2 - 8 July 2013 Issue: 470
OZ TWANG TO UK TOFF
BAVARIAN BEER FEST
Dusty Limits, Cabaret star
HOLIDAY HEALTH
Ode to Oktoberfest
A personal trainer's tips
UK LIFE P6
Travel p9
ENTERTAINMENT P8
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aussie ECONOMY MUST DIVERSIFY
n Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the economy must broaden and not have all its eggs in one basket.
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd believes he has put together a strong economics team to tackle the threats of the global economy, particularly the end of the resources boom. Mr Rudd’s new ministry confirms Chris Bowen as treasurer, as well as his expanded portfolio of financial services and superannuation and retains Senator Penny Wong as finance minister. “We must continue to diversify our economy, not to have all our eggs in one basket,” Mr Rudd told reporters in Newcastle where he announced the ministry on Monday. The government would do whatever it can to boost manufacturing, services and agribusinesses to generate new jobs rather than simply relying on just one – mining, he said. However, business is unhappy with a swathe of new outgoings and regulations to mark the start of a new ...continued on p3
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Reef will be lost, says Irwin
BOB Irwin says Australian politicians need to “grow some balls” when it comes to standing up for the environment. “That’s something we’re really lacking in this country,” the environmentalist and father of the late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin says. “We need politicians with the balls to be able to make decisions that benefit our country without worrying about money.” In 2011 Mr Irwin considered a tilt for the Queensland seat of Ashgrove – the seat Campbell Newman ultimately won to clinch the premier’s job. But he ultimately decided not to run believing he could do the environment greater service from outside parliament, where he wouldn’t be expected to toe any party’s political line. He says he’ll never again consider a career in politics, preferring instead to spearhead direct action such as the Fight for the Reef campaign aimed at stopping the “industrialisation” of the Queensland coast. The campaign, which includes TV, radio, online and newspaper ads, takes a swipe at the Queensland government for “fast-tracking” port and industrial developments along the reef’s coast. “One of my main concerns is that up until now it has been acceptable to use our ocean as a rubbish dump,” Mr Irwin says. ...continued on p3
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2 | News
2 - 8 July 2013
Off the Gillard Titanic and into the Rudd lifeboat n
So Kevin07 has finally been resurrected as Kevin13. But will the 13-version turn Labor’s luck around? And in the nick of time?
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, Daniel Shillito, Mat Lyons, Sandra
Tahmasby, Tyson Yates, Jennifer Perkin, Charlie Inglefield, AJ Climpson-Stewart, Thomas Jones, Alistair Davis, Will Denton, Jennifer Lawton, Peter Kelly, Chloe Westley, Bonnie Gardiner, Michaela Gray, Marian Borges, Emma O'Neill Directors: P Atherton, J Durrant N Durrant, R Phillips and A Laird
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By Peter Kelly THE egg timer has been turned on Australia’s election date, now ticking away like a time bomb, ready to change history in just over 70 days on 14 September. Kevin the Sequel, his aides assure me, is a reformed man. One who is back, but without a vengeance. But now that the dust is settling over last week's political earthquake, can the election oil-tanker-juggernaught be turned around just in time? Can ‘Rudd the Sequel’ put enough boots on the ground to canvass disillusioned voters to have that 2007 famous faith again? Is there an Aussie version of ‘Yes We Can’? And who is more unhappy and anxious about having Rudd back in Kirribilli House - Gillard or Abbott? Yet it didn’t have to be this way. Gillard’s supporters on the front bench shocked sister Labour movements around the world, from British Labour to the American Democrats by clinging onto Welsh-born Julia despite obvious signs that this political version of Titanic was going to have a catastrophic election ending. It didn’t seem to matter to those dozen or so pro-Gillard Labor MPs who personally faced electoral annihilation
Shades of grey: Julia Gillard and the gender conversation n
Julia Gillard might have known raising the gender card could be her downfall. And yet, the positive change this could effect may just be her enduring legacy. By Bonnie Sommerville
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with their local voters at the upcoming election because of their support. They certainly didn’t quarrel with the leader, instead just quietly packing their bags and emptying their offices. That’s either spectacular loyalty to the point of electoral suicide, or the greatest lack of backbone in political history. Gillard’s successes in Education policy and the Fair Work Act as Prime Minster were good healthy laws to ensure the famous Aussie ‘fair go’ will stand the country in good stead. But healthy laws alone don’t ensure success and re-election for a political leader. Neither did Rudd’s apparent abrasiveness with colleagues which factored into his dislodging as leader. Australia’s renewed Prime Minister now pleads for “a kinder, gentler” political debate, as he asks young voters to switch back on to politics so we can “cook with gas”. Paying tribute to former enemies and rivals is part of Rudd’s own ‘kinder, gentler’ way. It’s unlikely the Abbott and Costello Show will take heed and will now attack ferociously. Australian Labor have had a ‘conga line’ of feeble leaders, from Crean to Latham, and Beazley to now Gillard. Finally jumping from the Gillard Titanic to the Rudd lifeboat at the last
Following a predictably ridiculous week in politics, Australia has bid farewell to its first ever woman prime minister. Julia Gillard graciously bowed out from running the country to which she has devoted many years, while the social networks booed about State of Origin and commented on her appearance. Echoes of “red box” and “boo politics” were sadly nothing new, and as an Australian looking on from the gloom of London – I was ashamed. Gillard was not the perfect leader, with vague Gonski reforms, unsatisfactory policy around asylum seekers and conservative views on marriage equality. I’d be lying however if I said I thought these were the key reasons she was voted out. Her recent foray into the battle of the sexes did reveal an underlying truth present in much of the world, which is not only that misogyny is still trickling through modern society, but more so that an attempt to fight it won’t be tolerated – by men and women alike. But isn’t there something inherently wrong when a woman can successfully run a country, be admired internationally, and still fall victim to discrimination? Though she was a key player, I was rather incredulous at the reports of Gillard “reopening the gender wars” with a presentation to the Women for Gillard group which in turn caused a seven per cent drop in support from
male voters. To me this says one thing; the message many feminists have been delivered by men who prefer to belittle them – sit down, and shut up. And though it meant her eventual exile, I’m very glad she didn’t. If we examine the issue closely, we will see it followed an incident where our nation’s prime minister was immaturely reduced to her body parts on a restaurant menu. This followed on from the many rude names and personal jabs made at Gillard’s expense that, though she didn’t show it, wounded her. Gillard issued a response, reiterating that this is not desired for women voters who want to be respected as equals. Following a history of attempts by Abbott to deny women abortion rights, while displaying systematic ignorance about women’s capabilities, Gillard stated the truth. A woman is not starting a war for taking an abusive partner to court. A female employee is not starting a war when demanding equal remuneration to that of her male colleagues, and a woman prime minister is not starting a war by saying misogyny is unacceptable, both to her and the women of Australia. Her failings lay only in her frustration bubbling over. Instead of simply rolling her eyes and rising above it, she chose to engage – allowing Abbott to slide in and say “let’s focus on the issues,” which his friends at NewsCorp will purvey as taking the high road. It’s no secret that Murdoch and his motley crew aim to promote scandal
minute has provided a dramatic scene for September, promising a clash of the Titans. Who needs Neighbours and Home and Away when we have this drama to savour? The campaign for Labor’s resurrection under Kevin13 must begin ‘yesterday’. Whether history can repeat itself is another question. But at least election day isn’t the day before - on Friday 13th. Luck or not, see you at Australia House in the voting queue. Now where’s those new teeshirts? Oh, and the lamingtons. Political journalist Peter Kelly has campaigned for the ALP in Australia and London since 2003. He writes in a personal capacity. and highlight fault to appease a largely ignorant and capricious voting public. The people said they don’t want gender politics. Amazing though that so many women, and indeed so many men, never stopped to appreciate where they would be without it. Gillard might have known the gender card would be her downfall. But like many other leaders who have instigated positive change, she went ahead and did it anyway. Just as many recently hailed former Queensland premier Rob Borbidge, who sacrificed his political career for the sake of gun regulation, or Paul Keating who faced great opposition for granting land rights to Indigenous Australians, Gillard should be remembered for having the courage of her conviction. Overall, with the gender card, Gillard said it best in her speech last night: “It doesn’t explain everything, it doesn’t explain nothing - it explains some things.” But most importantly, she stated: “What I am absolutely confident of is it will be easier for the next woman, and the woman after that, and the woman after that - and I’m proud of that.” We have already seen Gillard’s legacy in schools and universities, magnifying the ambitions of Australian girls and young women, the benefits of which are paramount. The UK Women’s Business Council recently made the case that there is a serious economic argument in broadening the horizons of girls in order to get more women in the industrial and political pipeline. So as the politics continue – with Rudd at the helm of the Labor Party, and Abbott with new fish to fry – strong minded men and women look on, hoping the efforts of Gillard and women like her will lead to a healthier, stronger and more woman-friendly society. And to them, I say getting rid of Gillard was not the end of strong women, it was the beginning.
