”

A concept which in this day and age of get famous quick shows like X-Factor and Idol may seem foreign to many in the music industry. For the Whitlams, there was no such shortcut to the top.

Not long after enjoying their first bit of radio success with their 1996 song “I make hamburgers”, founding member Stevie Plunder was found dead on Australia Day from what was believed to be an act of suicide.

After a few months break and a new member’s recruitment drive, the band released their most successful album to date, Eternal Nightcap, only to have to say goodbye a few years later to another founding member in Andy Lewis. His struggle with a gambling addiction in the months leading up to his death are well documented

by Tim in one of The Whitlams greatest hits “Blow Up the Pokies”.

These dramatic changes in lineage from the time of the bands inception until now has required Tim Freedman to become the ‘face’ and driving force behind the Whitlams as leader, sole songwriter and vocalist.

When asked whether he felt this made the band less of a collaborative effort and more a Tim Freedman project under the moniker of ‘the Whitlams’, Tim replied: “Every line up has its weaknesses and strengths. The original lads were great black stump musicians who could pick harmonies out of the air and give you confidence in a song before it was completely finished. The lads from the last decade have chops and turn up on time. I may have to work on the harmonies a bit more but it sure is nice knowing we’re not going to miss the plane.”

Fast forward 20 years and six albums later, and Tim has decided it’s time to give The Whitlams songs a rest. “They needed it” he laughs. The result – his first solo album, Australian Idle, he calls “self-consciously 70’s”. A piano driven pop record that regular

readers will know I have relished listening to.

The songs don’t seem to stray too far lyrically from the sensibilities and rhyming couplets known well to Whitlams fans, but musically this solo effort takes a different turn. Moving away from the recent guitar folk and jazz cellar sounds heard brilliantly on songs like “Buy Now Pay Later” or “You Sound like Louis Burdett”, Australian Idle sees Tim take a step back in time to revisit the piano movements of earlier years.

Tim first went solo in 2005 with an intimate acoustic show at the Basement in Sydney, recapping all of his Whitlams classics in one sitting for a small but fortunate crowd.

“It was a revelation because I realised that playing the songs as they started, at the piano with a single voice, was just as effective as giving them the heft of a full band. With the solo shows I hope it’s like you’ve walked in on someone singing in their bedroom.

I do short version of songs and limit the repetition.”

Now it is 2012, and Tim is going solo again, this time at the Union Chapel in London – a town Tim is very excited to come back too.

“I’ve given up trying to be a world wide artist, but I can play in London and know there will be a good crowd . I have relatives in London, my father was born in Finchley.

Like many good republicans I remain an anglophile.”

So what can we expect from the man who has brought us so many classic Australian songs and represented us so well to a world audience?

“I may pile on the couplets.”

And that’s good enough for me.

Tim Freedman will play his solo show ‘Fireside Chat’ at the Union Chapel on Friday 5 October 2012.

Check out the Australian Times website to see our full interview with Tim Freedman.

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Entertainment | 7

AustralianTimes.co.uk

What we’re following It’s Q&A Time Dr Karl @DoctorKarl Why do we get scars? @RhysMPope Because we have quicker healing mechanisms than do reptiles.

What is causing this pain on the left side of my chest when I breathe in deeply? @Pringles_ Can Too many potential diagnoses. See your GP.

London woke up on Saturday to Aussie footy fans celebrating the AFL Grand Final thriller

n

From start to finish, the Swans v Hawks AFL Grand Final was an edge of your seat, fiercely fought contest. At celebrations around town, revellers gathered in the early hours of the morning to take their place before the big screens. As the two teams battled it out on the pitch, the crowds at Temple Walkabout and Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes fought their own battle between exhaustion and enthusiasm. The crescendo of competing screams of rival supporters as the final siren edged closer demonstrated that, in the end, this was one game worth getting up for.

Can drinking eight glasses of milk in three minutes kill you? @HeyTazz Not impossible.

Why can’t I teach my cat to speak English ? @Suzydude69 1)Cat has inadequate brain mass and wiring 2)Cat has anatomically wrong larynx.

How many meters would global sea levels rise if all polar ice were to melt? @aronposen Antarctic + Greenland Ice melt > ~ 70 metre rise Why does sunlight sometimes make me sneeze? @nickyclark4 Check out Photic Reflex in wiki.

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

What’s On Temper Trap 4 October @ Hammersmith Apollo Tame Impala 30 October @ O2 Academy, Brixton Julia Stone 5 November @ Scala, Kings Cross Gotye 12 November @ Hammersmith Apollo Ladyhawke 14 November @ London Forum Parkway Drive 17 November @ The Roundhouse The Cat Empire 10 December @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire Tommy Emmanuel 16 March @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire

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Check out the full photo gallery on the website or go to Facebook.com/ AustralianTimes to tag yourself and your friends.

Pam Ann 28-29 March @ Hammersmith Apollo

For full details...

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

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travel Jungle Fever

8 | Travel

2 - 8 October 2012

n

Far away from the grey gloom and urban sprawl of wintery London is an island of soaring old-world rainforest, chattering monkeys and diverse wildlife. MELISSA SHORTAL discovers the hidden secrets of Sabah, Borneo and comes face to face with an Orang-utan. tting This week we’re pu

Borneo on the map

As an Australian living in London, there is one benefit in living 10,000 miles away from your family and friends. The benefit being that sometimes they are forced to come meet you for holidays at any one of many amazing destinations situated between London and Melbourne.

