6 - 12 August 2013 Issue: 475
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Aussie stand-up storms London entertainment P8
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Major parties vie for votes of UK Aussies
STORYTELLING CINEMA Indigenous film makes tracks in London | P7
IT'S ON n With the announcement of the federal election for 7 September, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott have made a first pitch to voters. A PRIME MINISTER you can trust, or an opposition leader who’s fair dinkum. Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott have kicked off their 7 September election campaigns by making personal appeals to Australia’s 14 million
registered voters. Rudd made his pre-election pitch in the same prime minister’s courtyard at Parliament House were three years ago he tearfully stepped down. He made it clear this election is about unfinished business.
Borrowing a line from former Liberal prime minister John Howard, Rudd asked voters “who do you trust” to deal with the challenges presented by a faltering global economy. He portrayed himself as the election
underdog with a “steady hand” and a positive plan for the future. In contrast, he said Abbott was negative, immersed in “old politics” and three-word slogans. Rudd also blatantly borrowed from US President Barack Obama by appealing to supporters to donate a few dollars to Labor to counter the “few millionaires” bankrolling the Liberal-National coalition. Making his pitch surrounded by portraits of past Liberal leaders in the opposition party room, Abbott kept to the script he’s been spruiking for three years. He harked back to the “faceless men” who ousted Rudd in 2010, then turned on Julia Gillard this year, ...continued on p3
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WITH only five weeks until the federal election, Australians in the UK are being urged by the two major parties to ensure their vote counts in what is anticipated to be a tightly fought contest. ALP Abroad President Paul Smith and the President of the Australian Liberals Abroad Jason Groves have encouraged UK-based Australians to register as overseas electors and vote at Australia House in the leadup to the 7 September election. “Australians overseas have been embarrassed by the incompetence of the Australian government over the last six years,” Mr Groves told Australian Times. “There are a lot of Aussies both overseas and in Australia waiting for the day to be able to kick this government out.” Mr Groves said London was the biggest single polling booth in the Australian election and the votes of Australians living in the UK could prove crucial to the outcome. In the 2010 federal election over 16,000 voters cast their vote at Australia House in London. “It is easy to imagine the number of votes cast in London could make the difference in key marginal seats,” said Mr Groves. ALP Abroad President Paul Smith said Australians abroad would play ...continued on p3
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2 | News
6 - 12 August 2013
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, Kiel Egging, Daniel Shillito, Mat Lyons,
Tyson Yates, Jennifer Perkin, Charlie Inglefield, Thomas Jones, Alistair Davis, Will Denton, Chloe Westley, Bonnie Gardiner, Michaela Gray, Marian Borges, Haylee Slater, Emma O'Neill, Ally Juchnevicius, Courtney Greatrex, Poppy Damon, Bianca Soldani, Lauren Marie Tropeano Directors: P Atherton, J Durrant N Durrant, R Phillips and A Laird
Additional content: Who are we? Australian Times is written and compiled by young Australian journalists living in the UK. Contributing on a volunteer basis, they are uniquely placed to reflect the interests, opinions and attitudes of our community. If you would like to join us, contact info@australiantimes.co.uk Address: Unit 7C, Commodore House Battersea Reach, London SW18 1TW Tel: 0845 456 4910 Email: info@australiantimes.co.uk
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What does smacking kids really teach? n
Following calls by the Royal Australasia College of Physicians for smacking of kids to be made illegal, POPPY DAMON argues in defence of anti-physical punishment laws. CHILD health experts in Australia have recently called for the smacking of kids to be made illegal. The Royal Australasia College of Physicians (RACP) released a statement saying the use of physical punishment on children placed them at risk of adverse outcomes in childhood and as adults. I may not be a parent myself just yet, however I strongly believe that there is no excuse for systematically using ‘smacking’ as a form of discipline for children. Yet when I talk about this issue with most parents they say, “well, wait until you’re a parent” to which I always reply, “you don’t have to be a carpenter to spot a good table”. Though I am in no way saying that someone who does smack their child is a bad parent, I do think most people would agree it is either a) used when a parent has lost control and is thus not the preferred action in any circumstance or b) is either used when a child is too young to understand what they have done (making the smack appear inexplicable to them and teaches them no ‘lesson’) OR used instead of explaining why the child was doing something wrong. Ultimately, smacking is used instead of a non-violent alternative punishment like a time-out. Often the reason for smacking is speed or anger or to embarrass the child – all things which I don’t think provide a very good justification. Surely, even stupid TV shows like Supernanny prove that even the most difficult children can be disciplined through non-violent
Your Say
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EVERY ROUND
FROM INCLUDING THE GRAND FINAL
On: Government plans new tobacco tax to return budget to surplus
Celebrity Rudd is all smiles, zippy words and hot air. Rudd has no substance, he is a fraud. I have lost count of how many of his cabinet mates resigned rather than serve with him. Rudd cannot manage the economy, all Labor does is invent new taxes. This tobacco tax will just go up in smoke and be no benefit to Australians. Frank
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Tobacco kills over 5 million people a year. Abbott and the LNP know this, yet they are quite happy to accept donations of over $3 million from Big Tobacco. Talk about no substance and no integrity. Rudd at least has the integrity not to accept money from these dealers of addiction.
punishments. Though parents insist that they are not physically harming the child, I think the principle smacking establishes is less-thandesirable. My biggest bug-bear with smacking is there is something so absurd about a parent using hitting as a way to tell their child in a lot of instances ‘not to hit’. My brother and I, who is now my best friend in the whole world, used to squabble no end, and often wrestled. How would my parents have straight-faced told me to ‘stop hitting my brother’ whilst bending me over their knee and laying a hand to me? It just doesn’t make any sense. Why is it illegal to hit another adult, but not children? What value judgement does that place on the comfort and existence of children? My second, but equally big issue with smacking comes with the simple fact that parents can be wrong. Kids will learn this pretty fast. One of the reasons we send our kids to school is so that they can be faced with alternative authority figures, and to formulate their own opinions. By around age six or seven I realised my parents were human beings and may not know the answer to a question or may sometimes take a wrong turn on the way somewhere in the car. With this realisation often comes resentment over being punished or told what to do. We realise we can want different things from our parents. I think smacking a child, ultimately tells them that because you are physically stronger than someone, Taxing smokers again, what would happen if people stopped smoking? The government goes bankrupt, that's what. It's very hypocritical to blame smokers for every ill in the world while raking in billions of tax dollars from those same smokers. While I’m at it, if smoking is so dangerous why doesn't the government ban it? They did with thalidomide. They are just as corrupt and criminal as any tobacco company. At least tobacco companies actually do sell you a product, the government just steals the money then blames smokers and tobacco companies. What the government and all these anti-smoking fools should do is either ban smoking or just shut up. Joseph
On: You know you’re British when…
Been here for 17 years this Christmas and have to say none of the above apply to me :) Gail
you have the right to hurt them and control them, rather than establishing your role as a parent as someone with their best interests at heart, with the wisdom of experience and who wishes to explain why certain things can or cannot happen. It also means parents could be smacking their children for all sorts of things, which may or may not be considered by another parent as ‘fair’. This morally relative measure for an action which does or does not deserve a smacking, confirms in my mind that we should just outlaw it completely. Though, no doubt, many will read this and think I am a snotty-20-yearold who knows nothing, I simply put some of the best advice I have ever been given: you are the expert of your own experience. I was never hit as a child and I am very glad I wasn’t. It makes me cringe when I see kids sometimes 10 or 11 being smacked in supermarkets, the parents red in the face, the child screaming. I just think save maybe moving your kids hand out of the way of a large fire, there’s no reason for it. It’s just…err childish. One of the most important things you can teach your child is how to express difficult emotions like anger in healthy verbal ways. If you teach them that anger or the art of persuasion should be expressed through smacking rather than words, I think you gain far less respect from your children. You attempt to beat them into submission, but will only make them upset. Have you ever seen a child be smacked and not burst into tears, causing a spiral of more heated emotion and often further bad behaviour? Finally, I should say that I think outlawing it is specifically a good idea, not because I think parents should be thrown in jail for punishing their child, but because I think the law has a significant role in establishing what we as a society have decided is appropriate and attempts to minimize potential harms. Just as we decided caning children in school was not OK, I think we should pass a law saying hitting anyone, especially children, is the wrong thing to do. Not every child will suffer with depression or anxiety as a consequence of being smacked, but if it increases the likelihood, as these studies suggest, the government has a responsibility to protect children. The worst one has to be: you walk into a pub and ask for a Fosters…never ever! Shane
People still use paper to write? Sounds like this is rehashed from the 90s. Been here nine years, thankfully no more than a couple apply to me. :)
Boris
On: Top 5 reasons Aussies move to the UK
This reads like something out of a Dolly magazine. How about life experience, expanding your horizons, change of direction/career/ lifestyle/environment. Gap year/ working holiday. Boredom at home/ sick of the yobbo monoculture.
Johnny
Great piece, thank you. It’s the best thing I ever did, and I’m a better person for the experience.