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Grow some balls: Irwin tells pollies ...continued from p1
Of particular concern is the proposed dredging of three million tonnes of soil to expand the Abbot Point port near Bowen. He says Gladstone Harbour is also being decimated. Mr Irwin and the campaign’s supporters want a moratorium on all developments along the Queensland coast until experts are satisfied there won’t be any long term effects on the reef. Last week he gave public talks in Rockhampton, Cairns, Bowen and Townsville on the subject. “All that I want is for people to understand that there are real threats there and for them to make their own decision. Really it’s up to the people.”
Mr Irwin says he’s been challenged at times about how he’s qualified to make such claims. “I’m not a scientist, I’m not a professor. All I have is 60 years of observation and many years of research into Australian wildlife,” he says. “If I can’t learn something in that time then I really haven’t done very well have I?” He fears the reef will be destroyed if Australia remains on its current path. It’s a concern shared by the World Heritage Committee, which has said the reef could next year be listed as a World Heritage site in danger if new coastal development aren’t restricted. “Do we, as the most destructive force on this planet, have the right to destroy or even risk destroying something that’s taken millions of years to be built?” Mr Irwin asks. “It’s the most beautiful place on the
planet, I think.” With the federal election looming, the environmentalist wants to see more policy discussion on how to protect Australia’s natural assets. “Politicians need to realise that whatever they do to this country they will eventually do to themselves,” he says. “The tourism, food and fishing industry are all tied into the environment. If we stuff up the environment enough will we even be able to feed ourselves?” He puts great faith in the role younger Australians will play in compelling politicians to act. “They are the ones that are going to be making the decisions well into the future. I’m not saying they need to be politicians but we need to get them involved in the process. “I’ve almost had my time.” - AAP
Australia’s triple-A rating confirmed ...continued from p1
financial year, including a 2.6 per cent increase in the minimum wage and the rise from nine per cent to 9.25 per cent in the compulsory superannuation guarantee. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates small businesses face a collective $2 billion increase to their payrolls. “While government politicians have spent months arguing about leadership, an unprecedented wave of antibusiness decisions have been made,” the chamber’s chief executive Peter Anderson said in a statement. Yasser El-Ansary from the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia urged Mr Bowen in his expanded portfolio to continue with the government’s super and financial services reform agenda to
Your Say On: Julia Gillard drops a stitch with Royal baby knitting photo shoot She looks great. If Tony Abbott can prance around in the pool with his three lovely daughters, why can't the PM show a more casual side.
Helena
I think that is a very nice thought, personal and original. There is nothing wrong with knitting. It is practical, skillful, and therapeutic. Perhaps the press who made the childish comments need to try knitting themselves and find out how satisfying and creative it is – and educate themselves. Marlene
On: Bill Shorten announces support for Kevin Rudd in leadership challenge
Time is up for this ALP mess. Why can’t we have an election and let Australian voters decide who leads us? The ALP is built on Union thuggery. That’s how they work.
? What’s your view
provide the public with confidence in the sector. Meanwhile, Moody’s Investors Service gave the government a timely slap on the back, affirming the nation’s triple-A rating based on its very high economic resiliency, very high government financial strength and very low susceptibility to event risk. Mr Bowen said that was testament to the strength of the Australian economy and the government’s fiscal management. “Australian economy remains the standout performer of the developed world, with solid growth, low unemployment, contained inflation and strong public finances,” he said in a statement. However, the government is unlikely to gain a further boost from another reduction in the cash rate when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) holds
its month board meeting on Tuesday. Economists believe the recent steep drop in the Australian dollar provides the central bank scope to wait until at least quarterly official inflation figures are released later this month. “While financial markets are volatile, and domestic politics takes centre stage, we believe it is prudent for the board to remain on the sidelines for now,” TD Securities head of Asia-Pacific research Annette Beacher said in a note to clients. The TD Securities-Melbourne Institute monthly gauge of inflation shows price pressures remain well within the RBA’s two to three target band. Inflation in June was unchanged from the previous month, to be 2.4 per cent higher over the year. Other data also showed an improvement in manufacturing in June, supported by low interest rates and a drop in the exchange rate. - AAP
That’s what we’ve got. Nothing but hateful power grabbers. Rudd has been in this disgraceful display of hateful war all along. We all know that he was an absolute failure last time around, so why should we be inflicted with this dictatorial man again?
On: Kevin Rudd wins leadership challenge against Julia Gillard
Steve
On: Monarchy vs Republic | The ‘Australianisation’ of the Crown
I am not of generation Y nor am I post 70 but what Rippon writes rings true and not just for those who fit his demographic sample. Sensible of him to quote ARM research but I wonder as to its findings – I have read that support for a republic in the under 30s is somewhere around 30% – but it depends on the poll. But yes to what he says and particularly his final paragraph. It may be pc to pooh pooh the facts of history but we cannot go forward as a society without deference to the past, the now and what we think will be the future. I am an Aussie currently resident in UK and have no problem in understanding the Queen as two separate entities: Australia and UK. Far better to have an independent Sovereign with a few hundred years’ ancestry guarding our defences than some political opportunist of the moment.
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Some time ago you wrote an excellent comment on the appalling level of debate and behaviour within the Australian parliament. Maybe Kevin Rudd will take note of your opinion, and be true to his stated request for “kinder behaviour” in the House.
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On: Key Labor ministers resign following Gillard defeat The rats are certainly deserting the sinking ship. There will be more. All in the name of spending more time with their families. How well used is that justification? Wouldn’t be anything to do with jumping before pushed, would it? They won’t be missed. Hopefully, some new faces will have more commitment to serving the country, rather than looking after their own backsides. Amazing how probable losing of their seats can escalate resignations. Voters are clearly still seen as stupid.
Pat
Hugh
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4 | Exclusive Interview
BIOGRAPHY
2 - 8 July 2013
the Expat factor
Extraordinary Aussies in the UK
Siobhan Reddy grew up in Campbelltown, Sydney, moved to the UK aged 18 as a “mad life decision” and decided to give the gaming industry a go. Fifteen years and much hard graft later, she is now Studio Director of award-winning video games producers Media Molecule, creators of the LittleBigPlanet games franchise. Along the way, she won the first Microsoft Women in Gaming Award and joined BAFTA’s Games Committee. She is 2013’s Australian Woman of the Year in the UK and Radio 4 Women’s
Hour named her one of the UK’s 100 most influential women alongside the Queen and Home Secretary Theresa May. Ms Reddy works from an open-plan Guildford office complete with roof-terrace barbecue, table football, games consoles and dog visitors to balance the stress of a growing business. Pots of coloured pens for doodling and origami elks from a previous brainstorming session adorn the meeting room in this creative hub of 15 nationalities.
London charity dinner for spinal research
n Australian organisation The Puffin Magic
Foundation is hosting an annual summer cocktail charity dinner on 11 July in London to raise money for those with spinal injuries. THE PUFFIN Magic Foundation is hosting its annual summer cocktail fundraiser at Porchester Hall to raise money to support those with spinal cord injuries. The Foundation was established in aid of James Gribble, an Australian who became quadriplegic after a freak accident whilst travelling in Africa, to raise awareness of and support those who have suffered spinal-cord injury. Waiting to go Tiger fishing on the Zambezi River on a terribly hot day, James fainted whilst sitting on a stool, falling backward onto hard sand. The result of this seemingly innocuous occurrence was catastrophic. The impact of the fall severely bruised his spinal cord and broke his C4 and C5 vertebrae, leaving James with voluntary movement only from his shoulders up. Due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the location, it was 30 hours before James reached fully qualified medical care. This delay worsened his condition by causing fluid to collect in his lungs, leading to respiratory complications. The goal of Puffin Magic Foundation, set up in 2008 following James’s accident, is to harness the personal efforts and financial contributions of people who desire to provide support to James and others. To date, Puffin Magic has supported James with his ultimate dreams of walking again and regaining independence through assisting with rehabilitation, equipment, medical and other associated challenges of living with quadriplegia.
