Australian Times weekly newspaper | 4 June

4 - 10 June 2013 Issue: 466

G-G UK VISIT

DOLLAR DILEMMA

Lunch with the Governor-General

Why the RBA did what it did

ARE WE RACIST?

Does Australia have a problem?

jobs & money P13

community P5

News P2

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n Senior Liberal Malcolm Turnbull has joined Treasurer Wayne Swan in renewing calls for Australia to think again about ditching the Monarchy and becoming a republic.

FEDERAL Liberal frontbencher Malcolm Turnbull believes Australia should again consider becoming a republic after Queen Elizabeth’s reign ends.

But Mr Turnbull, the former head of the Australian Republican Movement, also says the ground needs to be prepared to ensure a strong consensus in favour of constitutional change.

He’s suggested an “interactive plebiscite” that would make full use of the informative powers of the internet, which was not available when the last referendum on a republic was held in the 1990s.

“I am not suggesting we become a cyber republic,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

“But I think that the cybersphere offers us a real potential for engagement.

“At the end of it, it will be interesting to see what people’s conclusions are.”

Mr Turnbull was speaking at the launch of a book of essays, Project Republic: Plans and Arguments for a New Australia, alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan.

Mr Swan said a modern democracy

FLYING THE COOP Brendan Cowell tackles chickens and childhood in Happy New | P8

Image by Richard Davenport

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Hanson seeks Senate spot

PAULINE Hanson wants voters to think of her as “the redhead you can trust”, but she’s risking becoming known as the redhead who couldn’t take a hint.

The Brisbane-born former fish and chip shop owner and founder of the controversial One Nation Party has stood unsuccessfully six times at state and federal elections over the past 15 years.

On Monday she announced yet another attempt at a political comeback with a tilt for a NSW Senate spot at the federal September poll.

Ms Hanson lost her bid for a NSW upper house seat at the 2011 state election.

She is rejoining the party she founded in 1997, and was chucked out of in 2002, denying her bid is financially motivated and pledging to offer an alternative to “selfish, dysfunctional and egotistical political parties”.

“Yes, I have been in prison. Yes I have been trodden on but I keep getting up,” she said when asked about her repeated attempts at a comeback.

“It tells you I don’t give up easily”.

Ms Hanson said Australia’s ...continued on p3

Australia vs England

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2 | News

4 - 10 June 2013

Let’s just admit it Australia, we’re racist

OPINION | In the wake of yet another racist incident in Australia, PAUL BLEAKLEY asks, is our jokey larrikinism masking a serious cultural problem? easy to hide the prejudicial venom that

n

Publisher: Bryce Lowry Editor: Alex Ivett Production/Design: Jackie Lampard News Editor: Paul Bleakley Business Editor: Sepi Roshan Contributors: Tim Martin, Georgia Dawes, Phillip Browne, Michelle McCue, Erin Somerville, George Katralis, Jacqui Moroney, Will Fitzgibbon, Chris Arkadieff, Bronwyn

Spencer, Daniel Shillito, Mat Lyons, Sandra Tahmasby, Tyson Yates, Amber Rose, Jennifer Perkin, Charlie Inglefield, AJ ClimpsonStewart, Thomas Jones, Alistair Davis, Will Denton, Jennifer Lawton, Chloe Westley, Bonnie Gardiner Directors: P Atherton, J Durrant N Durrant, R Phillips and A Laird

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WELCOME to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and, playing for a prize of one million dollars, we have Eddie Maguire from Collingwood. Eddie, the question is this: what is the best way to refer to Sydney Swans player Adam Goodes? Is it a) four-time all Australian player, b) dual Brownlow medallist, c) co-Chair of the Goodes O’Loughlin Foundation to empower Indigenous role models, or d) King Kong. Would you like to use a lifeline?

The controversy that has engulfed Collingwood president and former Channel 9 CEO Eddie Maguire in the last week has been perceived in a number of ways within the Australian public. Some in the community are utterly disgusted by Maguire’s careless quip, while others have thrown their undying support behind his right to free speech. Most concerning, however, is the collective shrug of the shoulders that has been the response of most Australians.

Why is there such apathy towards racism in Australian society? For a topic that is generally taboo in developed nations around the world, Australia has always had a somewhat lax approach to racial issues. Racial epithets slip from the mouths of many Australians like butter, from pre-teens to the elderly. We may claim to be a social progressive nation, however it is hard to have faith in the future when the word ‘Jew’ is a synonym for “cheap” or “cheater” in playgrounds across the country.

Australians that have lived in London, or travelled the world, know full well that we have a quite unique manner of communicating with each other. We have taken a firm stance against the evils of political correctness, blatantly flaunting our outrageousness in protest against the societal conventions that restrain our freedom of expression. If you can’t take a joke, stuff you because that is just the way it is in ‘straya.

Perhaps it is this jokey-approach to serious issues that has led Australia down the path of casual racism. It is

Your Say On: Let’s just admit it Australia, we’re racist

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Whilst its true that there are some Aussies out there who may be racist, just like any other nation, there’s also those who aren’t.

Saying you were “so ashamed to be an Australian” because of one or two situations you’ve witnessed, seems pretty ridiculous and frankly “unaustralian” of you mate. I think you should probably think before you write something like this next time and try and tarnish us all with the same brush!

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On: “AussieMite apologise to Catholic community for ‘sacrilicious’ ad AussieMite may have "apologised" but they have kept the offensive material on their Facebook page.

?

What’s your view

seeps from the mouths of the ignorant with a quick “just kidding, no need to get worked up over it.” The longer the joke goes on, however, the more ingrained in the Australian lexicon it becomes. Try telling a 14-year-old not to call hip hop music “n***** beats” because it is racist when that is what their friends call it, and they have never been told it’s wrong.

The normalisation of casual racism in Australian culture is not a recent fad. Here’s a little known fact: my last name should not even be Bleakley.

My great-grandmother changed her children’s name from the far more exotic ‘Piffero’ when they were young after they repeatedly came home from school having been bullied for being ‘wogs’ and ‘dagos’. These days the word ‘wog’ is a term that is commonly used throughout Australia, usually selfreferentially by members of the Greek and Italian community themselves. If Nick Giannopoulos can call himself ‘the Wog Boy’ why can’t we?

Ethnic communities have always gone through a cycle in Australia. First it was the Irish, then the ‘wogs’. After that came the Vietnamese, and later the Lebanese. Each time a fresh wave of immigrants reach our shores, fleeing conflict and despotism, we put them through a hazing ritual of name-calling and suspicion. Until the next group of ethnics come in, of course… That is when ‘wog’ becomes a term of endearment because, after all, they are better than the Vietnamese, right?

I was in a hostel room recently, chatting to an Italian girl that was complaining that it was difficult for her to come to Australia on a temporary working visa. Another Australian in the room piped up, saying that we would prefer more Europeans to be able to come to Australia because it was better than being swamped by Asians.

It wasn’t said with malice, or anger.

It was said in a matter-of-fact way, as if educating a foreigner about the demographic make-up of our country

The move to boycott them is growing, with a new Facebook page, Goodbye Ausiemite, growing to over 450 today.

Goodbye Aussiemite calls on Aussiemite to remove all offensive material from their Facebook page and give a genuine apology which acknowledges that the material produced was inappropriate.

FRThomas

On: Eddie McGuire sorry but won’t resign for Goodes gaffe

I think it's all a joke. Racism is not just a comment. Where are we going if you cannot say or do anything without it being called racism?

Anita

They (Eddie and the fans) were vilifying the entire race. This has been happening throughout history and has to stop now. The rot has set in at the KKK, oops, I mean the Collingwood Football Club with racism now justified by the AFL and

while unwittingly parroting a seventeen year-old quote from Pauline Hanson.

The truth is that Australia has not changed. We may go on and on about being the ‘lucky country’ and a progressive nation, but the fact is that the country has become increasingly conservative as the years have gone on. We can’t blame politics either: the last six years under a left-wing Labor government have done precious little to change the mentality of average Australians.

No, this is a trend that is occurring organically within the population itself. It is a trend where a racial jab is passed off as a joke. If they take offence? Not our problem, they shouldn’t be so soft.

I was in Australia recently, and was coming home on a bus from a night out in Surfers Paradise. A group of men got on the bus – all of whom were around 50-years-old and of Middle Eastern appearance. They chatted amongst themselves in their native language for a few minutes before a drunken bogan began to berate them for not speaking ‘Australian’. In an attempt to respond to the relentless barrage of insults, one of the men mustered up the courage to call out that “Australian is a free country, it is democratic.”

It is a sad day for ‘the lucky country’ when we have to be reminded by visitors from other countries that we were founded on the principles of equality and a ‘fair go’. In that moment, I have never been so ashamed to be an Australian.

What about the UK? See page 6 the president of the Club. They are making all the right noises but not the right actions.

I feel sorry for the players at the club being caught in the middle.

Dave

On: London’s Royal Academy of Arts to host major Australian art exhibition

I am an artist who had to withdraw from this exhibition because the National Gallery of Australia bought a fake work of mine and then put it in this show without even consulting me. All this gushing PR needs a reality check. This is Australian government art and this is why overseas people are uninterested.

Don’t support this power play by the Rick and Australian public servants!

Scott

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

News | 3

AustralianTimes.co.uk

NSW One Nation asked Pauline Hanson to return

Ordinary Aussies not interested in republic debate, says Pyne ...continued from p1 like Australia should be comfortable with having a citizen as its head of state.

“But there’s another even more important reason why now is the right time to discuss the republic question Australia’s vital place in this the Asian Century,” he added.

“With the economic and political balance now shifting to our part of the world, the idea of an Australian head of state who resides in Windsor Castle outside London seems very

becoming a republic.

