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SUMMER EVENTS
Mardi Gras Festival
+ NEW EVENTS FOR SURRY HILLS PICNIC AL FRESCO DELICIOUS MONTH OUT VIVID IS COMING
Terry Serio
ACTOR, MUSICIAN, HUMAN
January/February 2020
No. 11
A DAY LONG CELEBRATION OF SURRY HILLS
Surry Hills is now better than ever and to celebrate all the reinvigorated parks and brand new pocket parks, we’re having a picnic!
Sunday 23rd February 11am-4pm Surry Hills Light Rail Stop at Ward Park
An Official Mardi Gras Festival Event
All Day Entertainment www.urbanvillage.com.au
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Also
Look out for
heads
up!
SYDNEY FESTIVAL 8 – 26 Jan: Celebrating all things Sydney, our city is transformed through bold ideas, innovative art and performance.
FLICKERFEST 10 - 19 Jan: Now in its 29th year, FlickerFest is now an internationally acclaimed celebration of short film, held at Bondi Beach.
SYDNEY LUNAR FESTIVAL 25 Jan – 9 Feb: The vibrant arts festival has a program teeming with cultural events, markets, tours, exhibitions and entertainment, most of them free. YABUN FESTIVAL 26 Jan: An annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures held on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people in Camperdown Park.
MARDI GRAS 2020
Save
the Date
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14th February – 4th March
Sydney’s iconic Mardi Gras celebrates difference and promotes social justice with a series of parties, performances and parades. With Brit pop icon Dua Lipa headlining as well as a huge range of diverse talent, there’s no better way to welcome in the new decade.
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BIENNALE OF SYDNEY/ NIRIN 14 Mar – 10 Jun: The 2020 Biennale is titled NIRIN, meaning edge in Wiradjuri language. The exhibition seeks to challenge and transform dominant societal narratives.
From the
Editor
Lachlan Colquhoun lachlan@urbanvillage.com.au
T
erry Serio wasn’t meant to be the cover of our Summer edition, but very soon into our conversation I realised that he just had to be. The plan was a quiet chat and a meal at new Darlinghurst restaurant Bar Vincent, where I’d glean a few lines for our Dinner Date column, the one where we meet with local identities and wrap it all up in a story which is part interview, part restaurant profile. The trouble is, the people we are talking to for this column are just too interesting! It was very difficult in the last column to fit an interview with photographer Tony Mott and a profile of Arthur’s excellent restaurant in Surry Hills into the allocated space. So, this time I decided there was no point trying. Terry had so much
Editor Lachlan Colquhoun Words Tess Scholfield-Peters, Peter English, Lachlan Colquhoun, Sean Masters, Fiona McIntosh, Glen Hare, Mike Galvin, Liam Barrett and Dr Nima Rahmani
Images James Ervine, Sean Masters, Tim
to say about what drives his music and his acting, plus his perspective on Sydney over the decades that he just had to be the cover guy. Being of a similar vintage I could really relate to everything he said. In 2019/20 Sydney in many ways is Paradise Lost, but with people like Terry still out there passionately committed to what they do, plus what younger people are doing, it can be Paradise Regained. I left the interview with Terry with more optimism about Sydney than I’ve had in some time, and a feeling that despite the ups and downs, Sydney’s future is bright. Playing into that theme, several of our other stories this edition demonstrate the energy and innovation happening in Sydney
right now, and the way people are taking a stand. At Darlo institution Almond Bar, they are rejecting the isolation of “delivery culture” as done by Uber Eats and other services and connecting with Syrian refugees with employment prospects at the same time. And it being January, momentum for the Mardi Gras is building, and Tess Schofield-Peters talks with neo-punk cabaret star Yana Alana and Liza-Mare Syron of Koori Gras on “What Matters” in the next decade. And speaking of which, we are on the cusp of the next decade, and here’s to making it a good one for the Sydney we all want to live in.
Urban Village is published in by Urban Village Media Pty Ltd with co-operation with the Surry Hills Creative Precinct, Potts Point Partnership and the Darlinghurst Business Partnership to strengthen relationships and co-operation between the business community, residents, visitors and workers of Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Potts Point and the surrounding neighbourhoods. While all efforts are made to ensure information is accurate, Urban Village Media and our co-operating chamber partners, take no responsibility for errors or omissions.
Ritchie, Walter Maurice,
Design & Layout Ben Eckersley Publisher Urban Village Media Pty Ltd ABN 68 623 934 609
Cover Terry Serio Cover Photo Walter Maurice All Enquiries Tel: 02 7904 5979 Email: info@urbanvillage.com.au Office: PO Box 644 Surry Hills NSW 2010 ISSN 2208-6242
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email us info@urbanvillage.com.au or call 02 7904 5979 for rates and bookings.