Puffin Magic has also provided equipment, contributed to research and delivered resource to other individuals and organisations in the field of spinal cord injury. On 11 July the Foundation will be holding its third London gala event to support both the Puffin Magic Foundation and Spinal Research UK, the leading research organisation in spinal-cord injury in the UK. “I have been completely overwhelmed with Puffin Magic’s support over the years and am ridiculously excited about the 11th of July,” said James. “Without events like these I could never have achieved so many of my rehabilitation goals nor returned to the physical activities I enjoy today.” The event will be attended by James and his fiancée Sarah. Oristem, a company involved in stem cell research, will present on the future of these advances and relevance to spinal cord injuries. A number of international rugby players both present and retired will attend, as they continue their support for spinal research and its relevance to rugby. Judging by success in previous years, it should be an incredibly memorable night for all involved and will include a cocktail reception, three course meal with an open bar and DJ until 1am. Great prizes will also be on auction. The Puffin Magic Foundation Summer Cocktail Party will be held on Thursday, 11 July at Porchester Hall, Bayswater. Tickets start from £130.00 per person. For more information and tickets go to Puffinmagic.org.au.
I moved here when I was 18 – it wasn’t for a career, it was just a mad life decision. I didn’t have a job here. I had wanted to get in to film originally and started working in Sydney at a web firm. When I came here, I felt that was what I would keep doing, but a friend suggested (video) games would be a good crossover of things I was interested in, and so I decided to give it a go. There is a brilliant games industry in the UK. It’s very vibrant, always changing and filled with great people. My mentor Fiona Sperry, (Vice President) at EA Criterion taught me games are built by people. I worked for her for seven years (as a video games producer). She taught me to really pay attention to how people are on the team and about quality – how to make a game and be really eagle-eyed about its quality. At Media Molecule, I’m split between a studio-wide role and production work. As one of the five directors, I try to make sure the studio is going in the direction we all want. My role is making sure we have the people and resources to do that. But I am a producer and I am very hands on, as are the other directors, and so I do production work also. I love games production. As a boss, I’ve learnt that everyone makes mistakes. It’s very hard. You have to not panic too much when things don’t go quite right and there is always so much going on that not everything is going to be perfect. The studio is generally going naturally in the right direction; it just needs a little guidance from us every now and then. That’s down to making sure that we have the right team. It is definitely working out to hire slowly and correctly, rather than ending up with lots of wild cards. If you want to start up in business, get a dog! I have a lab/newfie cross. Nanook is a big dog and so she needs a lot of walking. If you are really into working as I am, you can just lose yourself to the whole thing and not even exercise or have time to clear your mind. I have to take my dog for a walk at least an hour a day and so make time to be outside even though sometimes I want to be doing other things. When you are building something new, it’s stressful. You have to do the work and you can’t shirk from that. For your own sanity, you need to find balance. You definitely won’t have an amazing work-life balance, but you have to have some balance. All the successful people I know have ended up following through on a hobby. If you have a passion, just practise it. You can build the life you want to build. It does take time. I’ve been working in the industry for 15 years – lots and lots and lots of hours. It has been a real graft at times and it will be a graft again. Because I love the industry and I love the people and I love what we make, it’s something I would continue to do. It is important to find the thing that you are willing to do every day.
SIOBHAN REDDY
Studio Director of Media Molecule To break into the game industry, you have to practice the craft. If you don’t have a job yet, make your own games in your spare time. The most impressive CVs are when people have examples of things they have done on their own. You learn to combine a lot of skills rather than just art skills or design skills. If you already have show reels, find places you want to work and just annoy them. We have a duty to make sure that there are women in the industry. It would just help us make better games, more interesting games, more diverse games, new genres and new stories. My focus on the BAFTA Committee is the working group on getting young girls into technology. BAFTA’s research showed that by the time girls leave primary school they will have been put off technology. They don’t feel there is anyone in the industry like them. It’s about making the women in the industry more visible - the low hanging fruit approach. There are women in the industry - people like me who are either busy or have chosen not to be in the limelight. But we have to be, so people see the games industry has women in it and we are fabulous. With stressed or depressed moments, you may need a change of scene and to get some perspective. On of the great things about living in England, you can get a change of scene quickly by going to Barcelona, Paris, Edinburgh or some other part of England like Cornwall. Sometimes you just need to get some perspective. It’s important to get away, if you can,
and evaluate how things are going and if you need to make changes. You have got to find the positive in things and it is not always easy, but it is important. A typical weekend would be dog walking and then just hanging out with friends. We have a really big group of friends so we have parties and gatherings at all our houses. I love cooking Mediterranean food and Middle Eastern food. I have a long line of unfinished tattered clothes that I’ve labelled shipwreck chic. My friend Emily and I both love hats, fashion and dressing up. We have done courses with London milliner, Catherine Elizabeth and a short course (in hat-making) at Central St. Martins. I made a really cool beretesque felt hat with a leopard print snakeskin effect and two cocktail hats with veiling and feathers. I love Vivien Westwood’s clothes – she is an inspiring design figure and she has gone her way. When I first moved to the UK I didn’t realise how much I would actually want to spend time with other Australians. I was really homesick and just the subtle differences can end up feeling very big. England is a really beautiful country and so different from Australia as a lot of the flora and fauna is really delicate, dainty and really pretty and Australia is obviously so hardy. It took me a while to get in to that, but now I love it. Interview by Michelle McCue
UK Life | 5
AustralianTimes.co.uk
A timely departure n
Coaches to London’s various airports may seem like the cheaper option, but what they’ll cost in time and hassle might tip the scales in favour of the train.
Sliding doors tube talk > Sandra Tahmasby
Have you ever had your sliding doors moment? You know – the moment when you miss your tube and the plot of your life splits into two parallel universes? And you’re left sitting there think about the details of the separated path your life would have taken?
No, me neither. I am that person on the platform making sure I am getting on that tube, even if it means I am squashed up against a fat belly and underneath a smelly armpit. I didn’t get out of bed to miss my tube or have a sliding doors moment. If I did, I would like my sliding doors moment to take me on a real adventure down the central line. No delays, my own seat, no sweaty people and free ice cream. Definitely free ice cream! Maybe I would even meet the love of my life on the Northern Line the other way. Or be forced to be unfaithful and have to get the bus or a taxi instead, and then miss out on meeting Prince Charming. I can only hope I am where I’m meant to be at the right time, so that
my sliding doors moment is a big thumbs up. I will miss my tube and get stuck talking to a Hollywood movie director who insists I am the star he has been looking for all his life, or the CEO of the BBC who begs me to read the national news. Either way, I won’t mess with fate. I’ll continue to set my morning alarm, allow myself 12 minutes to get to the tube station to push past the dawdlers onto the platform. I will be standing behind that yellow line minding that gap and hoping that one day I have my very own perfect sliding doors moment.
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‘RAZOR SHARP BRILLIANCE’ THE AUSTRALIAN
Surviving london
8
> Bianca Soldani
Trying to save an extra buck you jump on the cheapest flight of the day, only to realise after you’ve purchased the ticket it leaves at five in the morning. The mental calculator starts ticking; got to be there two hours early so three am, plus an hour and a half on the coach, 45 minutes to get to the coach station and 15 minutes to walk to my local bus stop. So I basically have to leave home at half past midnight – guess I’ll be spending my first day in Barcelona in bed. One of the best things about living in London is that it’s a porthole to the rest of Europe and plenty of amazing holiday destinations. Unfortunately we can’t just snap our fingers and find ourselves on a banana chair soaking up the sun, mojito in hand; and that’s where the problems start. Those cheap EasyJet and RyanAir flights are oh so tempting, but what you save in pounds is usually paid for in trouble as many of the best deals leave at the most god-awful hours. Most EasyJet flights leave from Gatwick and RyanAir from Stansted, both are outside London so unfortunately your weekly pass won’t be coming to the rescue. There are a selection of coach services that go to Gatwick and Stansted costing you anywhere between £2 and £10. But depending on where you get on, you might have to allow two hours plus to get to the airport. So considering how close things are in Europe, if you choose to take a coach, it might well take you longer to get to the airport than to fly to your destination. Unless you have plenty of spare time on your hands, enjoy a leisurely drive through the countryside or live on the outskirts
of London, coaches are probably not your best option. For a much faster and less traffic dependent route, go by train. I’m sure you’re already familiar with the Gatwick and Stansted Expresses, seeing as you can’t type “airport” without being redirected to their websites. The Gatwick Express leaves from London Bridge and Victoria, and the Stansted Express from Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale. Both take anywhere from half an hour to 50 minutes, with one way fares setting you back around £20. Your other, much less advertised and just as swift option, are companies such as Southern Railway or First Capital Connect, which leave from the same stations and will get you to Gatwick from as little as £8. The choice is yours. Prices vary so do consult their websites. Charging through the airport, suitcase clamouring behind you, coat, scarf and other accessories (that wouldn’t fit into said suitcase) billowing away, isn’t the most attractive situation to be finding yourself in when they announce your final boarding call. Taking a train instead a coach could well save you over an hour in journey time but no matter how you get there, always leave plenty of leeway to avoid getting caught out! For more advice on getting where you need to go, check out Bianca’s new book, “An Aussie’s Survival Guide to London at Talktraveltome. com; tackling the little problems for newcomers to London.