This halfway point was for me most recently, Sabah, located in the Malaysian part of Borneo. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and the largest in maritime Southeast Asia. The island itself is actually divided among 3 different countries – Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei (the geographer in me loves these fun facts).

Up close and personal After reuniting with my family, we headed off to our first stop – the Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley Conservation Area.

Having been warned in advance the drive from the airport to the Lodge was going to be about two and a half hours, I still wasn’t quite prepared for just how remote and disconnected we were about to be.

After about 45 minutes of driving through thick jungle, on a dirt track, with no other sign of life to be seen, I felt compelled to ask the driver the important question – was there going to be mobile phone reception.

Happily and rather oddly, the

answer from the driver was “it’s an eco lodge, no phone reception.

But we have wifi and accept credit card!” Although wifi and credit card facilities seem the antithesis of an “eco-lodge” I was nonetheless relived that we weren’t going to be totally cut off from civilization as we drove further and further away from it.

On arriving at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge the view is immediately breathtaking. The communal area looks out over the Danum River and beautiful un-spoilt primary rainforest canopy reaching up to over 30 meters tall. The entire Danum Valley Conservation Area is a primary rainforest, which means it has never been logged before and is completely untouched. The Lodge is staffed with Sabah locals who are incredibly friendly, helpful and keen to share their knowledge with visitors to their beautiful part of the world.

Meeting our guide Fred soon after arrival, we are given the full history of the lodge and, more importantly, what we need to wear for our impending series of jungle treks. Aka – appropriate trekking attire. It quickly becomes clear both my sister and I have come woefully unprepared. What we should have is long trousers, walking boots, neutral coloured clothes and leech socks (yes, you heard me right). The best my suitcase offers is yoga leggings and old trainers. My sister had the trekking trousers covered, but in the end her old pair of plimsoles didn’t fare well in the mud of the jungle.

Jungle treks are an amazing way to get up close and personal with the wildlife, and we were lucky enough to come across an orang-utan on our first one in. A large and intimidating looking male the guides nicknamed Abu, a close-up experience with one in the wild is a unique and an amazing occurrence. However, it seems at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, it is almost a daily event, as Abu had chosen to live right next to the lodge and was clearly very comfortable around people.

In the lap of eco-luxury

At Borneo Rainforest Lodge every long trek is followed by a wellearned meal. Considering the lodge is about a three hour drive from the nearest shop, the quality of the food was an unexpected surprise.

Likewise, the rooms are simplistic but beautifully done. There is no TV or air-conditioning (not surprising given the entire lodge runs off a diesel generator), but the stunning view out over the river and rainforest more than makes up for it. Particularly when being viewed from the hot-tub on the balcony.

Borneo Rainforest Lodge also has a canopy walkway laying title to the largest jungle canopy walkway in Borneo. Although not recommended to anyone with a fear of heights – it’s over 30 meters off the ground - it’s another amazing way to immerse yourself in the forest and see the

Travel | 9

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Monkey-ing around

are very distinctive looking, reddishbrown with a nose like an elephant’s trunk. Known as the bekantan in Malay, they are extremely common to this area of Borneo, and unlike any monkey I had seen before.

The river cruises available at Sukau Lodge were another great way to see Continued on p10..

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After three beautiful days in the Danum Valley it was on to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. This involved another long, bumpy four hour drive out of the Danum Valley, until we reached a pier to board the little boat which would take us to Sukau. The experience at Sukau differed to the Lodge at Danum Valley, with a focus on activities and wildlife spotting using the adjacent river.

Though Sukau Lodge has recently been frequented by Sir David Attenborough while filming documentaries about Borneo, truthfully I had been spoilt by the stunning beauty of the Danum Valley.

Sukau is not a primary rainforest area for a start. The area has been logged in the past for palm plantations, and whilst the jungle has now been replanted, it’s more of a lower level bush type jungle than the tall canopies of the Danum.

Similarly, Sukau Lodge was quite basic in terms of accommodation and food in comparison, but it did the job for the few days we were there.

One advantage of Sukau not available in the Danum Valley is the Proboscis monkeys. These monkeys

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wildlife that live at this height, the birds.

Another day, another trek. This one through a burial ground and up to a waterfall. A trek which involved climbing a small mountain – a fact our guide didn’t acquaint us with until we set out. The view from the top of this mountain was however worth the effort – you can see out over the entire Danum Valley and the Lodge.

Stopping on the way back down the mountain in a waterfall pool which appeared like an oasis was another refreshing way to counter the climb.

That is, until you get in and encounter the extremely aggressive little fish who live in the pool. Although Fred tried to sell the fish to us as a ‘fish pedicure’, frankly they were just downright uncomfortable so the swim didn’t last too long!

Our epic trek in the morning was followed by a relaxing tubing trip down the river in the late afternoon.

The only downside, getting to the starting point involved another 20 minute trek through the very muddy jungle with your tube, life jacket and helmet. All this in flip-flops whilst trying really hard to avoid getting bitten by a leech.

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10 | Travel

2 - 8 October 2012

It’s not all hard work After 5 days of activity we headed to the Nexus resort in Kota Kintabalu for some much needed R&R. As well as sunshine, swimming and generally relaxing, we also visited the epic buffet at the Shangri-La Rasa to indulge in all the delicacies of the local area. Although it was great to relax, read some good books and not have to wake up at 5am for a morning trek, after a day or so I was missing the activity and adventure. Who knows, my next holiday might even involve more trekking – but this time, I’ll make sure to pack the leech socks.

lots of different types of monkeys, birds, and even a crocodile. Though the Lodge claimed they had seen elephants “just a few weeks ago”

(decidedly vague timing in my view) sadly we didn’t spot any during our time there.