“As far as I’m concerned the only referendum that counts is the referendum on 14 September on a very bad government,” Mr Abbott, a monarchist, told reporters.

Senior Liberal Christopher Pyne says the average Australian is more worried about living costs and jobs.

“You have to be in a particular kind of bubble - as Wayne Swan obviously is - if you think the public want a debate right now about the republic,” he told reporters.

“It is extraordinary that Labor is so out of touch with what working men and women want in Australia that he would think that was a high priority for any new government.” - AAP

far-fetched.”

Mr Swan proposes a two-stage process to Australia becoming a republic - a plebiscite to determine the best model to choose a head of state and their powers followed by a constitutional referendum.

“Personally, I strongly believe we should kick-start that formal process sooner rather than later,” he said.

But other senior coalition figures, including Mr Turnbull’s leader Tony Abbott, dismissed the renewed calls to set Australia on the path to

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political system had thwarted her attempts to run as an independent and she was returning to One Nation as it had remained true to the ideals upon which it was formed, including scrapping foreign aid and adopting strong protectionist policies.

“Our laws must be respected, our way of life must be respected and embraced. We have much to improve on,” Ms Hanson told reporters in Sydney.

Ms Hanson said it was time to “stamp out the influx of illegal immigrants swamping our shores” and stop the “constant attack on our Australian way of life”.

She also pointed to those who are “ripping off our welfare system at the expense of genuine and worthy people”.

She failed to win a Queensland Senate seat as a One Nation candidate at the 2001 federal election.

But Ms Hanson said members of the right-wing nationalist political

party were delighted to have her back.

Unveiling her campaign slogan as “Vote for the redhead you can trust”, she said: “This is our country and we cannot let it be destroyed by foreign ownership, by people who disrespect our way of life, culture and laws.”

NSW One Nation state director Ian Nelson said he had repeatedly asked Ms Hanson to return and now had a leader “with the X factor”.

NSW Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon said it would be disappointing if Ms Hanson’s re-emergence led to another negative debate about multiculturalism.

“The One Nation brand has often been associated with ugly politicking which might grab some headlines but has no place in the upcoming election,” Senator Rhiannon said. AAP

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4 | Exclusive Interview

4 - 10 June 2013

the Expat factor

Aussie veterans honoured on Battle of the Atlantic 70th anniversary

Extraordinary Aussies in the UK

I moved to the UK in June 2009. I was drawn to London as I wanted to travel and see Europe whilst working at the same time – luckily working in the tourism and hospitality industry is the perfect platform for this. I am the Social Catering Sales Manager at Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill. My job involves looking after all of the social events at the hotel from weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthdays, diplomatic events, and Christmas parties. I am the client’s planner/manager from the initial show round, through to being there on the day of their special event. It means some less the sociable hours and weekend work but I love what I do.

DVA Veterans with High Commissioner Mike Rann.

Image courtesy of Department of Veterans Affairs.

By Paul Bleakley

I originally came here on a two year working holiday visa. I come from a very close knit family and I had not travelled far from Australia before, with the exception of a two week holiday to Thailand. My family and friends all had bets on whether or not I would last three months. I still can’t believe it myself, but I have been here for four years now. I think my parents and family are beginning to wonder when or if I will ever go home. I guess as the saying goes time flies when you’re having fun.

I remember thinking when I moved that as a Sydney girl, London wouldn’t be that big and scary, especially as Sydney is very cosmopolitan. To my complete surprise it was three times the size and much more cosmopolitan and multicultural then I could have imagined. A highlight has been the exposure to the different cultures and people that I have been able to plan events for; from Muslim, to Asian, to Jewish weddings/events and the different religions and symbolism I have learnt and been a part of. Being able to share in peoples celebrations and getting to build a special rapport with them, is simply quite amazing.

There is a difference in the scale and size of the hospitality and tourism market between Australia and the UK, as well as the customer cultures both internal and external and the overall demand and supply in the market. I also think that the work ethic and work culture is completely different; Australians are a lot more laid back, and it’s a lot bigger and more competitive market in London. I would tell Australians in this industry to be prepared for higher client expectations and longer working hours. You have to work hard to get the business. Hopefully however the fast paced, dynamic and competitive nature of the London market will be a steppingstone to help enable me to work in other countries around the world.

If anything, the UK has beaten my expectations. I was always really excited to come abroad to live, work and travel, and the last

Elizabeth Martin

Social Catering Sales Manager, Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill four years have been an amazing roller coaster ride both personally and professionally. I have really grown up here and come to learn so much about myself. I came over with no job, no family, no friends and nowhere to live, and now I feel really at home. The advice I would give to anyone coming over is to be prepared to put yourself out of your comfort zone. Don’t arrive and move into an Aussie/Kiwi flat share, mix it up and that way you’ll meet lots more people.

The most obvious thing that I don’t always like about the UK is the weather and I know that many English friends and colleagues will agree with me! For example, leaving for work and travelling back home in the dark during the winter can be quite tough. However on the flip side when the sun is out, I’m like most of the English and hit the nearest common with my book, some drinks and my bikini.

There are so many spots across London that I love – it’s hard to choose. I guess I would have to say Camden and Portobello Markets, but most of all I love South London where I live. There are so many great bars and restaurants that my friends and I go to. One new little discovery is a place called the Jam Tree just off Clapham Common. They have a secret back room that you have to open up a bookcase to get in to and the food and service is really great too.

I do miss Australian weather, the beaches and my family and friends.

Not to mention Caramello Koalas, Twisties and Tim Tams! I try to go home at least once a year to get my Australian dose, although each time it is harder to leave the family. However, when I touch down in the UK again, I always get that same excitement I had when I first arrived four years ago. I guess it’s a sign that I’m not ready to leave here yet.

Interview by Alex Ivett

THE Australian High Commissioner to the UK, Mike Rann, laid a wreath last week in London to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. Mr Rann told attendees the Allied forces would have lost World War II had they had not achieved victory in the six yearlong naval confrontation.

Eight Australian veterans that had participated in the Battle of the Atlantic were present at the wreath-laying ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Hyde Park. Mr Rann said it was a privilege to share the occasion with men that had “helped change the path of the war and gave the next generations the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy today.”

Mr Rann said: “Without the Allies winning of the Battle of the Atlantic there could have been no D-Day, there could have been no VE Day. Without your valiant efforts we would have lost the war.

Not only freedom but civilisation would have perished. As Winston Churchill said: ‘The Battle of the Atlantic was the dominating factor all through the war. Never for one moment could we forget that everything happening elsewhere depended ultimately on its outcome’.”

Warren Snowdon, the federal Minister for Veterans Affairs, said that the Battle of the Atlantic was a pivotal moment in the Allied war effort against Nazi Germany. The veterans involved in yesterday’s ceremony, aged between 86 and 95, also participated in a service at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral followed by a march through the city.

Mr Snowdon said: “In addition the veterans will also attend Australian-led services commemorating RAN, RAAF and Merchant Navy service, including wreath-laying ceremonies at the RAF Coastal Command plaque in Westminster Abbey, the Merchant Navy Memorial at Tower Hill and on-base at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth. This visit will be one of high emotion for this group of men. They will get the chance to meet with old mates and gather with Allied friends to remember the thousands who never made it home.”

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest military campaign of World War II, with around 71 000 Allied troops killed in the struggle to protect supply routes and break through a German naval blockade designed to cripple the Allied war effort. Around 5 000 Australian were awarded the Atlantic Star for their service in the Battle of the Atlantic, with at least seven Royal Australian Navy vessels being used in some capacity during the conflict.

Although the Battle of the Atlantic lasted for the duration of World War II, last week's ceremony commemorated the climax of the conflict in which Allied forces managed to sink nearly 100 German U-boats and seriously damage Germany’s ability to restrict Allied movement in the Atlantic Ocean. The efforts of troops in the Battle of the Atlantic resulted in over one million tonnes of imported material getting through German lines to provide support to Allied forces based in the United Kingdom.

Community | 5

AustralianTimes.co.uk

WA celebrates founding with wine tasting n

The Britain-Australia Society and the Western Australian European Office will host a WA wine tasting event at the Australian High Commission to celebrate the founding day of Western Australia.

WESTERN Australia Day, previously known as Foundation Day, is celebrated on the first Monday in June and commemorates the founding of the Swan River Colony in 1829.

To mark the occasion in the UK, the Western Australian European Office are hosting a Western Australia Day Wine Tasting on Thursday 13 June.

The event has grown significantly since the inaugural Foundation Day Wine Tasting in 2010, with over 70 wines available to taste at last year’s event.

Held in the Exhibition Hall at the High Commission, the event serves to promote awareness of premium WA wine in the UK. While Western Australia produces less than 4 per cent of Australia’s wine, it accounts for 25 per cent of the total premium

wine produced in Australia.

The tasting is a unique opportunity for WA wineries seeking representation in the UK to share their wine with consumers, as well as network with other professionals in the industry.

The Western Australia Day Wine Tasting will be held at the Australian High Commission from 6.30pm-

8.30pm. RSVP to wine@wago.co.uk

by Monday 10 June. Guests must be pre-registered for the event, and tickets are £25 cash or cheque made out to the British-Australia Society, paid on the night.

Governor-General to visit UK following EU economic mission n

The Governor-General of Australia, Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, will lead an EABC economic mission to promote trade and investment between Australian and member states of the EU. The mission will be followed by a UK visit, during which the Governor-General will meet with The Queen, prominent Australians in the UK and Defence Force personnel.

In an Australian first, the GovernorGeneral of Australia, Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, is set to lead a European Australian Business Council (EABC) economic mission to the European Union.

The mission will promote closer trade and investment relations between Australian and the 27

member states of the EU, with meetings to be held in France, Belgium, Slovakia and Austria.