CULAR SPECTAKS IN WEE ST END E W E H T S! POSSUM
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6 | UK Life
2 - 8 July 2013
Gone in sixty seconds The arrival of the American tourists n
What can you accomplish in a minute? Honeymooning Nomad > Jacqui Moroney
SIXTY seconds sometimes seems like it stretches forever. Like when you are waiting for a train, in a boring meeting or holding out for something exciting to happen. In reality, you can’t fit that much into a minute. You can’t listen to a song in a minute. You can’t boil an egg in a minute. You can’t catch up with a friend in a minute. You can’t read this article in a minute. However, I have also learned so much can change in one minute. An event which takes less than sixty seconds to occur can have a significant influence on the course of everything. It takes less than a minute to scull a drink. It takes less than a minute to be proposed to. It takes less than a minute to post something you regret on Facebook. It takes less than a minute to accidentally send an email or delete your very important and time consuming report. It takes less than a minute for your bag to be stolen in a bar. And it often takes less than a minute for something to go horribly wrong. About 12 months ago I was recovering from a very stupid minute. This stupid minute significantly changed the course of our honeymoon and our gap year. In years to come we will probably refer to this stupid minute as the minute which could have ruined it all. While in Paris on our honeymoon we went out for a number of drinks in Montmartre. We took our passports out with us, thinking that we would require them as proof of age as we had during our three weeks in the US. That was my first mistake. My second
Let us rejoice, for online we’re...
mistake was not taking better care of my belongings. Actually, it was probably the amount of alcohol consumed. The third mistake was that, just for a minute, I forgot I was responsible for a bag that contained both of our passports. It only took a minute and everything was gone. My identity, along with all of my cash, my cards, my spare amber earrings, both passports, and the rest of our honeymoon plans, were gone – in less than sixty seconds. Another example is the story of our Kiwi friends, who were two of the 11 crowd members injured in the Isle of Man TT a few weeks ago. It only took a minute for the motorcyclist to lose control and plunge into the crowd. They are now both in hospital and will have months of recovery ahead. A minute changed everything for them. It took several days for us to sort out emergency passports, and several months to sort out full validity passports to take us on to London. It was another 18 weeks before the UKBA finally replaced our working visas and we were allowed to work again. Finally, six months after the one minute that changed everything, we were able to return to work, register for a local doctor and apply for our NI numbers. Hardly a minute goes by where I don’t think back to that time and remember how much changed because of that one minute. We were lucky that our minute that changed everything was not worse. I just hope that our friends, Luke and Tracy, are just as lucky and have a smooth and speedy recovery.
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The sound of an American twang disturbing the ritualistic silence of the Tube is like a soundtrack to the British summer. SUBCULTURE SLEUTH > PAUL BLEAKLEY
I remember this time in summer last year. I arrived in the UK on the last day of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, and both tourists and locals were out in force trying to catch a glimpse of the royal family. It was a summer of Wimbledon, and the Olympics. It was also a summer when I realised there is no smoke without fire, and that some stereotypes actually have merit. It was the summer that I discovered the loud American tourist. It seems that every year, around May or June, the UK is inundated with an influx of Americans that are kicking off their European summer odyssey in London. You can pick them out of a crowd easily, with their hoodies prominently boasting the name of whichever college that they are currently attending. Even if they are not wearing a college sweater you would be able to hear them coming from a mile away. The sound of an American twang disturbing the ritualistic silence of the Tube is like a soundtrack to the British summer. Normally you will come across the American tourist somewhere around
Fit Aussie > Michael McCormick
The summer months are fast approaching and just as the English are stocking up on sunscreen for the searing nineteen-degree heat, I am preparing for the barrage of inevitable questions from clients. The number one question I’m asked is: “how do I stay fit and healthy whilst on holiday?” I’ll admit that this isn’t the wording that most people use when asking this question. It’s usually expressed something along the lines of ‘I’m going away and I don’t want to get fat, have you got any magic pills for this?’ But I always know what they really mean. The simple answer is yes. The more complex answer is yes. The complexity lies in the details. For example, last summer I travelled for two weeks around Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Europe (very specific). As per any other trip, booking the transport was the easy part. You check a few websites, see which of the usual select budget airlines has the best deal and like magic £50 is gone from the bank account and an itinerary appears in your inbox. However, after acquiring my carefully selected airplane seat, it’s time to plunge my internet into the depths of the deep blue and attempt to uncover that treasure chest that is the perfect hostel. It seems like a simple enough task, just find the cheapest hostel and book it, right? Wrong. It’s just not that simple to me. My brain’s wired to think about where, when and what I’ll eat. How much extra weight I’ll be carrying in towels and toiletries and will I be inclined to make it to breakfast in the morning? I often search for accommodation where there’s the option to prepare
Westminster, shrugging their shoulders at the intricately designed Houses of Parliament, or in Piccadilly Circus, cynically comparing it to Times Square. You will find them in hotel lobbies, invariably meeting other Americans and bonding over their shared disappointment with all things British. Of all the tourists in London, the American is hard to miss. There is only one instance in which I intentionally sought out Americans in London. It was 4 July - Independence Day. Some quick Internet snooping revealed that a pub in Parsons Green was hosting a huge event for Americans. Thinking to myself that I would take any excuse for a party, I slid into my faded Yale University T-Shirt and jumped on a train. The moment I walked in, I felt the exact same feeling that so many Americans must feel when they come across one of their own in London. Within seconds I was taken aside by a girl with a southern drawl: she had
spotted my shirt and wanted to tell me all about a friend of hers that was currently studying at Yale. I had set myself up for embarrassment. I should have expected to be taken as an American college student if I walked into an Independence Day event wearing it. What should I say? That I shamelessly wore the shirt of a university that I did not attend in an ironic swipe at American tourists? No. I wish that I had done that. Instead, I put on my best American accent and did my best to bluff it. It seems that, while American tourists might be obnoxious, no one quite beats this Australian in making a situation more awkward.
Holiday fitness n
Staying fit and healthy while on holiday can seem a mission, but follow these simple tips and you can maintain your fitness and enjoy a relaxing break at the same time. some of my own meals. Hostels that provide cooking facilities are easy to come across and are usually around the same price as those that don’t. By preparing your own healthy meals or snacks, you will no doubt gain health points, which you can later cash in on the beach in Greece when yours is the only six-pack around. However, it’s probably not realistic to assume that you’ll be completely in control of your food choices - due to the obvious increased energy consumption and decreased cognitive ability associated with a certain liquid. One thing that you can control is how you spend your days and whether or not they include any exercise. After all is said and done, the decision to maintain your health and fitness on holiday is entirely up to you so discipline is going to play a big role in keeping you active between sights. So try these tips: • Pack your work out gear. So at the very least the intention to exercise is there. • Exercise first thing in the morning. Leaving it until later in the day increases the chance that you’ll find an excuse to not do it. Further to this point, try to get your exercise in before the main tourist attractions open so you can get a jump on them as well. • Exercise with a partner. This may require dragging a
stranger out of the bunk beneath you in the dorm if none of your mates are willing to come along. This will keep both of you motivated and accountable. • Search free trial passes for gyms, fitness classes, yoga classes, for the area that you’re in. There’s always something and even if it’s not free it will be heavily discounted. • Find active tourist activities to get involved in such as walking or cycling tours and / or get to destinations by foot opposed to public transport. Without doubt, the great pleasures of travel include sampling local cuisine and being able to live an alternate reality that doesn’t involve the daily grind, which for many includes some form of exercise regime. It’s understandable if the idea of associating the notions of exercise and conscious cooking with your getaway fills you with confusion and dread. But think of this advice the same way you would running from a herd of blood thirsty, rampaging bulls in Spain – you should try everything once, no matter how scary. Michael McCormick is a personal trainer based in London and can be contacted at thefitaussie@gmail.com for sessions or advice.
