Australian Times | 18 June 2013

18 - 24 June 2013 Issue: 468

EXPAT FACTOR

MAINTAINING MOTIVATION

Behind the lens with Elly Mac

PAMPLONA SPECIAL

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The how, what, where and why travel P10

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n The prospect of a challenge to Prime Minister Julia Gillard appears to have ebbed, but all may not be as it seems.

A LEADERSHIP showdown between Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her detractors could be put off until after Labor’s landmark schools funding legislation passes federal parliament.

MPs were on alert on Monday after another poor poll for the government fuelled rumblings caucus might be encouraged to back a change of leadership so the party can save seats as the next election.

However, the day was relatively quiet, with a few of Ms Gillard’s core supporters emerging to back her and reject the case for a move to former leader Kevin Rudd this close to the September poll.

“I’m hearing talk and no action and that’s as it should be,” cabinet minister Craig Emerson said.

As Australian Times went to print, the Labor caucus was due to meet on Tuesday morning, ahead of parliament ...continued on p3

CIRCUS SPECIAL the country Aussies testing the limits of human strength | P8

by storm.

Exhilarating rugby is forecast.

Image by Sean Young

The 7s series guarantees a feast of Friday night rugby for all the family. Enjoy thrilling, high-scoring rugby alongside live music and top family entertainment. All 12 Premiership Rugby clubs will compete to reach the Final at the Twickenham Stoop.

Assange has ‘right to sun’ IT WAS reported last week that Ecuador’s foreign minister was travelling to the United Kingdom to demand the British government allow Julian Assange to sunbathe.

The story perfectly encapsulates the plight of the Australian WikiLeaks founder who will have spent a year inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London come Wednesday.

People who believe Mr Assange should go to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations find the fact he’s cooped up in the embassy a bit of a joke.

Supporters, however, are genuinely concerned about the damage to his health caused by the lack of sun; in particular, he risks rickets.

And then, of course, there’s the role of the media.

Some argue the foreign minister’s comments were mischievously mistranslated and Ricardo Patino was actually arguing for Mr Assange’s fundamental right to “sunlight”.

That’s quite different from suggesting he have access to a banana lounger.

Mr Assange walked into the embassy on 19 June, 2012 and was granted political asylum two months later on 16 August.

Mr Patino met with Mr Assange at the embassy on Monday morning Australian time ahead of talks with British Foreign Secretary William Hague. ...continued on p3

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2 | News

18 - 24 June 2013

Governor-General Quentin Bryce visits the United Kingdom

n The governor-general of Australia visited with the Queen, young

Australian entrepreneurs in East London, and addressed an Australian Business networking lunch in the United Kingdom last week.

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,

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Last week Governor-General Quentin Bryce visited the United Kingdom following a week-long European trade mission to France, Belgium, Slovakia and Austria.

On the first day of a four-day visit Ms Bryce attended a rountable meeting with prominent women in business at the Australian High Commission before meeting young Australian musicians currently studying at the Royal College of Music.

Ms Bryce visited Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace to pass on Australia’s best wishes to Prince Philip as he recovered from surgery in hospital.

“The governor-general passed on to Her Majesty The Queen the best wishes from all Australians to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh,” a spokesman said in a statement.

The entrepreneurial environment of London was showcased to Ms Bryce, with a visit to Accelerator – the London Metropolitan University’s ‘business incubator’ to support East London’s small business community.

The governor-general was introduced to East London’s ‘Tech City’, including a number of Australian tech start-ups and established small businesses.

“You hear so much said about the capacity for small business, entrepreneurship and technology to work together but often nothing is done about it. You are transferring the rhetoric into reality,” Ms Bryce said.

“And I am thrilled to see bright, young Australians over here experiencing this.”

London Met Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Gillies said it was an honour to host the governor-general.

“As a fellow Australian I was

Ms Quentin Bryce at Tech City.

Image courtesy of London Metropolitan University

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Your Say On: ‘She called me fat’: Hockey WWAAAAAA she called me fat, poor Joe.

Ricky

On: Australia has no culture and ‘feral’ crowds, says former England captain I don’t doubt Gower is right about the Aussie crowds being feral. I imagine he’s been on the receiving end of a few verbal lashings in his time. However, in 2009 I went up to Leeds with my sister and watched days two and three of the 2009 Headingley ashes test. I was ashamed to be English as the crowd were awful. So really I’d not take Gowers comments too seriously.

Matt

?

What’s your view

Philip Aiken AM, Chairman of Australian Business, Her Excellency The Honourable Quentin Bryce AC CVO, The Hon Mike Rann, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. particularly proud to welcome the governor-general to London Met. “She has acknowledged the opportunities we’re giving to young people everywhere, but particularly those from some of the underprivileged boroughs of East London. We are recruiting young people from neighbouring communities to ensure they have access to business growth in their area.”

Ms Bryce had a further opportunity to meet with prominent Australian members of the UK community at a lunch with UK and Australian business leaders to promote trade and investment between Australia, EU and the UK. Hosted by business networking organisation Australian Business at the InterContinental London Westminster, the lunch was attended by Australian Business members, representatives of the European Australian Business Council, Australian High Commissioner Mike Rann and Chairman of Australian Business Phillip Aiken.

Ms Bryce spoke of the historic achievements of the European Union and the benefits of an integrated economic arrangement for member states, as well as the Australia and the UK. Ms Bryce told guests leading a

week-long trade mission to Europe had given her an interesting insight into the “current state of the union” and “a sense of the Australian opportunities and challenges in Europe that lie ahead.”

The mission to advance Australian business interests and promote Australia as an attractive and sophisticated market for European investment was the first time the position of governor-general has been employed in this way.

Ms Bryce said this reflected the changing nature of the role.

“It reflects the important evolution of the role, its contemporisation through generational change.”

Ms Bryce closed by paying tribute to the ongoing relationship between Australia and the UK. “It is one of Australia’s most important and most enduring.

“It is a relationship built on strong foundations and shared interests, on common values and deep bonds.”

Australia’s reciprocal trade with the UK is worth AUD$24bn, making the UK Australia’s sixth largest two-way trading partner.

“In short the UK matters, and the EU matters, to Australia,” said Ms Bryce.

“And it seems the feeling is mutual.”

On: Gillard calls for Libs to dump Brough over ‘sexist’ fundraising menu

On: Key Independent Windsor says deal off if Labor changes leader

So the restaurant owner Mr Joe Richards tells us that the menu was an in house joke with his son only, it had nothing to do with the Libs and was never distributed at the dinner!

Oh how some people are so easy to draw conclusions. The timing of release of the menu, originally made available to Gillard in March, was a ploy by Gillard to restart her election campaign. That is it! She has fired her canon. That was all she had. There is nothing left. Pathetic.

Harry

On: Newman government bans Garrett from visiting Queensland schools A politician accuses a politician of playing politics? This beyond a joke. Can we have grassroots representation please?

Tony Windsor has nothing to offer in terms at comprehensive strategy on entrepreneural skill which is vital in running a public post. With Jamie McIntyre’s experience he can be an asset to our economic growth.

Simon

On: London can set you free | Top 10 London activities on a budget

Thanks so much for this article – I am taking my teenage son to London next month and by the time we have paid for accommodation, travel etc I will not have much spare cash, so ideas for free activities, and such a wide range, is very useful.

Looking forward to part 2.

Rebecca

Ireland

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

News | 3

AustralianTimes.co.uk

sitting at noon, and could provide another potential pressure point for a challenge.

But Labor sources said there didn’t appear to be any major momentum at present to “tap” Ms Gillard, who on Monday concentrated in parliament on highlighting her government’s schools funding reforms.

“No one knows what to do, no one’s game,” an insider said.

It’s also believed the party doesn’t want to risk the schools funding bill, which paves the way for a new funding model that offers the states and territory almost $15 billion in new funding for

the nation’s private and public schools.

The bill, which is now before the Senate, could be upset if there was a change of leader who immediately called an earlier election.

Mr Rudd arrived in Canberra for the first of two final sitting weeks before the election and was repeatedly asked if he would stand for the leadership if asked by his colleagues.

“I have nothing further to add on what I’ve said before,” the former prime minister said.

Mr Rudd has previously said that under no circumstances would he return to the ALP leadership.

Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury, who holds the marginal western Sydney seat of Lindsay, dismissed the polls

showing Labor had a better chance under Mr Rudd.

“To some extent there’s a bit of grass is greener on the other side effect,” he said.

Retiring Labor backbencher Steve Gibbons says he will never support a Rudd return.

“He knows that. I’ve said that to his face,” he said.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the nation needed a government that united the people.

“The Australian people are sick of the circus in Canberra and what they want is strong and stable government,” he said.