Members of the high-level mission include prominent Australians from various business sectors. It intends to strengthen the expansion of Australian business interests in the EU bloc, which represents a single market of 500 million consumers and Australia’s largest economic partner.

The mission will include the launch of an inaugural Australia-Europe Leadership Dialogue with EU leaders in Brussels, to bring together public and private sector leaders from Australia and Europe to discuss ways to foster closer co-operation and address global issues such as the financial crisis, energy security and trade liberalisation.

On 2 June the Governor-General will start the mission by attending a custodianship handover ceremony of Australian Indigenous artist Lena Nyadbi’s major permanent piece at the Musée du quai Branly.

The piece, painted onto the rooftop of the museum, is one of the largest artworks made by an Australian artist. At almost 700 square metres, the work is designed to be viewed from the Eiffel Tower and Google Earth users.

Following the economic mission, the Governor-General will visit London on 10-13 June as part of a

wider visit to the United Kingdom to promote Australia’s business, investment and cultural interests.

The visit will include meetings with prominent women of the United Kingdom and young Australian entrepreneurs, business representatives, musicians and Defence Force personnel living and working in London.

The Governor-General will call on Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace during her visit.

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The lunch is open to members of Australian Business and members of the community.

The Governor-General will address guests on the importance of Australia and Europe’s relationship.

For details on how to attend the business lunch on 12 June see Australianbusiness.co.uk.

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6 | UK Life

4 - 10 June 2013

Cheap eats on the go Casual racism n

From sushi to sandwiches, deep-fried chicken to Chinatown, London has an overwhelming array of ready-to-go food, for those on the run.

Surviving london > Bianca Soldani

Most Aussies take a sizeable pay cut when moving to London. It’s comforting to reason that what you lack in funds is usually made up for in the culture and excitement of the big city, not to mention having the rest of Europe on your doorstep.

Unfortunately these things do little to console a grumbling tummy when lunchtime rolls around, so finding a good feed that won’t break the bank becomes a number one priority for penny pinching Aussies in London.

What’s great about this city is that

there are plenty of chain eateries that sell cheap, ready-to-go food with a more simple and natural approach to the traditional American fast food chains. There’s no excuse for McDonald’s when Eat, Prêt and Leon are around! We’re all familiar with their toasted warps and rolls, hot soups, sandwiches and salads which make a great bite when you’re on the run. However, if your heart – like mine – only beats for Asian food, there are only so many stingily served Peking duck wraps you can handle before you start to crave something a little more authentic.

Itsu and Wasabi are the Asian chain take away alternatives at the same end of the scale. I wish I could put in a good word for their selection of sushi, but they really are shrivelled, miserable looking things compared to those big, juicy rolls we’re used to munching on back home. Plus when you add a drink and some wasabi flavoured chips, the price really starts to add up, and I often feel I’d get a better deal sitting down to yum cha for one. That said, when the itch comes in and Chinatown’s nowhere in sight, they’re the next best thing.

If you’re after something cheaper still, make a bee-line for your local supermarket or Boots which usually have a selection of pre-made sandwiches, rolls and wraps on offer.

For the ultimate bargain, you can opt for a “meal deal”; it’ll normally set you back around £5 and includes a sandwich of some description, a drink of your choice and a packet of chips or small bag of fruit.

Of course a cold sanga doesn’t

n

Is ‘casual racism’ in the UK too endemic to address, or is there a way to break the cycle?

SUBCULTURE SLEUTH > PAUL BLEAKLEY

appeal to everyone, and there is another warmer option that shouldn’t set you back too much more. London is littered with little takeaway chicken shops that sell super cheap, deep-fried low-grade chicken and chips. Everything is ultra spicy, so it’ll definitely warm your cockles, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint hearted. Who needs KFC when you’ve got a PFC (Perfect Fried Chicken), HFC (Halal Fried Chicken), Dixie Chicken, Chicken Cottage or Chicken Palace around just about every corner?

These eateries are usually very small and basic and do attract a rather suspicious clientele. However, they’re not so bad if you’re desperately hungry, need a quick lunch and have recently thrown out all respect for your health.

For more information on where to get good, cost-effective grub in London, check out my new book, “An Aussie’s Survival Guide to London”; tackling the little problems for newcomers to London. Available from talktraveltome.com.

FOR the most part, I love the British.

They are appropriately moody, have a wicked sense of humour and are refreshingly self-deprecating. There are certain occasions, however, where I just cannot get on the same page as some of my British friends and neighbours. The aftermath of the horrific attack on a soldier in Woolwich has revealed one such area: racism.

We have been inundated with media reports from Australia over the last year that has showcased the disgraceful racism that exists in some sectors of our community. Racism in Australia seems to exist despite the national policy of multiculturalism, or perhaps because of it. Whatever the case may be, it is a shameful reflection on our society.

Maybe I expected the British to be better. Perhaps I thought that the country was inherently more sophisticated in comparison to the ‘wild west’ colonial outpost of Australia. If that is what I thought, I was wrong. It seems that the British are quite comfortable with making racial judgements, letting offense slip easily from between their lips.

I want to qualify this column by saying this does not apply to the majority of British people, only a minority I have come across in my time traversing the country and speaking with people in pubs and

local stores. However, it struck me after the Woolwich attack that racism wasn’t isolated, it was endemic.

The vile protests by the English Defence League gave a face to the undercurrent of tension, but racism in the UK does not just come in the form of a heavily-tattooed geezer in a balaclava.

I was speaking with a young English woman that I know on the day of the Woolwich attack. She is highly-intelligent, hilarious and an example of everything that I find intriguing about the British. It was horrific, she said, but quite typical considering that the perpetrators were black. I was taken aback. Surely she was joking? Apparently not.

I learned a lot from that conversation: the attackers were foreign, they did not look British, if only British people were allowed in the UK then things like this wouldn’t happen. According to my otherwise brilliant friend, it isn’t racist to be proud of being English.

I do not think that the British are more racist than Australians, however there is perhaps less reluctance in the UK about vocalising those thoughts. What erupts in Australia in drunken rants on public transport is said casually in the UK, as if it was simply common knowledge.

I can saddle up my high horse all I like, spouting off against the evils of racism. The message is far more succinct though: it is time to take this sad reflection and take a second look at our own opinions. Do we perpetuate the cycle, or do we stand a chance of breaking the pattern?

Smelling the roses n

When confronted with nine days of no internet, our honeymooning nomad was forced to reassess the true value of technology.

Honeymooning Nomad > Jacqui Moroney

Thomas Watson, president of IBM during the dawn of the computer industry, foolishly stated that there was a world market for maybe five computers. Seventy years later, isn’t it amazing how much we have grown to rely on computers and the internet?

Having recently moved house we were faced with the task of having to install broadband, phone lines and TV licenses amongst setting up new gas, water and electricity accounts.

While we all have access to the internet on our personal phones, work phones, and at work, not having it at home seems to have somewhat diminished our productivity. Last Friday we actually played a game of Monopoly, with the actual board, money and pieces. Luckily, from all the games I played as a child, I was able to recall the denominations of monopoly currency without having to trawl the internet for clues and forums.

After nine frustrating days of internet withdrawals, and spending time enjoying each other’s company,

we are both breathing a sigh of relief to hear that our service provider has finally managed to remotely flick the switch which will allow us to easily gain access to emails and social media, look up pointless facts on IMBD and Wikipedia, order our groceries, shop for a birthday gift, send a ‘get well card’, order flowers, pay our bills, organize our banking, share photo albums, catch up on TV that we have missed, look up a new recipe for dinner, sell our car, look up the number for the local electrician, call our friends down the road, call our friends across the world, organize our summer holidays, blog, tweet, pin, poke, like, comment, post…

How did we do it all without the internet?

Did we really go into the bank to organize foreign currency? Did we really post a letter with a stamp? Go shopping in a store for a birthday present? Pick up a phone and call friends? Use that big bulky Yellow Pages (currently used as a door stop) to look up a number? Go to the local supermarket to buy groceries? Talk to the local travel agent to arrange a holiday?

Realistically, I recall doing all of these things no more than five years ago and it amazes me how much has

changed since.

While most of is for the better, I feel that our lives are becoming more cluttered, faster paced and less organized. It no longer matters that I am living on the other side of the world from my family when I can simply have a face-to-face chat on Skype, but I find that I rarely have the time to do so. Rather than sitting down to read a good book I am checking work emails, personal emails, Facebook newsfeeds, travel tweets, world news, Australian news, London news, and Pinterest on a regular basis throughout the week.

I am more connected, but less inclined to actually connect with people on a personal level.

I no longer simply call a friend to ask if she wants to come to a gig with me. Instead, I post about it on Facebook, create an event and just wait to see who turns up. Rather than

Image by Reinhard Kirchner

lining up overnight for my copy of the latest Harry Potter instalment, I simply download the eBook or order a hard copy online for express delivery. I no longer send a letter to a relative in Australia about our trip around the world. Instead, I write a blog post and send a mass email to all of my relatives with the link. There is no response required on their behalf and I have done the granddaughter’s duty of keeping everyone up to date.

On a dinner date, or a catch up over drinks, almost everyone present will check their phones and Facebook check-ins more than once. We just can’t help ourselves. Even the Pope Francis has a Twitter account… good grief!

While technology has made life

somewhat more efficient, bad habits are picked up along the way. Innovation and technology advancement is inevitable and some might say there is nothing to do but get on board and go with it. I disagree.

I have no doubt that I will continue to rely on computers and the internet for almost everything day-to-day, but in a bid to break my bad technology habits I will endeavor to return to basics when I can. I will go to the supermarket to shop for groceries, flick through a cooking book for a recipe, chat to a friend on the phone, go see a live band and write a letter to my Nana.

It’s about time I stopped to smell the roses.