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Encounters Travel: Thailand Jungles & Beaches Tour - £100 off Encounters Travel is offering £100 off its 10-night Jungles & Beaches tours for those tours leaving 14 and 28 October or 14 November, now only £685 per person.

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Travel | 11

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Bruges

on the map

In Bruges n

Far from being the stuff of Colin Farrell’s nightmares, Clare BoydMaccrae discovers a fairytale city of calm and charm in medieval Bruges, Brussels.

“It’s a shithole” pronounced Colin Farrell’s Irish gangster character in the black comedy In Bruges. And of course everybody who saw the film wanted to head there straight away – it must have done wonders for the Belgian tourist trade.

Is Bruges one of the most romantic towns on earth? Quite possibly. That’s how it feels to me anyway. Halfway

through a seven-week overseas trip and this is the first place we have been on our own. We have had an absolute ball staying with friends and family, but now it is lovely to just be us in a picture postcard town.

Bruges comes across as an apparently unspoiled and benign place. Where are the police, the groups of surly young guys lounging threateningly on street corners, the beggars, the graffiti, the road rage, and the pushy shop owners?

If there is a dark underbelly to Belgian society, it’s not obvious in central Bruges. Never have I felt safer and less pressured and I am happy to simply revel quietly in a calm and charming visitors’ paradise.

I have a series of photos in my camera: bed in Bruges - our king size bed piled with gleaming white linen and multiple pillows with me sitting

there in a robe thoughtfully provided by our guesthouse; beer in Bruges – grinning over a brimming goblet of Belgian beer (we are told there are 1130 varieties); bubbly in Bruges – looking pensively out of the window out onto our walled garden, holding a glass of champagne that was waiting for us on arrival.

And breakfast in Bruges: every day is a feast of freshly squeezed orange juice, a slim glass of yoghurt with fresh fruit and nuts, bruschetta topped with cheese and herbs freshly picked from the garden, omelette garnished with edible nasturtiums, and tiny, plump, round pancakes soaked in mandarin liqueur. Topped off with tea and coffee.

Our bed and breakfast in Bruges features in its own fair share of photos too. It is a 15th century home that has altered remarkably little in the intervening centuries, and boatloads of tourists pass by on the canal that borders the garden taking pictures for their albums. The bedroom windows have leaded panes of glass with intricate medieval glass pictures of scenes from the life of Christ. Backing onto the Church of our Lady, a main landmark in the old city, it is also easy to work your way back too after getting lost in the towns winding cobbled streets. Our host is an artist who adores his city and has little trouble infusing us with his passion.

From our room, apart from the occasional tourist boat passing, all we can hear are church bells and the clipclip of hooves on cobble stones as other tourists’ pass by in their horse and cart.

For three days we do little but walk and walk, drinking in the cobbled streets, the canals, the street markets and the historic buildings. There are barely any modern buildings in the central part of Bruges. The medieval bricks they are built of are tiny and all the soft shades of cream and rose that remind me of Federation Square back home. We stop for hot chocolate and complimentary Florentines, and while away the hours watching the swans glide by.

Bruges is full of wonders, and

peace. Colin Farrell’s verdict notwithstanding, I’d have to agree with the Brendan Gleeson character in the movie – for this traveller at least, it’s like a fairy tale.

For more of Clare’s musings on Europe see Clareboyd-macrae.com.

Images by WilliamDB

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12 | Jobs & Money

2 - 8 October 2012

Dollar Review

Aussie recovers after Spanish jitters

THE Australian Dollar started trading on Monday at similar levels to the previous week however it weakened against its major counterparts in early Asian session as economic data from Japan, Australia and China raised pessimism about the outlook for global economic growth.

The Aussie was weak on Wednesday as a surge in Spain’s borrowing costs was met with protests against the country’s austerity measures. The markets reflected the nervousness surrounding the Spanish situation ahead of the release of the country’s 2013 budget outline on Thursday, citing further spending cuts.

The Australian currency finished the week stronger though, following Spain’s budget announcement which ultimately buoyed the markets, if not the protesters, along with positive new steps taken by Greece.

The Australian Dollar further appreciated against the US currency as speculation that the Chinese government would announce

measures to bolster the country’s equity markets encouraged recovery.

This week will see the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia meet on Tuesday with the financial markets pricing in a near 70 per cent likelihood of a one-quarter of a percentage point interest rate cut.

AUS/ GBP: AUS/ EURO: AUS/ USD: AUS/ JPY:

0.644026 0.809488 1.045446 81.189299

Exchange rates as of 28 September 2012

Composed by Trevor Brewer 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.

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an astute aussie in london

> SEPI ROSHAN

One things Aussies like is a good conversation. We are a curious bunch. We love to ask questions and find out about others. But there is an art to asking questions that goes beyond just the words we say.

Sometimes questions can sound like an interrogation rather than an act of curiosity.

Questions help us find things out and clarify what we may not have quite understood. They can help us see situations in a new light and help us resolve issues. In coaching and development, questions are used to identify issues and solutions.

In everyday life, questions help us get what we want. A classic is, “where are the toilets?” The question identifies the problem, a need for a bathroom – the answer, the solution. There is no such thing a dumb question, but there is such thing as an ineffective question.

So what can you do to make sure you are asking question in the right way? What can you do to help the person on the receiving end not mistake you for the secret service?

You can rely on your voice.