Labor’s primary support has slipped to 29 per cent, against the coalition’s 47 per cent, according to the latest Nielsen poll published by Fairfax Media. - AAP

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The foreign minister assured him Ecuador remained committed to protecting his human rights “and continued to seek cast-iron assurances to avoid any onward extradition to a third state”.

All parties say they are hoping for a “diplomatic solution”, but an end to the impasse isn’t likely.

Mr Assange won’t leave the embassy because he faces immediate arrest and extradition to Sweden.

The former hacker is worried he’ll then be handed over to the US to face charges over WikiLeaks’ release of classified documents. He insists a sealed indictment has already been issued.

Ecuador wants Britain to guarantee Mr Assange won’t be extradited from Sweden to the US while the UK government says it simply has a legal duty to hand the Australian over to Swedish authorities.

Mr Assange argues international law actually requires the British to allow his safe passage to Latin America.

The stand-off means the former hacker has been stuck mainly in a small room in the embassy, which is just an apartment inside a Victorian red-brick building in the posh Knightsbridge district.

Police patrol outside 24 hours a day at an estimated cost of $A130,000 a week.

Mr Assange is diligent about maintaining his fitness. In September, he revealed that while he can’t leave the embassy, he runs up to 8km a day on a treadmill given to him by socialist film director Ken Loach.

He regularly sees a personal trainer and also does boxing and calisthenics.

A UV lamp is his substitute for the sun.

People often assume Queenslandborn Mr Assange has plenty of time on his hands, but he maintains he works 17-hour days running WikiLeaks.

In the past week, he’s also been busy with media interviews in the lead-up

to Wednesday’s anniversary.

Mr Assange on Friday told reporters, including AAP, that US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden was “a hero”.

His comments came after it was reported the British government had warned airlines not to allow the exCIA employee to fly to Britain. “(That’s) presumably because it doesn’t want to end up with another Julian Assange,” the WikiLeaks founder said. “(But) his revelations disclose something that is important to nearly everyone in the world: the mass surveillance of everyone who uses the internet and the corruption of the major US IT companies such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook in that process.”

Prominent journalist John Pilger says Australians should admire Mr Assange’s spirit and what WikiLeaks has achieved.

“The truth doesn’t automatically change systems based on lies; it makes the liars defensive,” he tells AAP. “(But) it does give the public information without which they can never change systems. That’s a venerable truism. It was information in the public domain that ended slavery, but only after a long struggle.”

Mr Pilger is one of many Mr Assange backers who lost thousands of pounds when the 41-year-old skipped bail in mid-2012 after losing his extradition battle in the British courts.

Former supporter Jemima Khan lost money too and later turned on Mr Assange.

In February, the socialite warned the WikiLeaks founder risked falling from a hero to the Australian version of L. Ron Hubbard who expected supporters to follow him “unquestioningly, in blinkered, cultish devotion”.

The WikiLeaks Party aims to run Senate candidates in Victoria, NSW and Western Australia. It’s unlikely the party will nominate for lower house seats.- AAP

...continued from p1

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4 | Exclusive Interview

18 - 24 June 2013

the Expat factor

Extraordinary Aussies in the UK

I moved to the UK in May 2005.

Ever since I first visited London, and watched Bridget Jones Diary and Notting Hill, I knew I wanted to live here. I knew I wanted in on the action. I was no longer content with just being a tourist, and coming back and forth every two years, visiting as many cities and countries as I could in 4-6 weeks, and doing that crazy long haul flight back. I was working for the Department of Justice, writing ministerial briefing papers for Ministers and Commissioners, and

I was once so jet lagged on my return that I fell asleep in a meeting at work. I didn’t want that anymore.

The original plan was to come for twelve months, but at the end of it I requested another six months leave without pay and at the end of that – I resigned my position and stayed put.

Plus, I had met a wealthy high profile older gentleman and we got engaged, which influenced my decision to stay.

For the first three years in London I was kind of a jet-setting WAG, which sounds horrendous now, given my work ethic.

After the relationship ended in 2008 I thought about moving back to Australia, but decided to stay and become a photographer instead.

I now run my own photography studio, The House of Elly Mac Photos, based in Battersea. I specialise in editorial wedding photography with a creative avant garde edge. The studio is a full service studio – we do everything from shooting to handcrafted albums, fine art printing and wall art and sell limited edition prints.

I’ve photographed over 230

Elly Mac

Photographer and owner of The House of Elly Mac Photos weddings, and shot in some of the most beautiful buildings and places in the world – Lake Como, the deserts of Dubai and St Paul’s Cathedral. I’ve had the privilege to shoot an epic five day extravagant wedding in Florence.

The wedding was held at various castles and villas around Florence and involved working 16 hour days and managing an entourage of 3 photographers! Each day, there were over 400 guests attending events such as an Alice in Wonderland tea party in a secret garden, a La Dolce Vita lavish wedding at a villa, a Florentine Luncheon and a Masquerade Ball.

I am now shooting at weddings organized by wedding planners who have worked at Royal Weddings and booked 12 to 24 months in advance – which means I’m glued to the UK! It was a challenge getting started, and standing out amongst the wedding crowd. I made a lot of mistakes and had to overcome a cocaine addiction, which was part of the WAG lifestyle. I had realised the only thing holding me back was me, I had to get out of the way of myself, learn what my fears were and where they came from, stop sabotaging the success that I deserved and get on with it. It takes time to become confident with the photographer that you are, and finding the clients who love what you do. Being brave is hard, and having a belief the money will come in. However, I’ve now been published in industry magazines and books, won awards for my quirky work, and have been named as ‘Best Photography Studio in London’, second in England and ranked 14th worldwide.

I think there has been a benefit in setting up the studio in the UK because of the proximity to Europe and America – it’s possible to get a number of international commissions every year, which I wouldn’t be able to do from Australia. There are also a greater number of weddings per year in the UK, so the market is bigger. I want House of Elly Mac Photos to develop into a high-end brand for clients wanting different, free-spirited, non-traditional wedding photography. I’ve rented a house that I’ll dedicate to the photography, a display room, editing suite and a studio.

Most Australians do travel to the UK for a quick visit, or to use the two-year working visa and party, but for the rest of us – the ones who

stay forever – it’s about enriching our lives and being part of something great. There is a fabulous quote by Anais Nin who said, “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.”

I travel all over the UK for work, plus get to scoot off for international weddings in places like Dubai and Sicily – not too shabby! When I need to get out of London and breath again, I go to Paris and New York.

The beauty in Paris is overwhelming, and the grid layout of New York is like Melbourne, so I feel like I am at home. It sounds like a cliché but everything is so close here - you’d be mad not to go to these places time and time again. That’s the joy of being based here; you really do get to know cities like a local.

I really love the nightlife in London, there is always something going on. Though at the moment my typical weekends are mostly about work. Usually I’ll be shooting a wedding in London or somewhere in the UK, so it starts on Friday night packing my kit and sorting out directions. Then travelling to the wedding, shooting for between four to ten hours, and coming home to back up files. Sundays are typically spent doing venue walk throughs and client meetings, and it’s like this for 11 months of the year.

I have a few secret spots in London I love. Maison Bertuax on Greek Street in Soho – the cakes are to die for. If I believed in heaven, this place would be it. Jack’s Place in Battersea is like walking into the 1970s and getting served up a plate of meat and three veg like mum used to make. It’s got the best steak in London. And at Nancy Lam’s on Lavender Hill – the owner there is fantastically eccentric. She once sat at my table while I was waiting for my fellow, and asked if I was sure he was going to show up!

It can be really difficult immigrating to the UK - it is so very different from home. You will find yourself out of context and it’s very easy to lose yourself. Its takes a good three years before you will finally feel settled, and another five years before you can call yourself a Londoner. Australia will always be my country but London (for now) is my home.

Elly’s work can be found at Ellymacphotos.com.

Community | 5

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Queensland Day celebrated at Australia House n By Ken Smith, Agent General for Queensland and Trade and Investment Commissioner, Europe.

Have you noticed that the weather in London last week was at last getting decidedly warmer? Maybe it was because Thursday 6 June in Australia House was transformed into a tropical oasis to celebrate Queensland Day. Pity it didn’t last beyond the weekend.

The night proved to be a celebratory reprieve for the Queenslanders from the earlier, rare State of Origin win

by New South Wales. Rather than denying the loss, we came together to celebrate all things great about the Sunshine State, including our decisive wins in the series from 2006 each and every year up to and including 2012. So there are two more games in this series for us to reclaim our superiority over the cockroaches!

But to prove that we aren’t obsessed with Rugby League, those present reminisced on the importance of 6th June 1859 – the creation of Queensland and separation from the colony of New South Wales. This is when Queen Victoria signed the letters patent confirming Queensland as a separate and discrete colony.