Food & Wine | 7

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Coffee Cult visits Long White Cloud in Hackney

By Alex Ivett

In recent weeks Coffee Cult has found itself frequenting a certain type of café with a particular demographic. We call it the ‘takeaway set’, those requiring coffee instantaneously, preferably through a drip connected to their veins.

Their cafes of choice are not places for long, lazy brunches spent lolling in cushioned comfort over the weekend papers. Rather, they are the kind of places favoring efficiency of turnover – designed for lining up customers in height order, pushing your heads back and pouring the creamy caffeine straight down your gullets. With a pat on the back, and a banana bread in your back pocket, you’re back out the

Dining with danger

By Alex Ivett

THE ‘interactive’ experience is a phenomenon many Australians new to London may be unfamiliar with.

We’re used to simply choosing a film to watch, and then watching it. A play is something that occurs on a stage, viewed from the comfort of the stalls.

And a meal in a restaurant involves picking something from a list, handed to you by a waiter, and eating it only in conversation with your chosen company.

door and yelling ‘sell, sell, sell’ down your crackberry before even drawing a breath.

That’s why, in choosing this week’s location, Coffee Cult demanded a return to the lazy art of brunching. A place where one could while away a few hours, hands clutched dreamily around the one cup of cappuccino. Six hours, three coffees and two sizeable meals later, and we really only have just scratched the surface of what Long White Cloud has to offer.

The Craic The interior of Long White Cloud looks remarkably like…. a long, white cloud.

White walls, tiled floors, a space that is long, thin and crowded with different types of wooden tables and chairs. And plants, lots of plants. Where there are no plants? Photos of plants – a miniexhibition and a nod of support to the local East London community.

It feels like one for the locals. From the view overlooking the graffitied art Not so London.

Since adopting this eclectic capital as my home, I’ve danced rockabilly style at a swing band. I’ve ‘gone into hypersleep’ and emerged in a dark, dank world in the basement of an abandoned warehouse in a living embodiment of an alternative silver screen sci-fi reality. I’ve wandered the catacombs of Somerset House, as actors indistinguishable from possible punters suddenly stripped off their clothes in a unique performance.

These experiences have been visceral, real, proximate. I could physically reach out and touch that which previously I only saw from afar.

Party planners

In fact, so popular is the ‘interactive’ experience in London, it’s often difficult to decide which type you want to do.

That’s why, with Kitchen Party, it helps to have the people behind Bourne & Hollingsworth distill your options down into one handy location.

“An ever-changing orgy of drinking, dining and weird culture”, Kitchen Party is the ultimate pop-up – a set location for a rotating series of the best pop-up experiences this city has to offer.

From medieval style meats served from an open grill at ‘Rack & Ruin’ to learning how to sculpt your own sausage and origami your napkin, to simply sipping a carefully crafted cocktail in the bar area, there is a little bit of everything, for anyone.

Reveling in 1920s Russia

And what I felt like doing, was travelling back in time to 1920s Russia for a ‘immersive’ theatre and dining experience. Luckily Kitchen Party had Russian Revels on hand to be my time machine. From the bespoke invitations emailing out our designated ‘characters’ beforehand (being an Aussie, I just happened to have a flannie on hand to play the part of ‘Russian peasant'), to the excellent actors who stayed absolutely in character whilst serving up our drinks

on the wall over the road to the eclectic soundtrack that ranges from 90s power ballads through to acid jazz, it is a café where unrecognizable faces become familiar friends over the course of many “all you can eat pasta nights” on Monday or Tuesdays or long brunches on the weekend.

The Crucials It is the first time I have seen an eggwhite omelet outside self-conscious dieting fad embracing Sydney.

With your choice of filling – I am recommended feta and eggplant (aubergine for those who have naturalized) – and it is a winner. Packed full and deliciously light. Its relative health benefits mean I would feel much less guilty about indulging in any of the cakes available – and the individually wrapped TimTams for those needing a fix.

In any case, two excellent coffees turn into four long hours with the free Wifi and our laptop, and it’s already time

and five course Russian feast, the experience was a unique insight into a bourgeois 1920s party, with the hidden shadow of the Soviet state a constant companion at our shoulder.

The actors served up plates of cucumber and sorrel soup, pickled vegetables, delicious rye grain “arancini”, Cornish cod and bourgeois pineapple, interwoven with a story about an undercurrent of dissent with the Soviet state, dance and musical performances, and a lonely female diner whose renowned political partner never appeared.

There is something intimate yet challenging about the ‘interactive’ experience, something awkward even – where you have to push past previously accepted boundaries between performer and consumer to truly become part of the experience. Unfortunately for some diners, when and where to break down those boundaries was unclear. On our communal table, one guest couldn’t decide whether he wanted to be part of the performance, or stop it, yelling out comments at the actors trying valiantly to adopt the mantra ‘the show must go on’. Similarly, a buck’s party seemed a little bit lost, as if they had taken a wrong turn in the attempt to line their stomachs in between an afternoon of drinking and the next stop of the strip club.

Like all ‘interactive’ experiences, Russian Revels requires an open mind, and an even bigger stomach. If you come with both, then you’ll get to experience the best Kitchen Party has to offer.

Kitchen Party gathers some of London’s most exciting chefs and culinary entrepreneurs in one space.

For more information see www. kitchenpartypopup.com.

for lunch. A flaky salmon fishcake is hearty, healthy and nicely browned into a crispy shell. With a choice of freshly made salads to go on the sides, including lentils and a vegetarian cous cous, it’s a menu that would satisfy even the most diehard organic, vegan nut.

The Connection The Connection The traditional Maori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa, is often translated as “land of the long white cloud”. Plus, having been started by New Zealanders, it would be difficult to pretend Long White Cloud is anything but Kiwi through and through. Luckily, for the purposes of Coffee Cult, it counts.

The Conclusion Gluten and dairy free options, different themed dinner nights every day of the week and a relaxed attitude to those who stop in for one coffee and instead set up shop for a whole day. One for the locals, and Coffee Cult is glad they live nearby.

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8 | Entertainment

What’s On Flight Facilities 13 June @Village Underground Rick Springfield 13 June @Shepherd's Bush Empire Matt Corby 19 June Koko, Camden Xavier Rudd 24 June @Koko Tame Impala 25 June @ Hammersmith Apollo Kate Miller-Heidke 3 July @The Islington Flume 4 July @ Heaven

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

See what we are following this week on

Tributes flow for Yothu Yindi's Yunupingu @missyhiggins Thank you for everything Yunupingu @Socceroos The team's thoughts are with the family of former Australian of the Year and Yothu Yindi front man M.Yunupingu who died last night #legend @PGarrettMP Can't believe he's gone, my dear friend. A path breaker and leader. A shining light for his people. Rest in peace Mr Yunupingu. @pjvanvliet RIP #yunupingu indigenous trailblazer, leader, muso, educator and he of Australia's most powerful pop song.

Taken too soon but did so much. @JezFernandezABC Mr Yunupingu died before his time, as do too many indigenous Australians. @holmescnn Sad to hear of the death of Yunupingu from Yothu Yindi - great, and meaningful, indigenous aussie band. @WynneDaniel Sad news about the passing of M. Yunupingu from Yothu Yindi. He'll be long remembered as a man of many talents and accomplishments.

Follow us on Twitter @AustralianTimes

4 - 10 June 2013

Chickens, childhood and modern media n

The chicken coop as a metaphor for being male in modern society? Brendan Cowell shows PAUL BLEAKLEY just how it might work ahead of the debut of his West End play, Happy New.

The real world is a scary place, particularly for those that have experienced profound trauma in childhood. The central characters of Happy New by Australian playwright Brendan Cowell have had it worse than most: locked in a chicken coop for months by a neglectful mother, they had to adapt in order to survive. This is the story about what happens next, when the media hype dies down and the victims are left to fend for themselves.

Cowell, a Sydney native, wrote Happy New around a decade ago, his second effort at writing for theatre after the success of his original production Men. Whereas Men took a “disturbing, but comical” look behind the scenes of a boy band, Happy New explored a very different side to human nature and the power of the media to elevate victims into the national spotlight.

Cowell told Australian Times: “I wrote Happy New around ten years ago, when I was 23 years old, so it’s wild and deeply exciting that it is now coming to the UK. After writing Men I was looking to write another play, and I remembered reading an article in the tenth grade about two boys that had been locked in a chicken coop by their mother and had taken on the physical attributes of chickens. It was a quite funny, but at the same time quite devastating story that presented a lot of theatrical possibilities.”

Happy New is the story of brothers Danny and Lyle, picking up their story ten years after they were freed from their chicken coop prison. They had been given a flat to live in, however were being forced to move out and face the real world for the very first time the next day. The play joins the brothers on New Year’s Eve, as they spend their last night in the flat rehearsing how to be normal.

Cowell said: “The brothers’ idea of reality has become skewed, so when they are scared and anxious they take on the characteristics of chickens. The idea of being half chicken, half human is just like what we want in television: something funny, but disgusting. It makes you want to laugh, but at the

same time I hope this makes people think about what happens to these people, it is the story of the left behind.”

Given the fact that Happy New premiered in Australia a number of years ago, Cowell said that he was happy that the structure of play held up when it premiered in London last year. The initial UK reviews for Happy New invariably described the play as ‘Australian’, a label which Cowell thinks is accurate.

“The British have an obsession with the colonial beast millions of miles away writing a play.”

When love is described as a leap of faith, many will wonder - what awaits them at the bottom? For the members of circus group Airealism, the answer is often the wooden floorboards of an old London theatre.

Without so much as a safety mat, I watched teachers, writers, engineers and research assistants take the plunge in an aerial arts show, themed around love.