Sarah
Hans
? What’s your view
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Australia House Abbott, Rudd make biggest polling booth first pitch to voters in federal election ...continued from p1
contrasting it to his stable leadership and team. “It’s really about who is more fair dinkum. Who can you rely on to build a better future?” Mr Abbott said. Abbott’s key messages are wellknown: stop the boats, axe the carbon and mining taxes, get the budget under control, strengthen the economy. But there was a new twist – under
...continued from p1 a crucial role, noting overseas voters helped decide the seats of Solomon in the 2007 federal election and Hindmarsh in 2004. “This will be the closest vote and most unpredictable election since 1993 when Labor came from behind in the last five days to win the election,” said Mr Smith. “Overseas Australians will be looking to vote for an Australia they can be proud of and will offer jobs and opportunities when we return.” ALP Abroad have been running a campaign to encourage Australians to register as overseas electors to ensure their votes count in the polls. Volunteers handed out pamphlets at the second Ashes Test at Lord's in London in an overseas enrolment drive. It advised voters to check their enrolment with the Australian Electoral Commission; and either enrol to vote as an overseas voter, or if already enrolled, to register as an overseas elector. The UK arm of the Labor party has also provided a downloadable poster
no circumstances would he lead a minority government. This is a message aimed at disgruntled voters toying with the idea of backing conservative minor parties such as those headed by Clive Palmer and Bob Katter. Two leaders, two visions. It’s time to decide. - AAP
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4 | Exclusive Interview
Top 5 volunteering experiences in London By Michaela Gray WHETHER you’re well-versed in the field of unpaid work or yet to lend a hand for free, London is the place to boost your volunteering credentials. Aside from the warm fuzzy feeling you’ll get from helping the community, there are plenty of added bonuses to be found in our top five volunteer experiences.
1
Oxfam stewarding
Guarantee your entry to some of the UK’s biggest music festivals (think Glastonbury, Download and Bestival) by signing up to be an Oxfam steward. These are the men and women who check tickets, monitor crowds, answer questions from festival-goers and generally ensure the event runs smoothly. In return for working an eight hour shift you’ll receive free entry to the festival. Who said volunteering couldn’t help your bank balance?!
2
See oxfam.org.uk/Stewarding
London events
The Mayor of London’s office is eager to keep the spirit of the 2012 Olympics alive with an online database of volunteer gigs at sporting events across the city. Cheerers are in hot demand and you can sign up to clap and whoop for as little as two hours. Refreshments are provided and usually a t-shirt thrown in to get you in team spirit. There are also positions for PR, Communications and Event
6 - 12 August 2013
Management professionals who are happy to offer their expertise free of charge. See volunteerteam.london.gov.uk/ opportunities
3
Green thumbs
Green Gyms are an initiative encouraging volunteers to think of conservation as an opportunity for outdoor exercise while helping the environment. A warm-up kicks off the session which finishes with a cool down, while there’s a tea break in between to keep you hydrated (BYO protein shake). There are local projects all over town – get in touch through The Conservation Volunteers website.
4
See tcv.org.uk/london/green-gym-london
Full time placement
If you’re interested in a career in social work or health care, a full time stint as a community service volunteer will do wonders for your CV. You could get to work helping a person with a disability to live independently, assist in a homeless shelter or a group home for the aged. In return you’ll receive free accommodation, meals and payment for day to day expenses. No qualifications are required.
5
See do-it.org.uk
Charity bucket collectors
Love them or loathe them, charity bucket collections are an effective way to fundraise. You can sign up to shake a pail of coins at passers-by in aid of diabetes research. Diabetes UK has teamed up with Tesco to hold the Big Collection Weekend (4-6 October) hoping to raise £400,000 during for people living with and at risk of the disease. Bucket collections will be located at 600 Tesco stores and 8,000 volunteers are needed for shifts of just three hours. See diabetes.org.uk/big-collection
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Extraordinary Aussies in the UK
Jo Kelly is Head of Partner Development at Waitrose & Partnership Services, part of the John Lewis Partnership, the largest example of employee ownership in the UK. Jo is responsible for 48,000 Waitrose Partners (staff) and manages a team of a 80 Partners. A psychologist, Jo has extensive senior management experience in Talent Management across a variety of companies and sectors including British Airways, BP, Prudential UK and the John Lewis Partnership. My move to the UK was motivated by the desire to explore Europe. I planned to travel around Europe for two years and go back home to Australia. Falling in love with an Englishman changed all that. I have now been in the UK for over 25 years. The buzz of London exceeded any expectations that I had about living in the UK – there is always something to do. What I wasn’t prepared for was the weather. After 25 years, I’ve learnt that if you don’t expect to have good weather, when it happens then you are pleasantly surprised. For the first five years, I still felt Australia was definitely home. Then there was a middle period of transition where Australian or English did not seem to fit. Now, as a British citizen, I feel a combination of both. I have two homes – Australia and UK. My children consider themselves British – that is, unless Australia is winning in the rugby or cricket – then my son is Australian. I try to go home to Australia every 12 months. The best part is visiting family and friends. I also enjoy the smell of the bush and eucalyptus, the blue sky, wide open horizons and the beach. I also, secretly, look forward to a Chiko roll. I had finished my Masters in Psychology and my mentor at the time suggested it would be worthwhile gaining some work experience after so many years of study. I saw an ad for graduate traineeships with British Airways and applied. During the next three years I basically learned how to run an airline. After three years, I wanted a new challenge and applied for an International HR Manager role based in London. I stayed in International HR for five years, and during that time I also lived in Japan and travelled. One of the biggest challenges I faced was introducing performance related pay into Japan. I came back to the UK and focused on how to performance manage cabin crew – a very mobile workforce. This new position moved me towards Developmental HR. I started specialising in Performance Management when I moved to New York to take on the role of Management Development Manager - USA, for British Airways. I then became the Head of Talent and Head of Engagement. It was at this time that my specialisation in Talent Development was definite. My psychology degree comes in handy when considering, for example, cultural differences. Businesses have come to the realisation that context is very important – you can’t just take processes and attitudes based on the
Jo Kelly
Head of Partner Development, Waitrose culture in one country and apply it to another. Businesses need to adapt their objectives and strategies to the cultural context. However, cultural differences are getting smaller – so much so that teenagers have less in common with their parents’ generation than with people of the same age around the world. This is largely due to social media.
"I like the beautiful countryside of Cornwall with its slower pace of life" In my view, leaders need to bring people on side and inspire their teams to follow their direction towards a greater outcome. The best leaders are people who are authentic, accessible, an inspiration in terms of their vision, courageous and willing to take risks. The best leaders also encourage others to take risk, without punishing them if the risk doesn’t work out. Leaders must build trust and be confident. As corporations move away from command and control leadership styles, I believe that there is more room for women to move into leadership positions. An important consideration for women is to decide if moving into senior positions is what they want. The most rewarding aspect of my job is seeing someone really grow and develop in their role, and get fulfilment. To relax, I like gardening and grow my own fruit and vegetables, including the Australian staple,
beetroot. I use gardening as a form of relaxation and to reflect on ideas that will help me in supporting the Waitrose partners. In my role, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and leverage development opportunities for partners. My favourite discovery in the UK is Cornwall, partly because it reminds me of Australia and its beaches. I like the beautiful countryside with its slower pace of life. I especially like places such as St Ives, with its art culture and seaside town – they have the Tate Modern gallery and it’s home to many international artists. There are lovely side streets with art galleries, jewellery stores and good food. For a closer escape, I like Camber Sands, near Rye – another historic, coastal town. I wish that when I first came to the UK, I did not have an end date in mind. I spent a lot of time thinking “I’m not on plan”. I wish I had gone with the flow more. Another piece of advice for Australians thinking of coming over: have plenty of money for transport. I did not have use of a car and found it tough hunting for jobs in the middle of winter using public transport. Interviewed by Sepi Roshan. Find out more about Jo Kelly’s perspective on work, leadership and performance management in her interview on Astute Radio available on Australiantimes.co.uk/ jobs-money/ astute-aussie-in-london.
UK Life | 5
AustralianTimes.co.uk
By Courtney Greatrex There’s always a time in an Australian expat’s life when you start to put your origins behind you and become a part of the local UK community. You forget that ‘this afternoon’ is actually pronounced arvo, and you don’t even blink when you wake up and it’s raining, again. To help you work out if you’ve made the transition from Aussie ocker to British blue blood, we’ve identified the top 25 ways you can tell you’re becoming…. English.
1 2 3
You eat marmite instead of vegemite on toast in the mornings. You’re secretly rooting for England in the Ashes.
The thought of a day exceeding 21 degrees celsius gives rise to concerns about possible heatstroke.
4 5 6
You’ve barbequed in the rain, and called it a success.
You’ve ditched the Country Road tote bag for something a little classier. Longchamp, perhaps? You actually know what’s in a Pimms cocktail and can even make it for your guests on those 21 degree days.
7 8 9 10
It’s Tipex, not White-out.
You’ve learnt it’s quicker to walk between Leicester Square and Covent Garden than catch the tube.
You dress for four seasons in a day, and never leave the house without an umbrella. Thongs become flip flops, because the confusion at work just isn’t worth it.
11
Walking down Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon is your idea of a form of torture.
12 13
A power adaptor is no longer necessary for every appliance you own. Your nightly fix of Home and Away has finally been replaced by Coronation Street.
14
You go to a music festival in the UK and realize that the Big Day Out actually isn’t all that great after all.
15
You stop shortening words because no one knows what you’re going on about except you. It’s “this afternoon”, not “this arvo”.
16 17 18 Bali!
Ibiza becomes your holiday of choice. Better luck next year,
You’ve accepted that Hungry Jacks is Burger King here, though saying it still doesn’t sound right. No chocolate compares to Galaxy chocolate … not even Darrell Lea.