In my speech on the night, I pointed out that originally, we were to be called ‘Cooksland’, obviously

after Captain James Cook. But is doesn’t quite have that ring to it – I can’t see the crowds cheering “Go Cookslanders.”

Queensland was created, of course, to honor the then long serving monarch, Queen Victoria.

Around 220 guests enjoyed the tastes of Queensland including a selection of two beers made in Cairns from Blue Sky Brewery, Queensland wines and a delicious assortment of canapés made with Queensland beef supplied by JBS Global.

Guests also enjoyed the stunning surrounds of the Exhibition Hall at Australia House, decorated with reminders of home such as cuddly koalas, kangaroos and pineapples.

Sponsored by British Gas, ANZ Bank and Etihad, the night was a

still FREE

website | eNews | mobile | social media

Sir John Grant KCMG (BG Group), Queensland Agent-General Ken Smith and Peter Sargent (ANZ)

n

Join in a unique conversation about Australian identity from the perspectives of Australians abroad with the Australian Republican Movement’s ‘Being Australia(n)’ Q&A event on Thursday 27 June. that have different cultures, histories and stories.

With around 250,000 Australians present in London at any time, representing over 1% of the total Australian population, this community is by far the largest diaspora outside Australia – a substantial group comprising diverse selection of high-achieving professionals, youth workers, students and many others.

The unique perspective this diaspora community could offer on questions of Australian identity has been identified by a group of Australians residents in London

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Let us rejoice, for online we’re...

Visit: AustralianTimes.co.uk

Being Australian in the UK What does it mean to you?

What does it mean to be Australian? When living in Australia, surrounded by other Australians, we may not have the opportunity to ask ourselves this question very often – apart from those few moments on Australia Day, or Anzac Day, when we examine what it is that shapes our identity, culture or values.

However, when living and travelling overseas it seems these questions come up more often – as your own sense of who you are and where you come from are frequently brought into sharp focus through contrast with countries

great success. Everyone reveled in images of the reef, the rainforest, the beaches and the outback.

Alex Louth from e-DBA was lucky enough to win two return business class airfares with Etihad to Queensland. Why wouldn’t he be smiling?

The great evening of networking reminded us all of the great Ganggajang lyrics ‘Out on the patio we’d sit, And the humidity we’d breath, We’d watch the lightning crack over canefields, Laugh and think, this is Australia’.

SUPPORT OF THE FAMILIES OF DECEASED VETERANS.

SIGNED, LINDSAY BIRRELL, PRESIDENT, LONDON LEGACY (M.07505145461)

(forming the “London Steering Committee”), along with the Australian Republican Movement (“ARM”).

To answer these questions the ARM will host a ‘Being Australian’ event entitled “Our Identity: Who do we want to be?” to engage the Australian public in a conversation about out national identity.

“The aim of Being Australia(n) is to inspire a unique conversation about our identity from the perspective of Australians abroad” said Cal Viney, who co-chairs the London Steering Committee of the Australian Republican Movement with fellow ex-pats Marielle Smith and Simon Rowell.

“Being Australia(n) will bring together a broad selection of Australians resident in London for the first time to discuss their unique perspectives on what it means to be Australian and how this is framed by living on the other side of the world.”

The event will include an address from ARM Director David Morris, along with a Q&A style discussion with a panel of notable Australians living in London, from different backgrounds, including finance, law, public administration, arts and nonprofit sectors.

Join in this important conversation on Thursday 27 June from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at the Graham Wallas Room (Fifth floor, Old Building) and the London School of Economics & Political Science, Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE. If you have any questions about the event contact Cal Viney on +44 (0) 7447596872 or calviney@me.com.

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6 | UK Life

18 - 24 June 2013

Cardiff cruising I dream of Mortein n

Feeling like just another Australian in a sea of familiar faces? Head to Cardiff to ‘throw another shrimp on the barbie’ with the locals.

n

Australia may have a cockroach problem, but at least you can deal with the problem with a can of bug spray.

SUBCULTURE SLEUTH

Surviving such a tolerance.

Sightings, however rare, of these london city dwellers always reduce me to a

> PAUL BLEAKLEY

A number of people have told me that I am a bit of a contradiction. On one hand, I am a writer with several graduate degrees that likes to spout random facts about the intricacies of the Crimean War. On the other? I far prefer to drink cheap cider, watch reality TV and fist-pump along with generic pop music.

That is why a pilgrimage to Cardiff was always on the cards. It seemed like someone had designed the place specifically for me: hundreds of wild hen and stag parties cruising town, cheap alcohol and a legion of adorable girls from the South Wales valleys that had never met an Australian before in their life.

The nightlife scene in Cardiff is not to the taste of your average Chelseawine swiller. On our first night (in the Cardiff Walkabout, of course) it was only a matter of moments before an inordinately hairy man had his shirt off, and several girls decided that 9pm was a perfectly normal time to take their heels off at the bar. Probably a good thing they did, to be fair: the floors were so sticky that a fellow Australian girl we met was essentially glued to the floor and ended up having to abandon her shoes altogether.

We woke up with sore heads the next morning, seemingly the only hardpartying lads in a hostel populated by families and people that spent Saturday night in the common room playing Monopoly. Not us, we had a job to do.

We still had to make contact with the elusive Welsh girl, to see if all of our dreams of musical voices and reckless

> Bianca Soldani

behaviour were actually true. We had to do it all again.

It didn’t take long before we were dragged off Cardiff’s High Street by a girl offering us shots, jagerbombs and beers all for the low, low price of five quid. It seemed like a dingy dive bar, the kind where you get your cheap drinks and leave as quickly as possible. That is when they walked in. The valley girls, Caerphilly’s finest. As attractive as they were fun and wild, they had never come across an Australian before. They were wide-eyed with wonder, enraptured by the simplest things.

“G’day mate, throw another shrimp on the barbie,” said one. “But … do you really have barbeques all the time? We don’t have barbeques in Wales. And do you live in a place like on Home and Away? Do you surf? I’d like to surf, but there’s no waves in Wales! We should dance like a kangaroo, how do they dance?”

There is nothing else to say. Thank you, Cardiff. I was starting to become jaded by the ubiquitousness of the Aussie in London. Next time I need to feel special, I will be on the first bus back to Wales.

If you thought roaches were a problem back home, you’re in for a shock. Another typically London problem are those troublesome, unwelcome housemates – of the furry variety. London is teeming with mice (cue shudder).

Mice on the street or in the underground tunnels can even, with time, be borne. Having to share your flat with them however is a whole other beast. Funnily enough it’s a problem that doesn’t faze many native Londoners; a nosy little fluffball scampers across their kitchen floor and they hardly bat an eyelid.

Unfortunately I have yet to build up

trembly, whimpering mess. That’s right, I’m that kind of person who jumps up onto the nearest chair and squeals and points and does nothing to resolve the situation.

The plus side to all this (yes, there is one) is that although some properties have mice, very few have bugs. The occasional blowfly in summer or moth in winter is all you usually have to endure which definitely makes a refreshing change to the live zoo of insects and creepycrawlies we’re used to Down Under.

Living in my part of Sydney it was not uncommon to wake up and find a fist-size hairy huntsman had taken up post on my kitchen ceiling. I get the idea that mice are just as harmless

(at the end of the day they’re not poisonous, dangerous or deadly in the way many native Australian creatures are), but they can’t help but give me the creeps. It probably has something to do with the fact that you can’t exactly squash them or reach for your trusty can of bug spray – it’s unfamiliar territory.

There are all sorts of techniques around to cleanse your house of rodents, my favourite solution has always been to move. Mice are definitely something to be wary of when looking for a rental property and are high on my list of nonnegotiables.

When house hunting I’m always keeping an eye out for mice traps and avoid gardens at all costs.

“We’re dealing with the mouse problem” is not good enough, if you can’t stand anything hairy that moves, make sure they don’t have any before signing on the dotted line.

For tips on how to avoid other London problems, check out my new book, “An Aussie’s Survival Guide to London”; tackling the little problems for newcomers to London. It is available from Talktraveltome.com.

Managing motivation n

The physical and psychological challenge of Tough Mudder provided a renewed sense of spirit for our Fit Aussie. Now he shows you how to get motivated about being motivated.

Fit Aussie > Michael McCormick

Living overseas is daunting, exciting, and somewhat surreal.

Above all, it is a major challenge.

I have personally been dragged through the mud (both figuratively and literally) several times whilst living abroad, however I have never given even the slightest thought to throwing in the towel, packing up and heading back to the homeland. Ok, maybe that’s a lie.

So far my time in London has bestowed upon me the famed ‘traveller’s bankruptcy’ on more than one occasion — physical injuries, scars of both the physical and psychological variety, ups, downs, highs, lows, loss of sleep, sun and sanity, bouts of depression, anxiety and paranoia and extreme mood swings of all sorts.