The Bleeding Hearts Circus, performed in the intimate Hoxton Hall, was a unique yet relatable tribute to love in all its forms, from tumultuous twists and passionate embraces to sexual balancing acts and courageous jumps.

The lights come on to reveal Noa Manor’s ‘The Wanderer’ - a bumbling

“Boys become violent because they are confused by what it is to be a man”

Cowell said: “The play has a verbal aggression that I don’t have now that I’m older and more concerned with subtlety and structure. The British have an obsession with the colonial beast millions of miles away writing a play.

“At the same time, they think that Australian plays are raw and ugly, not as crafty. I think, if anything, they have tried to keep us out of there. I reckon Happy New will explain why, it is a more visceral experience. It is not trying to be a British play.

“Australia is a very emotional place, and Australian plays are emotionally raw. British plays are very much focused on craft, they are sophisticated but I don’t feel much when I watch them.

Australian theatre is more raw, the ribcage is open.”

Happy New’s themes of neglect and abuse are difficult subjects in contemporary society, however Cowell believes that it is a playwright’s responsibility to discuss the things that people think and are too scared to talk about. He told Australian Times that he did not want to shove issues in people’s faces and become “histrionic” despite feeling that open dialogue was important in theatre.

Cowell said: “It’s like when I was younger, and there would be a bushfire.

So we would grab a six pack and sit across the river and watch towns’ burn down… and it was sad, but at the same time we wanted the flames to get higher.

We want to watch victims, but we want them to be really f***** up. Then after the attention fades - and the next Susan Boyle arrives – we forget about the victim, which happens a lot.”

The playwright said that Happy New was largely about the challenges associated with being male in modern society. Cowell cited the recent murder of a soldier by a pair of youths in the south-east London area of Woolwich as further evidence of the violent complexities faced by some young men.

Cowell said: “Look at what’s happened in Woolwich. I don’t want to draw a correlation between that and the play, but this was a case of young men doing horrific things. Boys become violent because they are confused by what it is to be a man, just like the characters in Happy New.” Cowell has recently been in Austria

mime who appears intermittently, serving as a frame between acts.

Though not the main focus of the programme, the pseudo-slapstick act embodied by Manor was, at times, a little tired. The act improved, most notably with a comedic roller-skating set, as well as one scene where, due to unrequited love, she brandished a knife at first thought for self-harm, but then used to cut a slice of chocolate cake for emotional binge eating. Certainly something we have all experienced.

The aerial tricks ranged from silks to hoops, ropes to bars, and one particularly titillating pole dance. There were some saucy single performers, including Amber Wells’ cute 1950s pin-up girl act, and Andre Glazier’s incredibly entertaining strip tease.

Others involved gripping emotional turmoil, including Hannah Cushion’s Heart Strings piece and Julie Yeung’s Eternal Love, where impressive stunts became only a side show to how the body can express untapped emotion.

But no less impressive was group work, with duos such as the nearidentical Lilith Sumersar-Rai (also co-director) and Miranda Atkins, with

their Squid Love piece, an act which combined silk and hoop tricks, with a lot of muscle, innocence and grace.

Following intermission we were treated to Deep Inside My Love with a near naked couple doing tricks ranging from ropes to silks to poles to body work in what I can only interpret as an exploration of sexual desire, with sometimes an underlying feeling of fear and loneliness. The two performers split at some points in what felt more like two solos, occurring simultaneously. They left the audience somewhat breathless and engaged, while also wishing we looked that good in knickers.

Some more light-hearted group work was enjoyed with Cupidity – three vibrant young ladies dressed as ‘stupid cupids’, performing choreographed bar work with a sense of fun and frivolity, though with moves no less impressive.

It’s a difficult choice but my favourite for the night was a performance by Nikki Rummer and JD Brousse’ with My Angel Rocks Me Back And Forth – no aerial tricks, merely two people working with each others gifts and weaknesses.

As testimonial to the raw battles of the heart, this power couple were stretched and pulled, fallen and caught, and Nikki Rummer was certainly not strong for a girl so much as she was just strong.

Aussie Emelia Holdaway – along with co-directors Matilda Andersson

Up in the Air

By Bonnie Gardiner

Image by Richard Davenport

Image by John Stanton

playing a lead role in theatre production The Wild Duck at the Vienna Festival and the Holland Festival. After wrapping up his run on The Wild Duck he is due to return to London to work on a new television project and oversee Happy New’s run at Trafalgar Studio 2 throughout June.

Happy New will premiere on 4 June, with over thirty performances scheduled. It is directed by Robert Shaw and will star Lisa Dillon, Joel Samuels and William Troughton.

Happy New is on at Trafalgar Studio from 4 – 29 June. Tickets are available through www.atgtickets.com. and Lilith Sumesar-Rai — successfully drew parallels between love and circus arts, with leaps of faith aplenty, coupled with enjoyable music numbers from various pop generations. Though what really completes the picture of The Bleeding Hearts Circus was the amateur feel; the simple knowledge that all performers have full-time day jobs helped the group to capitalise on the empathy of the audience.

With global phenomenon like Cirque du Soleil wowing audiences with surreal, almost inhuman abilities, The Bleeding Hearts Circus allowed a new perspective on aerial performance where not every artist was a pro, not every movement was in time, but every trick was that much more impressive because they are performed by someone just like you and me.

You want them to do well, with the added risk of not knowing exactly what to expect, as every fall, twirl or leap kept us that little bit more on the edge of our seat (with much audible gasping to prove it). On another level, Airealism has not only entertained, but inspired more people to get involved in the circus arts, with murmurs asking “if they can do it, maybe I can too.”

Be sure to check out future shows by Airealism, where the circus arts have been proven a creative means of falling in love... or in the very least, falling.

Entertainment | 9

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Untrained; a physical experiment

It’s the end of the tax year!

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Coming to the Southbank Centre this June, ‘Untrained’, a new show from Australian dance company Lucy Guerin Inc. sees two professional dancers performing alongside two men with zero dance training.

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Lucy Guerin Inc "Untrained". Image by Julieta Cervantes

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Lucy Guerin Inc "Untrained". Image by Julieta Cervantes

where the more rehearsal the better.

This show; the less rehearsal the better,” says Guerin.

Furthermore, the cast is regularly updated to ensure the untrained performers remain untrained.

“Over time the untrained become very familiar with the work, and they become a bit trained and so we have to keep rotating them.”

The cast starring in the London shows have only performed the show once before.

Auditions for the untrained dancers were held in Melbourne last year.

The men who attended wanted to try “something different, something beyond the known parameters of what they do in their daily life.”

“They are generally looking for some experience that is going to extend, and take them somewhere else, beyond what they’re familiar with,” says Guerin.

Following performances at the Dublin Dance Festival and at The Firkin Crane

Lucy Guerin Inc "Untrained". Image by Julieta Cervantes

taxobc@1stcontact.com www.1stcontact.com/taxobc *£850 is roughly the average amount owed to a Tax Refund client.

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44052

A white 3x3 square marked out with white gaffer tape acts as a petri dish for this theatrical experiment.

One at a time, each of the four male performers stands in the square and responds to a list of the same instructions. Two of men are trained dancers. The other two have had no movement training at all.

Lucy Guerin’s Untrained at the Southbank Centre is not simply: let’s put a couple of blokes on stage and see how silly they look, nor is it a vain attempt to prove how gifted professional dancers are compared to those with two left feet.

As Lucy Guerin, Artistic Director of Australian dance company Lucy Guerin Inc. explains, this show is a comparative study of the connections made between the mind and the trained body, compared to the untrained.

Watching people without training attempt choreographed movement was an area of interest for Guerin.

“I know it’s amusing, but that wasn’t my primary reason for wanting to explore it,” she tells Australian Times.

“I actually find it really quite fascinating to watch how that thought process works and how it expresses itself in an untrained body compared to a trained body. And what it is that training does to us.”

The instructions each performer must execute range from doing a handstand or a certain type of choreographed jump or turn, to making faces or acting out a scene from a movie.

There are also tasks that tell the audience more about the men themselves – they might be asked to speak about their lives, or what they have noticed about each other.

How the performers respond to the instructions is mostly improvised.

“There’s this amazing spontaneity.

They [the untrained performers] don’t think about something and then do it, it just sort of happens, and then they think about it afterwards,” says Guerin.

“That kind of immediacy and lack of self-consciousness and lack of awareness of their bodies in space, is a different movement approach to what dancers do.

“Dancers can’t really do that, they always know exactly where their arm is or where the leg is or where their head is.”

To achieve this spontaneity, Untrained had a very short rehearsal period. Five days.

“It’s the opposite to most shows

Lucy Guerin Inc "Untrained".

Image by Julieta Cervantes

44052_TR_South_African.indd 1

in Cork, Untrained will continue its tour with performances at the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, followed by two nights in the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre in June.

Audiences have found the show highly amusing.

“It starts off with a lot of laughter, but the laughter becomes very supportive of these guys so they’re not being laughed at, but it’s much more laughing with them and with their attempts.”

However, as Guerin illustrates, there is much more to the show.

“For me there’s something in this show that supports this idea of not trying to reach this perfection, but seeing what’s involved in the process of trying something, is just as important as the outcome.

“It’s very clear that they’re finding it hard and not succeeding. As an audience it’s just as interesting, and almost more interesting than watching someone come out and do something perfectly and not show the effort and the difficulty.”

Untrained will make you laugh, cheer and inspire you to not simply step, but pirouette out of your comfort zone.

Lucy Guerin’s Untrained is on 5-6 June at the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre. For tickets visit southbankcentre.co.uk.

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10 | Travel

4 - 10 June 2013

n

Beautiful beaches, tick. A history as colourful as its landscape, tick. Charming, friendly people and delicious food, bingo.

MELISSA TOWNSEND discovers the magical melting pot that is the small Mediterranean nation of Malta.