Tone of voice is very powerful and tonality seems to have a universal pattern. For example, when you increase the pitch of your voice up at the end of a sentence, it is usually perceived as a question. Try it. However, if you keep your voice flat, you are perceived as making a statement. If you lower the pitch of your voice at the end of a statement, it comes across as an order. The increasing and decreasing of your pitch is called inflection. It is the difference between “can you tell me more?” (curiosity) and “can you

tell me more!” (an order).

When you ask a question, you need to ensure that speaker feels supported and safe to answer it.

Since they cannot read your mind, your intended meaning may not be coming across and the response might seem confusing.

“there is an art to asking questions that goes beyond just the words we say” For example, take a simple question such as “when are you heading to lunch?” Now repeat this question in the following ways.

Each time you say it out aloud, reflect on its effect.

• Bored • Angry • Excited • Curious

Did you notice how each feeling resulted in a different tone of voice? In fact, you probably found yourself unconsciously emphasising different words in different ways to match the mood. This is the power your mind and body have over your communication.

Whether you are asking when that report will be on your desk or what someone is doing over the weekend, be mindful of how you ask the question.

It’s not always the words you say, or your intended curiosity that comes across. If your mind is asking one thing and your voice saying something else, the receiver of the question might be confused. Match your voice with your intention and you will get an answer that will be the start of a great conversation.

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Jobs & Money | 13

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Going Home n

Time to go home: Help, where do I start?

If you too are about to make a break for the Lucky Country, here’s a few expert tips to help make the task a little less daunting.

By Suzanne Gavrilovic THREE years ago my husband was offered the opportunity to work on the Olympic Games in London, running the handball competition. It was too good an opportunity to miss, so we jumped at the chance to live and work overseas. Although we’ve loved our time here, it’s now time to pack our backs and head back home to Australia.

Having worked in migrant banking for the Commonwealth Bank in London over the past three years, I’ve been intimately involved in helping others move to Australia. It’s a great service, assisting people in sending their money Down Under to help them start their new lives, and I have loved being a part of the London team. Thanks to the job, I have a great network of all the best companies out there to help with every aspect of the transition.

Now it’s my turn to make the move.

If you too are about to make a break for the Lucky Country, here’s a few tips to make the task a little less daunting.

Packing up and shipping out

Wayne 07768 393630 | info@carsaustralia.co.uk

Fortescue expands capacity at Christmas Creek iron ore mine FORTESCUE Metals Group has commissioned a second ore processing facility at its Christmas Creek iron ore mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Fortescue said the processing facility will enable the mine to lift its production to 115 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).

The completion of the processing facility comes a week after Fortescue began operating its second train unloader in Port Hedland.

Fortescue chief executive officer Nev Power said his company has constructed two ore processing facilities and the infrastructure that goes with it since March 2010.

“This is another example of Fortescue’s progress towards 115 mtpa by the end of the March quarter 2013,” he said.

Fortescue said other infrastructure projects underway at Christmas Creek include doubling capacity of the operations village, the construction of a remote crushing hub and a 6.3km overland conveyor.

There will also be a new airstrip and the power plant is being expanded.

Earlier on Monday, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it had affirmed its BB-minus corporate

When my partner and I first came over, we didn’t bring that much with us. You accumulate while you are here though, don’t you.. I’ve just shipped 50 – yes, 50! – chockfull boxes, plus a Pashley Princess bicycle. Oh, and my beloved Mini Cooper S. As we all know, many times in life it is not what you know, but who you know. CommBank and Anglo Pacific have worked together for many years and as a result I know them very well. I went straight to them for help with the shipping. It

was far easier than I expected and not nearly as expensive as I’d assumed.

Sure, there’s a bit of paperwork, but most of this is for insurance and customs and necessary to ensure it all arrives back in Oz safe and sound.

The tricky bit was getting an import approval for the car from the Federal Office of Road and Safety in Canberra.

Pulling all the documents together for this took quite a while and it takes several weeks for them to come back.

So if you have a car that you just can’t let go of, get on to this early.

Itemising what you are going to ship can be time-consuming, but well worth the effort if you want your goods to be insured while they are travelling. The only down-side – your husband may finally learn just how many pairs of shoes you actually own. Compiling the final list from lists sitting on piles of clothes all over the flat, he had to ask, “Do you really have 10 pairs of jeans?” It would appear so.

Putting a value on things was difficult, so the list with suggested values that the shipping company provided us in order to complete the itemisation was extremely helpful.

Cancel that

You will probably have more ties to Blighty that need to be cut than you think. I use internet banking for everything so I just looked up all my direct debits and standing orders. This gave me a comprehensive list of all the things to cancel: council tax, utilities, gym, English Heritage membership, car insurance, telephone and internet.

Bank on it

I’ve left my UK bank account open for last minute squaring up of accounts.

Check with your bank that it is okay to close it by letter from Australia.

With an FX transfer facility set up with the Commonwealth Bank’s London office, I can direct any unexpected payments (like a future tax refund

Suzanne and the Commonwealth Bank team in London. cheque, don’t forget to file for that as well) to my Transfer Account. When I want the money to be transferred to Australia, I just have to give the London CommBank office a call on their toll free number or send them an email. After three years of managing the team, I know how good they are at customer service and I’m confident my money will end up where I want it to be.

Homeward bound

And so it’s time to quite literally close the door on your London life.

We agreed with our landlord a date and time to exit our apartment. You will want to leave not too long after your belongings – it can be a bit bare. We are also spending our last night in a hotel which will make us finish the job in time enough for us to actually enjoy our final day in London.