But after that day was over, I realised that London is actually a very inspiring place. The whole city is basically a film set, there is never a lack of things to do and the sky is the limit in terms of how successful your time here can be.

I recently completed Tough Mudder, a twelve mile (roughly 1820km) obstacle course that is without a doubt the toughest physical, and in some regards, psychological challenge I have ever combatted.

It helped me gain a renewed perspective, or spirit if you may.

I was motivated momentarily, but previous experience has taught me to not bank on riding this wave to the next time I can mop the mud of Northern England with my face.

So instead I have but one choice.

I must get motivated about being motivated.

After scouring various reliable

sources (does Wikipedia count yet?)

I have compiled my top five ways to stay motivated to achieve your physical goals. Perk up and have a read.

• Keep yourself accountable by setting short-term milestones.

Shorter term goals (ideally each week) can help long term goals in your conscious mind.

• Use technology to your advantage.

Use Facebook and Twitter to get advice, keep interested parties updated with your progress, and even inspire others who may want to do the same.

• Employ all the support you can.

Try to find a committed friend to join you on your challenge, or if you do have the money to splash around, pay a professional to keep you honest.

Whichever way you play it, it is of upmost importance to have a good group of mates who won’t let you fail and/or will give you grief if you do.

• Keep a clear idea of the bigger picture. Getting up early tomorrow may seem insignificant, especially

if you’ve had a big night, but by not doing so you will create a pattern of behaviour where you may do the same again in the future when presented with a similar circumstance.

• Recognise you need to change things and just man (or woman) up and get started. It can be small changes – a movie one week instead of your usual boozy Friday night.

Pack some healthy snacks, or simply get up and start moving. Behaviour is not magically changed in a day - it takes weeks, months and sometimes years of practice to perfect it.

To summarise - tell people about what you want to achieve, see who may want the same things or who can help you and break up your big ideas with smaller milestones. Most importantly, and for the sake of all your Twitter followers, stop talking and start doing.

Michael McCormick is a personal trainer based in London and can be contacted at thefitaussie@gmail.com

UK Life | 7

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Image by Chris Huh

London can set you free

Some like it hot n

Tea with milk is an English staple, but have they perfected the art of a good cup?

n

Last week we showed you a side to London you may not know all that well – an affordable London! This week, the budget-friendly fun continues with another top ten of free London activities.

Honeymooning Nomad > Jacqui Moroney

You often hear complaints circulating about the cost of living in London.

People are always swapping notes on how much they spend on transport, going out and just everyday life.

However, there is a different London available to those who want to make the most of everything the city has to offer – and do it on a budget.

This city has some of the best monuments, museums and art galleries in the world – almost all of them free.

Not only that, there are parks and walking tours, or just wandering the streets, soaking up the atmosphere. Just make sure to take an umbrella.

To help you refine your options, here are our next top ten activities to do in London. All for free.

Image by Ian Paterson

Natural History Museum Located in South Kensington, this beautiful Victorian building houses some of the most weird and wonderful items from the natural world. You can see the dinosaur bone collection, visit the creepy crawly room, learn about the mammals from around the world and come face to face life-sized blue whales, elephants and elk. If you want to avoid the queues (and screaming children) the museum is open on the last Friday of every month until 10pm, complete with live music and a bar.

Somerset House Somerset House is a major arts and culture centre in the heart of London overlooking the River Thames, just east of the Waterloo Bridge. Somerset House features large-scale contemporary exhibitions, galleries, events, two elegant staircases and balcony views over the Thames. The famous courtyard and vast Georgian building provide a beautiful backdrop for 55 dancing fountains in the summer and an ice rink during the winter months. Open between 10am and 6pm every day, most galleries are free, as are guided tours every Thursday and Saturday.

Speakers’ Corner Free entertainment in the north-east corner of Hyde Park! Speakers’ Corner was officially recognised in 1872 and allows people from all corners of the globe gather to theatrically share their opinions from atop their soap box or listen to the varied and fascinating rants and ramblings. Lenin, Karl Marx, George Orwell and William Morris are but a few who have used this spot to take a stand on their ideals and beliefs.

Sunday morning was traditionally the best time to visit, but speakers

can now be found on the corner throughout the week.

Harrods (free to visit) One of the world’s most famous department store is a must. Located in London’s posh Knightsbridge, the store is a rabbit warren full of the most incredible clothing, bags, furniture, gifts and toys. Don’t miss the Disney themed princess room on the fifth floor, the Harrods pet store and the Egyptian themed escalator lobby.

Museum of London Docklands This museum explores London’s history from Roman settlement to Docklands’ regeneration and observes the history of London’s river, port, trade, migration and commerce. The museum is two minutes’ walk from West India Quay DLR station in East London. With the money you save on entry, take a 10-15 minute journey on a Thames Clipper riverboat from Bankside or Maritime Greenwich Pier to Canary Wharf Pier and take in the view from the river.

Image by Michael Louc

modern and contemporary art from 1900 to the present day. It is housed in the former Bankside Power Station near the pedestrian Millennium Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe. There are seven floors of gallery space, exhibitions, collection displays, performance spaces, auditoriums, cafés, small merchandise shop and a bar and restaurant on the 7th floor. The Tate is open until 6pm most nights and 10pm Fridays and Saturdays.

Admission is free, except for special exhibitions.

New London Architecture (NLA) London’s Centre for the Built Environment, near Goodge Street Tube or Tottenham Court Road Tube, is open free of charge Monday – Saturday.

The centre features wall displays of new builds in London and a plastic model that stretches dozens of metres, displaying the Docklands and Olympic Park in the east, and Battersea in the west. This is a fantastic overview of the entire city, offering a whole new outlook on the capital.

Image by Romazur

Image by Stephen Craven

National Maritime Museum and Greenwich World Heritage Site Located in the beautiful Greenwich World Heritage Site, the National Maritime Museum is made up of the Maritime Galleries, the Royal Observatory Astronomy Centre, and the 17th century Queen’s House. Some of the National Maritime Museum wings are open late until 8pm every Thursday.

Museum of London To learn a little more about the history of London, check out the seven permanent exhibition galleries telling the story of London from prehistoric times to the end of the 19th century at the largest city museum in the world. The museum is located in the City of London between Barbican and St Paul’s tube stations.

Entry is free, with the exception of several Museum Late activities throughout the year which are always themed and fun.

Tate Modern One of the most visited modern art galleries in the world, the Tate Modern houses the UK’s premier collection of

Free Festivals A number of festivals showcasing London’s sporting, artistic, musical and cultural achievements take place throughout the year and various venues around the capital. Here are the highlights: February - Celebrate Chinese New Year with floats and entertainment from Trafalgar Square to Chinatown.

April – The annual London Marathon starts at Greenwich Park and covers 26.2 miles through Embankment, Tower Bridge and Cutty Sark Gardens.

May – On the first long weekend of May Little Venice hosts a properly English affair of real ale, Morris dancers and the gathering of picturesque canal boats.

June - Trooping the Colour celebrates the Queen’s Birthday and is carried out by fully operational troops from the Household Division (Foot Guards and Household Cavalry).

August – The Notting Hill Carnival is one of Europe’s biggest, attracting around one million revellers each year.

This three day festival is a dynamic celebration of London’s multi-cultural diversity with floats, street dancing, food and music.

November – Lord Mayor’s Show and Fireworks along the Thames River.

December – Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.

So you see – there is an amazing array of free and fun activities in London to enjoy without breaking the bank. Get out there and enjoy.

By Michaela Gray “This is not tea with milk, it’s milk with tea!”

Irate and brandishing a boiling hot beverage, this coffee chain customer had a point to make.

Next in line I could vouch for her – she was indeed holding a very large paper cup of watered down milk.

“This is not the first time! You don’t care about the customer!”

This woman had been served one too many milk-with-tea.

In true English fashion the service assistant stared back at her with only the vaguest of interest.

“I don’t understand what you want,” she says.

“I want to speak with the manager!”

“I am the manager and you need to calm down, you’re disturbing other customers.”

Not in the least! I love a bit of impromptu aggravation with my coffee - and I was on this customer’s side.

Tea is supposed to brew before adding milk, however this is London and if the coffee is burnt and bitter

you can assume the tea will be scalding and flavourless.

Let’s face it, you don’t go to a coffee chain because the roast is to die for – you go to scoff a stale muffin while using the free Wi-Fi for hours on end.

If you’re in need of a fix of caffeine or Internet in London you need only look around. If by some slim chance you’re not already standing directly in front of a coffee house, it’s likely you’ll need only to walk ten feet to enter one.