IT’S a moment as overwhelming as Mel Gibson’s cry for ‘’freedom’’ in the film Braveheart, except my word is `Sunshiiiiiiinnnnee’. It is day one of our mini-break to Malta and the first time I have felt real heat on my body since moving to London earlier this year. Our first destination is the famous Blue Lagoon and I am beyond excited.

Bound for the Blue Lagoon My boyfriend and I have chosen to stay in Mellieha Bay, a small seaside town in the north of Malta. The island’s ubiquitous limestone outcrops sprawl down the hillsides to a glistening sea of blue. Beautiful bronzed bodies dot the sandy shoreline, whilst fishing boats bob serenely with the waves in the backdrop. We have found a bargain day-trip to the island of Comino, where the Blue Lagoon awaits - €12 with ‘Oh Yeah Cruises’. Score.

The boat has a fully-stocked bar and reasonably comfortable seating. I sigh with relief as I notice several other seafarers as equally pasty as me, and shyly rip off my sundress to reveal my corpse-like London skin tone. I let the sun’s warmth seep into my bones as I down an icy local beer called Cisk. Now we’re talking.

The captain shows us several caves en route to our destination, but nothing is quite as spectacular as the sight of the Blue Lagoon when we eventually arrive. Turquoise waters sparkle atop a white-sand seabed. Unfortunately the cove is a not-so-wellkept-secret, and boatloads of other tourists have arrived to make the most of the early spring sun. Thrifty Maltese guys offer umbrellas and chairs for a few euros, and you can buy everything from beer and burgers to healthy salads and wraps at the makeshift kiosks. With a little bit of effort, my boyfriend and I cross the lagoon with our backpacks on our heads to a small rocky island opposite, where we manage to avoid the crowds. A few hours later, we have turned a few shades darker, or in my case pinker, and are feeling thoroughly sunkissed and merry. That evening we splurge on a seafood platter at one of the many restaurants back in Mellieha Bay. Sublime.

Making the most of Mosta Day two and it’s time for some history. We head out early on one of the local buses, which are dirt cheap (€2.20 for a day pass), albeit a little sporadic. Our first stop is Mosta, a town in the middle of the island, northwest of the capital of Valletta. The town’s main attraction is the Rotunda (Church of St Mary), made famous when a German bomb dropped through its dome during WWII while more than 300 people were gathered for Mass. The bomb landed with a bounce, but failed to explode. A replica of it is on display, and you can still see remnants of where the bomb pierced the dome.

Next stop, Valletta Next stop, Valletta. This city has so much history, so much beauty and charm, it is overwhelming. A World Heritage site, the fortified capital features Baroque architecture, with limestone buildings lining alleyway after alleyway of quaint cafes. A visit to St John’s Co-Cathedral is a must, as is a walk to the Upper Barrakka Gardens for the best views of the Grand Harbour.

For an insight into the fascinating

Travel | 11

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*

history of Malta, The Malta Experience is an excellent hour-long documentary on this island nation – starting with Malta’s prehistoric stone-age settlers to its long list of invaders, the arrival of the Knights of the Order of St John, and finally the island’s role in WWII. With our heads swarming with information, we indulged in a few local pastizzis, or small pastry snacks filled with ricotta cheese, at Caffe Cordina.

Of particular interest to me was the National War Museum, as my grandfather served in Malta in April 1942 – the same month the German Luftwaffe dropped 6,000 tons of bombs on the country. Especially poignant were the exhibits about life for the Maltese during those hard years. The people of Malta were awarded the George Cross in

recognition of their heroic struggle against occupation that year, the first time such an honour was bestowed upon an entire community.

Besides the beaches and the history, the best thing about this country was its people. It could have something to do with the fact that Australia and Malta have a one year reciprocal Working Holiday Visa arrangement - it seems everyone you meet has a cousin, brother, or long-lost relative who lives in Australia. As a result, they adore us, and I even spotted a few Aussie flags around the place.

For those tempted to extend a minibreak, Working Holiday Visas are available to Aussies and Kiwis aged between 18 and 30. This is a multientry visa, valid for one year from the date of issue. For more information, see the Australian Department of Immigration website.

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12 | Travel

4 - 10 June 2013

San Vino. Aka the Wine Fight. Aka Batalla de Vino. n

The boys from Stoke Travel are well versed in the art of the European party festival. Here, WADE GRAVY talks us through his favourite – the Batalla de Vino.

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When you’ve been “round these parts” for a while you get a little desensitised to the zaniness of the Spanish street festival. The first time you roll into La Tomatina, for example, the whole concept of the thing just clean blows your mind! I mean, they do what? With tomatoes?

In the village streets? That many?

And then it happens and it surpasses your expectations and you become some kind of rambling, ranting, raving, babbling lunatic for the days after talking about that time you threw the tomato, haha, and how someone grabbed you and licked the pulp out of your ears, and, oh man, it was so CRAZY! And then you do it again, and it’s still crazy, but you’re like, well, we’ve sort of done this before. And you have a good time, and you rave about it forever after, but it’s not quite like the first time. Y’know?

The third time is pragmatic. The third time is all about preparing yourself, and wearing the practical shoes, and making a plan of attack, and getting in, getting your kicks, and getting out. You know what you want, you know how to get it, like a cougar on a cruise liner.

Fourth time, well, you might sit this one out. Enjoy the ambience, but just sit out the fight part. ‘Cause, y’know, yawn.

Same goes for the Running of the Bulls. You’ll never do anything as good as your first, second and third year there. Fourth? Anyone know what the surf is like? Fifth you turn vegan and so on.

But there is one festival that we go to that bucks out of that trend. It’s a festival so FUN that we all look forward to it year in, year out. Some of us even have our calendars set to “dates until” this festival, scratching the passing days as scores on our tepee walls. It’s partially because not many tourists go there yet, partially because the locals are just so welcoming (the two are intrinsically linked, btw). It’s also because the concept is just so, WOW! Hottdamn it’s a good concept.

San Vino, aka the Wine Fight, aka la batalla de vino de Haro.

Heard about it? Oriental whispers in hostel common areas, an obscene message scratched in the back of a bathroom stall, or your crazy cousin may have appropriated your attention at a backyard BBQ and chewed your ear off about this festival, man. Oh man. This festival.

The long and the short of it goes down in a village, in La Rioja – the premier red wine producing region, in my opinion, in the world. There’s a night where we party so hard in the village itself. Locals will grab us and ask what we’re doing there, and we’ll say, “the same thing as you, hombre”, and they’ll love us and we’ll party even harder by the minuto. Some of us will party all night, others will go back to our camp and have short, beautiful, sleeps. When the sun’s on the up we’ll make our way up a mountain. Half way up the mountain is a vineyard and all the way up is a chapel with the best views a chapel has ever had. If you get there early enough you go up the chapel and see

the village folk performing rituals with wine. You look over the plains and go, “wow, man, I’m in Spain. I’m the luckiest dude/babe/chick/legend in the whole world. Pinch me! Just pinch me!”

Then you make your way down to the vineyard in the middle of the mountain and the wine fight begins.

Wine, red wine, is produced by the gallon and liberally thrown on all and sundry. We’ll all pickle ourselves and each other in the wine that the villagers deem is unworthy for their fine palates. The wine fight is, quite literally, a fight with wine. A batalla de vino, in Haro.

It is so much fun that it never gets stale. Like the wines we drown each other in it is both wonderful the first time you enjoy it and fantastic every time you return. If we could attend a wine fight a week we would.

Dionysius willing, we’ll see you there.

The Wine Fight of Haro is on 28 June, and we camp and party in the town centre the night before. Our buses run from San Sebastian and Barcelona. Book now, because it will fill up. www.stoketravel.com.

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Surprise RBA interest rate cut n

Why did the Reserve Bank of Australia move interest rates to their lowest level in more than 50 years last month? your money

> Daniel Shillito

WELL forgive us for raising eyebrows, but the unemployment rate actually decreased according to latest data released in Australia, inflation is within the bank’s stated target range, the property market is showing clear signals of buoyancy, and demand for Australia’s commodities (and their prices) are relatively high.

Meanwhile in Europe and the United States governments struggle with austerity measures and unheard of debt levels and cannot do enough (or what is required) to kickstart growth, confidence and somehow tackle high unemployment levels. It’s more than enough to ask – what does the RBA know that everyone else doesn’t? Or, do we simply conclude they are quite pessimistic with respect to Australia’s ability to build growth in non-mining sectors and in the global economy’s eventually negative impact on the Australian economy?

The answer may well lie in a consideration of neither of these viewpoints, but within a new, somewhat narrowed focus upon one key economic variable … Australia’s exchange rate.

The Reserve Bank and the exchange rate

Why would the RBA become obsessed with the exchange rate? Is it their role or mandate to leverage monetary policy with the primary aim to influence Australia’s exchange rate?

Whilst one could argue that economic conditions and in particular inflation rates are benign or stable, especially relative to the major western economies

of the world (and hence no need for a rate cut), the Reserve Bank seems to use the same observation to explain how such conditions actually allow the Reserve Bank to focus in on this area.

An acceptable or lower inflation rate provides scope to lower interest rates since the risk of inflation getting out of hand is reduced. Lower levels of business confidence and an uncertain political climate in Australia could provide some ‘alternative support’ or justification for lowering rates , when viewing overall conditions generally, however the situation could hardly be described by most economists as ‘urgent’.

Hence all but one major economist accurately predicted the rate cut. We might conclude whilst economists were focused on all the usual suspects that influence the RBA’s thinking, perhaps the real and ‘new’ objective this time around is to influence the exchange rate.

Growth trends

In fact the Reserve Bank’s most recent Board minutes stated how global economic growth is only “a little below trend...” and commented on positive growth trends in the US and Asia. It also said financial conditions were accommodative for funding major corporates and sovereign needs, with exceptionally low borrowing costs.