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Bar Vincent. The restaurant as a home
Experienced restauranteurs Sarah Simm (Billy Kwong) and Andy Logue (Melbourne’s Scopri and Pinotta) have combined to create a new restaurant destination in Liverpool Street Darlinghurst. Lachlan Colquhoun went to a friend’s birthday party there and enjoyed it so much he went back for dinner a week later. There’s always a table which I regard as the best one in the house. I learned this from my father, who always said the best table was the one which gave you a view of the whole restaurant, so you could see everyone and enjoy all the action. So, when I spied what I consider to be the best table at Bar Vincent, just under the window which looks out onto Liverpool Street, it was with some disappointment that I saw it was already occupied. But my disappointment did not last long. “We’re just about to leave,” the male half of the jovial couple said as he finished his wine. “We’re here just about every night and this is our favourite table.” With that comment I understood that my father – and our family – were not the only ones who chose restaurant tables by this criteria. This couple looked like experienced restaurant goers, and they knew what they liked. Their comment about being there so often also reminded me of a conversation I’d had with one of Bar Vincent’s partners, Sarah Simm, on my first visit for a friend’s birthday a few weeks earlier. Sarah and her partner, Andy Logue, had conceived of it as a neighbourhood restaurant which locals could claim as their own, a place you can visit a number of times a week without tiring of the menu and without breaking the bank. I also asked about the inspiration for the name and
learned the couple had held it dear ever since they met in Melbourne’s North Fitzroy some years ago. There, neighbours had transformed a back alley into a community lunch, dinner and drinking venue through the strategic placement of an old table and chairs. Pinned to a nearby fence was a print by Vincent van Gogh. While it’s taken a while for the idea of Bar Vincent to manifest, it has been worth the wait. Simm and Logue are experienced restauranteurs who have translated what they have learned into a venue with the casual charm of that Fitzroy lane, but with a changing menu of Italian inspired classics – with a modern take. My choice was the kingfish carpaccio sprinkled with some salty bottarga (Sardinian mullet roe) which Sarah said was considered “poor man’s caviar.” That was followed with some excellent spatchcock in herbs on polenta with an anchovy and tomato salad, which sadly left no room for the lemon cake with ricotta dessert. From my vantage point, and in the rare pauses in conversation with my dining partner, I continued to check the room. The ambience is one of relaxed sophistication which has been achieved naturally and easily, without attitude or affectation. My only complaint is that I am not looking forward to fighting that couple for the best table again, although they were so friendly that I might end up joining them. Bar Vincent, 174 Liverpool Street Darlinghurst. Ph 83540881 www.barvincent.com.au
Bushfire Relief Mini Fete
St Peter’s Surry Hills will be holding a mini-fete and silent auction to support fire relief efforts. Come along for some family fun to help our firies and those affected by the recent bushfires! They will have a sausage sizzle, a selection of carnival games, live music, a white elephant stall and silent auction on site. There will also be Vintage dance lessons by the Swing Katz from 12-12:30pm for gold donation. There are no card facilities on the premises but there is an ATM located in the Trinity bar opposite or many along Crown Street. The event will take place in the parish’s historic 1880 Hall and courtyard on the corner of Devonshire and Crown St, Surry Hills. Parking is limited but the hall is a ten minute walk from Central Station or you can take
the Light Rail to the Surry Hills station which stops 100m away. Gates will be open from 11am and 4pm. All funds raised will go to the Vinnies’ Bushfire Appeal. Look forward to seeing you there! If you have any questions or are able to donate anything please contact Brigid on 0421 986 895 Saturday 25th January 11 - 4pm 1880 Hall / Courtyard Corner of Devonshire & Crown St Surry Hills
ST PE TER'S PARISH 235 DEVONSHIRE STREET SURRY HIL LS NSW 201 0
BUSHFIRE RELIEF FETE Saturday 25 January 2020 11am-4pm Raising money for the Vinnies Bushfire Appeal Sausage Sizzle, Cake Stall, White Elephant Stall, Silent Auction, Vintage Dance Lesson (12-12.30pm), Live Music
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MORE INFORMATION CONTACT ST61 538@BIGPOND.NET.AU 0421 986 895
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Local
Business
By
JJ Splice Films
Tess Scholfield-Peters
Dean Francis and business partner Timothy May run Surry Hills production company JJ Splice, producing films, commercials, live events, music videos and online marketing campaigns out of their Buckingham Street studio. I spoke to Dean about film, creativity and ads more powerful than cinema.
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ean began his career in front of the camera and then behind it, teaching and directing independent films. His 2015 film Drown was met with international acclaim and broke box office records at Sydney Mardi Gras. “Our interest in video marketing began after making Drown. In Australia it’s really hard to get distribution for a feature film, even though we had theatrical release overseas. “So we decided to host screenings in our own studio. We sold tickets,
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wine and popcorn, and did all the marketing organically through Facebook. “From there we discovered the power of marketing and video content and found that a lot of other businesses also had marketing problems to solve.” According to Dean, we’re at the stage now where video is everywhere, and it’s expected above more traditional forms of media. This is a challenge to create meaningful, artful content that tells a story. “Edgy filmmaking that has a
real voice behind it is more likely to appear as video on demand, whereas you’re more likely to see glossy, generic Marvel movies in the theatres.” “The association of video advertising with being annoying is something we have to work hard to overcome. The content we create has to have inherent value for the viewer.” “We bring our own personality into it like any creative artist does, because this marketing is a creative art form.”
JJ Splice is one of the many businesses in our area dedicated to revitalising Sydney as a creative and cultural hub. “We need more development opportunities for creative artists. There’s so much creativity but a lot of it is happening behind closed doors. I would certainly like to see a massive explosion of small venues that support live music.”
JJ Splice Films 56 Buckingham St Surry Hills @jjsplicefilms
We bring our own personality into it like any creative artist does, because this marketing is a creative art form...
Surry Hills
Old Favourite Boasts Innovative New Look Surry Hills residents may have noticed a change in one of their oldest local watering holes, and they wouldn’t be the only ones. Having recently taken home the Australian Hospitality Association’s award for ‘Most Innovative Refurbishment’, the Trinity is receiving some well-deserved buzz around town.
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ince 2017, the Trinity has been overhauled into an exciting, new-look-venue for locals to enjoy. According to new owners, brother-sister team Anna and Peter Calligeros, the aim in redeveloping the Trinity was to create an environment that not only drew you in, but kept your custom and invited you back, no matter what you originally came there for. “We wanted a pub built for locals to enjoy, we didn’t want a venue where people visit once, see how it is and never come back. We didn’t build a pub to be judged, we built a pub to be enjoyed”, says Peter Calligeros. If you haven’t made your way to the Crown Street venue lately, we suggest checking it out.
Climb the stairs and be warmly welcomed by the good times vibes of Tilly May’s – the worldly older sister of the Trinity, where the drinks flow and the good times roll. Inspired by the lively history of Surry Hills’ colourful past and the strong women that once called it home. Brought to life by designers Alexander & Co. the décor of Tilly May’s takes the visitor back in time. The space, formerly occupied by dank functions rooms, has been transformed into a lively cocktail bar. The rooms exhibit architecture dripping with 18th century grandeur, where vaulting ceilings and old-world charm are complemented by warmly lit interiors, exposed sandstone, dark
Climb the stairs and be warmly welcomed by the good times vibes of Tilly May’s – the worldly older sister of the Trinity, where the drinks flow and the good times roll...
wood features & bespoke vintage details throughout. The overall effect is a perfect balancing act between breathtakingly luxurious, and a warm welcome home. Perhaps the most inventive of the new additions to the space is that of the retractable roof, which allows for swathes of natural light and fresh air to flood the already bright and airy rooms. The diversity of the space makes it perfect for events of all kinds from cocktail parties under the stars to cosy sit-down dinners in Tilly May’s exquisite dining room that boasts a sweeping gold curtain that can be drawn to create exclusivity for private & intimate events. Other notable additions include
the exceptional open rotisserie that’s now known for filling the space with the delicious wafts of its succulent rotating meats. Locals can enjoy the fruit of its spoils every Sunday with the Trinity’s $19 Roast with all the delicious trimmings. Downstairs has stayed in keeping with its Irish roots with the twist of contemporary Boston sports bar feel. It’s the place where locals can count friendly staff, cold beers, classic pub meals and every key match, game and bout being shown live & loud on the big screens. With the light rail soon to open, the venue is sure to be a key stop on your way to and from the SCG.