So, the bags are packed, our boxes and Mini are taking a cruise, and we will be setting off for home at the end of the week. Bye Britain, it’s been a blast. And g’day Australia … jeez we’ve missed you.

To find out more about how the Commonwealth Bank here in London can help with your move, email commbankuk@cba.com.au or call 020 7710 3990.

To get a free quote on your shipping needs, go to AngloPacific.co.uk or call 0800 633 54 45

Moving checklist 3 months out

• Organise a quote for shipping your goods.

• If you are taking a car, put your import approval application together. You must have owned the car for at least 12 months to be eligible to take it home.

• Let your landlord know of your intended exit date.

credit rating on Fortescue Metals with a negative rating outlook.

The ratings agency also lowered the issue rating on Fortescue’s unsecured debt to B-plus.

S&P has now removed Fortescue’s credit ratings from CreditWatch with negative implications, where they were placed on September 12, 2012.

“Fortescue has removed the financial covenants that had been expected to come under pressure, particularly if iron ore prices had remained low,” the ratings agency said.

“The downgrade on the senior unsecured debt reflects the prior ranking of the senior secured debt in our recovery analysis.” - AAP

2 months out

• Send off your car import approval application.

• Complete the application form for an FX transaction account and Commonwealth Bank account in Australia.

• Book your flights home. I’m glad I maintained my Qantas Frequent Flyer membership.

• Get a Lebara SIM card from CommBank so you have a working Australian phone number when you land.

1 month out

• Cancel any subscriptions, phone plans, telephone and internet access, utilities, council tax, gym membership and the like.

• Book accommodation for your last few nights in London and organise a time to hand over your flat to the landlord or agent.

• Organise a going away party (of course!).

• Send some money over to your CommBank account in Australia so you can hit the ground running when you get home.

14 | Sport

2 - 8 October 2012

Wallabies must call on pride for Pumas THE Continued from p16...

lung.

Utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper flew home to Sydney after being knocked out cold in the match.

Back-rower Radike Samo (shoulder) and winger Digby Ioane (knee) travelled with the team but are also in some doubt.

Queensland Reds back Luke Morahan and Melbourne Rebels lock Cadeyrn Neville will join the squad for the Rosario Test in central Argentina, although Morahan could be delayed with visa issues, with Neville’s processed when he was initially with the Wallabies squad.

Polota-Nau was unable to turn his head the day after the game due to neck and back soreness but believed he would recover in time to take on the Pumas, who will be looking to rebound from a 54-15 loss to New Zealand.

The NSW rake said the way his teammates never gave up when they were down on numbers and a hiding was in the offing was an inspiration.

“What inspires me to play alongside those guys is just the character they showed for the whole 80 minutes,” he said.

“It would have been easy to give up a cricket score really but the guys hung in there which was great to see.”

He said they will need to call on that pride and courage in Argentina.

“There’s nothing more honourable than to put the gold jersey on,” PolotaNau said.

“We’ve said that from the start and it’s shown what pride we have in that gold jersey.”

Australia were forced to come from behind to post 23-19 win over Argentina in their Test on the Gold Coast and Polota-Nau said beating the proud Pumas on their home turf was a massive challenge.

“Getting some feedback from the Boks, who’ve already played there, they’re really passionate and in particular the crowd.

“They’ll be coming out to get their first win of the championship and make a statement that they belong.”

The 27-year-old, who has 39 caps, didn’t believe there were any issues with the Wallabies’ injury management or training loads despite the list of injured players climbing to over two dozen.

“It’s definitely just bad luck. You can’t fault the medical staff. They’re working their butts off day in and out.

“You can’t fault the injury management.”

While the pressure continues to mount on coach Robbie Deans, he still has the support of ARU boss John O’Neill, at least until the end of the year.

While the injury toll may cruel Australia’s chances on the field, it could actually save his job.

Green and gold in ‘Claret and Blue’ Aussie Brett Holman on Aston Villa

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Following last season’s disappointment under Alex Mcleish, Aston Villa are looking to turn a corner in 2012/13 with an injection of talent from Down Under. At 28 years of age - Brett Holman leads the Aussie charge - joining the club from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. The attacking midfielder talks to JONATHAN WALDHEIM about his ambitions for the season, life away from Australia and playing for the Socceroos.

Brett, you spent a long time in the Dutch league – how excited were you to join the English Premier League and to play in Britain?

Playing in the Premier League is something that has been a dream for me since watching it as a kid back home at a young age. It’s finally come around and I’m just buzzing.

RUBDOWN

Epic finale

By Will Denton

The word ‘epic’ gets thrown around a lot these days. Usually by some pasty teenager describing the last 40 hours of gameplay on Skyrim – an action roleplaying open world video game.

That being said, there is no other word that best fits when describing the AFL crescendo last Saturday afternoon (or early morning for us UK based devotees), as this single game of footy highlighted why there are infinite minions devoted to it.

If you’ve been living under a Cortina for a few days, here’s a bit of a spoiler alert: the Swans won. But it’s how they did it, and what happened between the first and final sirens, that is most impressive.

Even during the mad hysteria and hype of Grand Final week, the Swans kept a lid on things. They had just knocked off the Pies, yet unbelievably not many so-called ‘experts’ gave them a shot. It was all about the Hawks, and how it would probably be a close game, but that the brown and gold would rise above to claim glory.

Funny thing is, they were very nearly right. However, like they do every year

with the Swans, they forgot one thing.

And that is the Swans have intestinal fortitude like no other side in the comp.