Food & Wine | 7
AustralianTimes.co.uk
Coffee Cult visits Ginger & White in Hampstead By Alex Ivett There’s a moment in Bridget Jones Diary (the book, not the movie) where on an unusually seasonable day Bridget takes herself to the ponds in Hampstead Heath, and soaks up the lazy atmosphere of people languidly drinking and laughing in the sun. It is the literary inspiration for Coffee Cult’s move to London in a misguided search for a certain type of lifestyle. One full of lazy days in the park, dips in the pools and chilled glasses of rose sitting in deckchairs in the late summer evening. However, it’s been a mood and a moment we’ve yet to experience, because of one crucial missing ingredient – the sun. And then, last weekend happened. Summer finally arrived, and we all got to see the sort of London described in books, and depicted in Richard Curtis movies. And there is no better place to experience this kind of London than the hilly community of Hampstead. It’s the sort of place where the people wear
perfectly pressed chinos and have adorable blueeyed children called Rosemary and Charles. They winter in Chamonix, and summer in the south of France, and the time in between is spent wandering down Hampstead’s quaint cobbled alleys, eating, drinking, laughing and tossing their glossy hair. Coffee Cult last went to Hampstead in winter, to have Christmas dinner at the delightfully traditional Holly Bush. Climbing through the narrow streets, there were honest to goodness carollers and streams of fairy lights casting soft shadows on the rosycheeked locals. Now summer has finally arrived, and the snow has been replaced with sunshine, the carollers with crowded tables covering the footpath, and the rosy-cheeked locals are now St Tropez sun-kissed. One place still remains, churning out quality coffee and knitted egg cosies for the movie-set inhabitants of this small village – Ginger & White.
The Connection & the Craic We’ll admit it. Coffee Cult is insanely jealous of the owners of Ginger & White, one of whom is a
New Zealander and the other two English. Imagine having your own light filled space in Hampstead, fronting not only a cobbled alley but a proper lamppost the kind you normally only see in 1930s photos of London streets. You could fill it with worn leather couches, and a big distressed table and then invite streams of goodlooking people to pop by and relax with newspapers, coffee and delicious homemade cakes. Not only that but you could staff it with goodnatured Australians (the other staff are lovely too – but we’re feeling patriotic here) who will helpfully get out their Google Maps to point you in the right direction of Hampstead Ponds, so you can continue to pretend you’re living a literary fairy-tale.
The Crucials Not only that, but you would make sure your just bigger than a hole in the wall café was stocked with good quality Square Mile Coffee Roasters beans that produce a great, buttery, smooth cup of coffee. Although limited by the tiny space designated for the kitchen, it wouldn’t prevent you from a weekend brunch menu that manages to cover off on the basics – ham & cheese croissants, granola and soft-boiled eggs with soldiers – while making room for some more unusual offerings, including smoky baked beans with sourdough toast. Washed down with two coffees, a smoked salmon sandwich with deliciously fresh caper cream cheese on soft, chewy Sourdough was perfect fuel in our search for the Hampstead lifestyle.
chris’s
kitchen
> CHRIS ARKadieff
THERE are around 4,500 species of crab, ranging from the five millimetre pea crab to the Japanese spider crab with legs spanning in excess of two metres. Crabs are crustaceans belonging to the Decapoda group (“ten-footed”) which includes lobsters and prawns. For this recipe I would recommend the Cromer crab for its sweet flavour and high ratio of white to dark meat, which has a tender texture. This crab is found on the costal shores of Cromer in Norfolk where crab fishing provides the majority of the town's income. If you choose to use live crab for this recipe, you should ensure that you kill them humanely. The easiest way is to steam or boil them in salted water for 10 minutes per
Ginger & White 4a-5a Perrins Court Hampstead NW3 1QS
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From the kitchen of Gordon Ramsey, CHRIS ARKADIEFF shows us a perfect light lunch for those summer days with this recipe for fresh crab on a toasted sourdough bread. 500g. Buying a dressed crab from your local fishmonger is a great alternative.
Seasoned crab on sourdough What you need
• Mix of white and brown crab meat • Generous dollop of mayonnaise • Good splash of Worcestershire sauce • Olive oil • Lime zest • Chilli to taste • 1-2 tbsp of chopped Parsley • 2 slices of sourdough bread • Lime wedge and parsley to serve
What to do
• Put the mayonnaise into a small
bowl and mix in the chilli and a splash of olive oil • Fold in the white and brown crab meat and add cracked black pepper • Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, lime zest and parsley • Drizzle the sourdough bread with olive oil and salt and cook on a griddle until toasted • Place the crab mixture on the toasted sourdough bread and serve with a sprinkle of parsley and lime wedges. Enjoy.
CHEF DE PARTIES AND ABOVE 5 Star Hotels, Restuarants, Sports Events, VIP Catering and More
The Conclusion Experience the London of the silver screen with a trip to Hampstead, where the food is always fresh, the coffee spot on and the cobbled alleyways teaming with people with movie-star good fortune. Visit Ginger & White, and for one breakfast at least, you can pretend to have that fortune too.
Cooking with crustaceans
Create buffet, canape receptions and lavish banquets for a large range of clients - from awards ceremonies to film premieres and Royal receptions. Ltd Company & Self Employed welcome.
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Apply to sarah@heatlondon.com or 0203 142 7117 www.heatlondon.com
8 | Entertainment
2 - 8 July 2013
See what we are following this week on
What’s On Kate Miller-Heidke 3 July @The Islington
#Spill
Flume 4 July @ Heaven
@rdhinds Did Rudd just say "as I rock around the place"? Noooooooo. What have we done!!!! #spill
Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite 16 July @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire
@BitwIct Kevin Rudd? I was hoping for Paul Rudd #spill
Barry Gibb 3 Oct @ O2 Arena
@lucethoughts Somewhere, Tony Abbott is sitting in a darkened room, slowly stroking a Persian cat. #spill
Cat Empire 20 Oct @ Brixton Academy
@MiaFreedman It's officially Rudd. Our new Prime Minister: 57 votes to 45. #spill
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds 26 - 28 October 2013 @Hammersmith Apollo
@MKPS001 If the first question asked of Kevin Rudd isn't "is your wife a lesbian", then shame on you political reporters. #spill #auspol
For full details...
Follow us on Twitter @AustralianTimes
...and more Aussie gigs go to: AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment
“What’s with the accent?” n
UK cabaret star Dusty Limits tells us why he lost the Aussie twang.
“So, what’s with the accent?” That’s the question I hear most from fellow Aussies who are over here temporarily. Shortly followed by: “You’re Australian? I would never have guessed. You sound British.” The tone of these enquiries and observations ranges from appreciative to the accusatory. Some folks seem to think that the fact I speak RP (which stands for ‘received pronunciation’, not ‘real posh’ as someone once told me) is a thing to be proud of, while others feel an implicit slight on their own untarnished Aussie twang. There are Aussies who’ve lived here far longer than I have who still sound exactly as they did when they got on the plane. And there are those who adopt Mockney inflexions before they’ve got through passport control. I love the warm current of mockery that runs through the Australian accent, the generous lilt that’s free of sentimentality. But I equally love the cast-iron understatement of the English. The Aussie has one advantage – the twang that carries over fields and cuts through the hubbub of a crowded pub, a useful thing when you make your living, as I do, belting out songs in cabarets full of drunks. But as to ‘what’s with the accent’, it’s a character choice I made for Mr Dorian
Black, aka Dusty Limits. Dusty is a Brit, born in the Highlands but educated in the south, and who therefore sounds (as one critic put it) like ‘a public school rent boy’. I explain his occasional lapses into what sounds suspiciously Brisvegas with the fact that he spent some time on Oz as a wayward teen, sent there by his disapproving parents. In writing the show I’m performing at Soho Theatre, which is based on the idea of a musical obituary, I had to write an obituary for someone who doesn’t actually exist. I’ve lived the character for so long that ‘my’ accent has changed to ‘his’. More alarmingly, so has my life. I have to remind myself sometimes that I don’t actually have a twin sister. A shrink might make something of this. But then as Oscar Wilde probably said, our imaginary lives are so much more real than our ‘real’ ones. Part of it is just habit. I am a dual national, and I’ve lived in the UK for 14 years. It’s my home far more than my ‘home town’. Going back to Oz feels like making a visit, not a return. I sometimes find myself worrying: what if Oz becomes a republic? Might I have to make a choice? Which would I pick? For now I’m safe. If Tony Abbott gets into power, I will pack my Australian passport away; I won’t be needing it for a while.