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In Darlo
Syrian Spirit On every table at Almond Bar are small wooden plates holding four different types of almonds: cinnamon, smoked, zaatar and smoked chilli and sesame. Since we were kids, Carol Salloum tells me, Mum’s kept a container of nuts in the fridge for when guests come over. The kids would get in the fridge and almonds would always been the first to go. By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
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isters and Almond Bar co-owners Carol and Sharon Salloum drew media attention in August this year for their decision to drop Uber and Deliveroo services from their business. Their explanatory Instagram post read: “We are hoping to make change in our already lonely society. The more we encourage people to eat out with friends or even come in alone and eat with us, the more human interaction enhances the lives of those around us.” Carol and Sharon grew up in a traditionally Syrian household in the western suburbs, with a father who believed that any ailment was down to not eating enough and a mother who was constantly cooking and entertaining house guests. “I was going out to restaurants and seeing the beginning of food sharing culture here. I thought, ‘this is what we’re about, this is what we were brought up doing, I reckon we could do this,” said Carol.
“After 9/11 Middle Eastern people weren’t being respected, so we felt like we needed to show people that we’re a good culture, we’re hospitable, we look after people. Food is in our blood, so is serving people and knowing people.” Almond Bar’s Big Syrian Barbecue is now a fixture of Darlinghurst’s culinary calendar. Twice a year the back laneway is flooded with locals, often waiting in line for over forty minutes for their
The inclusion issue of corporate Australia Despite the afterglow of last year’s historic marriage equality act, diversity and inclusion in our nation’s workplaces is still a pressing issue, former senior relations manager at ACON’s Pride in Diversity, Jack Meehan, told Urban Village.
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By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
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hysical abuse, exclusion and discrimination are still rampant, said Jack, and a 2018 ACON survey revealed that the number of homophobic jokes and comments overheard in the workplace has actually risen. 43% of people still feel in the closet in their workplace, and the study revealed that coming out can still have a negative impact on an employee’s career. Pride in Diversity, an initiative of ACON’ works across organisations in corporate Australia including big law firms and banks, Australian public services and media companies. They provide strategy, workshops, training and policy. Pride in Diversity now works with almost 300 organisations across Australia, accounting for around 2.5 million employees. “A lot of the time you’re walking into organisations that have a lot of privileged people working for them,” Jack said. “I recognise my own privilege
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as a white gay male in relation to the other communities within the LGBTQ population, and I guess that allows me to walk into meetings with executives and tell them what needs to improve.” Disbanding the ‘boys’ club’ culture is a gradual process, Jack said, but it’s in every business’s best interests to do so. “Last year after marriage equality we were in this beautiful zone. But I think the plebiscite was bad in that it gave us camps; you were either yes or no. “We need to do more to bring those camps back together. We have this right and left thing happening at the moment and there needs to be more authentic conversation happening in the middle.” Unconscious bias accounts for the majority of exclusory behaviour in the workplace, Jack told Urban Village. There’s an insider vs outsider dynamic which is inherently systemic. “An insider will be someone who’s from a privileged position and therefore able to speak and have things in common with people at the top, in leadership roles,” said Jack. “An outsider does not have that
share in the feasting festivity. “It’s massive and it creates such a beautiful atmosphere. Music’s going, our family’s here, it’s about being together in whatever capacity and knowing that you’re part of a community,” said Carol. Having family in Syria, for Carol and Sharon it felt instinctive to approach Refugee Settlement Services and help Syrian refugees with their settlement in Australia. “For us it was a personal thing. Any one of those people could have
same freedom. It’s about looking into those outsider dynamics and making sure those conversations can still be had despite having little commonality with the straight white men sitting at the top of an organisation.” According to Jack, outdated recruitment systems and unconscious bias negate many corporate workplaces’ claims that staff are employed purely based on merit. “Recruitment is set up based on old rules and old ways of working. “There are new ways of working now and organisations need to understand that otherwise they won’t survive.” While many organisations are making significant progress towards inclusivity, much work is still needed to educate and rid Australian workplaces of stigma, prejudice and archaic glass ceilings.
Established in 1985, ACON is a community organisation based in Surry Hills committed to supporting people living with HIV and advocating for marginalised voices in the community. To learn more, visit acon.org.au. *At the time of publication Jack Meehan left his position at ACON.
been our family. It made sense to get involved with them,” said Sharon. “It started with helping out in their community kitchen in Auburn, and we now try to match employers with refugee employees, in more areas than just hospitality.” “People didn’t even know where Syria was when we first opened. Now everybody knows where it is for the wrong reasons. We just want people to see it as a beautiful country with hospitable people.
Almond Bar’s Big Syrian Barbecue is now a fixture of Darlinghurst’s culinary calendar. Twice a year the back laneway is flooded with locals, often waiting in line for over forty minutes for their share in the feasting festivity. Maybe one day people will be able to go there and see what it’s really like,” said Carol. Follow @almondbar on Instagram to stay up to date with events like the Syrian Barbecue, Syrian Breakfast and Mulukhiyah and Vegan Nights, recurring throughout the year.
Almond Bar | 379 Liverpool Street Darlinghurst
Kate: Moulton
PRINCIPAL DANCER OF THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET
There’s a real sense of community in our street: we have a Christmas Party just down near The Kirk. It goes on until eight or nine o’clock at night...