Don’t get me wrong; this amazing end to the season could’ve gone either way. ‘If only’ Buddy kicked one more goal. ‘If only’ Ryan Schoenmakers could play footy. ‘If only’ Cyril could run as fast as Lewis Jetta.

The ‘if only’s’ are endless, but as much as this will haunt Clarko’s men forever, there is an equal measure of ecstasy, untouchability and for a little while, immortality, for the Swans.

Even the fact that Adam Goodes ‘ leg was basically superglued back on so he could play out the game didn’t matter. It wasn’t until he went up to get his medal that he noticed the said leg had fallen off sometime during the celebration.

It was a superhuman effort, and you couldn’t say there wasn’t a Swans player that didn’t contribute.

Unfortunately for the highly fancied Hawks, many players got stage fright just when it mattered most. The Hawks were good, however it’s just that the Swans were great. This should’ve come as no surprise. Now it’s officially something to cheer about.

Taggers gearing up for late autumn competitions

What are your aims for the next year?

As long as I’m performing and giving it everything and pushing for that starting XI spot, I’m happy.

When did you get here and what are your thoughts on life in Birmingham?

I got here just over two months ago, and it’s been good. Everybody has helped me out here, there’s a great group of lads here and everybody around the club has helped not only me settle in but my family as well. It’s been a really great first couple of months. If you need a hand with anything you just have to say and people will help you out. It says a lot about this club.

Aston Villa have started over this year. Do you feel that with the players you have around you, a top 10 finish is a realistic goal?

If you look at this squad and the quality players we have, we’re capable of playing some really good attacking football. I think we’ve shown that we can have a good year with the quality that we have.

What do you think of the Socceroo’s chance of qualifying for the next World Cup?

I experienced one World Cup and it was a great experience. To achieve that again would be fantastic. It’s not too bad a group, I think qualification is doable. Japan is probably the strongest team in the group other than ourselves so we’ll have to get stuck in. The away games are tough considering the climate, especially in the Middle Eastern countries, but you just have to get on with it and do it.

Fellow Aussie Chris Herd is at Villa as well - do you know each other at all?

I hadn’t met him before linking up with the squad. I think he was picked a couple of times but he never actually joined up with the Australian squad so I’d never met him. He’s a good young player, I’m sure he’ll do well in the future for Australia and for this club.

He works hard and he could have a really good season this year.

You were signed by legend Louis van Gaal at AZ - how has he influenced your game?

He was great, he’s a fantastic coach and you can see that he’s one of the top coaches in Europe. He made me a better player in pretty much every way,

and I’m very grateful to him for taking me to AZ and for improving my game.

What do you miss most about Holland?

I think there are different things about the culture that you pick up, the types of food and the way they do things – they have French fries with mayonnaise and stuff like that. You can usually adapt and adjust pretty easily to a new place. I think England is pretty similar to Holland as well.

What do you miss most about Australia?

Obviously you miss your family. I still have really good contact with my mum and dad. My dad watches a lot of the games though they’re on pretty early in the morning, he keeps tabs on what I’m doing. You have Skype and that kind of thing so they can see their grandkids, the way technology has moved on is fantastic. It’s difficult because they’re on the other side of the world but with all the things you can do nowadays it’s not too bad.

Thanks for talking to us Brett and good luck with season ahead!

by Phillip Browne Winter coats are being dusted off and central heating begrudgingly tested, but the sun is still shining and there is still more Tag Rugby to be played before the year is out.

Try Tag Rugby’s Late Autumn season will be the last competitions of 2012, with the first Late Autumn competition kicking off on 24 October.

After the Late Autumn season, all Tag Rugby in the capital takes a short break over winter (December and part of January off), so this will be the last chance for your teams to get amongst the action for 2012!

Late Autumn season competitions will take place at the following venues: Acton, Balham, Barnes, Bermondsey, Borough, Rotherhithe, Shoreditch Park & Tooting Bec. Meanwhile, the Wasps Tag Rugby Festival – to be held at Twyford Avenue Sports Ground in Acton on Saturday 13 October – is Try Tag Rugby’s last one day festival of the year for weekly teams. Taking place at the state of the art training venue

London Australia in action! of the London Wasps, this will be the last chance to play on grass before most Late Autumn venues switch to 3G/Astroturf surfaces.

In other news, the popular Try Tag Rugby International Cup tournament is back in Acton on Saturday 3 November. This is a chance to represent your nation with London Australia claiming glory in the Mixed A grade and Men’s divisions at the last International Cup tournament in June. The Aussies are looking to defend their titles and to add the Mixed Social title to their collection, previously won by London Ireland.

If you would like to get involved in one of the fastest growing sports in London, registrations for new teams and individuals are currently 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 Trytagrugby.com or email info@ trytagrugby.com for more details.

Sport | 15

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Watto tops T20 runs and wickets lists Continued from p16...

cape under his cricket clothes.

Australia restricted the No.1ranked Proteas to 5-146 and reached 2-147 with 14 deliveries to spare to maintain their unbeaten record in the tournament.

Watson hit 70 off 47 deliveries and took 2-29. Left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty was the other big success story of the night for Australia with 3-20 after opening the bowling in his first game of the tournament.

If Pakistan beat Australia on Tuesday and India defeat South

Africa, it would leave the Proteas with a 0-3 record in the Super Eights and the other three teams in Group Two on 2-1.

However Australia’s current run-rate of +1.72 compared to the other three sides at -0.426 or worse should get Bailey’s men to the semi-finals.