19
You’ve given up explaining to people in the UK that nobody in Australia actually puts a ‘shrimp’ on the barbie.
20
You’ve discovered that investing in a pair of red trousers will put you at the forefront of fashion and sophistication… at least if you live in Chelsea.
21
You don’t walk into Argos and wonder where all of the products are anymore. Catalogue shopping has been an institution in your life for some time now.
22
When it comes to airports, you’ve realized Gatwick is the way to go. Whilst Heathrow might have all the shops, and Stansted caters for all your budgeting needs, location and transport ease keeps you coming back to good ol’ Gatwick.
23
You’ve realized wine at bars comes in two sizes: small and large. You automatically specify large – bucket size, preferably.
Entering the estate n
There’s more than meets the eye beyond the boundaries of London’s estates. SUBCULTURE SLEUTH > PAUL BLEAKLEY
It might not be politically correct to admit this, but when I realised that my house was on the boundary line of one of London’s biggest and most dangerous housing estates I was quite concerned. The term “housing commission” does not have positive connotations in my part of Australia, and the horror stories about London estates were legion. For almost a year, I had managed to avoid setting foot on the estate. Although it covers around 23 hectares, there was relatively little need to wander into the maze of dilapidated tower blocks. Over the last few weeks, however, I have found myself needing to use the London Overground more than ever before. That means one thing having to brave the estate. I mentally prepared myself before setting off into the previously unknown territory. I dirtied up my spotless trainers to ensure that they
didn’t look appealing enough to steal, I threw on an old hoodie and practiced my impression of Vinnie Jones. I thrust my hands firmly in my pockets, adopted a hunch, and stepped over that imaginary line that had always stopped me from going any further. It turns out that the dilapidated towers marking the border of the estate are actually the last to be remodelled as part of a large-scale gentrification project. The rest of the estate looks far better maintained than half of the posh neighbourhoods that I regularly find myself in. Far from being intimidating, the people on the estate were exceptionally cheerful as they walked their dogs or ushered their children to school. In short, just like everyone else. This is my apology to the people of my local estate: I misjudged you. I listened to the hype and the scare campaign, and I let it get to me. I will not make the same mistake again. I am not suggesting you go to a council estate just to sight-see… but you shouldn’t be afraid when you come across one either.
Sick in the city Surviving london > Bianca Soldani
You’re feeling ill (cue sad face). It happens, but when you’re unwell and far from home where do you turn to for help? You can’t speed-dial your mum, or your local doctor for that
matter, but there’s no need to reach for the panic button just yet. There are plenty of ways to seek medical advice in London that won’t leave you penniless. Walk-in centres and the A&E (Accident and Emergency) department of your local hospital both offer medical care without appointments, free for UK residents. As the name suggests, walk-in centres are medical centres which treat patients who walk in off the street. All you need to do is fill out some paperwork on arrival and wait your turn. They’re great for minor complaints or injuries, but more often than not there’s a hefty waiting time – and no, there’s no going and coming back – you need to wait on site to hold you place in the line. If what ails
24
You now know why your English colleagues and friends give you funny looks when you say ‘pants’ instead of ‘trousers’.
25
You realize that there are pubs other than the Walkabout and snakebites aren’t nice… at all. What do you think makes you British? Go to AustralianTimes. co.uk/uklife to add your suggestions.
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you is a tad more pressing, the A&E department of a hospital may be a better bet. At the Accident and Emergency they triage incoming patients and see them in order of the seriousness of their complaint – respiratory and heart problems being at the top of the list, minor coughs and sprains further towards the bottom. So if all you’re sporting is a case of the common cold, be prepared for the long haul, you could be sitting pretty for quite some time. But if waiting is not one of your favourite things, especially when you’re sick, there is one other solution that you may just find more convenient, more local and quite a lot speedier. There are plenty of GP clinics in every London borough, and to access their medical care all you have to do is choose one and register. No more epic lines or sickly waiting rooms for you! It’s as simple as that, a little paperwork and a urine sample and you’re in – they’ll even issue you with an NHS card if you don’t already have one. Consult the NHS website to find your nearest GP clinic, walk-in or A&E. In the case of an emergency, call an ambulance by dialling 999. For more information and handy tips for making yourself at home in London, check out Bianca’s new book, “An Aussie’s Survival Guide to London”; tackling the little problems for newcomers to London.
6 | Food & Wine
6 - 12 August 2013
Coffee Cult visits The Pavilion in Victoria Park By Alex Ivett When Coffee Cult was little we used to watch Mary Poppins religiously. It almost got to the point where we covered our face with soot from the fireplace and tried to climb up the roof to dance around singing “Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey, Chim chim cher-ee” with a broom. Although it was a bleak London – all cold winds, and grey skies – it was still appealing. It had terraced mansions, housekeepers and bowler hats. Roaring fires, pipes and women’s lib movements. Most of all it had a fantastical cartoon
world, where you could jump through a painting and find yourself on a soft-edged pastel-shaded sunny countryside jaunt, riding merrygo-rounds horses and dancing with penguins. Now, having been in London for more than a year, we’ve become very familiar with most of Mary Poppins’ London – the grey, the cold, the hurried bankers and the dirty streets. Yet, the park painting London continued to elude us. The idyllic green escape in the middle of a big, cold, hurried city. That was, until Coffee Cult headed to The Pavilion in Victoria Park.
The Craic Could there be a more Mary Poppins like-setting than an airy glass-walled rotunda next to a lake, buried in the leafy surrounds of Victoria Park? Not to mention the rows of wooden
tables to encourage communal seating. Sitting in the rare sun on a high-top bench on a jetty poking out over the water, and watching baby ducks bob on the water while signets trailed after their mums, it felt like Coffee Cult had fallen into that pastel-shaded painting. Well, if the painting’s characters all wore exercise gear and had just done a yoga class under a nearby tree.
The Crucials In keeping with the family friendly, exercise-encouraging vibe there is a strong emphasis on good-quality organic ingredients. ‘Our milk is from a single herd’ , Ivy House Farm, a sign tells me. I imagine again a cartoon countryside, where the cows sleep in plush beds of green and break into rounds of song before willingly giving over their milk. The coffee (Monmouth coffee) at least tastes like this might be the case – creamy and pitch-perfect. However, for those who haven’t just haven’t come off five laps of the park, there are also some excellent fry-ups available. Besides the offerings of pancakes, eggs benedict and florentine and things on toast, there are also three large plates-fullof-things options. The Vegetarian is a crowded mix of eggs, spinach, beans, roast tomato and bubble & squeak. The scrambled eggs and salmon on crunchy sourdough is light, fluffy and deliciously filling.
The Connection
The Conclusion
The Pavilion opened in 2007 by Australian Brett Redman and his business partner Rob Green. With another venture Elliot’s Bread under their belt, they’ve recently expanded to open Elliot’s cafe in Borough Market. If it’s anything like The Pavilion, it’s now firmly in Coffee Cult’s sights.
Picture perfect. Literally. A painting worthy combination of idyllic setting, good-quality food and great coffee makes it a breakfast spot worth revisiting again and again. If only there were dancing penguin waiters.
Fresh feeling
By Courtney Greatrex
CHEF DE PARTIES AND ABOVE
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Do you have supermarket phobia? Or just prefer your food fresh and straight from the source? London has you covered, with an amazing array of food markets all over town. Many local areas have their own farmers market, usually held every weekend, and are worth sourcing so you have a regular supply of fresh, organic produce. Or, head out to these bigger markets, and combine your weekly shop with a fun day out.
Borough Market, London Bridge
Borough market is a haven for the culinary adventurers of London. It is a source for the best local and international produce, be that seafood, cheese, fruit & veg and many more weird and wonderful foods from around the world. Being situated right by London Bridge station makes it easily accessible, but make sure you plan your visit in advance; Borough market is only open from Thursday to Saturday.
Victoria Park, London E9 7DE Nearest cross street: Crown Gate West
Berwick Street Market, Soho This central London market is one of the oldest in the whole city, with roots back to 1778. Berwick Street Market is situated in the heart of Soho, between the strip joints in Walker’s Court and the glamorous Yauatcha restaurant on Broadwick Street. Selling a range of fruit, veg and local produce, the market mostly comes alive during the lunch-time rush hour when London’s workers come out for some delicious grub. The market is open from Monday to Saturday; 9am until 6pm and is well worth a visit.
Portobello Road Market, Notting Hill
Notting Hill is one of the most interesting and dynamic places in London. In the centre of this quirky village is the famous Portobello Road and of course its market, which is known most predominately for the sale of antiques. Portobello Market also dabbles into fruit and veg and all kinds of other delicious food. You’ll find bakeries, fish mongers and cheese sellers here, amongst the eclectic antique stalls and their customers from all across the country. The market is open from Monday – Saturday, with varying times, so best to check online before you make your visit!
Broadway Market, Hackney
All crammed into a long east London street, the Broadway Market has plenty to tickle your taste buds. The best thing about the Broadway Market is that all of the produce, including organic meat, fruit and veg, fish, oysters and so much more, is all at supermarket prices, if not cheaper! The quaint market is only open on Saturdays, from 9am until 5pm but makes for a great place to visit to stock up before a big dinner or the week ahead.