I When I was a little girl – in the forties and always wanted to live in a terrace house.
early fifties – I used to come into the city to get ballet lessons. My mother said, “Never get off the train at Macdonaldtown, Newtown or Central. Always go right through to the city because it’s not safe.” I’d go through Macdonaldtown and look up at the little terraces. I moved to London to join the Royal Ballet and returned home several years later to join the Australian Ballet. When I retired, my husband John wanted to buy a house in Balmain. My father who was a builder said, “Oh no, those houses fall down.” He talked us out of it, so we moved to the Northern Beaches. We lived on the Northern Beaches for twenty years, and that’s where the kids grew up. When my youngest, Tiffany, joined the Australian Ballet, we talked about how she would have to be getting taxis back and forth after the shows, so I said to John, “Why don’t we go up and have a look?” We went up and found ourselves in Tudor Street. I thought, “Oh, this is the street for me.” We rented a house on Foveaux for six months. We came down this street, I looked at the back wall and I thought “I’m going to buy this house.” John wasn’t that keen. It was the first day of opening, we made an offer and she accepted. It was 1994. When we first moved in, there were a lot of rentals. But now we’ve got babies, kids, business people, and artists. The houses are being rebuilt and re-done, so it’s looking much brighter than it used to look in the nineties. There’s a real sense of community in our street: we have a Christmas Party just down near The Kirk. It goes on until eight or nine o’clock at night. We have the ‘housies’ come down. They always manage to fit in. We give them a glass of beer. If we had bought somewhere else, it might not have been the same. For the fiftieth birthday of the Australian Ballet, I went to Melbourne with Tiffany and John stayed at home. He was sitting on the
lounge and he heard something going on outside. There was a naked man masturbating in the backyard. Five cop cars came, and they blocked the whole street off. They went to the backyard and said, “Put your hands on your head.” The lady police officer asked John if he wanted to make a statement. He said, “No, he’s not well in the head.” And then she said, “He was very well endowed, wasn’t he?” Years later we had another incident with the police and I mentioned to the police officer about what had happened. “Oh, I know him,” he said, “He’s up on Anzac Parade at the moment”. He told me they arrest him for indecent assault, and take him in for the night. He still does it, apparently. There was also a time at three o’clock in the morning, a rainy night, and I heard footsteps on the roof. There was a man with a shaven head, dressed all in black, holding onto the bars on the window. “What in the fuck are you doing?” I said. He moved around to the other window and his feet came through. We called the police. The next morning we heard horses’ hooves coming up the street. It was the mounted police. They’d come for me to make a statement. They tied the horses to the front veranda. Later that day I went to the bottle shop and saw him coming up to me. He was putting something in the rubbish bin and I noticed he had a tattoo on his arm, like the emblem for the Prince of Wales. The police didn’t know what that looked like, so I told them I had a cushion with the same pattern. They borrowed my cushion and took it to all of the tattoo parlours to see if they recognised it. There are three of us all in a row on this street who’ve lost their husbands. I don’t think I’m lonely. I live close to my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, but I get sad. That’s different to being lonely. Maybe if I still lived near Narrabeen I’d be lonely, because I’d have nobody there. I’m very used to my own company. John and I had a great relationship. Even when we were young he’d go off on twoweek holidays by himself. He liked the beach and I didn’t. But we had a great rapport.
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STRANGENESS, SUBVERSION AND SINGING
Cabaret Comes To Oxtravaganza
half dozen venues serving $5 beers for our charity fundraiser. Proceeds raised on the day go to ACON, NSW’s leading HIV and sexuality and gender diverse health organisa-tion. Other highlights on the day will include glitter bombing at hair + makeup salons, bike pimping, and an art walk. Local Member Alex Greenwich MP acknowledging Oxtravaganza and the vibrancy of Oxford St said “this is an exciting time for Oxford Street with the long awaited repeal of the lockouts set to boost this already amazing retail, hospitality and entertainment hub. I love Oxford Street and work and shop there; it remains an important iconic inner city centre and I’m committed to seeing it thrive”.
By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
Art is antidote for Yana Alana
Out of the underground queer stage Drag Kings in Melbourne erupted Yana Alana, the narcissistic, neo-punk, anti-glamour alter-ego of cabaret anarchist Sarah Ward. Yana’s a bit like a volcano, Sarah tells me. She’ll explode but she brings life.
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ately Sarah hasn’t been Yana as much on stage. Sarah has become healthier, more sure of herself and her place in the world, with less need to speak through her alter-ego. “I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand who I am and part of that process, without me understanding it, was creating an unapologetic woman who wanted to take up space,” says Sarah. “I don’t want to be famous anymore, I don’t need to tour the world. What I need at the moment as we move forward and possibly look at the extinction of a lot of life on planet earth, is connection and community. “That is the only thing that’s going to keep me sane.” I quickly learn that for Sarah, art means everything. Art is community, art is intelligence, art is provocation that can lead to social change. “I feel like art now has a responsibility to create sustainable work, work that responds to what it is society needs in order to be healthy.” Mardi Gras has always been a celebration of innovation, diversity and speaking out in our city. This year’s theme ‘What Matters’ invites reflection as we look towards a challenging new decade. Fuck Fabulous, a show curated and presented by Yana Alana, was co-commissioned by Mardi Gras and Art Centre Melbourne. The show came about because Sarah felt that the queer community was not being represented on stage in its fullness. “We’re seeing a lot of conventionally beautiful femme representations by drag queens, trans women and women within the queer community. “I’m not seeing a lot of butch, I’m not seeing a lot of gender queer and trans men, I’m not seeing a lot of diversity within femme identity. “We are a part of this family, we are queer or queer allies and we are strong and connected. We’re also angry. “I’m in a place of privilege because I am a cis white woman. I’m also a fat queer woman and if that disgusts people, then they’ve got a long way to go because this is the body that I live in and I’m not disgusted by myself. I love myself.” Fuck Fabulous is a neo-punk protest party and variety show in two parts, featuring circus, drag, dance, comedy, and visual art. “I want my audience to feel like there’s no such thing as freak. There’s no such thing as a person who can’t find their place.” Mardi Gras is showcasing work from a range of artists and performers in 2020, and the theme ‘What Matters’ couldn’t be more significant right now, says Sarah. “There’s Gender Euphoria and the Trans Stories, there’s Hot Brown Honey, it’s not just all drag queens
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We are a part of this family, we are queer or queer allies and we are strong and connected. We’re also angry. I’m in a place of privilege because I am a cis white woman. I’m also a fat queer woman and if that disgusts people, then they’ve got a long way to go because this is the body that I live in and I’m not disgusted by myself. I love myself... prancing around. “The day of sequins is numbered. Sequins stay on the planet for as long as plastic. Glitter, glamour, sequins: fuck off! It’s time to have our bare feet on the ground. “All the clothes in this show will be made from clothes we find at op shops. If we have a drop it’s going to be a drop of leaves, because leaves already exist. “I’m not saying this to be like ‘we’re so progressive’, it’s not about that. It’s about us going my god, we’re looking at extinction! How important is a show in relation to that?” “We’re not going to have a set, we’re going to have a projection screen with projections, and no glitter. I’ve already said to everybody no glitter. We’re moving away from all of that because we just need to.” “It’s not a radical idea to say that we are probably not going to make it as a human species unless we act incredibly quickly on this. I think artists and creative people are the first to identify that this is real because we can see it.” “I’m hoping that this show will be a little bit of an antidote.” Fuck Fabulous is presented by Mardi Gras in association with Fat Fruit. It’s a protest against the commodification of queer culture and a collective reimagining of what it means to be queer and fabulous. For more info head to mardigras.org.au.