A sonic assault
Dusty Limits: Post-Mortem is a musical obituary celebrating a life lived badly performed by one of the UK’s most celebrated cabaret artists. It runs from 9 to 13 July at 9.30pm at the Soho Theatre Downstairs. Tickets are £10/15 and can be booked at Sohotheatre.com or by telephoning: 020 7478 0100.
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Ahead of their 8 July London gig, Midnight Juggernauts talk modern technology and Serge Gainsbourg with ALEX BRUCE-SMITH.
PRESEntS
THE tHE BOMBAY ROYALE First London show for Melbourne’s new sensation after their Glastonbury appearance
Wed 17 July Village Underground
But my real worry is that Dusty Limits probably couldn’t exist in Australia. The danger is he’d stay too long, and he’d lose his accent.
tickets £10 WeGottickets • Seetickets villageunderground.co.uk 020 7422 7505 FInD US
2fortheroadproductions.com thebombayroyale.com
Prepare yourselves Londoners: Midnight Juggernauts are returning to London, and they’re bringing with them an epic journey into space and time. At least, that’s where your head will be after listening to their latest album, Uncanny Valley. The Melbourne trio that refuses to be bound by genre or expectation takes you on a psychedelic trip of interstellar harmonies and 1950s house. It’s both thoroughly modern and beautifully old school – kind of like the vintage futuristic feel of Back to the Future. I caught up with drummer Daniel Stricker via Skype while the band were in Columbia during the South American leg of their tour. Our interview is conducted to the thrilling noises of the band’s sound check; Midnight Juggernauts are going on stage in a few hours. “Columbia’s cool. It’s crazy,” Daniel tells me over the mash of background noises and laughter. “You can tell there’s this crazy energy in all the people and all the places. You kind of feel like anything could happen. You could have the craziest time of your life or you could be mugged or kidnapped.” He laughs. “Nah, it’s not that bad.” They’ve just finished up touring with fellow home grown talent Tame Impala back in Australia. “We’ve been friends with those guys for a long time. We’ve been trying to tour with them for ages, and it just worked. We haven’t played in three years, so it was great to get back into it.” If you’re familiar with their earlier work – Dystopia in 2007 and Crystal Axis in 2008 – you’ll get some idea of what to expect from Uncanny Valley. Daniel describes it as a middle ground between the two.
“It’s not as bombastic as the first record and not as self indulgent as the second,” he says. “It’s got elements of lots of stuff, whether it’s psychedelic music or industrial music or early house music.” The album’s roots begun, of all places, in a church in the Noir Valley region of France (you can hear some of the sounds recorded there on the track ‘Memorium’), before being finished and mixed in Sydney and Melbourne. France definitely had an influence on the sound of this latest album. “I was listening to a lot of French music, especially late 60s / early 70s Serge Gainsbourg,” he says. (For those who don’t know Serge Gainsbourg, he’s been described as “the dirty old man of popular music,” famous for boozing, women and scandal.) “I was listening to a lot of early breakbeats stuff and how that was sampled in the 90s. That was the world my head was at.” Pop music is clearly a big part of who Daniel is. “My favourite thing is pop music. I like modern production and what you can do with modern tools.” It’s somewhat ironic then, that this new album is a statement of our fixation on technology. The Uncanny Valley is a hypothesis coined by legendary roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970: “I have noticed that, in climbing toward the goal of making robots appear human, our affinity for them increases until we come to a valley, which I call the uncanny valley.” Daniel is clearly not a fan of the hold technology has taken on our lives. “You walk around and there’s people on their iPhones all day, they’re not even looking at their surroundings,” he says, describing an app that will let you know if you’re about to walk in to something while looking at your phone.
Uncanny Valley might only have been made capable with new technologies, but it’s still a traditional piece of music at heart. “There’s so many new machines and pedals and ways of doing things, but at the end of the day if you don’t have the song at the core of it, you don’t have anything, really.” Midnight Juggernauts will be playing at Hoxton Square Bar on 8 July. Their new album Uncanny Valley is out 22 July.
FIVE QUESTIONS
When not making it, what music do you listen to? Smooth FM or some abrasive techno. It’s a pretty vast landscape of musical enjoyment. Best venue ever played? Fuji Rock. It was like this huge, beautiful, mountainous region. It almost felt like something out of a Studio Ghibli film. A bamboo forest five kilometres long, with little stages in the woods… One thing from home you wish you could bring on tour? It’d be good to travel with a bathtub. That’d be really cool, just have a bath after every show. One of those bathtubs you can have outside on big legs. Any crazy stories from being on the road? Too many to tell! What can Londoners expect from the show? A sonic assault. And maybe baguettes from Paris direct.
Travel | 9
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Now: Oktoberfest takes place in the 16 days leading to the first Sunday in October. In 2010, 6.5 million revellers celebrated the festival’s 200 year anniversary. For the festival 14 large tents and 20 small tents are erected, some of them requiring three months to set up. The festival is very much a celebration of Bavarian culture, Bavaria being the southeastern most state of Germany, more so than wider German culture. Traditional Bavarian food and dress are a big part of the festival, as is the live music that is performed in the beer halls and the heartfelt singalongs that go along with it. During the week the opening
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Then: The Oktoberfest festival started as a one-off celebratory parade of the royal wedding of Prince Ludwig to his Therese in 1810. Oktoberfest gradually grew into a horse race, and an agricultural festival and eventually blew up into the veritable orgy of food, fun and beer that it is now! Breweries have been representing their beers at the festival since 1887.
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hours are 9am – 11.30pm, on weekends 10am – 11.30pm. Last orders are at 10.30pm unless you are at the wine tent, which opens till 1am. If you haven’t got a tent reservation, aim to be at the fest by 10am on the weekend and 3pm during the week to nab a spot.
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10 | Travel
2 - 8 July 2013
Though the hotels and hostels of Munich book up waaay in advance (not to mention hike their prices up) there are official campsites within a few km of the festival, with bus transport available. The most popular are Campground Obermenzing or Campground Thalkirchen, both of which take no reservations and are first come first serve, BYO tent. If you do not have a tent a good option is the Weisn Camp, a dedicated Oktoberfest Campsite where you can rent a tent or caravan from 60€ per night for up to 4 people. It is open this year from 19 September - 7 October 2013. Otherwise, an organised tour is the best hassle-free way.
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Travel | 11
AustralianTimes.co.uk
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Whether you want to dance in your dirndl, or relax and chat over a pretzel and a pint, we’ve found the best tents to fit your mood.
Image by Andreas Steinhoff
Image by Andreas Steinhoff
12 | Travel
2 - 8 July 2013
Travel and Teach Support education reform in Kazakhastan n
Kazakhstan may not spring to mind as an obvious destination for either vacation or career, but for teacher Ian Shotter, it’s proving so successful that he’s hoping to stay for another few years. Kazakhstan may not spring to mind as an obvious destination for either vacation or career, but for teacher Ian Shotter, it’s proving so successful that he’s hoping to stay for another few years. “I’m really enjoying the
opportunities that the position has provided me with,” he says, talking about his job as ICT teacher at the NIS school in the Kazakh city of Semey. And there are still several great opportunities for the 2013-2014
academic year for expatriate teachers looking for an exciting work/life experience in a unique country. Having just finished his first year of teaching in Kazakhstan, Ian says it has been both challenging and
*
rewarding. “We use a curriculum provided by Cambridge,” he says referring to the new Kazakhstan curriculum which has been written in association with Cambridge University and is introducing rigorous skill development and progression to the country. “The ideas are sound and we hope that the curriculum format will improve the learning of students here,” Ian explains. “The students soak up everything that you are prepared to give them. It is my intention to stay in Kazakhstan for the next five years if there’s a position here for me.”
NIS schools lead educational reform
There are NIS (Nazarbayev Intellectual School Network) schools in several locations throughout Kazakhstan including the capital Astana and the cities of Semey, Kokshetau, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Taldykorgan and Uralsk, all of which are leading a programme of educational reform in the country. The aim is to develop a new way of educating local Kazakh students and the NIS Network is enlisting the skills of qualified, experienced English-speaking teachers to spearhead the progress. Ian is one of these teachers. He trained in the UK and worked for several years in secondary schools and academies in England which helped in his recruitment to NIS. “The way teachers teach here is quite different to the UK and you need to adjust to the language barriers but I think that I have adjusted reasonably quickly,” he says. Ian is teaching ICT in English to local students in collaboration with local teachers. This mentoring process is one of the specific roles for the expatriate teachers and involves supporting the Kazakh teachers with teaching, planning and assessment. Corey Johnson is doing the same as a Geography teacher.