Camden Lock Market
Though not originally established to sell food, Camden Lock Market houses some of the most exciting places to eat in the whole of London. The Camden Lock you see today began as a timber yard, which in the 1970s opened as an arts and crafts market. History aside, the Camden Markets offer food fit for even the fussiest of eaters. Tuck into a kangaroo burger at the Global Kitchen or try an irresistible baked good at the Cookies and Scream bakery. No matter what you eat, I assure you, it will not disappoint.
Entertainment | 7
AustralianTimes.co.uk
What’s On Donavon Frankenreiter 10 August @O2 Academy Islington Sam Simmons Shitty Trivia 12 - 24 August @Soho Theatre San Cisco 20th August @London's Sebright Arms
Donavon Frankenreiter live in London
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Singer-songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter, will perform tracks from his recently completed fifth full-length album Start Livin’ at the O2 Academy Islington in London on 10 August. By Jackie Lampard Hawaii-based singer/guitarist/ songwriter, Donavon Frankenreiter, will perform tracks from his recently completed fifth fulllength album Start Livin’at the O2 Academy Islington in London this August. The follow-up to 2010’s Glow,
Amity Affliction 14 September @Underworld Adam Hills Happyism 22 September @Hammersmith Apollo FilmFest Australia October 2013 @Barbican Centre Barry Gibb 3 October @O2 Arena For full details...
...and more Aussie gigs go to: AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment
See what we are following this week on
The Ashes @KRuddMP I’ve just sat down to watch the test. That was one of the worst cricket umpiring decisions I have ever seen. KRudd @DHughesy I haven’t seen the incident but I agree with @KRuddMP’s decision to declare war on the umpire’s country of origin and England. #ashes
Start Livin’ is a nine-track selection of folk-infused songs that sweetly reflect the simplicity of their recording. “Start Livin’ is basically a love album,” says Frankenreiter. “Most of the songs are about my wife and our two boys, and the life that we’ve built together in Hawaii.” Having toured with Xavier Rudd earlier this year, Donavon Frankenreiter employed a similar instrumental style which added to the record’s playful feel. “This album’s completely unlike anything I’ve ever done before, in that we skipped the basics and went for a whole lot of different instruments,” he says. “We never brought in a drum set—instead there’s hand clapping for percussion, or the two of us banging on pots and pans. We were using everything from bells to singing bowls to Zippo lighters; at one point we put some beans and salts in a can and shook it around.” Frankenreiter’s long-term bassist and co-producer Matt Grundy played a key role in the wildly varied sounds on Start Livin’, according to Frankenreiter.
@DrMitchellAdam Strange. None of the English people I know wanna talk about #theashes today. Maybe they’ve forgotten it’s on. @Jane_L_Kennedy Trying to explain to 10 yr old son integrity of The Ashes is somewhat ... er...tricky right now #ashes @BrentonSpeed “Same old England always cheating” #theashes @krista88t Things I have learnt from my Twitter feed tonight - Blah blah, #Ashes blah, Poms are cheaters, blah blah, the DRS is stupid.
Follow us on Twitter @AustralianTimes
Donavon Frankenreiter is set to play London’s O2 Academy Islington on Saturday 10 August. Tickets are on sale now for £15 (+ bf) from Livenation. co.uk or Ticketmaster.co.uk.
BFI to host Indigenous Australian film program n
Australia: Shifting Sands launches at the British Film Institute’s London Southbank centre in September, exploring the story of Indigenous Australia through the medium of Indigenous filmaking.
The star of ABC’s Problems is back at Soho Theatre! ‘An hour of unadulterated and awesome absurdity.’
«««««
@dailybaily10 The Ashes. The ashes of the third umpire’s career - scattered wherever we bloody like. #theashes @simonjourno At least throughout all of this #Ashes despair we can take comfort knowing the Aussie women’s side will towel up the Poms.
“Matt was playing ukulele and lap steel guitar and banjo—he’d grab an instrument and we’d do a take live and just build the track up from that. It was a real fun vibe.”
Daily Telegraph
Satellite Boy (2012)
By Michaela Gray THE STORIES are of love, adversity and grief set against the spectacular backdrop of the Australian outback. The emergence of Indigenous filmmaking has been touted as the most significant shift in Australian cinema in the last two decades, holding up a looking glass to the Aboriginal experience in a colonised land. Australia: Shifting Sands launches at the British Film Institute’s London Southbank centre next month, exploring the story of Indigenous Australia as told by black and white filmmakers alike. The film season revisits big budget releases like Baz Lurhman’s epic Australia (2008) and Wayne Blair’s musical comedy The Sapphires (2012), together with Stolen Generation drama Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) and the culture of traditional story telling in Ten Canoes (2006).
They are complimented by a selection of lesser known films, among them a double bill of Tracey Moffatt’s beDevil (1993) and Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy (1990), teen runaway road movie Beneath Clouds (2002) and Catriona McKenzie’s feature debut, Satellite Boy (2012), a family drama about a boy living in an abandoned drive-in cinema. Coinciding with the Royal Academy’s major exhibition Australia (21 September – 8 December), the film season reflects the same central theme of ‘landscape as character’ and the inextricable link between the land and the people that live on it. Australia: Shifting Sands begins with a preview of Walkabout on 10 September. The season proper runs from 19 September – 8 October with tickets on sale through the BFI website. For more information see whatson.bfi.org.uk.
Soho Theatre presents
SAM SIMMONS:
SHITTY TRIVIA
Mon 12 – Sat 24 August
8 | Entertainment
6 - 12 August 2013
Aussie Comedy Bonanza n
There’s a smogarsboard of Aussie comedy on offer this year in London. Narrow down the options with our list of the top Aussie acts to catch in 2013. Luke McGregor – My Soulmate Is Out of My League WINNER – Melbourne Comedy Festival Best Newcomer 2013 In a show that explores the fear of failure, and the importance of trying anyway, Luke McGregor talks about his three main fears: elevators, sharks and asking the opposite sex
out on dates. This year, Luke faced his ultimate fear – he dated a female shark in an elevator. Luke McGregor is one of the most exciting emerging stars of the Australian comedy scene. See him before he’s huge! Where: Soho Theatre When: Mon 5 Aug – Sat 17 Aug How much: £10 - £15
Sam Simmons - Shitty Trivia
This year, the master of suburban, absurdist comedy returns to Soho with his very own Shitty Trivia – a powerful and life-changing hour of questions. You’ll learn nothing, but you’ll look at the world differently. In the last year Sam has had soldout shows throughout Australia, in Edinburgh and LA, and he also created, and starred in, one of the most exciting, offbeat Australian TV sketch comedy shows in decades, Problems (ABC Australia). Where: Soho Theatre When: Mon 12 Aug – Sat 24 Aug How much: £10 - £20
Matt Okine - Being Black & Chicken & S#%t
Winner Best Newcomer Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2012 Winner Best Of The Fest Sydney Comedy Festival 2013 Award-winning Comedian Matt Okine spent 2012 performing around the world to rave reviews. But awards don’t pay the bills. And reviews don’t keep the lights on. Matt Okine wants to get rich, and fast. Not just a little bit rich. Proper rich. Like, “fat stacks” rich. Like, “sultan” rich. Like, “hovercraft” rich. One of the most exciting comics to emerge from Australia in recent years, alongside winning the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Best Newcomer Award, Being Black n Chicken n S#%t was nominated Time Out Sydney Comedy Festival Show of the Year, and earned Matt a nomination as Time Out Sydney Comedian of the Year. Where: Soho Theatre When: Wed 28 Aug – Sat 7 Sept How Much: £10 - £15
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Ronny’s The Ron Way scooped the Melbourne Comedy Festival Best Newcomer Award last year, and the buzz around his show has led him to play to sell out audiences in Australia and beyond. Where: Soho Theatre When: Wed 28 Aug – Sat 7 Sept How Much: £10 - £15
David Quirk – Shaking Hands With Danger
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Ronny Chieng – The Ron Way
Winner Best Newcomer Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2012 Ronny doesn’t want to be liked. His bold, matter-of-fact comic stance is a breath of fresh air among a newer generation of comics who just want you to love them. But Ronny will get you on side with his hilarious determination to show he has the comic skills, academic brilliance and all-round credentials to make you laugh. A lot. Plus, he’ll prove once and for all that being Chinese is really cool.
If you’ve read this far, you’ve either cheated, thought about cheating or been cheated on. We have that in common. Award-winning Aussie comedian David Quirk takes us back to one day of his life, in Finland; a day that changed everything, when he shook hands with danger and didn’t let go. Part tribute, part confessional, this is a love story in reverse where people get hurt and cheaters change their spots. A huge triumph at the Australian festivals this year, Shaking Hands With Danger won David the Piece of Wood Award (the Comedians’ Choice award) as well as critical acclaim and a nomination for Best of the Fest in Sydney. It’s a good show by a bad person, about lovers, infidels and a flight with Slash. It has been in the making for nearly two years and, once you’ve seen it, you’ll know why. Where: Soho Theatre When: Tues 10 Sept – Sat 14 Sept How Much: £10 – £15
Australia’s prodigal daughter returns with another eccentric & groundbreaking show. Claudia O’Doherty invites you to witness the annual spectacle that, so far, none of you have attended. It’s 2013. For over 10 years the harsh hand of commercialism has held comedy in its vice-like grip, and in Claudia O’Doherty: Pioneer ‘the man’ has finally found his way onstage… Claudia O’Doherty returns with her fourth solo show, following her Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination for 2012’s boundarybusting The Telescope. Claudia O’Doherty: Pioneer is her most absurd, audacious and grandest show to date. O’Doherty takes the audience on a journey into her brain and shows them the paint-splattered walls. Where: Soho Theatre When: Mon 23 Sept – Sat 5 Oct How Much: £10 - £17.50
Adam Hills - Happyism
Adam Hills is probably the most well-known Australian entertainer to grace British shores since Kylie Minogue, and has quickly made an impact on UK audiences. Shooting to fame as host of Channel 4 program The Last Leg, he is now performing an epic show at the Hammersmith Apollo. The show will include a BSL interpreter. Where: Hammersmith Apollo When: Sunday 22 September How Much: £20
Jimeoin – What?!