Fuck Fabulous Wed 19th - Sun 23rd Feb York Theatre, Seymour Centre
Now in its 4th year Oxtravaganza, an off-shoot of the Mardi Gras Festival, is grow-ing in all directions and in addition to the special deals offered by Oxford St re-tailers, restaurants and bars, this year sees a cabaret component programmed especially for Oxtravaganza, starring some of Australia’s most radical and enter-taining underground performance artists. Two shows FAILING IN LOVE AGAIN and CABARET OXTRAVAGANZA will be headlin-ing at Ginger’s and Stonewall respectively over the weekend of Oxtravaganza (Saturday 22nd February). The Cabaret offering, curated by John Allen, is inspired by the past, and rele-vant to the now. Failing in Love Again and Cabaret Oxtravaganza guarantee riot-ous, entertainment and subversive performances. “In honouring Oxford St’s history it was important not just to remember the past, but also to be relevant today,” says Allen. “I invited cabaret veteran Vashti Hughes to choose the best of our queer con-temporary performers and the result is the brilliant subversive and confronting Cabaret Oxtravaganza” he said.
An initiative of the Darlinghurst Business Partnership (DBP) Oxtravaganza, is an official event of the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, and DBP Chairman Stephan Gyory says the area has always had a history of being a place to come to, have a good time, and feel welcome. “Sydney’s Oxford Street has historically been a stomping ground for oddballs, queers, bohemians, and unconventional and non-judgmental space where any-thing goes, and everyone is welcome. Our event, Oxtravaganza celebrates the rich and diverse community of the Pink Mile. “Our offering this year is as eclectic as you would expect from this vibrant, crea-tive precinct of Sydney.” According to Oxtravaganza producer Lorraine Lock, there is always something to be surprised and entertained by in Darlinghurst and the weekend of Oxtravagan-za, which falls in the middle of the Mardi Gras program, ups the ante again.
MC’d by Vashti the show stars chanteuse glorieuse Christa Hughes, the Queen of Burlesque Imogen Kelly, sex clown Betty Grumble, the hot and hilarious Celia Curtis, and Tim Hanson, political singing marvel. “Sydney’s Legends of the Subverted will be bringing you a night of raucous wrongness,” says Vashti “Think sexy, we will celebrate strangeness and absurdi-ty in a night of joy and hilarity led by performing athletic debauchery!” Allen also invited Jan Cornall and Elizabeth Drake to revisit their hit show Failing In Love Again. “This was a hit show that expressed the zeitgeist of the 70’s and 80’s era and remains just as funny, relevant and insightful today,” said Johnny. It’s a political cabaret for modern times about sex, love, and the whole damn thing! Singer Jan Cornall and pianist Elizabeth Drake, self-confessed survivors of the sexual revolution, will return to the stage to shock and delight audiences with their eighties cult hit cabaret. Says Allen “All these years on, their anti-normative message is more relevant than ever! In an increasingly identity aligned, post binary, peri-apocalyptic world, one thing is for sure — love’s casualties are still strewn all over the place.” Whatever your age, era or inclination; be prepared to be knocked off your seats with self-recognition. Oxtravaganza is when Darlinghurst celebrates Mardi Gras as only Darlinghurst can - with local businesses coming together to offer special retail promotions, live music, exclusive performances, outdoor music, art, plus food and drink deals. Why not shop for your Mardi Gras outfit at one of the many vintage and specialty stores on Oxford Street? and afterwards have a beer at one of the
“Everyone is in the mood for a celebration, tourists are in town and the pink mile comes into its own.” WHAT: OXTRAVAGANZA a one-day event on Oxford St. WHEN: the weekend before Mardi Gras Parade, Saturday 22nd February WHERE: greater Oxford Street, from Taylor Sq to Whitlam Sq (and surrounds) Darlinghurst WHY: an opportunity to celebrate the Pink Mile and everything it has to offer, raising funds for ACON HIGHLIGHTS: include free make-up applications, live music, marquee stalls sprinkled up and down the strip and even a bike pimp, to highlight the unique and vibrant character of this iconic piece of Sydney. The full programme is available at oxtravaganza. com from 30 January 2020
LOCAL EATS:
Simply W Hummus Bar By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
Darlinghurst locals will know the little hole in the wall on Liverpool Street that specialises in one delicious dish. For those that call hummus a dip, owner Yoash Dvir says hummus is more than qualified to be a meal on its own.
e take a seat at the streetside tables out the front of Simply Hummus, and Yoash delivers us a tray of Israeli coffee, spiced with cardamom seeds and served in small porcelain cups. He takes a seat opposite and gazes down the street. Back in Israel, he says, small hummus bars or hummasiya are everywhere. They serve only hummus and alcohol, cold beer usually. “Here we have one type of hummus that’s served with different toppings, pita bread or carrot sticks,” he says. It’s risky opening a shop with one star product. The hummus has to impress, and Yoash tells me that he worked hard to tailor his hummus to the Australian palette. “We did 40 iterations of the hummus we have now,” says Yoash. “We tried different tahini
and amounts olive oil, cumin and lemon juice. I personally like my hummus sour, but the Australians don’t like it too sour. I also prefer it a bit smoother than what we make here.” Yoash disappears into the bar and returns with two plates of hummus. The first is the traditional plate, served with tabouli and drizzled with olive oil, paprika and zaatar. The second is topped with tahini and crispy, light falafel, served with fluffy pita. “The menu isn’t overwhelming,” he says as he sits back down. “We know what to do and we do it well.” 393 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst Follow @simplyhummusbar on Instagram to stay up to date with latest menu and events.