Growth in Australia was slightly below trend only most recently and unemployment is still relatively low. In coming to its rate-cut conclusion that there was still “scope to ease further” it highlighted: “The exchange rate, on the other hand, has been little changed at a historically high level over the past 18 months, which is unusual given the decline in export prices and interest rates.”

A depreciating Australian dollar

By lowering rates the bank expects to make the Australian dollar less attractive, at least relatively speaking as an investment or as a safe haven around the world, so as to reduce demand or encourage selling of the dollar, causing a depreciation. Such a result improves our terms of trade, potentially making exports more appealing from a price perspective to international trading partners, and improving the cashflow and performance of Australia’s biggest miners. Such measures may also encourage more money overall into the stockmarket.

The Reserve Bank knows that steep interest rate cuts (or easing monetary policy) have generally led to a depreciating Aussie dollar in the past – and hence, it knows it can follow this strategy within a low inflation and growth environment, and achieve the desired effect on the dollar.

There’s no doubt a high exchange rate hurts Australia’s export market and Balance of Trade, making other countries more competitive in the industries we export, cutting margins for exporters and making imports more attractive and profitable in many industries.

The fact the dollar has remained stubbornly high through the present rate-cutting cycle probably owes more to the parlous state of sovereign debt ratings in the US and Europe, as opposed to the Aussie mining boom and relatively higher commodity prices and higher interest rates. However the base level of rates is now at all-time lows, which has to have some effect on the demand for our dollar.

There are risks to this strategy.

The impetus a rate cut provides to the housing market by encouraging

more borrowing overall, could result in house prices rising at faster than a reasonable rate. Inflation can rise quite quickly when the flow-on effects of increased borrowing and consumer spending multiply.

However unlike a few years ago, the RBA knows that with increased bank lending margins (profits) and conservative lending practices particularly in business, it has to cut rates harder for the flow on effect to be felt by the real economy.

The RBA is in completely new territory with record low cash rates, however it seems the bank has weighed up the current environment and the ongoing risks of a high exchange rate, and concluded that whilst it still can use monetary policy to affect the exchange rate, it’s worth it right now, to do so.

The financial and investment markets, and the economic realities affecting the relative strength of all the world’s major currencies, ought to be allowed to operate in order to find its own level for the Australian dollar, which may well be quite different to long-standing averages or what “it once used to be”.

It’s interesting to note that since the RBA cut rates on 7 May, the Australian dollar has fallen 5 cents against the US dollar, until time of writing.

Banks pass on cuts

Following on from the RBA’s rate cut in May, Australia’s major banks have passed on the variable cut rate in full. Why have they done this? When last time around in December banks

Sources: RBA media release 7 May 2013.

Daniel Shillito is a Financial Adviser, CPA and Expat specialist at Aussie Finance and Property Group, qualified both within Australia and throughout Europe. Daniel can be contacted on Ph. 020 3239 0479 or visit www.aussiefpgroup.com

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against the greenback for over a year following a torrid few weeks since the Reserve Bank reduced interest rates to a record low level.

Looking ahead, focus turns to the US Employment data scheduled to be released on Friday. Economists have suggested that powerhouse economy is said to have created 165 000 jobs in May. Should this be the case we could expect the US dollar to strengthen further against the Aussie.

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Exchange rates GBP/AUD: 1.582 EUR/AUD: 1.351 USD/AUD: 1.037 NZD/AUD: 0.827 09:00 GMT, 3 June 2013

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THE Australian dollar entered the final week of May weaker on the back of further strong data on the US economy.

This provided a nervous currency outlook for the rest of the week ahead of the all-important Chinese Purchasing Manufacturing Index (PMI) data scheduled with this week’s opening.

Monday’s results were curiously mixed though. The initial update showed that China’s official PMI rose, beating market expectations and providing some optimism that the economy there may be stabilizing.

However, the HSBC PMI also released on Monday reported a reading which was the worst since October last year indicating 49.2, down from an initial reading of 49.6.

Either way, the Australian dollar began June at its lowest level

did not pass on the cuts and held back more margin for themselves, following communications coming out of banks about the high cost of funds and how the Reserve Bank’s cash-rate changes are not and should not be seen as the primary influencer on their variable mortgage rates.

So, either there are no other significant factors for them to be concerned about this time around, or, as is more likely the case, the banks have seen margin improvement and stability in fact, and are now in a renewed quest for growth in home lending, with levels of overall home lending volumes in Australia only now just starting to recover from extremely low levels.

Competition between the majors is now returning and starting to drive greater activity in home lending once again.

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14 | Sport

4 - 10 June 2013

RUGBY LEAGUE ON YOUR DOORSTEP heBr #Backt

oncos

THE

RUBDOWN

Round 10

By Will Denton

Not unlike a banana and walnut marble cake, ten minutes into its baking journey, things are beginning to take shape in the footy; as we are starting to get a gauge on who realistically has any chance in taking home the flag.

And just like the said retro cake, it’s like the 70s all over again, with flippant racism, dodgy moustaches and genuine wet weather football all the rage.

Conversely, we also are getting a feel for who is completely rubbish and should consider alternative careers like fencing, crocheting and hardware sales. And apart from a few close games affected

by Mother Nature reminding us it was in fact the first day of winter (several dozen fans in Adelaide

both froze and drowned to death simultaneously) most of the games were complete blowouts.

Again, it seems Melbourne FC cannot sink any further into the abyss, with the big positive being they didn’t lose by more than 100 points to Hawthorn. Baby steps I guess. The only team below them on the ladder - the Giants - also did the unthinkable and managed a sub ton deficit to Carlton, although Sheeds was focusing more on his material for his stand up gig in Brunswick later that evening.

One shellacking that wasn’t foreseen was the Bombers complete surrender to Sydney. It was wet, there were a record amount of boundary throw-ins, but the Swans were supreme at the contest. You can’t help but feel Essendon’s nightmare off field dramas are starting to catch up with them.

The other game that night was down in Geelong, with the town celebrating the fact that they finally

have electricity. In fact, it was a festival of light in many ways, not only with the turning on of the giant spatula flood lights so locals can venture out after dinner. It also saw the prodigal Sun in Gary Ablett returned to his spiritual home to not only test out Kardinya Park’s impossible goal kicking zones, but keep his young Gold Coast team in the contest right up until ¾ time, when the Cats decided ‘ok, you’ve had your fun’ and started to kick the ball properly, running away with a comfortable win.

Kangaroos did it pretty easy too over St Kilda, although leading by ten goals with a minute to go most North fans were still wondering if the lead was enough. Brisbane look terrible again after the Pies took care of them way back on Friday, although Vossy is adamant ‘Nah, she’ll be right mate’. Righto then.

Finally, the Freo machine rumbles along, this time over the Crows.

She’s a bit like a HZ panel van.

Honest, reliable, but you really don’t want your kids having anything to do with it. Now where’s that Dragon best of CD?

Billy Moore says Maroons not over the hill v WARRINGTON WOLVES Saturday June 8th, kick-off 3:00pm at the Priestfield Staduim, Gillingham TW2 7SX londonbroncosrl.com @LondonBroncosRL facebook.com/LondonBroncosRL

BILLY MOORE said recent taunts by former NSW winger Adam MacDougall that Queensland’s record-breaking side were “old, fat and happy on Origin success” would be noted by the players.

He conceded the Maroons could indeed be pleased with their success but believed not wanting to be part of the side that lost would keep them motivated.

“I played in six Origin series and won one,” said Moore, who used the term Queenslander as a call to arms in the 1995 series taken out by the Maroons 3-0 despite their underdog status.

“There are blokes in this Queensland side who’ve never been beaten in a series.”

Moore said MacDougall’s comments were based on hope rather than evidence.

“This side won’t lack hunger or be

satisfied with the success they’ve had under Meninga.” he said.

“They’ll want (to win) more than seven, they’ll want 10 straight. “(But) ... what will drive them is not winning, because nobody will remember who was in the team that won the eighth or ninth series straight.

“People though will remember the players who were part of the team which lost the first series and ended the streak, whenever that happens.

“It’s those ghosts that will drive them.

“These players won’t want the great streak to end on their watch.”

The same Dad’s Army criticism was levelled at prop Petero Civoniceva after Queensland dropped the opening game of the 2006 series.

“He only retired last year, so Petero stayed too old for a very long time,” said Moore.

MacDougall’s dig would have been music to Meninga’s ears after a less than smooth build up.

“Dad’s Army ... please, what are we, average 30 or 28 years?,” he said.

“It’s a young man’s sport but that’s not that old, is it?

“The elite players like Petero and Steve Price played till they were 36.

“We’ve got a few more years left in those old legs yet.”

Meninga again declined to reveal his starting line-up for Wednesday night saying a decision on injured winger Darius Boyd (bruised ankle) would be made just before the game kicked off.

But Boyd has ticked all the boxes and seems certain to play his 15th Origin match against NSW rookie and Blues’ excitement machine Blake Ferguson.

By Wayne Heming in Brisbane

NSW set to end Qld Origin reign: Mortimer ...continued from p16

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two campaigns was a major bonus.

He said while Queensland long had an advantage with a settled squad, the familiarity of the NSW players would bear fruit.

“No one has ever talked about this, but the real key for NSW is all the players know each other and are starting to care and like each other and help each other,” said Mortimer.

“That was brought in when Ricky Stuart took over so that really 90 per cent of the team know each other.”

Mortimer said the strength of familiarity could not be undervalued and was a clear reason for Queensland’s winning run under Mal Meninga.

“In my day, there were players that didn’t like me,” he said.

“They thought I might be arrogant or whatever and other people think you might be cheeky.