Gaining from cultural differences
*Trips for 18yo and over
A seasoned expat, Corey is a Social Studies teacher originally from Missouri, USA. “The curriculum is very different from the one I used in America so I had to learn a lot about it very quickly,” he says. “Doing this was hard work at the beginning, but I have quickly adapted. The teachers I work with are very diverse, also the students come from a different culture and background and this means I have to be aware of cultural differences, and adapt my teaching to fit my students. Even though all of these teachers and students come from different backgrounds they find a way to work together in harmony, and I think that is pretty amazing,” he adds.
In addition to their teaching, both Corey and Ian are enjoying discovering many new social experiences in Kazakhstan too. “Adjusting to life in a new country is always challenging, but it is also rewarding,” says Corey. “The food here is great. I was surprised at how friendly and kind the people are; it really helps the transition to living here.” Corey has now been teaching internationally for seven years and says that each time he moves to a new country, he gains more experience. “Saying goodbye is a hard thing to do, but knowing that a grand adventure is waiting for you out there is very enticing,” he says, adding that flexibility, adaptability, strength of character, and an adventurous spirit are all necessary qualities for teaching internationally. He offers advice to others considering it as a career option: “Take everything for what it is, and don’t compare where you are to your home country. Of course it’s not the same; things are different, and some things are hard, but that is the adventure of it all. Enjoy yourself, and you will have a lifetime of memories to look back on after your time is finished.”
Increasing options for international teaching
Since taking on his first international posting in 2005, the opportunities available to Corey in international schools have increased significantly. “The number of international schools around the world is growing at a phenomenal rate,” explains Andrew Wigford, Director of Teachers International Consultancy. “Many international schools provide excellent learning provision for both expatriate children and for local children who are seeking an English-speaking education. Most international schools have a very good reputation for learning and for the higher education opportunities that they provide, and this is fuelling their growth. There are some regions of the world, such as Kazakhstan where international schools are actually changing the face of education throughout the country. It’s a very exciting time for teachers who have good experience and skills and who want to travel. It is not always sunshine and sand that motivates a teacher to select a destination. Corey and Ian are both examples of teachers who have selected their teaching job for quite different reasons. Being part of educational reform is a compelling, challenging and rare experience and one that they are bound to gain from both professionally and personally.” Both Ian and Corey found their jobs in Kazakhstan through Teachers International Consultancy (TIC), an organisation that specialises in helping qualified teachers from all over the world to find jobs in international schools. TIC is continuing to support the Nazarbayev Intellectual School Network with the recruitment of skilled Englishspeaking teachers to help progress Kazakhstan’s education reform. For more information about jobs available for the 2013-2014 academic year go to Ticrecruitment.com/nis
Professional Life | 13
AustralianTimes.co.uk
Dollar Review
Aussie dollar maintains the downwards trend Exchange rates GBP/AUD: 0.602 EUR/AUD: 0.703 USD/AUD: 0.918 NZD/AUD: 1.181 09:59 GMT, 2 July 2013
By Jaco Herselman AFTER enduring its worst week since September 2011, the Australian dollar recovered slightly during the last week of June. The recovery was short-lived however, as falling gold prices also began weighing on the Aussie currency by the week’s end. The mid-week strengthening
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AUSTRALIA’S export commodity prices fell in June, the third monthly fall in a row, following a run of three rises. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s index of commodity prices fell by 4.1 per cent in the month in foreign currency terms. Commodity prices peaked in July 2011 and are now down by 23 per cent from that high. Despite the recent falls, commodity prices are still 194 per cent higher than 10 years ago as the commodities boom was about to begin in earnest. The RBA said the main contributors to the fall in June were iron ore, gold and coal, the same culprits as in May. Although the central bank said the prices of many rural commodities and base metals fell as well, as they also did in May. A comment by the RBA suggests more declines are on the way for the index of prices. “As indicated in previous releases, preliminary estimates for iron ore, coking coal and thermal coal export prices are being used for recent months, based on market information. “Using spot prices (current market prices rather than previously agreed prices) for these commodities, the index declined by 6.2 per cent in June in SDR terms, to be 14.2 per cent lower over the past year,” the RBA said. The foreign currency price index is measured in terms of special drawing rights (SDRs), an average of four major currencies – US dollar, euro, Japanese yen, and British pound. AAP
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14 | Professional Life
2 - 8 July 2013
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Are you an expat Aussie thinking of heading back home for good? Perhaps you are a Brit who is about to make a new start in the lucky country? It's a big move but these companies can help you make the transition smooth and safe.
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Sport | 15
AustralianTimes.co.uk
State of Origin, tag rugby style With the Queenslanders levelling the series 1-1 last week in the rugby league State of Origin series, Aussies taggers in London are gearing up for some origin action here in the capital. Try Tag Rugby have launched Origin Weekend, a brand new tournament which will take place on Saturday 21 September at Twyford Avenue Sports Ground in Acton. Origin Weekend will comprise of the inaugural Provincial Challenge, which will see the likes of London NSW, London QLD, North England, South England, London Leinster and London Munster to name a few fight it out to see who will claim provincial glory. The Aussie tag rugby community have already started the banter about the much anticipated state against state, mate against mate grudge match when London NSW will take on London QLD. Proud Queenslander and London Australia Tag Rugby representative Adric Mason commented: “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I’ve already booked annual leave as I would never pass up the opportunity to represent the mighty Queenslanders!” On paper the New South Wales side will start as favourites, with the likes of London Australia representative players to choose from, including Arron Lombardo, Thomas Parsons, Phoebe Robins, and Patrick Wright. However as all Aussies know, anything is possible in State of Origin. Just ask Paul Vautin when he coached Queensland in the 1995 State of Origin series. He was tipped to not win a match and ended up clean sweeping the series 3-0. Origin Weekend will also include the North London Vs South London Origin
THE
Round 14 By Will Denton
Like an all you can eat buffet at the greyhounds on a Saturday night, Women’s Round had it all. Such was the guilty pleasures on offer, it was easy to forget that this is how life used to be before it was drip fed from a rabbit water dispenser. We even got the much-fabled Thursday Night Footy. It can be a poison chalice the old TNF because if your team wins, you get maximum glory and smugness that lasts for an extra 24 hours. If you’re defeated however, you may as well resign to the bomb shelter, eat cold canned soup and try and figure out if life really is for you. It was the fans of West Coast that fall into the latter category, as they watched their team go down yet again at home, to the Bombers. However, the game will not be remembered for the fact that the Eagles threw away a handy lead at third quarter time to get overtaken right when it mattered most. No it will forever be known as ‘Boogate’. Simply put, fresh from publicly admitting he might of, actually sort of, possibly, unwittingly taken a bit of a naughty thing, the parochial WC crowd took it unto themselves to make Jobe Watson aware that maybe he shouldn’t be out on the
NSW and QLD tag teams last met in 2011 to raise money for the Queensland flood appeal Series which will see both sides battle it out in men’s, mixed and ladies formats and will comprise the best tag rugby players across the capital. This series will feature numerous Aussie players. The eligibility guidelines are where you first settled in London (first permanent address); either North or South of the Thames to determine if you’re a North Londoner or South Londoner. Meanwhile, Try Tag Rugby’s summer leagues began on 25 June at 15 venues across London and Reading. It’s still not too late to join some leagues with limited space available. The competitions cater for all standards with divisions including beginner, intermediate, A grade and super league for the ultra-competitive. Leagues are taking place in 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.
RUBDOWN field. A friendly reminder at the start of the game, transcended into a full blown 36,000 strong protest by final siren. Right or wrong, didn’t matter. Both West Coast and Essendon’s seasons hang by threads now, and for totally different reasons. Geelong hosted Freo in a battle for second spot and Ross Lyons ‘Anyone, Anytime’ mantra finally fell on its sword when he looked in the dressing room and remembered he had named a frangipani from his garden at full forward. He also had a potato in the backline, but he left it out there after he figured ‘well, it can’t do any worse than Zac Dawson’. For the record, the Cats completely dominated the Dockers and atoned somewhat for last years embarrassing finals exit. Hawthorn again travelled down to their spiritual home in Tassie, drunk the local magic juice and produced another spellbinding performance against the Lions. Minor premiership is the Hawks now. Tigers, Kangaroos, Swans, and the Crows managed good wins. The Power stormed back into finals contention after towelling up the Pies. Bucks had no answer except to allude to the fact that the port players didn’t smell very nice. And that evening, something special finally happened. The Melbourne Demons won a proper game of footy. A real one. Over the Bulldogs and everything! Now that’s something to cheer about.