The hot beverage trade is big business in Britain; 165 million cups of tea (or milk with tea, if you’re unlucky) and 70 million cups of coffee are consumed each day.

Yet with so many beverages being served, it’s a wonder coffee chains can’t quite get it right.

My advice; go for the hot chocolate.

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8 | Entertainment

What’s On 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 Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite 16 July @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire Barry Gibb 3 Oct @ O2 Arena

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

See what we are following this week on

Dave Warner @RichieBenaud_ Alleged that Root was impersonating Amla with his wig beard and Warner took offence. I take offence at Warner impersonating a Test cricketer @dallasbaird Between the army, sattler and dave warner I wonder when this period of national regression began and can't wait for it to end. #growupaus @MattKMarsden If Dave Warner is going to go around hitting other cricketers because they're better than him then he has a whole lot of cricketers to hit. @newman_cricket Warner flashing at a wide one is a mode of dismissal we might see plenty of this summer...

Australia 17-1 @AW23Hopkins Dave Warner must be really out of form. He even managed to edge Joe Root's face. #AllSwingNoDing @BBCSport 'Controversial, nocturnal, popular & gifted' - labels used

by Aussie writer @jimmaxcricket to describe David #Warner @tomgirling82 Sorry state of affairs for the Aussies when a batsman with a test ave of <40 getting suspended is such a big deal. #Warner #bbccricket

Follow us on Twitter @AustralianTimes

18 - 24 June 2013

Circa’s animals unleashed n

Performing in the Spiegeltent at the London Wonderground, Beyond by Australian company Circa presents a variety of circus acts, but the strength of one performer steals the show.

By Thomas JOnes Circa, the Australian contemporary circus company unleashes the animal inhabiting each of us in their new show Beyond.

Not taking itself too seriously, the show features a cast dressed in animal costumes performing mainly aerial acts and acrobatics to show tunes including Frank Sinatra’s My Way and New York, New York.

Such an eclectic mix of music, circus and costume can be entertaining, but could be used to greater effect in this show.

For every ooh and ahh moment, there are just as many pffs. You sit wide-eyed watching a female aerial artist perform a complex strap routine with rapid movements. But when the next act involves two male performers making noises by squashing a plastic bottle, you can’t help but think maybe I need another drink (the bar is open throughout the performance).

One fluff act can add colour, but there are a few too many. I kind of wish the guy who fits his body through a tennis racket was overweight, or at least pretended to get stuck; something to heighten the degree of difficulty. And I’m not sure what to make of the guy balancing a piece of paper on his foot.

But Beyond has one major drawcard. Every circus needs a strongman. Someone to lift, hold,

Circus Special

catch, support and carry the weight of the other artists. This role is often overlooked in favour of the person balancing, holding or hanging on by a thread. But when the strongman is a woman, your attention suddenly gravitates to the bottom of the human pyramid instead of the top.

The strongwoman in this show is incredible. Without even looking like (dare I say) a man, she makes carrying the weight of a couple of men at the same time look so easy. She even does it with a smile. She is also at the centre of one of the show’s most entertaining acts. With the odds stacked against her in the form of acrobats using her body as a balance beam she successfully manages to solve a Rubix cube. This feat was highly applauded.

More of those acts with multiple dimensions would have made this show much more dynamic.

However if you’re after some light entertainment, it’s a good weight.

For tour dates and tickets visit Circa.org.au. For the Southbank Wonderground shows see Londonwonderground.co.uk/beyond.

When breathtaking is an understatement n

REVIEW | Four circus performers test the limits of human strength and fragility in Knee Deep, the debut for Australian contemporary company Casus currently playing at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.

By Thomas Jones KNEE DEEP opens with a different take on tightrope walking. Instead of rope, the walker steps barefoot on cartons full of eggs. The audience watches her weight shift from carton to carton with the same anticipation as if she was balancing on a high wire. Cameras project close-ups of each delicate footstep, magnifying the fragility of this display.

It is the start of a highly original, often quirky, and breathtaking show.

It reminded me not to take any part of my body for granted.

Performed and created by Casus, an Australian circus quartet founded in 2011, their debut show tests the limits of what it is to be human.

Emma Serjeant, Jesse Scott, Lachlan McAulay and Natano Fa’anana use every inch of their bodies to produce new and seemingly impossible ways to connect and move each other.

Instead of props and equipment, heads, hands, forearms, kneecaps, and on one occasion, the upper jaw, are used to lift a performer.

Heightening the risk involved is the pace with which the acrobatics are performed. They are executed so quickly. Consequently this rapidness does not allow for the audience to applaud as much as you would like.

Each feat is followed quickly by another, with no time to waste.

Even as a spectator, this show is physically relentless. Scott walks the stage on clenched toes. Serjeant hammers a nail into her nostril. Scott and Fa’anana hold onto McAulay’s hands and feet swinging him 360 degrees. And to further demonstrate how the human body is the most versatile apparatus, Fa’anana turns himself into a percussion set, mixing sounds and rhythms by slapping different parts of his bare skin.

The show also includes a number of aerial items. The best is the finale, a trapeze act involving all four performers. Their incredible teamwork and strength is showcased as they interchange between holding someone and being held. At one point all four use each other’s bodies to hang from the trapeze. It is aweinspiring.

Following on from performances at the Brighton Festival, this show is currently playing at the Riverside Studios until 22 June. Casus will then continue touring the UK, with a series of shows at the Galway Arts Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Knee Deep is on at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith from Tuesday to Friday at 7.30pm, Saturdays at 5.30pm and 7.30pm and Sundays at 6.00pm. Tickets are £20-30, available from Riversidestudios.co.uk.

Image by Sean Young

Image by Sean Young

Entertainment | 9

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Floating on Ayr

n

INTERVIEW | Having toured as part of Sarah Blasko’s band, Ben Fletcher knows great music. Now, with his own debut solo album just released in the UK, he reflects on his 20 year journey with GEORGE KATRALIS. Have you ever had one of those moments where something you’ve been looking for has been right under your nose the whole time?

We all know the moment. You search for your sunglasses and they are on top of your head. That flash of panic thinking about where you left your keys, only to find them hanging in the front door keyhole. Or my favourite, leaving your wallet on the roof of your car. Yes, we’ve all done it.

Well, I had one of these moments recently. Only mine came in the form of a musician. An Australian musician by the name of Fletcher.

Sitting and listening to his debut album Upon Ayr, with its relaxed brand of singer/songwriter folky goodness, I was instantly curious. Where did this guy come from? And why had I not heard of him until now? Then it hit me. Much like the car keys, he’d been right under my nose the whole time.

Before being set to introduce himself and his songs to the world as a solo artist, Fletcher, or better known as Benjamin Fletcher, has been rocking the Australian music scene for the better part of 20 years.

In fact he first hit the stage as a 15-year-old in the mid 1990s with

Sydney rock band Bluebottle Kiss, before finding his place as a member of the Devoted Few and as a musician in Sarah Blasko’s backing band. Quite the resume indeed.

When asked about his early incarnation of being swept up by the Devil’s music at such a young age, Fletcher offered up his memories with a little bit of nostalgic shock.

“I remember being so young I had to be snuck in and out of venues to play.

My first show I played a borrowed bass from a friend of a friend. I just jumped around the stage the whole time and at the end of the show the singer, Jamie, tackled me to the floor and my lead broke off inside the bass,” he tells Australian Times.

“To get the broken jack out of the bass I put it to my mouth and pulled it out with my teeth cutting my lip and blood went everywhere. I gave the scuffed bass back the next day covered with dried blood. It was all very rock.”

Like most musicians, there was a moment that drew him into the path of music. However, unlike many where it happens pre-band days – hearing a chord change at a tender age, Fletcher literally learnt on the job. He went from listening to Janet Jackson and country

music one week, to playing in a rock ‘n’ roll band and soaking up Sonic Youth then next.

A moment, he said, that changed his life.

“As you can tell by my musical taste I didn’t really have any aspirations to be a musician. I was so young I didn’t know what I wanted to be or do.

“But when I started to rehearse and play those first couple of shows it really was like a lighting bolt hit me. I suddenly knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

“I quit school, we got signed and toured lots. I was like a musical sponge.

I would listen to and devour everything and anything I got handed by my band mates. The next thing I knew I was a grunge rock tragic with long purple hair and 16 hole Doc Martins.”

From his outings with Bluebottle Kiss Fletcher went on to start his own band, The Devoted Few. This forayed into an association Sarah Blasko, and in turn Darren Hanlon, before Fletcher was ready to take that leap into performing his own solo music.

“I’ve been writing songs since I first started out but they were all rubbish until 2001.

“Sarah is a real inspiration to me. Her dedication and obsession with her art is intoxicating for me.

“I’m similarly enamored with Darren.