Loved by audiences around the world for his brilliant wit and razor-sharp take on the absurdities of everyday life, Irish/Australian comedian Jimeoin’s shows are no-gimmicks, big laughs and stand-up comedy at it’s very best. Where: Hammersmith Apollo When: Sat 23 November How Much: £19.50
Get More Stage & Screen
AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment
Entertainment | 9
AustralianTimes.co.uk
Long live summer
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Cooking with song
Before the last of the suns rays fade for the summer, check out these top 5 London summertime activities.
By Michaela Gray AFTER weeks of blissful sunshine the temperature is now on the decline and it’s once again necessary to take a brolly every time you step foot out the door. Before the historically warm season fades to a distant memory, here are our top five ways to make the most of the remaining summer days.
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Ahead of his 10 year anniversary European tour, Australian Carus Thompson talks about being a folk-singer-songwriter and why he will never be on a reality television show.
By Marian Borges
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Image by Matt Brown
Camden Beach – Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Rd
Pull on your togs, throw a towel over your shoulder and head to a coastal getaway right here in London. 150 tonnes of sand has been dumped on the Roundhouse terrace together with deck chairs and beach huts to create an inner city slice of paradise. Completing the pseudo-seaside is a pier offering traditional games, tasty food and ice cold drinks. Get groovy on the sand with acoustic and DJ gigs every Friday night. Entry is free and surfs up until 24 August.
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Ping! – locations across London
Embrace your inner Forest Gump at a ping pong table near you thanks to Ping! – an initiative bringing the sport to the streets for free. Bats and balls are supplied, all you need is a bit of technique. If hand-eye coordination is not your thing, sit back and watch the pros at a showcase match. It’s game on until 30 August.
3
Notting Hill Carnival – Notting Hill
On 25-26 August head to West London to experience an assault on the senses – the sight of glitzy and glamorous costumes, the sound of Calypso music and the smell of Caribbean food. Held each August Bank Holiday since 1966, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe. The spectacle celebrates London’s multicultural past and present with two days of live music, street floats, jerk chicken and fried plantain.
4
Festival of Neighbourhood – Southbank Centre
You don’t need to live at Southbank to be part of this celebration. The Festival of Neighbourhood is all about coming together and with a program of events, activities and workshops there are plenty of ways to do just that. Here street art and performance combines with quaint English gardening and home cooking. Get involved or watch on while enjoying the sunshine until 8 September.
5
Shakespeare’s Globe – New Globe Walk, London
Shakespeare is going cheap – a fiver is all it will cost you to stand in the yard for a performance at London’s Globe theatre. As you’ll be exposed to the elements it’s a must-do London experience best enjoyed in the summer. Matinee and evening performances to The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth are on sale now. It’s best to book ahead and take your chance on the weather.
Image by Matt Brown
The human experience of life, love, hope, disappointment and guilt can be incredibly confusing. Yet, once in a while a song comes along that encapsulates that universal feeling, and for three and a half minutes provides some much needed release. A hot-pot of words and stories seasoned with people and places is what makes up good song writing for folksinger-songwriter Carus Thompson. “You don’t realise you are coming up with these ideas, these songs, but they are just sort of stewing away and cooking in your mind,” he said. “Sometimes a song can come in two minutes. Sometimes it can take months or a year. And sometimes the song that came in two minutes you were actually thinking about for a year.” When he’s not pushing a pram around Melbourne’s eclectic city streets 36-year-old Thompson is busy riding the singer-songwriter tide. His creative cycle could be represented in a three pronged flow chart – song writing, recording, performing and back to song writing again. Currently Thompson is in performance mode and will be heading to Europe for a 10 year anniversary tour. Thompson will play a total of eight shows in the UK, Germany and Switzerland. Five of the shows are in Germany where Thompson has tapped into an audience starved of local singersongwriters. One determined fan is driving from the F1 in Hungary to Berlin to catch the show. Thompson said: “The Germans call what I do handmade music. They love Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. They love this sort of singer-songwriter stuff with balls, with a bit of a rock edge to it. “In Australian even singer-songwriters have to come up through the pub rock scene, you have to learn how to rock
‘em. So when you take that sort of thing to Germany people love it and so do the English too I might add – especially when they get a few Australians to show them the way.” Fatherhood means this will be Thompson’s last European tour for a while. Originally from Fremantle, he is hoping to stay closer to home for the next couple of years. Having played with the likes of John Butler, Jack Johnson, Pete Murray, Xavier Rudd and Seth Lakeman; Thompson was a little bewildered the first time he was asked if he planned to try out for reality television show Australia’s Got Talent. “I don’t care how many X-Factors there are. It’s not the same thing as going to a pub and seeing a band or a musician and having a pint in your hand. It’s a different thing and it will always survive and in my heart it’s way better. TV talent shows are my sworn enemy,” Thompson said. For Thompson human interaction is what makes the live music experience so special. “What I do I can’t do in four minutes. My thing is about establishing and building a connection with my audience,” he said. “A performance needs to be an event. Any performance that happens once – a certain bunch of people are there, it’s a certain venue, a certain bunch of songs, certain things happen. You build to some sort of crescendo and it ends. Everyone has a chat afterwards but the next day it’s gone. “I need at least half an hour with people to tell them a few stories, get them dancing, hopefully make them cry a little bit and no worries,” he laughed. Carus Thompson will play The Half Moon in Putney on Friday 9 August, at 8pm. Tickets cost £10 and are available from thehalfmoon.musicglue.com.
10 | Travel
6 - 12 August 2013
Postcards from Australia
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Haylee and her husband are currently driving around Down Under. Follow along with their highlights from the road in this series of Postcards From Australia.
By Haylee Slater
Includes free unlimited booze on the road. Huge party event in every city.
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travel with
5 4
3
1
9
7 8
2
1. VALENCIA, SPAIN
6. BERLIN, GERMANY
2. BARCELONA, SPAIN
7. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
3. PARIS, FRANCE
8. BUDAPAST, HUNGARY
4. BRUGES, BELGIUM
9. MUNICH, GERMANY
5. AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
STARTING AT
LA TOMATINA
ENDING AT
Oktoberfest
AT ANY CITY ..AT ANY CITY..
FOR MORE DETAILS WRITE TO GEMMA@STOKETRAVEL.COM OKTOBERFEST THE RUNNING OF THE BULLS WORLD CUP BRAZIL & CARNIVAL BRAZIL THE SURFARI SPRING BREAK IBIZA
LA TOMATINA SAN SEBASTIAN SURF CAMP BARCELONA CITY STAYS FETES DE BAYONNE SAIL CROATIA SAN VINO THE WINE FIGHT MOROCCO SURF HOUSE
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Greetings from the east coast of Australia! A land of shimmering ocean, sub-tropical rainforest and the smoothest roads I have ever driven on. The Pebbly Beach turn-off leaves the Princes Highway about 10 kilometres south of Termeil and takes you on a windy drive through the dense Murramarang National Park. Pebbly Beach takes my breath away, and I am not alone. An English couple from Devon tell us they have been planning to come to Pebbly since they first arrived in Australia. They have made the journey from Melbourne just to spend the night here. A grassy park meets the sand and visitors are happy to just lie around on their towels. We walk our deck chairs down to the waterline and get busy doing nothing. When we get too hot we refresh with a swim, then race back to our chairs to dry in the sun. Hugging the shoreline is a deep trough, which makes the roaring tide
appear deceptively tame. Typical of a lot of Australia’s beaches, it is easy to be swept up if you are not concentrating. While we choose to laze around, day-hikers make the seven-hour return hike up Durras Mountain. I envy their fitness levels but not the trek ahead of them. Others walk north along the coast to Snake Bay. Seated on an old log is a typically Aussie man; Akubra hat, shorts. Surrounding him on the lawn are at least thirty kangaroos. The kangaroo population at Pebbly are quite happy to be patted and are happy to be photographed. Pebbly Beach is most commonly known as “Surfing Kangaroo Beach,” made famous after a kangaroo was snapped standing up to its chest in the water at low-tide. When people imagine a perfect day in Australia, I’d like to think this is what they picture: a clear blue sky, the hot sun warming bare skin, no traffic or artificial noise. Peace. It is nice to know that at Pebbly Beach, it truly exists.
Travel | 11
AustralianTimes.co.uk
Falling in love… with Portugal n
Enraptured by the sights, sounds and flavours of Portugal LAUREN MARIE TROPEANO fell helplessly in love with the country on her very first encounter.