Australia’s batsmen will face the two most successful spinners in T20 International history on Tuesday Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal.

Australia’s 2-1 T20 series loss to Pakistan earlier this month in Dubai included mystery spinner Ajmal claiming six wickets at an

average of 8.66.

“I don’t know if you can decode him,” Bailey said.

“We’ve got some thoughts and we’ve got some ideas. But if he comes out and bowls unbelievably then it’s going to be a real challenge.”

Watson was on top of the tournament’s scoring and wickettaking lists after Sunday’s games with 234 runs at 78.00 and 10 victims at 11.80.

“I’m running out of ways to describe his performances but it’s been so consistent and consistently awesome,” Bailey said.

“Tonight was the most impressive because they did bowl well at the start and he didn’t lose his head. He really constructed his innings.

“The way Xavier bowled at the start I thought he might have pipped Watto for man of the match but when he comes out and bats the way he does you can’t keep him out of the game.”

As ex-South Africa coach Mickey Arthur celebrated master-minding victory over his former side, Bailey said he was thrilled with Doherty’s performance after replacing medium-pacer Dan Christian.

Doherty had displayed a team-first

attitude and kept his disappointment inside after being overlooked for the first three matches, Bailey said.

Doherty’s eventful month has included rushing back to Hobart from Colombo for the birth of his daughter Scarlett. However he was stuck in transit in Singapore when she arrived.

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AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

ICC rankings system “bullsh*t” Bellamy says he’ll declares former captain Chappell stay with Storm n Ahead of Australia’s Twenty20 match with India, former Aussie cricket captain Ian Chappell talks to PAUL BLEAKLEY about the need to win this “crucial” match and Australia’s form coming into the competition.

FORMER Australian cricket captain Ian Chappell has called Australia’s upcoming match with India “crucial” to the team’s bid to secure the country’s first ICC World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka.

Australia is scheduled to play an inform Indian squad on 28 September as their first match in the ‘Super 8’ phase of the international tournament.

The match comes amidst an outbreak of gastric illness in Colombo that has affected players from a variety of competing nations.

Chappell, speaking to Australian Times on behalf of ESPNcricinfo. com’s World T20 coverage, said that there were two key problems facing the Australian cricketers in their match against India.

“There has been a lot of rain in Colombo, and that’s a major problem.

Team’s shouldn’t be going through to the next round of the competition in five over games, because that throws luck into the equation.

“Also, after seeing the pitches they looked like they would have helped quicker bowlers, but they have been slowing down which will give Australia a headache.”

Chappell, who captained Australia between 1971 and 1975, claimed that the conditions would not make a significant impact on which players’ performance would be vital to the team’s success throughout the tournament.

“The top three players will be Warner, Watson and Hussey regardless; if they are making runs then the team should

do pretty well.

“If everyone concentrates on their game, everything will be fine. You can afford to make a slip up in Test cricket and make up for it later, but one slip up can be terminal in the twenty over version of the game.”

Chappell was heavily involved in the foundation of Australian business mogul Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket competition in 1977, which in many ways pioneered the style of cricket popularised through Twenty20 tournaments in recent years.

Chappell believes that matches with restricted overs in the Twenty20 style have made a “change in approach” necessary.

“Batsmen have less time to make runs, and that’s something that players have to mentally adapt to. There has been some innovation in regards to how shots are played as well, although a good player will play good shots regardless.”

The ICC World Twenty20 competition has proven elusive for the Australian cricket team in the past, with the team’s best result a loss to England in the final of the 2010 tournament.

Chappell claims that the “lack of control” that exists in the shorter form of Twenty20 has contributed to the Australian team’s inability to win the international title.

“The nature of the World Twenty20 competition is that it’s a lottery. You can lose to less talented teams, and you don’t have as much control over the game as you do in a Test match,”

Chappell said.

“In the past we didn’t play a lot of Twenty20 cricket and that contributed to our performance, but we can’t use that excuse anymore.”

A shadow has been cast over Australia’s performance in the lead-up to the World Twenty20 tournament, with Australia slipping into tenth position in the ICC rankings directly prior to the commencement of the competition.

This ranking placed Australia below Ireland, with the country scoring their second-lowest run total of 89 in a recent Twenty20 match against Pakistan.

Chappell claims that Australian cricketers should not be paying attention to their low position in the international rankings, and should instead be focusing on playing to the best of their ability.

“I wouldn’t worry about the rankings because, to be honest, they are bullshit. Let a computer worry about the rankings, the captain should be focused on making sure the team is able to perform,” he said.

Australia will face a tough group in the Super 8 stage of the World Twenty20 tournament, with the team needing to record victories against strong contenders South Africa and India in order to progress to the semifinals of the competition.

ESPNcricinfo.com is delivering extensive World T20 coverage online via a dedicated tournament section, on mobile and via a free new iPad app.

Retirement last thing on Goodes’ mind Continued from p16... ligament in his knee he suffered early against the Hawks, said retirement was the last thing on his mind.

“The one thing I haven’t done in my career is go back to back, so I look forward to trying to do that next year,” the 32-year-old told the SCG crowd.

Goodes personified his side’s neversay-die spirit by ignoring a serious knee injury to lead the Swans to a thrilling upset AFL grand final win at the MCG on Saturday.

In a see-sawing contest, minor premiers and clear pre-game favourites Hawthorn looked set to

blow the Swans away in the first quarter and led by 12 points early in the last.

But Sydney prevailed 14.7 (91) to 11.15 (81) thanks to a brilliant sealing snap from defender Nick Malceski in front of 99,683 fans.