I put Darren Hanlon right up there with Paul Kelly and I put Paul Kelly right up there with Leonard Cohen and you can’t get any more up there after Leonard Cohen!”

When it came time to making his debut album Upon Ayr, Fletcher looked to these Australian greats to make his album perfect.

“Paul Kelly said to me he never demos his songs. He records them and they are what they are. That really changed my

view on what my solo album was to me.

“All my songs that I thought were just demos turned out to be finished album tracks, just like that. Sometimes you don’t know what’s right under your nose until a legendary songwriter inadvertently tells you.”

Whatever advice he seemed to take certainly worked. Written over two years while on and off tour with Sarah Blasko, Upon Ayr is a very good piece of music and well worth a listen. With its well thought out lyrics and catchy melodies the album hones into the current style of indie folk pop, while showcasing its own sensitivities and the unique individual personality of its creator.

“Most of the themes are about home, and what home is to me. It’s also about movement, and the fear and uncertainty that comes along with upheaving everything and moving to a new country.

“There’s lots of nods to my favourite writers in Kerouac, Thomas Wolfe (not to be confused with Tom Wolfe), Steinbeck and Roald Dahl. It captures

pretty well where I was in my life and my head last year. The search for home and what that means, the transient whirlpool that is touring and the death of love which always fascinates me.”

Whatever comes next for this impressive young songwriter, who has shaken the hand of Paul McCartney before running away in fear, is in his own hands.

I won’t lie to you - he’s captured my attention with his album, his music and ability to craft some fine tunes, as well as his incredible personable charm and down right good blokeyness. And I’m sure the attention of many yet to come.

In the meantime he’s content to surround himself with London, play his music and enjoy one of his many pastimes - picking wildberries in Wormwood Scrubs.

Fletcher’s Upon Ayr is out now in the UK through Dramatico. For the full interview see AustralianTimes.co.uk/ entertainment.

PRESEntS

Happy New at Trafalgar Studios n

REVIEW | Happy New, by Australian playwright Brendan Cowell, is full of raw emotion and an undertone of restless aggression captured to perfection by a talented cast.

By Paul Bleakley THE ROLE of theatre as a mode of social commentary is a concept that is often forgotten amidst the flashing lights and choreographed dance routines of the West End. It is an art-form that is designed to be provocative. A trip to the theatre should leave you considering the very nature of humanity, and the ties that bind us together as a society. Multiaward winning playwright Brendan Cowell’s Happy New poses the question in a slightly more esoteric manner: if human beings are like chickens, what is the pecking order?

Cowell wrote Happy New around a decade ago in his second foray into the world of theatre. He told Australian Times that it was somewhat strange seeing it come to the stage in London so long after it had been written. He said that Happy New was less subtle than his more recent work, full of raw emotion and an undertone of restless aggression. He was right: Happy New is a brutally honest exploration of how humans operate in modern Australian society, and what happens when trauma makes us question whether ‘normal’ even exists.

Happy New is the story of brothers Lyle and Danny, who became media darlings after they were rescued from a chicken coop as children following months of being locked in by their mother. Just as quickly as Australia falls in love with the boys, they are tossed aside by the media machine and left with only current affairs journalist (and

Danny’s erstwhile girlfriend) Pru for support. The play is set on New Year’s Eve, with the brothers facing eviction from the security of their apartment and being forced to face the real world.

Trafalgar Studios, situated on Whitehall, offers an intimate encounter that sucks the audience into the play by virtue of proximity alone. The relatively small theatre has a major role in creating a connection between the audience and the characters on stage: we feel the same sense of claustrophobia that brothers Lyle and Danny would have felt after being trapped inside a chicken coop as children.

The first act of Happy New spends a considerable amount of time establishing the relationship between Lyle and Danny, with each of the men delivering rapid-paced monologues expressing their anxieties and the closeness of their relationship.

Throughout the first act, there is an almost Hitchcockian sense of dread that develops: you can sense that something terrible is lurking just around the corner with every line of witty dialogue.

Sure enough, the culmination of the first act proves that audience was right to have this feeling of impending doom. Unlike the exposition-laden first act, the second act is a maelstrom of frenetic chaos that leaves the audience breathless. One of Happy New’s highlights can be found in the second act, when the apartment set transforms into the chicken coop that gave birth to the brothers’ neuroses, with actors Joel Samuels and William Troughton haunting in their portrayal of the

brothers’ descent into madness.

Although Troughton and actress Lisa Dillon deliver flawless performances as Danny and Pru, the night truly belongs to Samuels in his portrayal of simple-minded younger brother Lyle. His exploration of the conflict between Lyle’s inherent weakness and his unbridled rage is one of the most engaging aspects of the entire play.

Samuels switches effortlessly between depicting Lyle as an affable simpleton and a terrifying aggressor, at times leaving the audience wondering whether the character is at the top or the bottom of the social pecking order. Samuels is responsible for both the biggest laughs of the evening and the most cringeworthy moments, given the chance to showcase his range throughout the two hour performance.

Happy New is a quintessentially Australian play, from the signed picture of John Farnham on the wall to the overuse of certain four-lettered words. Cowell captures the essence of Australian society and uses it masterfully to examine characters that have been chewed up and spat out by modern society. It is surely one of the rawest and most confronting plays currently showing on the West End, and is a must-see for theatre-goers looking for a stripped-down exploration of Australian society and those that are forced into it kicking and screaming.

Happy New is on at Trafalgar Studio until 29 June. Tickets are available through Atgtickets.com.

THE tHE BOMBAY ROYALE First London show for Melbourne’s new sensation after their Glastonbury appearance

Wed 17 July Village Underground

tickets £10 WeGottickets • Seetickets villageunderground.co.uk 020 7422 7505 FInD US

2fortheroadproductions.com thebombayroyale.com

10 | Travel

18 - 24 June 2013

Festivals don’t come crazier than those found in Europe, and as an Australian, you’re probably brave enough to venture to one. Nowhere else do you find the sheer scale of wacky and weird festival choice; from the cheese rolling of England to the Cannabis Cup of Holland, there’s truly something for everyone.

Over the next three week’s we’ll be bringing you all the info and stories from these famous fests.

Pamplona: Get Running La Tomatina: Get Messy Oktoberfest: Get Merry

There remains, however, the holy trinity of festivals that are positively essential, nothing less than rites of passage, and if you don’t get youself to at least one of them during your time in London you simply aren’t trying hard enough!

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The famous San Fermin Running of the Bulls festival brings together daredevils and spectators of the world for a week of bull dodging and serious, serious partying.

By Jennifer Perkin Where: Pamplona, Spain When: 6 July – 14 July What: The Running of the Bulls is only one part of the festivities for the town’s patron saint, San Fermin, including sports events, bullfights, fireworks, a giant-heads parade and a whole lot of wine and sangria. It is easily one of the wildest and craziest festivals in Europe and almost a rite of passage for Aussie travellers.

The daily ‘run with the bulls’ (encierro) is kind of like antibullfighting where men (and women, although this is frowned upon by the locals) run from rather than at the animal. The running of the bulls is the biggest of many events of its kind that take place in Pamplona and the surrounding region of Spain.

An abridged history There’s no great story for the origin of the loony pastime that is the Running of the Bulls, but it’s basically developed from the foolhardy games of bored cattle drovers. The San Fermin festival was brought to the attention of the wider world largely by writer Ernest Hemingway, who was quite taken with the event.

Following his writings about the bull runs, young men have travelled from across the globe to prove their bravery on the streets of Pamplona, with the festival and its bovine dodging daredevils taking on ever greater proportions and notoriety.

Travel | 11

AustralianTimes.co.uk

How it all works The kick off for the San Fermin festival is midday 6 July each year, when a rocket is fired to signal the end of sobriety and the start of unrelenting drinking and merriment. Not for the faint hearted, and that’s not just because of the bull running – there is some serious partying to be had. The opening day is often regarded as one the best days of the entire festival, with wine fights galore (don’t wear

Pamplona is a decent sized city with a population of around 200,000 so there is plenty of accommodation but, naturally, you will have to plan way, way ahead to have any options (over 350,000 visitors enjoy Pamplona over the festival period).

your good whites!) and a lot of friendly interaction between the tourists and the locals.

For the bull runners, from 7 July onwards at 8am every day the bulls are released for their 848 metre sprint, which takes around four minutes to complete. It’s best to get ready for the run nice and early, with people usually gathering in the narrow cobbled stoned streets from around 6am.

Another major part of the festival is the bullfight that happens every evening, and those who oppose the bloodthirsty charade want to make sure they’re up early each morning to see the bull’s get their own back on humans.

The primary colours of the festival are white and red – with most runners/revelers wearing white t-shirts and white shorts/pants, with red hankies, scarves, belts and bandannas completing the San Fermin look.

lls Run with the Bu at Pamplona!