It’s time to get Hapzly By
Meet the
Shopkeeper I
MAUREEN FROM MALONEY’S
’ve been working at Maloney’s for almost six years, since I was seventeen. Our customers are really friendly, we have lots of regulars. I actually write the names of our regulars down on a list with a description of what they buy. I’ve watched customers start families – there are regulars who didn’t have kids when I first started working and now their kids are in third grade, it’s crazy! Outside Maloney’s I’m trying to start my own business. Like a side hustle. I’m working on a sustainable
fashion business, upcycling old clothes. Everyone’s into it now, thrift shopping and stuff. I want to make it easier for people to do, plus help the environment. What do I love about Surry Hills? I love the trees, and the flowers that are down that alley across the road. I don’t know why, but I’m always in love with them. The sun rises through the alley and I get so distracted by it when I work in the early mornings. It’s so beautiful. I have so many sunrise photos on my phone, and dog photos, of course.
Tess Scholfield-Peters
The majority of our lives are spent at work. It makes sense that workplace happiness should be a priority, yet the pursuit of a happy business culture is often either overlooked or deemed too idealistic.
Evan Sutter and Steve Macdonald started Hapzly as a practical platform for businesses to measure their happiness output and to highlight those businesses already putting the wellbeing of their employees, partners, community and the environment first. “Steve and I see the power that business holds and how with simple actions they can help transform the world,” Evan told Urban Village. “We see the need for renewed community, a sense of togetherness, and how combining these can create a business where happiness can flow.” Hapzly has developed a happiness framework, so businesses can implement practical policy and
habits to create a healthy business culture that benefits everyone, from employees to the wider community. “People have all these different definitions of what happiness is,” he says. “We see that there are many different elements to happiness that we can actively enhance through choices we make, both individually and as part of a business.” “When we look at what a business can do for its people, I bring in different concepts that I’ve learnt around gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and compassion that helps diversity flourish.” Hapzly looks at factors such as
environmental and community impact, employee satisfaction, trust and communication at each level of a business. “It’s about realising that there are some simple changes and choices about where we spend our time and money that can have a huge influence.” Hapzly realises that big change starts with individuals, and the power of businesses and consumers can make real social change and make the world a better, happier place. Hapzly | www.hapzly.com @hapzly
Woman Finds Lip Gloss in Her Enormous Handbag First Go It has happened, it has finally happened. On Arthur Street last week, just outside the Carrington Hotel a woman reached into her enormous bag looking for her lip gloss and found it first go. Some have described it as a miracle. There was no need to forage for up to seven minutes looking for the
pesky lipgloss. There it was. Unfortunately the woman then attempted to find her keys and her boyfriend was stuck on the footpath for a solid ten minutes. Full story: surryhillstimes. com / Facebook, Instagram @ surryhillstimes
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Warrior at Life Terry Serio
Musician, songwriter, actor, radio presenter and drama teacher Terry Serio is an ‘everywhere man’ of Sydney’s cultural scene. And, as he tells Lachlan Colquhoun, there are no plans to slow down, ever.
words
Lachlan Colquhoun
photography
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Walter Maurice
www.urbanvillage.com.au
In the early 1980s,
a 20 - something Terry Serio was slugging coins into that ancient apparatus, a public phone box, somewhere on New South Head Road. He’d moved over from Perth with his band, the Elks, but the band had just broken up and he was wondering what was next. With a background in drama, he was calling the number of a casting agency someone had given him at a party. They were casting for parts in a film. “I called and said ‘Hi I hear you’re casting a film’ and they asked what I did and I said ‘I’m an actor’”, Serio recalls. “I thought they’d go ‘oh that’s great, an actor has called us’ but there was a bit of a silence on the end of the phone, so the call wasn’t going that well.” Then they asked what else he did.
Serio said he’d been playing with a band called the Elks. “The girl on the line said ‘what, did you say the Elks?’ and then someone on the other side of the office said ‘I saw them and they were fantastic’ so the casting agency said I should go in and see them,” Serio says. The result was that he got the lead part, and the film was the 1982 musclecar action film ‘Running on Empty.’ And with that, Serio’s career in film and TV was launched, a career which has seen him play two Prime Ministers (Hawke and Howard in a play about Paul Keating), 50s rockstar Jonny O’Keefe and Rolling Stone Keith Richards, among many others. “I’ve realised that so much in life is about that, chance and coincidence and luck,” he says. “You can walk in somewhere
and if you catch the right person at the right time all kinds of things can happen, but if it’s a different person…there’s nothing.” Not that Terry Serio is in a habit of waiting around for opportunities to come to him, he is very much in the habit of making and taking them himself. After what he describes as a “near death experience” a few years ago he has a relentless energy for embracing life and pursuing his creativity and artistic projects and collaborations. He had, he says, to “go to the edge to reclaim my life back” and since then he’s set a new course. Serio plays in two of his own bands – the Ministry of Truth and the Half-Truths (a cut down acoustic version) and this year released an album called ‘Oh Reach’, a self-titled album with two other songwriters, some of which was recorded in Paris, some in Kangaroo Valley.
Earlier this year he also appeared in the music theatre production “Sons of Sun” about legendary rock producer Sam Philips, discoverer of Elvis. Then there is his ongoing acting work for stage and screen, his radio show on FBI covering Sydney theatre and performance, and in between he teaches acting at a number of studios around town. “I came out of that near-death experience with a whole different mindset around my yardstick of success,” says Serio. “I changed the way I judged myself. For a long time I had this real fear of missing out on something, but then I decided to live my life differently. “Now, there are no yardsticks, and its all about the doing, and I do it all because I really want to, not because I have expectations of what will come from that.”