“But we all got to know each other and, the more time we got to spend with each other, the better we were and that’s exactly what happened in 1985.

“I can see the same sort of strategy being developed in the Origin team in 2013.”

MATE VS MATE: State of Origin coaches, Laurie Daley (left) and Mal Meninga of Queensland in Sydney on Monday ahead of Wednesday’s opening clash. (AAP Image/Paul Miller) Mortimer can see clear parallels between Paul Gallen’s men, who have fallen agonisingly close to the Maroons in the past two series, and his own side.

“Absolutely - it was a similar position,” he said.

“I was captain in the last game in

‘84 and we had a bunch of Neville Nobodies and we won 22-12 and I put that down to my experience in getting to know each other, to like each other, to respect each other, to trust each other.

That was a great stepping stone for coming into 1985.”

Sport | 15

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Axe hovers over Demons coach Neeld’s neck ...continued from p16

career at the club will last much longer.

“Our on-field performances have not met expectations this year and everyone in the football department continues to face ongoing assessment in their roles, as do those employed in other areas of the club,” McLardy said.

“The club will make no further comment at this time, in relation to the senior coach position.”

It only feeds speculation that the axe still hovers over Neeld and might fall after next Monday’s Queen’s Birthday clash with Collingwood, which is followed by the Demons’ mid-season bye.

Melbourne also announced

interim chief executive Peter Jackson would stay on in the role throughout next season at least.

Jackson used Monday’s meeting to outline planned structural changes to the Demons’ football department and other parts of the club.

But Melbourne did not reveal what changes would be made, saying they would be announced in the coming weeks.

Neeld, director of sports performance Neil Craig, player development manager Todd Viney and football manager Josh Mahoney all attended the board meeting and gave a presentation.

Neeld spent almost two hours at the meeting, which had been going for several hours before he arrived and continued after he left.

He returned to the club’s AAMI Park training base, along with his fellow football department officials, then later drove off without speaking to waiting reporters.

The Demons lost by 95 points to Hawthorn on Sunday, their seventh loss by a margin of 60 points or more in the opening 10 rounds.

Neeld has coached just five wins in his 32 games in charge, including just one this season.

The Demons’ horror season start has already claimed one casualty, with chief executive Cameron Schwab forced to resign after the club’s 148-point belting from Essendon in round two.

By Sam Lienert in Melbourne

Lions set to feel the Force ...continued from p16

sort out his defence (possibly a dress rehearsal coming up this Saturday as the Lions meet the Reds) and Beale continuing his rehab away from the schooners, for club side Randwick.

Meanwhile, the British Lions got their campaign underway with more of a sweaty bark than a roar. The win against a talented but ultimately inferior Barbarians side in Hong Kong was nonetheless a convincing outing for the squad. In suffocating humidity, the Lions engineered plenty of blood and a ridiculous amount of perspiration - it was tantamount to animal cruelty for

the poor front five in 90% humidity.

You almost shed a tear at the sight of the heroic and hairy duo of front-rowers Adam Jones and Martin Castrogiovanni thundering around in near impossible playing conditions.

Crucially, unlike the Wallabies this weekend, the Lions reported a clean bill of health; save for a sore chin for poor old Owen Farell who got thumped by his own club teammate, Schalk Brits.

The serious business starts in Perth on Wednesday. When the Lions line up again the Western Force we will get a much clearer idea of where the tourists are at.

By Charlie Inglefield

...continued from p16

World Cup finals start date.

“The A-League’s good, but the A-League’s problem is the timing of everything,” he said.

“The perfect example is this season - that just finished too early going into important June.

“I know they’ve tried to extend it, but the same thing may happen again, where there’s too much of a gap between.

“I’ll be looking at the scheduling of everything as well. There’s a lot to talk about.”

After spending the latter half of the A-League season playing for Sydney FC, Neill is out of contract.

The 35-year-old is determined to lead Australia to Brazil, and will tailor his club football accordingly to put the Socceroos first.

His non-negotiables are playing regularly, and finishing his season close to the start of any Socceroos’ World Cup build-up.

But even with the 2013-14 A-League season scheduled to finish later with a May 4 grand final, Neill is concerned the gap without football may be too big ahead of the June 12

By Guy Hand in Japan

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READY TO ROAR: Owen Farrell (left) and Rob Kearney (right) compete for the ball during the British and Irish Lions first Australian training session, at Langley Park in Perth on Monday. (AAP Image/ Dave Hunt)

Tumeke claim victory at the Rugby Rocks Tag Rugby Festival

By Phillip Browne The 2012 London Tag Rugby Championship winners, Tumeke, have started 2013 on a high note, adding another trophy to their collection with the 2013 Rugby Rocks Tag Rugby Festival title.

After claiming the inaugural Hog N Ale Tag Rugby Festival title at London Irish’s home ground in Sunbury on 4 May, Tumeke earned their secibd one day festival trophy of the year, defeating Kick Tease 5-1 in the Cup final on Sunday 2 June.

Jarrod’s Dating Dino’s were too strong for the Fulham Foxes in the Plate final, coming out on top 5-2.

The Chipper Rippers of Fulham claimed the Bowl final with a 4-1 victory over Rock Heroes.

The Rugby Rocks Tag Rugby Festival, now in its second year, was won by The Chargers in 2012.

Tumeke now have their eyes set on the Pig N Porter Tag Rugby Festival in Limerick, Ireland on Saturday 13 July. This festival is the biggest tag rugby festival in the world, with over 120 teams competing for the €1000 prize money up for grabs.

The tag rugby community has been said to be a home away from home for many and Try Tag Rugby place a big emphasis on connecting people together, creating a sense of community spirit and expanding people’s social networks.

At the Rugby Rock’s tournament in Richmond, Try Tag Rugby also entered teams in the Rugby 10s and

Neill determined to lead Socceroos at World Cup

Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, and proud Official Partner to the International Cricket Council (ICC), is offering one lucky fan the chance to win a pair of tickets to one of the most sought after games of the UK cricket season.

This year’s ICC Champions Trophy will see the eight highest-ranked One Day International teams battling it out to dethrone defending champions, Australia.

Emirates links the UK with Dubai, the Middle and Far East, Africa, Asia and Australia 16 times daily.

Thanks to the Emirates and Qantas global partnership, Emirates customers can reach 54 Australian destinations directly across the Qantas network including, Sydney, Melbourne, Uluru, Alice Springs and Perth.

2013 Rugby Rocks Tag Rugby Festival champions Tumeke Netball events. The rugby and netball teams were made up of tag rugby players across the 15 competitions in London, coming together to represent the tag rugby community.

The Rugby 10s team did exceptionally well, making it all the way to the final.

The netballers also achieved amazing results, going through undefeated in the pool stages only to bow out in the A grade quarter finals to established netball side, Lavender Hill.

If you would like to join the growing London tag rugby community, Try Tag Rugby’s summer leagues commence from 24 June onwards at 15 venues across London and Reading. Due to the successful Fulham league which sold out in its first season, Try Tag Rugby

are introducing a second evening (Tuesdays) at Fulham.

The competitions cater for all standards of players with divisions including beginner, intermediate, A grade and for the ultra competitive, super league.

Leagues are taking place at Acton, Balham, Borough, Canada Water, East London RFC, Finsbury Park, Fulham, Highbury, Hoxton, Reading, Richmond, Shoreditch Park, Southfields (Wimbledon Park) and Wandsworth Town.

If you would like to register for a Try Tag Rugby summer competition, go to www.trytagrugby.com or email info@ trytagrugby.com for more details.

For your chance to win tickets, go to

AustralianTimes.co.uk/win

THE

RUBDOWN

The final line-up lines up

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SPORT

BRING IT ON!

Wallabies wince as Lions arrive

ONCE again an unforgiving Super Rugby round has left Wallabies coach Robbie Deans with yet more grey hairs and injury dilemmas as the first Test against the Lions touched down in Australia.

Injuries to forwards Scott Higginbotham and Sitaleki Timani have ruled them out and with it some physicality which the Wallabies will sorely need when the Lions come calling. Bad boys, Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale still have a chance to be involved. This is if Cooper can

Billy Moore, the player who made the “Queenslander” catchphrase famous, says Mal Meninga’s players will be driven by a fear of losing the series rather than continuing the state’s amazing State of Origin streak ...continued p14

...continued on p15

World Cup key to Neill’s club choice SOCCEROOS skipper Lucas Neill is concerned the A-League may not be the right fit for his club football next season should Australia do what he expects and make the World Cup finals.

Ahead of this week’s encounter with Japan (on Tuesday), Neill said where he plays next season will be determined predominantly by whether Australia qualifies for Brazil. ...continued on p15

Demons leave Neeld hanging STATE VS STATE: Maroon and Blue blood set to boil as Origin 2013 kicks off this week. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt - library)

THEIR TIME HAS COME

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NSW great Steve Mortimer says the Blues are ready to emulate the deeds of his allconquering 1985 side and end another era of Queensland State of Origin dominance.

By Steve Gee in Sydney Steve Mortimer famously led NSW to their first Origin series win over

the Maroons and, after seven years of failures, he can sense Laurie Daley’s side is ready to wrest back the Origin shield from north of the border.

And the Blues legend believes the key to a breakthrough win will be the brotherhood that had slowly built over the past two series under Ricky Stuart.

Mortimer said the fact that most of the Blues were involved in the past ...continued on p14

MELBOURNE coach Mark Neeld hasn’t been sacked by the AFL club yet, but they won’t give him any guarantees either.

After a marathon board meeting on Monday, in which it was speculated the embattled coach would get the axe, the Demons refused to speak publicly about Neeld’s future.

President Don McLardy released a brief statement on the Demons’ website, but there was little in it to suggest Neeld’s ...continued on p15