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12 | Travel

18 - 24 June 2013

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BILBAO BBK LIVE is northern Spain’s premier music festival and an easy add-on for Pamplona Running of the Bulls travellers who also partial to a bit of rock with their sangria.

Taking place this year from the 11 to 13 July, this year’s edition of BBK features some amazing headliners and takes place on top of a hill surrounded by mountains, offering spectacular views over the gorgeous Basque capital, Bilbao. Its

proximity to the city and beach and a very Spanish late start of bands, allow festival goers to make the most of this event and the unique setting, just an hour’s drive from Pamplona.

Above all, BBK a fuss free festival and has an amazing price tag of just £85 + booking fee for a three-day ticket including camping.

Some of the major Pamplona tour operators even offer combined Pamps + BBK deals.

Professional Life | 13

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Dollar Review Business needs more tax transparency: Rio Aussie dollar slump not all bad n Rio Tinto has called on businesses to

be more transparent about their tax affairs after stumping up $8.9 billion in taxes in Australia last year. government’s call for a global push Rio Tinto has called on businesses to be more transparent about their tax affairs after the global miner paid almost $9 billion in taxes in Australia last year.

Rio’s latest tax-paid report for 2012 shows the company paid $11.6 billion in taxes globally, including $8.9 billion in Australia.

“We are fully supportive of the efforts to spread this kind of good practice more broadly,” Rio’s chief executive Sam Walsh told a pre-G8 summit event in the United Kingdom on Saturday.

“This should be pursued in a sensible way, with a clear and consistent global standard for extractive industry tax reporting that keeps the focus on fighting corruption and the burden on business manageable.”

He added that governments needed to take further steps to encourage growth in the developing world and to tackle poverty.

“Rio Tinto supports the UK

on responsible trade and investment to help fuel development and the fight against poverty,” he said.

During 2012 the world’s second biggest iron ore miner paid $6.7 billion in taxes to the Australian federal government, $1.6 billion in Western Australia, $326 million in Queensland and $229 million in NSW. The report, released in March, also showed the company paid more than $1 billion in tax in Canada, $373 million in the US, $331 million in Chile, $280 million in Mongolia and $156 million in South Africa.

In addition Rio said early estimates indicated that the company’s Oyu Tolgoi gold and copper mine in Mongolia would have a phenomenal impact on the Mongolian economy, increasing the country’s GDP by a third and affecting the exchange rate.

“When fully operational it will be one of the world’s top five copper producers and also a significant producer of gold,” the company said in a statement. - AAP

By Anton van Teylingen The Australian dollar experienced a 33 month low against the US dollar last week. The effects of negative investor sentiment along with volatility in Japanese volatility disrupted the possibility of a comeback.

The British pound broke through 1.66 Aussie dollars midweek, a level not seen since 2010. By this week’s opening the pound had settle back under 1.64.

The pessimistic view on the currency is due to three main reasons; namely weakening commodity prices, the slowdown of Chinese growth and the strengthening US dollar. All these factors have prevailed over recent months to see the Aussie hit numerous lows against counter parties and become one of the worst performing currencies in the world for 2013.

Despite all this, there is a glimmer of light. Analyst noted that the weakened Aussie could see stocks pick up with an increase in foreign

direct investment. Growing exports were warmly welcomed by the agricultural sector which saw a substantial increase in reported revenue.

Looking to the week ahead, all eyes will be on Chinese manufacturing PMI data scheduled to be released on Thursday. This will be the focus point for the Aussie’s performance as the data provides valuable insight into China’s slowing growth figures.

Exchange rates GBP/AUD: 1.635 EUR/AUD: 1.3881 USD/AUD: 1.0404 NZD/AUD: 0.841 09:30 GMT, 17 June 2013

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14 | Sport

18 - 24 June 2013

Pre-match honour for Tim Cahill ...continued from p16 to take (the pressure) and embrace it,” Cahill said on Monday.

“To have the weight of the country on your shoulders is a compliment, and you have to enjoy it.

“I’ll be trying to cover every bit of grass to get a result, and I’m sure the rest of the team will as well.”

Coach Holger Osieck believes the length of time the Socceroos have spent together since coming into camp in Japan in late May is

shaping as a key factor.

Australia’s players have so often been thrown together at the last minute for big games.

But Osieck believed they were relishing and benefiting from their time together as a team, as shown by the draw against Japan and win over Jordan.

“Whenever we have a one-off game, players arrive late, it was always a bit difficult to get our stuff together,” he said.

“But I’m very happy about our position - that we could get closer together as a team, develop a better understanding, and that has been

displayed in the two previous games.

“I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a good game (against Iraq).

“Everyone’s 100 per cent focused. We’re going to have a great crowd, playing at home, there are so many positives.”

Cahill had an unusual pre-match honour on Monday.

The Cahill Expressway - linking the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the city’s east - was named the Tim Cahill Expressway for 48 hours in the build-up to the decider.

By Guy Hand in Sydney

SPECIAL: Socceroos forward Tim Cahill in training. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Good signs for Aus, says Peter Siddle ...continued from p16

will bring the best out in them. It’s good signs for Australian cricket.

“I think all the spinners on Sunday bowled very well. Obviously Fawad was the one that missed out but I think they all built some pressure, all worked into their rhythm really quickly and started building the pressure.”

Ahmed finished day three with figures of 0-40 from 11 overs, with Lyon taking 1-34 and 19-yearold Agar 2-32 from Ireland’s first innings.

THE

Round 12

By Will Denton

Well, if you have suddenly woken up from a coma and wondering what you missed over weekend, there’s a fair chance it was the footy itself that induced the unconsciousness in the first place.

It was predictable, dour and a mere shadow of the pulsating action we’ve spoilt with so far the season.

Obviously it doesn’t help when we’re smack bang in the middle of a first ever ‘Tri-Bye’ section of an AFL season. Some fans across the nation misread the said terminology and by contrast had a pretty bloody good weekend.

A couple of things that did surprise revolve around the Richmond Football Club. One, they somehow find themselves out of 9th position on the ladder and secondly, they have managed to string two impressive wins together.

Their opponents in the Crows continue to descend further down the spiral, however this can categorically put down to the fact that the absent Tex Walker’s enchanted mullet had more power and magic than first thought.

The fact it’s not out there weaving its awesome alchemy is also having a negative effect on the rest of the team, as several players were sporting some other makeshift hairdos to try and fill the void. Undercuts, permed fringes, mohawks (not the half baked Beckham abomination), even the long

After significant rain delays Ireland declared their first innings at 4-186, still a long way off Australia A’s first innings total of 9-312(dec).

Opening batsmen Nic Maddinson (113no from 63) and Alex Doolan (56no from 59) came to the crease in the second innings and took the game away from Ireland with some exceptional batting.

Maddinson bludgeoned 13 boundaries and 6 sixes in his third first class hundred.

By Ben Horne in London

RUBDOWN forgotten ‘Flock of Seagulls’ got a gig. All spectacular, all to no avail, all hilarious.

Tigers fans are now struggling to keep a lid on things, as the prospect of finally playing some finals is too much to bear. Hawthorn were well down but still managed to produce enough cream to overcome the Blues. Mick had no idea what day it was or which decade but he did decipher that his team had lost. And wasn’t he filthy about it, going so far as to blame Brendan Fevola’s lack of goals for the loss.

Freo are refining their ‘chokefest’ game plan and this time it was the Lions that were left suffocated.

Scrappy at best, the Perth punters were using their normally ornamental scarves for what they are intended for – keeping warm. It was a rather chilly 14 degrees, which is basically arctic conditions for West Australians.

Collingwood destroyed the Dogs for a half, shut up shop and snuck home for an uncomfortable 35 point win.

Bucks said the win was a bit glass half empty, glass half full. Basically exactly half. Taken straight out of the Mick textbook that one. Port took a Fubar to the Giants, tearing the kids a new one and atoning somewhat for getting towelled up there last year. Still, that first ever win to the Giants will forever be in the record books!

Finally, Essendon mucked around for a bit with the Suns before deciding enough was enough. Problem was Gary Ablett and his minions weren’t quite done with. They got to within a few goals before the adrenalin kicked in and the Bombers ran away with a good win. We’re nearly there, one more week of this mid strength footy, and the benders can begin again.

Sport | 15

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Soward London-bound after Dragons release JAMIE SOWARD has played his last game for St George Illawarra after being granted an immediate release to join English Super League team the London Broncos.

Soward was axed by Dragons coach Steve Price two weeks ago after he missed a last-gasp penalty that would have sent a clash with Canterbury into golden point at ANZ Stadium.