Koori Gras returns in 2020 The much-loved event series Koori Gras returns in the 2020 Mardi Gras program. It’s a celebration of indigenous people coming together and expressing their identity, their queerness and their blackness. By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
national queer community has always Ourpresented as white middle class,” founder
It’s like being a Centurion or something. You have to go for it and even though you might take some hits or cuts you just forge ahead... On his Facebook page, Serio describes himself as a ‘Warrior at Life’. This doesn’t mean he is struggling or battling in conflict with himself or others, but rather describes his uncompromising commitment to his creative direction. “I’m always moving forward, I don’t dwell too much on the past,” he says. “It’s like being a Centurion or something. You have to go for it and even though you might take some hits or cuts you just forge ahead. “So there’s also the notion of fearlessness, because if you have fear you would never go into battle, and battle is about creating and being true to yourself.” The creative moment, he says, is unlike any other. Instead of thinking of the past or the future it is all about that present moment, where you play your best or pull your best
performance. “You are instinctively going for what is available in that moment,” says Serio. “It’s almost like floating in water, being supported and buoyant by the moment and what you are doing.” Over our dinner at Darlinghurst’s Bar Vincent, it becomes clear that Serio is one of those people who can talk on any subject. We flit from classic motorcycles (swapping pictures of his old MotoGuzzi with my Laverda) to old amplifiers and guitars to obscure episodes in history, politics and art. In between, we discover that we know dozens of people in common, some of them highly obscure, even though we’ve never met before. As a Warrior at Life, Serio knows about subjects like addiction, and has been asked by an academic to write a lengthy essay on “addiction as it relates to music”. This links to his Ministry of Truth project, for which he has adopted a friend’s description as “gorgeous and gritty Australian urban roots music. Songs of love, loss, disillusion and addiction.” No-one, however, could describe Terry Serio or his music or his art as gloomy and depressing. Rather, they are all life affirming, it’s just that they deal honestly with some of the volatility and the
dark truths at the centre of human existence. Serio is also a Warrior for his adopted home, Sydney, which “seduced” him back in the 80s and which he still loves. “When I came here it was a heaving creative hub, full of people from all over the world who had come here just to hang out,” he says. “I do still love it but it has lost a little of its remarkabless. It opened up its arms to a lot of people and then just closed down, and that was upsetting to watch some of it die.” Looking forward, however, Serio sees reasons to be optimistic. When culture is suppressed, he says, it finds a way to renew itself through underground scenes, and that is what is happening now through the efforts of people from all generations. “There are people playing in lounge rooms and putting on events in warehouses, there’s an energy growing,” he says. “It starts when you do it at home and someone hears it and asks you to do it at the warehouse, and then things get up and running. And I’m seeing some great signs. “There’s still a lot of great people in Sydney, and the city is its people and that is what has kept me here, friends and the opportunity to do great things.”
and co-artistic director of Moogahlin Performing Arts Company, Liza-Mare Syron, told Urban Village. “People need to be reminded that we’ve always been here. We’ve always been fighting beside everybody,” she said. Sydney’s most prestigious blak drags and drag kings return for the performance event Blak Nulla; Koori Kick On will keep the party going after Sissy Ball; five emerging queer blak artists will read newly developed playwriting work as part of Yellamundie creative development workshop; and community members can explore their hidden drag king or queen at Blak Diva for a Day. “Koori Gras is produced by First Peoples, for First Peoples and with First Peoples. There’s creative leadership, there’s artist leadership and it’s led by the queer black community, their stories and their expression of sexuality.” “We know what struggle is, we’ve had 200 years of it ourselves. We might have racism but homophobia on top of that is a kind of double whammy. We’re all in this together and we need to celebrate each other and celebrate our differences.” “Every day there’s a funeral or a critical incident that happens. Sometimes we just need some time out to remember that we need to celebrate our culture and our communities.” Koori Gras is about visibility and celebration. Along with the rest of the program, Koori Gras will explore ‘What Matters’ and showcase the talent and innovation of our First Peoples.
We know what struggle is, we’ve had 200 years of it ourselves. We might have racism but homophobia on top of that is a kind of double whammy. We’re all in this together and we need to celebrate each other and celebrate our differences...
Blak Diva for a Day: Sat 15th Feb 11am – 4pm at Carriageworks Yellamundie Queer Blak Play Readings – Sat 22nd Feb 3pm at Seymour Centre Blak Nulla – Saturday 22nd February 7:30pm – 11pm at Seymour Centre Koori Kick On – Saturday 22nd February 9pm – Sunday 23rd February 3am at Seymour Centre For more event info: mardigras.org.au
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UV: Why rugs? What is the rug scene in Sydney? Olly: I’ve been working in the world of rugs for 16 years now so it’s a specialty subject. We love the designer collaborations The Rug Company has across fashion, design and art. I can’t think of any other business that has such a seminal rollcall of iconic collaborators. We’re excited to be bringing these great brands here, but our plan is also to become champions of Australian design both nationally and on the international stage. UV: Why did you choose the name The Green Room? Olly: The Green Room is a space where artists hang out when not performing. We’ve always met really interesting people in green rooms, so we want to emulate that feeling with our own space, and products. UV: Which designers do you admire and why? Maxine: So many people to mention – let’s go for Diane Von Furstenberg for her boldness, Alexander McQueen for his sheer genius and eccentricity and our very own inimitable Florence Broadhurst. Florence is such a legend and her work is sure to be an influence in our design journey.
Life Imitates Art in Crown Street’s T By
14
Eva Lewkowicz
here’s nothing like that feeling of opening your front door, dropping your bags, sliding off your shoes and ensconcing yourself in the cool calm quiet of home. The patter of furry paws might sidle up to you in greeting, reaching up for a scratch behind the ear. Or depending on what stage of life you’re at, the clatter of feet from your favourite people – hand picked or created – might pounce to regale you with tales of the day. As your eyes adjust and take in the life around you, your senses relax and you breathe in the smell of home. Home. An oasis in the daze of city life. An expression of self, where the jarring aesthetics of outside over there have no place. This is your space, to fill with your favourite things; a treasure trove handed down through family lines, gifted by best friends, sourced on travels, spied in shop windows. And surely, in our era where
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craftsmanship has suffered the onslaught of Swedish flat pack and cookie cutter ‘Freedom’ furniture, it is a little rebellion to embrace the eclecticism of individual aesthetic in your own home. If as Oscar Wilde said, “the self-conscious aim of Life is to find expression, and […] Art offers it certain beautiful forms through which it may realise that energy”, this act of rebellion has a higher calling. This calling is exactly what Surry Hills creative duo Olly Adam and Maxine Fielding (pictured) invite you to embrace. For The Green Room founders, life imitates art, so much so, that every surface is ripe for expression. While it may seem counterintuitive to step onto a work of art, for Olly and Maxine, the floor is like a fifth wall and their Crown Street showroom is a veritable gallery of striking pieces that would be at home both horizontally and hanging.