Get set for rugby heaven n
As gripping as this Lions vs Wallabies series has been, neither team has played at their absolute peak. If they raise their games for the final encounter on Saturday then we could all be soaring with the rugby gods. By Charlie Inglefield ONLY three points have separated the teams from the first two Tests, so watching the British & Irish Lions and the Wallabies have their third and deciding crack at each other in Sydney will be nerve wracking to say the least. Both teams may be going into the match without their respective captains. Skipper Sam Warburton, probably the best Lion on the pitch in Melbourne, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. James Horwill, who was equally impressive as Captain for the Wallabies, could yet be banned for the final clash. The Lions must refresh the team if they are to have a chance of taking out the series. This will require some very tough selection calls from the Lions
management but Warren Gatland has shown that he is not afraid to make them, following the five changes made for last week. What the Lions need more than ever is some ‘go forward’ up front so with that in mind and assuming that Alex Corbisiero is fit, Mako Vunipola with the unlucky Tom Youngs should be relegated to the bench to cater for Richard Hibbard alongside Adam Jones. Geoff Parling was willing but ineffective on Saturday. It may require the Scottish giant Richie Gray to come in alongside Alun Wyn Jones to give the Lions front five some long overdue firepower. The Wallabies will be reluctant to make changes to the team which delivered under enormous pressure in
Melbourne. Their hopes will take a crippling blow if James Horwill is indeed ruled out through a ban. If so, they will have to rely on the genius that is Will Genia to cover for Horwill’s missing influence. James O’Connor did little to persuade the punters that he is a genuine number 10 and if I were Gatland, I would be sending Roberts and/or Tuilagi down his channel. Christian Lealiifano played well on Saturday especially with his ice-cool place kicking and he will be a pivotal figure in helping O’Connor run the backline. Adam Ashley Cooper continues to be a wonderful servant to Australian rugby whether it is making a try saving tackle or turnover. He will be a key ‘go to’ man this coming Saturday. There is so much more to come from these two great teams. Many good players are yet realise their full potential. On the biggest rugby stage of their lives this coming Saturday; there are no excuses not to perform. This is the dream game for the neutral, and a final exciting if exhaustible trial for the fans. As the grand finale to one of the great international rugby series of recent years, there’s every reason to expect another classic to decide it.
Peter Siddle no sure thing for first Test ...continued from p16 has been good, and if it wasn’t he wouldn’t be in the picture. “I don’t know what’s happened in the past so for me he’s got to do that (bring a good attitude) full stop,” he said. “And he’s not the only one; everyone in the squad’s got to train that way. “He’s been the first there and last to leave, so I’ve been pretty happy with his preparation. “(He starts) very much so with a clean slate. We can’t control what’s happened in the past.” Siddle has battled for rhythm so far in the UK, with underwhelming performances for Australia A and then for the Australians in their opening tour match against Somerset in Taunton. Lehmann said he was happy with what Siddle showed in the second innings in Taunton and will make a decision about whether the quick needs another trundle in the tour match against Worcestershire starting on Tuesday. Siddle has proven himself as a warrior for the Australian attack, but with a talented cartel of six fast bowlers vying for spots, Lehmann says he can’t completely trust the 28-year-old to play within himself
until the Ashes arrives. “Yes and no. We want him to bowl well each and every time, whether it’s a tour game or a Test match, and he knows that,” Lehmann said. “The main thing for him is making sure he’s ready to go. Bowlers are a different species at the best of times, mentally and physically. But for me it’s a case of making sure they play the best they can each and every time.” Australia’s Test batting order should become clearer when the team is announced for the Worcester match. Captain Michael Clarke will get another chance to spend time in the middle and test his back, while Shane Watson will open the batting and bowl. Squad members who didn’t get a run in Taunton will play - with Chris Rogers to come into the mix in the top order, Steve Smith to bat in the middle and fast bowlers Ryan Harris and Jackson Bird to get their opportunity to impress. James Pattinson will be rested after taking seven wickets against Somerset. Possible Australian team: Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Usman Khawaja, Michael Clarke (capt), Phil Hughes, Steve Smith, Matt Wade, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon. By Ben Horne
BAD BOY: David Warner has been given a clean slate for the Ashes by new coach Darren Lehmann. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Tomic’s ranking surges with Wimbledon run ...continued from p16
ON THE UP: Bernard Tomic’s season is back on track. (AAP Image/David Crosling)
2012, Tomic improved his ranking to No.43 by winning his maiden title at the Sydney International in January. But a disastrous few months, featuring fitness worries and the drama surrounding his father and coach John, saw him drop to 64th earlier this month, his equal lowest mark since August, 2011. Tomic spoke earlier this year of his ambitious goal to break into the world’s top 10 by season’s end. And while that dream now looks far-fetched, he is set to make up some lost ground following his run at Wimbledon. With a campaign so far featuring impressive wins over seeded players
Sam Querrey and Richard Gasquet, Tomic is certain to break back into the top 50 and will likely move close to his season-high ranking. Tomic’s form means he’s also clearly established himself as Australia’s top-ranked player, after Lleyton Hewitt threatened to overtake both him and Marinko Matosevic. Veteran Hewitt moves into the top 70 for the first time in more than two years after his run to the Queen’s Club semi-finals and second round at Wimbledon. By Liam FitzGibbon
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AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport
THE
RUBDOWN
Something to cheer about
P15
SPORT
HOCKEYROOS WIN n
Australia’s Hockeyroos beat England 3-0 on Sunday to take out the round three final of the World League Tournament in Chiswick, London and qualify for the 2014 World Cup.
THE Australian women’s hockey team have capped off a successful World League campaign in London with a 3-0 victory over England in the third-round final on Sunday. The win - their third in a row - has earned the Hockeyroos a spot in the tournament’s fourth and final round in November, and sealed qualification for the 2014 World Cup. Ashleigh Nelson opened the scoring with a goal in the 12th minute, before Kellie White doubled the lead just 11 minutes later. A pair of disallowed goals on either side of half-time kept England within reach, until Emily Smith secured the victory with just 10 minutes to go. Head coach Adam Commens said the gold medal win provided a shot in the arm for the Hockeyroos. “This really gives us a lot of belief that we belong in the top echelons of world hockey,” he said. “We played fantastically well, we moved the ball well, and we countered well. We were consistent throughout and they [England] only had one shot at goal and no penalty corners.” But Commens admitted his side needed to perform better if they were any chance of winning round four in Argentina in November. The Hockeyroos, who beat China 4-1 in their semi-final and the US 4-1 in the quarter-finals, conceded just three goals in six matches played at the London tournament. Their 18-goal haul was the highest of any side in the competition. Seven members of the squad will join the Jillaroos at the Junior World Cup in Europe later this month, before the Hockeyroos reunite for the International Super Series Hockey 9s in October. - AAP
GET SET FOR RUGBY HEAVEN
Wallabies vs Lions: The final showdown | P15 MATCH-WINNER: Adam Ashley-Cooper celebrates his try during the second Test match between the British and Irish Lions and the Wallabies at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne on Saturday. (AAP Image/Mark Dadswell)
Warner can play first Test, says Darren Lehmann DAVID WARNER remains in strong contention to play in the first Test at Trent Bridge after Darren Lehmann said the fallen Australian batsman would start with a clean slate under his coaching. Lehmann made it clear he would be picking teams based on performance and not reputation with deeds from the past, both good and bad, to count for little. That’s good news for Warner who is suspended until the Ashes start in Nottingham and won’t have played for a month. But it’s a stern warning for players struggling for form, like fast bowler Peter Siddle, who won’t be given a free pass to the Ashes simply because of his proven track record as a leader. Warner has been first man to training since he was banned for drunkenly punching England rival Joe Root in a Birmingham nightclub, as he fights to salvage his place in the team, most likely in a new role as a middle order batsman. Lehmann said Warner’s attitude ...continued on p15
Tomic ranking back on track after Wimbledon AFTER watching his world ranking slide alarmingly since the Australian summer, Bernard Tomic is moving back in the right direction with his return to form at Wimbledon. Tomic stands to make serious inroads in the ATP standings after reaching the last 16 at the All England Club, where he faced seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych on Monday. After a disappointing end to ...continued on p15