He then faced the ignominy of playing in the NSW Cup for the Illawarra Cutters in the curtain-raiser to the NRL side’s win over Newcastle at Hunter Stadium in round 13.

Soward will join Penrith next year after signing a four-year deal with the Panthers in April, but will head to the UK to take up a short-term contract with the London Broncos, who sit second last on the Super League ladder.

The former NSW five-eighth replaces Craig Gower at the club after the 35-year-old’s recent return to the NRL with Newcastle.

“After consultation with the coaching staff, the Dragons board determined that granting the early release requested by Jamie and his management was in the best interests of both parties,” Dragons CEO Peter Doust said in a statement.

“It is fair to say that mid-season signings and transfers are not ideal for clubs, players or fans but that is the system in which we work.

“This is not how the club or Jamie envisaged things would end and efforts were made to avoid this circumstance but both parties agree

LONDON CALLING: Now former Dragons Jamie Soward will play out the 2013 season with the London Broncos.

(AAP Image/Action photographics, Renee McKay)

NSW are concerned the NRL’s crackdown on fighting will result in Queensland pushing the boundaries with dirty tactics in an attempt to bait their State of Origin rivals into throwing punches.

The NRL has announced that following the game one stoush in which NSW skipper Paul Gallen hit Queensland’s Nate Myles, all players who throw punches on the field will be sin-binned immediately.

The Blues have already voiced their concerns about questionable tactics employed by Myles after their victory in game one - highlighting the Maroons enforcer’s history of leg twists and leading with the head in tackles.

Blues five-eighth James Maloney described leg twisting in tackles as a greater evil in rugby league than an Origin dust up, while teammate Josh Reynolds admitted concern that Queensland would ramp up niggling tactics to try to sucker their opponents into getting sin-binned.

“It probably will happen,” Reynolds said.

“Guys will just have to have bigger fuses obviously if that’s the new rule.

“We’ve got to abide by the rules, because that’s what the NRL have put in place.

“I really don’t know how it’s going to pan out. It will be interesting.”

After Gallen hit out at the fighting ban on Sydney radio on Sunday, Maloney

supported his skipper by saying “there’s definitely bigger issues in the game than a little stink every now and then”.

“Especially in Origin football. It’s a pretty intense arena and tempers flare,” Maloney told AAP. “I think blokes twisting knees are going to cause a lot more damage than a little footy stink.

“Origin football is a different style and brand of football. It’s a tough game.

“But twisting blokes’ knees, that’s not tough.

“And it’s going to cause more damage to blokes careers than having a little bit of fisticuffs every once in a while.”

By Joe Barton in Sydney

that this is the best outcome.

“Jamie has made a significant contribution to our club. We thank him for his services and wish him well for his future.”

Soward, who was part of the Dragons’ side that won the 2010 grand final, said he was grateful to the club for allowing him to take up the offer to play overseas.

“I would like to thank the Dragons and everyone associated with the club for everything that they have done for me throughout my time at the club,” said Soward.

“St George Illawarra is a special club with great people and I have some great memories to take with me, especially the grand final win in 2010.”

By Ian McCullough in Sydney

Early summer season tag rugby finals held across London

By Phillip Browne

THE London tag rugby community are eagerly awaiting a cracking week of finals to see which teams will be crowned the early summer season champions.

The first finals to take place are at Balham on Tuesday with the Frosties taking on Hashtag in the A grade, Tag Me Maybe vs Poice in the men’s grade, Jarrod’s Dating Dino’s Vs God Loves A Tagger in the intermediate grade & The Sexy Rides facing A Try for A Try in the beginner grade final.

Across at East London also on Tuesday, the final will be fought out between East London RFC A and East London RFC, whilst over at Shoreditch, SoyBreastMilk will face Hackney RFC in the intermediate grade final with Cereal Killers Vs Problems in the beginner grade final.

On Wednesday, TBC will look to take down the powerful TAGata Whenua in the Fulham A grade final.

Undeafeated Man Chest Hair United will face a strong challenge from Tag Reflex in the intermediate grade final. At Finsbury Park, Tagaholics Anonymous will look to secure their first title when they take on Tactical 435 in the A grade final, whilst The Bloody Icons will take on Phibbers Cubs in the intermediate grade final.

The Canada Water super league final will be contested by The Chargers and Tagquila Shots with the winner claiming bragging rights as champions of the strongest league in London. Finals are also taking place at Highbury, Richmond and Southfields this week.

All teams that make an A grade final across London will be invited to take part at the 2013 London Tag Rugby Championships in the champion’s league to see who will

NSW Blues concerned about State of Origin baiting tactics

The Foreign Office team take on Wu Tag Clan for the Canada Water beginner grade title on Thursday be crowned the best tag rugby team in London. Teams which don’t make an A grade final can still enter this prestigious event in the men’s or social divisions. The 2013 London Tag Rugby Championships will be held on Saturday 17 August at the East London Rugby club in West Ham. Meanwhile, Try Tag Rugby’s summer leagues commence from 25 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.

THE ArE bACk In London 22-30 JunE 2013 CHISWICk, London • SupporT AuSTrALIA in their quest for WorLd Cup quALIfICATIon • A GrEAT dAy ouT for fAmily And friends treAt them to A fAntAstic hospitAlity pAckAge

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AuSTrALIA v EnGLAnd SundAy 23 JunE

RUBDOWN

THE

Hairdo hysterics

P14

ORIGIN STAR CHARGED WITH INDECENT ASSAULT n

Blake Ferguson was set to be dropped from the NSW State of Origin team after being charged with indecent assault following an alleged incident at a bar in Sydney’s south.

By Ian McCullough in Sydney BLUES and Raiders star Blake Ferguson has been charged with indecent assault following an incident at a Sydney nightclub.

He has been granted conditional bail to appear in Waverley Local Court on July 16.

Ferguson was out celebrating former Raiders team-mate Josh Dugan’s recall to the NSW side for game two of Origin next week.

Police say Ferguson allegedly indecently assaulted a woman, also aged 23, while inside the 2230 Bar and Restaurant in Cronulla at about 10:30pm on Sunday.

The woman immediately reported the incident to Cronulla Police.

Detectives viewed CCTV vision and spoke with a number of people in regards to the incident before arresting the Canberra winger at Waverley Police Station early Monday evening.

Troubled former Canberra teammate

Josh Dugan who was also present at the nightspot was apparently not involved in the incident.

Ferguson’s charge overshadowed the first day of camp in Coogee for Laurie Daley’s side who are looking to claim a first series win since 2005 with victory over Queensland in Brisbane on June 26.

The team’s main media session for the week was put back by almost two hours on Monday with Daley reading from a prepared statement to confirm police were investigating the situation.

Daley now has little option but to stand Ferguson down as he did with prop James Tamou, who last week was charged with high-range drink-driving.

Ferguson could also find himself without an NRL club having been told

by Canberra this year that any further off-field incidents would result in his contract being torn up.

It’s the latest incident in a chequered career for Ferguson, who along with Dugan had been dubbed `the booze brothers’.

Siddle says spinner Ahmed not overawed PETER SIDDLE says Fawad Ahmed has not been overawed in his debut for Australia A despite claiming only modest figures of 0-40.

The Pakistan-born asylum seeker has made his first strides towards a Test call-up, rolling the arm over against Ireland in Belfast.

Leg-spinner Ahmed was outshone in the end on day three on Sunday by incumbent Australian offie Nathan Lyon.

Siddle said he didn’t believe Lyon had been given extra motivation by Ahmed’s presence in the side and the prospect of his Test place being under threat.

“I think it doesn’t matter. They’re both professional players and both very serious about the game and I think they know what they’ve got to do to perform well and they go out and do that,” Siddle said.

“Ashton (Agar) is around the group as well. He’s bowling well and between all three of them, it ...continued on p14

Cahill confident in Socceroos

Biff baiting Blues say Maroons will try luring them into fighting | P15

BIG BLUE: Following the fight between Paul Gallen (r) and in the opening match of the 2013 State of Origin, the NRL has introduced new rules for the second match. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Robb Cox)

THE pressure of qualifying for Brazil is not suffocating Tim Cahill or the Socceroos as they aimed to turn Sydney into their World Cup dream factory for the second time in eight years.

After nearly three weeks in camp, Australia said they were ready to rise to the challenge of beating Iraq at ANZ Stadium on Tuesday (the match was set to take place just after Australian Times went to print) and secure a World Cup finals berth.

Speaking before the game, superstar striker Cahill - so often the Socceroos’ go-to man in big matches - was happy with the mood in the camp.

And he believes the spirit of 2005, when Australia overcame Uruguay at the same venue to book the nation’s first World Cup qualification in 32 years, would play a role.

“Experience is fantastic ... everything’s on it (this match), and the biggest thing for us is ...continued on p14