Travel Writer Winner Stop and listen now. Listen to the singing of the fishermen on the bare jutting rock of Praia das Maças, crouched between the two great blues of sea and sky. If I could sing it or play it to you I would, but I cannot, so this will have to do. The scene: a winding grey dirt path, the parting sun stippling the uneven ground as I walk, face tipped to the sky. The water far below plummets and plays, echoing the deep somber tones of waiting men. Clouds gather, low and dark, and wind begins its mutter, joining the afternoon orchestra of man and sea. The sound, a slow paced melody, swells, pure notes gaining in volume and scattering as the pink dusk meets its twilight end. I’m an hour from Sintra, where the Atlantic waves break and tickle the westernmost coastline of continental Europe. My swim was fleeting under a timid sun; the wind’s caress makes salt freckles dance across my white winter skin. I left Germany seven mornings ago in a duffle coat and met the sleeping face of Porto just after dawn. Warmth invited open windows and tourists stumbled out onto the cobbled streets of the city, which has hugged the hilly banks of the Duoro River for more than two thousand years. Near Praça da Ribeira, rabelos swayed on the water’s edge and I sat to read on steps beneath a row of crumbling houses, painted an ice-cream palette of lemon yellow, peach pink and lime green. There
hadn’t been many English books in Livraria Lello & Irmão, but I had pulled the perfect title from a brief stack behind the famous red coiled staircase. When later, night coloured the sky black, I boarded a train towards the capital and didn’t sleep, turning instead the final pages of Pascal Mercier’s Night Train to Lisbon. Language, when foreign, can sound so unreal. For the first time, ‘obrigada’ hit my lips before ‘thank you’ as I downed my first bica in a bar guarded by flowerpots. Old women of the Alfama district shuffled from older doorways, leaving their freshly pegged washing to dry on third floor wroughtiron balconies. The ninety year-old rattle of Tram 28 followed me to the top of one of Lisbon’s seven hills and the sun burnished red-tile roofs below the ramparts of Castelo de São Jorge. Fado’s melancholic sound hovered above the city and fishing boats, small as toys, ambled up the broad Rio Tejo. At Belém, where the river meets the sea, Portuguese caravels once set out to chart the unknown: Ferdinand Magellan to circumnavigate the globe, Vasgo da Gama to India and Bartolomeu Dias to round the Cape of Good Hope. In the gift shop near the five hundred year-old Torre de Belém, Vasco da Gama was a refrigerator magnet. Ferdinand Magellan was a coffee mug. I left with Bartolomeu Dias, the empty notebook, and took him out to a dinner of grilled sardines. As my sandy hands now rummage for the brown paper broa bag- the perfect crumbling yellow travel companion – I am aware of the sweetness in the air, the sound of water retreating on the shore and the way the paper of Bartolomeu Dias rustles at a slightly lower pitch than the leaves of the short trees. Before me, men and women stroll unselfconsciously in that perilously bronzed European way. I may have waited until now to venture onto Portuguese soil, but anyone with a travel ache would be urged not to make the same mistake. A run of days, too short in number, was all I needed to fall thoroughly and helplessly in love with this country. Gift me a lifetime supply of Pastéis de Belém and I will be thoroughly and helplessly in love with you too.
Be the next great travel writer Lauren Marie Tropeano is the winner of our Great Travel Writer competition for July. She’s won a £250 travel voucher courtesy of our friends at Topdeck. Submit your entries for August now for your chance to be our next Great Travel Writer. Go to australiantimes.co.uk/travel for details.
12 | Travel
6 - 12 August 2013
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Travel season is upon us, which means planning, preparation and packing for that perfect trip. Here’s the top ten essential items you MUST have in your backpack to ensure you’re holiday goes off without a hitch. By Kiel Egging
Be our next great travel writer Get your travel story published with Australian Times and WIN a £250 travel voucher from our friends at Topdeck. Do you harbour dreams of being the next Bill Bryson? Submit your original travel articles for publication on the Australian Times website. The editor will then select the best story each month to be published in the Travel section of the Australian Times newspaper with the writer winning the £250 voucher to any Topdeck tour of their choice! Embrace your own writing style and make those dreams of being a published travel writer a reality.
How to submit Email your feature to editor@australiantimes.co.uk with the subject ‘Great Travel Writer’. It should be: • 600-1200 words length • An original first hand account • Accompanied by 3 high resolution photos taken on the trip *Solicited features and third party links will not be accepted. For full T&Cs go to AustralianTimes.co.uk/travel
WIN
Having backpacked around Europe for the last two and half months - my giant pack has expanded dramatically (to bursting point). And, while a lot of the clothes and souvenirs I’ve stocked up on during my travels are worthy of space in my pack, there are some which have proved to be worth their weight in gold at various times of need. So, if you’re travelling light and are low on space, here is a list of ten essential and super handy items which should be at the top of your pack when planning your trip around Europe.
Pen and notepad
Yeah yeah, everyone has smartphones, tablets and other devices to write details down these days, but what happens when they die and you’ve got no access to a power point to charge them up? Having a small notepad and a pen so you can scribble down the address of your next hostel, someone’s phone number or email address can be a lifesaver when you’re away from a wi-fi hotspot or suddenly out of battery. It can also be handy for drawing, scribbling or playing games of hangman or tic-tac-toe if you’re on a long bus ride, as I discovered via the lovely material left behind by two friends when I lent them my pad during a tour.
Photocopies of essential documents and cards
A no-brainer, these will help you if you are in the mega-stressful and unfortunate situation of losing your passport, bank cards or any licences you’ve brought over with you. Having a photocopy will also allow you to remember some of the details needed to close your accounts in the interim before your new documents are issued.
Combination locks
If you haven’t got a locker in your room, where are you going to stash your stuff without the risk
of some or all of it getting stolen? The locks are also handy when you’re out carrying your bags in a busy street and there’s some shady pickpocketers nearby. A couple of small ones should be able to get around your zips without looking too dubious to onlookers.
Earplugs
Our editor was incensed when I initially forgot to include this one in the list, and I was a bit ashamed at my oversight as well. If you’ve spent nights on end in a hostel room with a huge guy snoring his head off, you know exactly why earplugs are essential. They also come in handy when there’s a bit of noise coming from the bar downstairs or some loud traffic outside your window. However, be prepared to go on a hunt in your bed and under your pillow in the morning, because they’re likely to fall out overnight!
Camera
Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to capture memories of their travel adventures. You can use your camera on your phone or splash out on a huge SLR and lenses, but from my perspective, both of those have drawbacks in terms of image quality and bulkiness respectively. Get a nice, compact DSLR with some high megapixels and a decent zoom, and it should fit nicely in your pocket and take up barely any room in your backpack as well. Most compact cameras these days also come with wi-fi connectability, which is great if you want to wirelessly transfer your happy snaps for backing up onto other devices or for sharing on social media to make everyone back home jealous of your antics.
Travel | 13
AustralianTimes.co.uk
Spray jacket or poncho.
Sure, the weather has been pretty damn sunny in most parts of UK and Europe at the moment, but having a spray jacket or poncho with you is always mega handy in case a random shower or a freak storm hits. It also has plenty of other uses - if you’ve got a rain jacket already, the poncho can be used to put over your backpack and keep the rain off it. Or, if it’s a sunny day at the park or beach and you’ve forgotten your picnic rug, it acts as a great temporary seat to keep your bum dry!
4 DAY TRIP
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Includes £195 Food Fund
8 DAY
23 August 2013
30 August 2013
Moroccan Explorer WAS £605
£531
Sahara Adventure WAS £605
£531
Includes £110 Local Payment
Includes £110 Local Payment
Visits Marrakech, Rabat, and Fes
A truly Moroccan Sahara experience
Visit 8 countries including France, Italy, Austria & Germany
20 DAY
EuroClub
European Getaway 17 & 24 August 2013
WAS £1520 FROM
10 DAY
NOW
£1107
Includes £270 Food Fund
17 DAY
EuroClub
European Pathway
WAS £680
£986
Visit 8 countries Italy, Austria, Czech Republic & Netherlands
WAS £695
£626
Visits Vegas, Grand Canyon, & Yosemite
SAVE 15%
Southwest States 7 september 2013
WAS £1185
8 DAY
8 DAY
24 August 2013
31 August 2013
WAS £695
WAS £530
£1067
Visits Austin, Momument Valley & Vegas
www.topdeck.travel
Split to Split (Ribic)
£442
Split to Split (Omladinac)
£413
Call 0845 257 5210 Open 8am-9pm
TOPDECK 1973
2013
EBR
CEL
L8291 / Y2992
Croatia Sailing
Hurry last spaces
A
RS
8 september 2013
12 DAY
£476
Visit Istanbul, Cappadocia, Fethiye, Troy & Gallipoli
NOW
California Calling – LA to San Fran
31 August 2013
WAS £1310
Includes £230 Food Fund
7 DAY
Turkey Explored
NOW
14 August 2013
Explorer
12 DAY
FROM
North O10F%F America
Visit 10 countries including France, Italy, Austria & the Czech Republic
NOW
Wet-wipes
Need we say more? If you’re camping, stuck in a port-a-loo and the toilet paper has run out, or you’ve taken an emergency dash to
Whether it’s a hot day, or you’re dehydrated after a few too many drinks the night before, having some water (and some panadol and multi-vitamins for the latter scenario) is essential to get you through your day of sightseeing and travelling. Having a sturdy water bottle means you can re-fill easily whenever you find a clean source (hint: go ask the barman at your hostel), and save you a few pounds or euros buying bottled water everywhere.