It was the Swans’ fifth premiership and second in seven years after their 2005 flag broke a 72-year drought.

Sydney kicked the game’s final four goals as a wayward Hawthorn managed just five behinds.

Goodes and his teammates signed autographs and mingled with supporters before retiring to the rooms.

The Swans started their Sunday

morning - or for many of the 22, continued their Saturday night with a presentation in front of about 3000 fans at Albert Park in South Melbourne.

Rhyce Shaw missed the Melbourne celebration, but successfully boarded the plane to Sydney with his teammates and made it to the SCG. Ruckman Shane Mumford was the Swans’ most colourful character donning bright green shoes, suit pants and a white dress shirt with his matchday guernsey on top.

Mumford missed the team bus to the Albert Park celebration and arrived a few minutes late.

THIS ONE’S A KEEPER: Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith greets fans with the NRL trophy after the team won the NRL Grand Final against the Bulldogs 14-4. (AAP Image/David Crosling) Continued from p16... in Melbourne following Sunday night’s 14-4 grand final win over the Bulldogs in Sydney.

And his pleasure was plain to see at completing a task many thought was beyond anyone - a first premiership triumph since the Storm had their 2007 and 2009 titles expunged for rorting the salary cap.

“The last three years have been very energy-sapping I must say, and it’s taken us a lot of hard work to get where we’re at,” Bellamy said.

“There’s been a lot of time put in, a real lot of effort, and it was particularly good to get that result last night.

“We lost half our squad, I lost all my assistant coaches. It was a lot of hard work.

“But the strong point about our club is the people we bring here usually jump on board with what we’re doing.”

Now Bellamy is facing yet another rebuild, with five Storm players involved in a victory built on superhuman defence leaving the club.

“We’re losing five guys out of that side last night - and that’s a third of

your team,” Bellamy said.

“We just seem to lose more players than any other club but we’ve got some good young guys in our system.

“We’ll see what we’ve got preseason, and go again.”

Storm officials are keen to re-sign Bellamy, who has one more year remaining on his contract, to a new long-term deal.

But Bellamy wants to enjoy the victory before he enters into any talks.

“I’ll be here next year, no doubt.

I’ve got a contract, and I won’t be breaking that contract,” Bellamy said.

“I’m not thinking about (any new deal) at the moment. I just want to enjoy this with the players.”

The Storm eventually showed off the premiership trophy to their home fans following a heavily delayed flight from Sydney and 90 minutes later than originally scheduled.

Melbourne five-eighth Gareth Widdop also had another reason to celebrate, with partner Carley giving birth to a baby girl, Harper, just hours after the grand final win.

TRY TAG INTERNATIONAL CUP London Australia look to add additional title to their sweep P14

SWANS SAVOUR GREATEST FEELING

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“That moment is something that lives in your memory forever ... it’s one of the greatest feelings you’ll ever have,” says Sydney Coach John Longmire after thrilling Grand final.

By Rob Forsaith and Roger Vaughan AFL premiers Sydney capped a whirlwind day of public celebrations with a return to their SCG home base on Sunday, where a crowd of approximately 3,500 cheered the red and white.

The sleep-deprived Swans were presented to the fans - some sitting in the stands but most on the SCG turf - as coach John Longmire thanked the faithful and spoke from the heart about what Saturday’s win over Hawthorn meant to him.

“The last game I played was a premiership and there’s nothing better than those five minutes after the final siren,” Longmire told the crowd.

“You want to bottle it. I was fortunate enough to enjoy that feeling yesterday as a coach.

“It’s as good, if not better, to be able to see that excitement on all of these blokes’ faces.

“That moment is something that lives in your memory forever .. it’s one of the greatest feelings you’ll ever have.”

Sunglasses, water and Powerade were the order of the day in Sydney, as most of the players battled the effects of some hearty celebrations.

Even Horse’s voice was a little hoarse.

“Last night I was able to sit down with a few of the coaches and have a couple of drinks and really enjoy the moment,” Longmire told reporters.

“It’s an enormous amount of hard work and you need a little bit of luck, but it’s mainly hard work.

“That’s in store for us next year, but we’ll worry about next year in another couple of weeks.”

Co-captain Adam Goodes, showing few signs of the torn posterior cruciate ...continued on p15

Storm hoist trophy they can keep

By Guy Hand MELBOURNE Coach Craig Bellamy says rebuilding an NRL team stripped bare by the salary cap scandal has been the most energy-sapping period of his career.

Bellamy and his blearyeyed players held aloft the premiership trophy on Monday in front of more than 3000 fans ...continued on p15

Wallabies need to show gold jersey pride

By Melissa Woods WALLABIES hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau says pride in the gold jumper will ensure the battered Australian troops lift for their final Rugby Championship Test against Argentina.

The Wallabies suffered a shocking injury toll in their 31-8 loss to South Africa - the worst being Berrick Barnes, who was left behind with the team doctor in Johannesburg with a punctured ...continued on p14

SWANS REIGN SUPREME The Rubdown’s epic finale | P14 CROWNED KINGS: Rhyce Shaw and Ted Richards of Sydney celebrate winning the 2012 AFL flag at the MCG. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)

Shane Watson is officially awesome

By Greg Buckle in Colombo SHANE WATSON has a foursome of World Twenty20 man-of-the-match awards and he’s officially awesome, according to his captain George Bailey.

The skipper was asked after Australia’s eight-wicket win over South Africa on Sunday night if he could confirm rumours Watson had a Superman ...continued on p15