NOW
That dreaded situation arrives when your batteries are dead for your phone, camera, iPod, tablet and/or netbook... and there’s only one power point available. Get around this by carrying a smallish powerboard with multiple outlets, and then you can charge all of them at once. And if you have a few spare powerpoints, it’s a great tool to help a brother out and get some serious kudos from your room or tour mates if they desperately need to charge their devices too. Better still, as most devices charge off USB cables these days, getting a multi-USB charger/adaptor can eliminate the need for individual chargers. Just make sure you have a UK or European adaptor to plug into the main powerpoint.
Water bottle
NOW
Powerboard (or multi-usb charger)
a hole-in-the-ground-like cubicle somewhere in Europe, what are you gonna use to help you clean up and stay fresh?!
NOW
Going camping or arrived at a cabin or hostel without a pillow included? If you haven’t got room for a bulky travel pillow, just bring along a pillow slip from home. Provided you’ve got a lot of thick (and clean) clothes, whack them inside the slip, and you’ve got yourself a makeshift pillow to rest your head on at night.
AUSTM13_30
Pillow slip
AT I N G 4 0 Y E
*Terms and conditions apply. Prices quoted are for specific departures only. All trips subject to availability. Discounts are off the base trip price only, and do not apply to food funds and local payments. Flights not included. For full terms and conditions please visit www.topdeck.travel
14 | Professional Life
6 - 12 August 2013
Dollar Review
Aussie dollar plummets ahead of RBA interest rates decision By Anton van Teylingen For more information:
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Popular Aussie franchise hits UK
Advertorial
n
Following great success in Australia and New Zealand, Local Appliance Rentals Ltd is now inviting new franchisees to join them in growing the business in Britain. Local Appliance Rentals Ltd is an established franchise with over 80 franchisees in Australia and New Zealand. They have achieved this outstanding result in less than three years of operations. They are now proud to announce that they have recently appointed a master franchisee for the London region alone. However, as founder and CEO Kenneth French points out “Prior to starting our franchise operation, we had been running Local Appliance Rentals for many years and had a very profitable business model that we wanted to share with others.” Local Appliance Rentals Ltd rents a large range of household appliances to consumers including fridges, washing machines, flat screen TVs, laptops, smart phones and furniture. The rental term is usually over two years and the customer is able to own the product at the end of the rental term through a zero pound ‘gift-it’ offer. The rental industry is well established in the UK with several large to medium sized operators. However, until now, there has not been an opportunity to join a
franchised operation. In these tough economic times, the industry has proven to be totally recession proof. With so many businesses struggling during the Global Financial Crisis, Local Appliance Rentals Ltd actually experienced substantial growth with sales unaffected by the difficult economic times. In fact, Mr French said it was sometimes embarrassing talking about how well their business was doing whereas many other businesses had only tales of doom and gloom. Mr French says that the rapid growth that Local Appliance Rentals Ltd has achieved in less than three years is only possible because of the massive performance that is being achieved from their franchisees. Mr French comments, “Many of our franchisees have voted with their cheque books, with twelve of our franchisees having purchased multiple territories and another 15 having upgraded their territories to the next level as they have decided to expand their businesses.” Mr French said that just recently they have even had a staff member who has left their role at head office to become a franchisee. As he says, “You can’t get a better endorsement of
THE Australian dollar fell to fresh three year lows against major trading currencies over this past week as data and speculation continued to drive down the already weakened currency. A combination of mixed data out of the US that showed a falling unemployment rate along with growing equities that set the greenback up for a promising quarter. Since the beginning of the year the Australian dollar has dropped 13.8% and is on route to being 2013’s worst performer. The economic slowdown in China, the US recovery, withering local business confidence, weak retail data and growing unemployment rates have all been major contributing factors to the Aussies demise. It now seems any hopes for a short term Australian currency recovery are also dashed.
Taking a look at the plus side of a weakened currency though, local tourism is beginning to show some improvement as local businesses report record numbers for incoming visitors and have welcomed the deteriorating Aussie. Focused this week is on the effects of the interest rate announcement by the RBA, due Tuesday afternoon in Australia. As Australian Times went to print ahead of the announcement, a cut of 0.25% was the overwhelming
Exchange rates GBP/AUD: 1.719 EUR/AUD: 1.492 USD/AUD: 1.122 NZD/AUD: 0.875 10:00 GMT, 5 August 2013
Note: The above exchange rates are based on “interbank” rates. If you want to transfer money to or from Australia then please register/login on our website, or call us on 0808 141 2335 for a live dealing rate. Make use of a Rate Notifier to send you alert when the Australian exchange rate reaches levels you are looking for. the business than that.” The majority of franchisees work from home and love the flexibility that this gives them and the fact that it is a business that only operates Monday to Friday 9am-5pm with no nights, weekends or public holidays. This is in stark contrast to so many other business models where owners are working long hours, 7 days a week. “With a Local Appliance Rentals Ltd franchise, the hours that you work are flexible and there are many franchises operated by women who can run the business from home but can also pick up the kids from school,” says Mr French. One of the features of this franchise is the online software system called SAFRA. This custom software is used to run the entire business from producing contracts, to ordering goods, keeping track of payments and customers and making your tax simple and easy to calculate at the end of the year. Launching in June at the British Franchise Exhibition in Manchester, potential franchisees had an opportunity to meet the team including the International Sales Director Mr Sacha Caller. Mr Caller is himself a multiunit franchisee with several franchises in and around Melbourne that are already running successfully under his management. “We are looking for keen motivated franchisees in all areas of the UK but we also have several opportunities for master franchisees for the more experienced operator,” Mr Caller said. Mr Caller says that they are making a special UK launch offer of 2 territories for the price of 1 for the first five franchisees.
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Sport | 15
AustralianTimes.co.uk
THE
Round 19
By Will Denton
IF ever we needed something special to overshadow the off field disasters currently dominating every waking moment, ‘Lefty Round’ (yep, seriously) produced the goods, reminding us why we love footy in the first place. Plus, it made us all forget all the bad stuff, at least for a little bit. There were upsets and surprises everywhere. Kangaroos found themselves at the final siren in a very foreign place. One, they had somehow not lost. Two, the roof was closed. Three, they had beaten Geelong, and most bizarre of all, their coach in Brad Scott’s whinge-o-meter was at a record low. The fact that the Aussie batsmen were allegedly not being rubbish at the exact same time had experts questioning some sort of divine intervention. What it means is that North have a tiny waft of still playing finals whilst the Cats all of a sudden look like limping into September. The next day, Hawthorn were expected to take care of the Tigers, consolidate top spot and make it home in time for X factor. Richmond weren’t too keen on it playing out like that and put on a brutal yet magical display to not just surprise the whole footy world, but cement a spot in this year’s finals.
RUBDOWN Honestly, that first final involving the yellow and black will be something to behold. It looks like being against either Essendon or Collingwood. This is too much to even fathom right now. Coincidently, the Pies and Bombers played each other, and at the end of the game the two could not be any further away from each other. The Pies smashed them. Possibly this is a result from the torrid year the Bombers have had and the stiff upper lip is starting to waver. They’ve now slipped out of the top four and don’t look like climbing back in. The Dockers now sit in fourth spot after triumphing against the Blues. She was about as intense as it gets. Think wasabi snorted up nose intense. Again, it was a reminder about how open the race is. Freo can unbelievably finish on top with their run home and if other results go their way. As for Carlton, well they too are still alive, just. A bit like their coach. Port confirmed they are best team in SA with a stirring come from behind win, but the match will be remembered for the Angus Monfries off break goal. It was ridiculous, complete arsery of the highest order. Poor old Crows, that must have been painful. Oh and the Giants got on the board with a win! Amazingly, they went in favourites and they hadn’t won a game for almost a year. It’s official, Melbourne – you’re a bit rubbish. But footy, you’re all right.
London taggers gear up for two months of fun in the sun
Get In 2 Touch with Active Touch
By Mike Abromowitz of 02Touch JUST because we are in the final weeks of the O2Touch summer season, it doesn’t mean that the action for this year is done yet, with the temperature being the only thing cooling down over the next few months. Fully loaded and ready to go, the remaining months of 2013 are set to see new Active Touch venues, a Clapham Shootout, and a late summer Regents Park league. An awesome game incorporating elements of touch, netball, ultimate Frisbee and basketball, Active Touch is the game taking the UK by storm. Kicking off its origins in
the lovely Scottish Highlands, this newly developed game is highly addictive, and after one game we KNOW you will be hooked. Played with four players on the field at any one time (per team), you must have a minimum of two females. This season, the first week’s game will be a ‘get to know it’ session for beginners and intermediates alike. Here, you will learn more about the game and how it is played. League games will start from the second week. Continuing again this season will be our Putney/Wandsworth venue along with our NEW venue at Canary Wharf! The games at Putney/Wandsworth will be played on Tuesday and Thursday night with the season starting on 3 and
...continued from p16 first time since Montreal in 1976. James Magnussen (100m freestyle), Cate Campbell (100m freestyle) and Christian Sprenger (100m breaststroke) restored some muchneeded individual glory in Barcelona and swimmers noted a marked improvement in team unity after a “toxic” culture was blamed for the London failure. Scott, appointed as high
...continued from p16
By Phillip Browne The excitement is building amongst Following the completion of summer finals next week, Try Tag Rugby will host its marquee event, the 2013 London Tag Rugby Championships, on Saturday 17 August. Held at East London RFC in West Ham, consisting of a champions league, a men’s grade and a beginner/ intermediate grade, the event will determine who will be crowned the best tag rugby team in London. Special guests of the tournament include the Tongan men’s O/30s team and the Ireland mixed opens team. Attention will then turn to the Autumn league, starting on 26 August at 11 venues across London. The action continues with Try Tag Rugby’s fourth birthday Thames Boat Party on Friday 13 September.
It’s followed by Origin weekend on 21 September, encompassing the Provincial Challenge between teams from Australia, England, New Zealand and Ireland, and the London Origin between teams from North London and South London. Finally, the annual Try Tag Rugby tour to Malta for the 2013 Malta Tag Rugby Festival which is administered and run by Try Tag Rugby, now in its third year, will start on Thursday 26 September and conclude on Monday 30 September. If you would like to get involved in a Try Tag Rugby competition, event or tour before the big cold comes back to London, go to www.trytagrugby. com or email info@trytagrugby. com for more details. go to www. trytagrugby.com or email info@ trytagrugby.com for more details.
For more information or if you would like to register for an O2 Touch league or competition, go to www.in2touch.com/uk or e-mail info@in2touch.com
Road to Rio Olympics just begun for swimmers: Scott performance director in the London fallout, described the heavy count of second placings as a “silver lining”. He said the next three years would be about converting them into more gold. “Overall, I would summarise it that it’s a work in progress,” Scott said of Australia’s performance. “Some positives both in and out of the pool but we’ve got a lot to work on over the next three years.” Scott was pleased Australia had achieved its goal in improving the conversion rate of swimmers who
Bombers may lose points over doping Tumeke of the Acton league won last year's London Tag Rugby Championships, who will win in 2013?
5 September. Our newest venue, Canary Wharf will start 9 September. Both venues will run for an eight week season. Will the Bareback Riders maintain their Thursday night winners status, or will a newcomer show them how it is done? Starting on 27 and 29 August, along with the continuance of some fantastic summer weather, Regents Park will again be adorned by an array of touch skills. Kicking off an extended late summer season, you will be able to get your touch fix in this six week season in one of the UK’s most picturesque venues. And lastly, after the great success of our April shootout, we will once again be running a Clapham Shootout through the month of September. Running for four weeks, this venue will see teams play 2 x 20 minute games per night. Who will be crowned champions this Autumn? With 16 venues around England from Clapham Common and Regents Park to St Albans and Manchester, with over 600 teams playing in the London leagues alone and over 1,000 teams playing country wide, this growing sport is taking the nation by storm.
what other people are saying,” he said. When asked if the AFL had already decided to strip Essendon of premiership points, McLachlan replied sarcastically: “I think you’re well ahead of the curve here. “Obviously Andrew Dillon, the general counsel of the AFL and the head of our integrity unit, is considering the report,” McLachlan added.
“The first thing’s first, to decide if there’s any action to be taken.” Separately, ASADA also will decide if the Bombers face specific anti-doping charges. Essendon have been under ASADA and AFL investigation since February 5. Initially, the plan was for ASADA to make their findings and for the AFL to then decide if it would lay any charges. But ASADA has new enhanced powers which came into effect on 1 August. So as its investigation into the
improved their times from selection trials. Australia had a conversion rate of 37 per cent in Barcelona, compared to 26 per cent in London. “It’s a positive step forward,” Scott said. “That improvement has happened and there’s so much upside. “We come out of this meet stronger, more positive and we know what we’ve got to do to get better.” By Liam Fitz Gibbon in Barcelona Bombers continues, it handed the AFL the 400-page interim report so the league could decide if it needs to take separate action. The league can take premiership points from Essendon, suspend individuals and even strip Watson’s son Jobe of his 2012 Brownlow Medal under broad rules. McLachlan was tight-lipped on when the AFL would announce its findings on Essendon. “If any action is to be taken, he (Dillon) will make a decision when it’s appropriate,” McLachlan said. “As I’ve always said, we’re keen to bring this to a head before the finals and we’re hopeful that will be done. By Roger Vaughan and Guy Hand in Melbourne
Soward's brave Broncos fall to Leeds Rhinos ...continued from p16
atmosphere. The visiting supporters, in good numbers too, matched their counterparts with song and voice and helped make a very entertaining Thursday evening. Straight after half-time, it was the Broncos with first blood when Sarginson was put through by a beautiful Soward cut-out ball. With the extras added, London were back in the hunt at 18-12. The referee Tim Roby was doing himself no favours and making no friends with the home
support as he let high tackle after high tackle by the Leeds players go unpunished. But it wasn’t long until the Broncos returned to form and with their defence looking tired, they let the Rhinos begin to run holes through them with ease. Eventually Paul McShane crossed over to restore the 12 point buffer and with his team’s supporters conga-line dancing in the stands (much to the chargrin of the home support), McShane found himself through again to earn a brace of tries and a huge 30-12 lead. With time ticking down, the London players were starting to
become guilty of falling off tackles. But despite the ref still not knowing a high tackle from an ankle-tap they managed one last charge and Ben Fisher finished off a brilliant team try to reduce the deficit to 30-18. The match finished with the scoreline unchanged and while the Broncos may have had a legitimate try scoring claim turned down, they were the masters of their own demise. Not even Soward the magician could carry the Broncos back into the winners circle and Sinfield and his Rhinos celebrated a vital victory for their top four hopes.
THE
RUBDOWN
Footy, you’re all right
P15
SPORT
SOWARD MAGIC UNABLE TO BUCK BRONCOS' TREND
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Prize new Aussie import Jamie Soward dazzled but it was not enough to save London's Broncos from the charging Leeds Rhinos. By Tim Martin IF the London Broncos were to forget their horrendous Challenge Cup semi-final 70-0 drubbing at the hands of Wigan, they started in exactly the right fashion in their home Super League match against Leeds Rhinos on Thursday. In front of several thousand fans at the famous Twickenham Stoop stadium and with ex-St George Illawarra star and recent Australian import Jamie Soward at the helm the Broncos started with encouraging enthusiasm against Leeds. However the Rhinos, looking to consolidate their top four position with a win and celebrate skipper Kevin Sinfield’s 500th appearance, were quick to stem the home team’s energy with an early try through Jamie Peacock before Ben Jones-Bishop made it two with some aerial acrobatics. Sinfield, ever the maestro with the boot, added the extras for both tries and with not many minutes on the clock, the Broncos were already staring down the barrel of a 12-0 deficit. But for a team looking to avoid the wooden spoon, they responded well and capitalised on an uncharacteristic Rhinos error just 30 metres out from the Leeds line. All London needed was a sniff and Luke Dorn stormed through the defence to put the home team on the board before Soward’s successful conversion. The time was ripe for Soward to step up and wrestle back the ascendancy for the Broncos and some deft pressure from the former Dragons half saw the home team force a consecutive set of six and
almost another try through big Michael Bryant. But the Rhinos are too classy a team to be held down too long and despite some excellent Dan Sarginson defending, an overlap, cutout and delightful dummy saw Alex Foster cross over for Leeds to extend the lead back out to 12 points. Silly Broncos penalties afforded the Rhinos a lifeline in almost every set of six for most of the second quarter of the game before Soward stepped up once again with an incredible 40-20 kick to give the home side some decent territory. Alas, sorry hands let another great London attacking opportunity go to waste. With five minutes remaining and the scoreline 18-6 in the visitors favour, the Broncos seemed content to see out the remaining moments of the first half and head into the sheds not too far behind. But Soward showed his phenomenal ability, which still makes him such a dangerous player, with a 15 metre grubber kick he managed to regather, brush off one defender and with only the fullback to beat unload on the fly to a support player to his right. Unfortunately Soward’s magic hadn’t rubbed off on his team mates and with the tryline wide open and an easy try scoring opportunity begging, Melling dropped the ball and so too the chance to reduce the deficit. That was half-time and the players took a well-earned break with Leeds 18-6 in front. Despite a heavy loss last week and being behind on the scoreboard again, the Broncos home supporters were in great voice and contributed greatly to a convivial and enjoyable ...continued on p15
Aussie swim team a work in progress
AUSTRALIAN swimming is back on the up after an encouraging world championships but team boss Michael Scott stresses the road to recovery in Rio has only just begun. A year on from the disastrous and controversial London Olympic campaign, Australia rebounded both in and out of the pool in Barcelona. The nation earned 12 medals in Olympic events in Spain, only two more than in London but with a much stronger composition of three gold medals and nine silver. It placed Australia second behind the US on the medal tally of only Olympic events, compared to seventh in London. Australia last year earned just one gold in its worst Olympics result since 1992 and was without an individual champion for the ...continued on p15
AFL denies decision made on Bombers
THE AFL has denied a claim by former Essendon captain Tim Watson that a decision has already been made to strip the embattled club of premiership points. Watson said on Monday morning that the AFL would announce the punishment at the end of the month, before the start of the finals. The AFL and Essendon now have copies of an interim Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) report into last year’s controversial supplements program at the club. AFL deputy chief executive Gil McLachlan refused to address Watson’s claim directly. “I’m not going to comment on
WIZARD OF OZ: Star new recruit Jamie Soward gave the gallant London Broncos some sparkle. (Courtesy: Blue Pitch Media)
...continued on p15