The Green Room’s recent partnership with London-based The Rug Company has further increased their portfolio of luxury handmade rugs and Olly and Maxine now invite you to embellish your space with works from international fashion design icons including Alexander McQueen, Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Diane Von Furstenberg, Thom Browne and Mary Katrantzou, as well as interior design legend Kelly Wearstler. As Australia’s first dedicated retailer for The Rug Company, The Green Room’s incredible portfolio of designs and collaborators are complemented by custom and bespoke offerings to help you find something perfect for your work or home. Olly and Maxine sat down with Urban Village recently to talk about their latest venture, and the roads that lead them there.
Olly: One my career highlights was meeting Manolo Blahnik when I was designing rugs for his stores. In the interiors world I awe at Kelly Wearstler’s talent to touch people with her designs.
The Green Room is a space where artists hang out when not performing. We’ve always met really interesting people in green rooms, so we want to emulate that feeling with our own space, and products...
Urban Village: What has brought you to where you are today? Olly: Maxine and I met in 1998 and it was love at first sight. The Green Room is the story of our relationship. We love spending every second of every day together, and it’s always been our plan to create, live and work in beautiful spaces surrounded by wonderful objects. For many of us our homes are our workplace, and our workplace is our home. So we love working with our clients to build their aesthetic in residential, retail, and commercial spaces.
UV: How would you describe your aesthetic at home? Maxine: Every object in our home carries a memory (and most of them have their own name) - I guess the word would be eclectic. UV: What is your favourite design piece at home? Maxine: My latest sculpture of a bull’s head adorned by Swarovski Crystals (pictured). Olly: Our Poppy Night wall hanging by Alexander McQueen (pictured). UV: Coco Chanel is famous for saying “before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” What is your advice? Olly: Buy what you fall in love with. Sage advice. For inspiration, visit The Green Room at 540 Crown Street, Surry Hills. Sydney Showroom | 540 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Mon - Sat: 9.30am - 5pm Sun: by appointment www.thegreenroom.com.au instagram.com/thegreenroom_ design_group
Q&A Ariel Layug
with
By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
The performers of Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios captivate audiences across the globe, but few know what it takes behind the curtain to bring the iconic show to life. Chef and aerial artist Ariel Layug, with his team, feeds Cirque du Soleil’s 150 performers and crew every day of the show tour and has for the last decade. How did you get into your line of work? I was originally studying to be an architect but fell in love with eating and cooking. I’ve come to love the travelling lifestyle and the creativity that comes with running this type of kitchen. I got acquainted with some staff and performers while the show Dralion was in Sydney in 2008, and I applied when a position came up a couple of months later.
What’s unique about your kitchen? Our kitchen is industrial and mobile, and it’s actually bigger than the kitchens of most restaurants and hotels. It’s like opening and closing a restaurant every two months – everything has to be broken down, packed and moved. What’s your connection to Surry Hills? I used to work as head chef at Slide on Oxford Street and was also an aerial performer and acrobat at the Kirk, Slide and The Flinders Hotel. Surry Hills was my hub into adulthood. After moving out of my parents’ home in the suburbs, I spent more time here than anywhere else. It’s where I learnt creativity and passion, as well as a sense of grit.
Surry Hills was my hub into adulthood. After moving out of my
parents’ home in the
suburbs, I spent more
time here than anywhere else. It’s where I learnt creativity and passion,
as well as a sense of grit.
What do you love about your job? I love feeding people, and I love that I can experience the food culture of every city we visit. I can learn and try new things that wouldn’t be as easy to do with a job in a restaurant with a more rigid menu structure. I get to cook what I want to eat. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Always prepare for the worst. A nurse aunt of mine gave me this advice when I was a kid and it has helped me always be ready to anticipate all situations and have a ready mind for it. Any pearls of wisdom for our readers? Be kind for no reason, there’s always someone out there who’ll appreciate it.
ARIEL’S TOP LOCAL SPOTS: Brunch: Bill’s, 359 Crown St Coffee: Single Origin, 60-64 Reservoir St Dinner: Toko, 490 Crown St Drinks: Dead Ringer, 413 Bourke St Shopping: The Essential Ingredient, 146 Foveaux St Kurios runs until 29th Dec 2019 at the Entertainment Quarter. Info: cirquedusoleil.com
Get the Light Rail to Surry Hills and rediscover the great local pubs, cafes and parks.
One of Sydney’s Best Bars Serving Up Great Pub Food in Surry Hills The Dove & Olive has been voted Australian Good Food Guides: Readers Choice ‘Best Pub Food’ 2019, The Daily Telegraph’s ‘Best Pub Grub’ City & East 2017, and Time Out’s Pub of the Year 2015. We have more than 26 dedicated craft and Aussie beer taps with a regularly rotating selection. We bring you the tastiest and most exciting range of craft beers available in Sydney.
Fantastic beer and pub food with an Americana twist
Our kitchen dishes up some of Sydney’s best pub food. Fresh ingredients are used to prepare reimagined pub classics with a tinge of US nostalgia. Pop in for a pint or a cocktail by the fireplace, and enjoy a quality pub meal on the balcony. Curious to know why we’re one of the Surry Hills’ favourite bars? We’re now on the new Light Rail route, and just a short walk from Central Station
Hold your event at one of Surry Hills’ best bars, in the heart of Sydney
Dove & Olive also offer amazing function rooms for your next special occasion. We specialise in both Private and Corporate Functions, and can cater for between 20 - 150 guests. Choose our venue and you and your guests will enjoy some of Sydney’s finest beer and pub food, with a range of affordable catering options for your function. We have both indoor and outdoor spaces available including a private bar, dining room, open air balcony.
C O N TA C T U S T O D AY A N D F I N D O U T M O R E
If you’d like to find out more about our venue, call us on (02) 9699 6001. We will be happy to answer your questions, as well as take your booking for a table. www.urbanvillage.com.au
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Jay Katz at the Darlo Bar By
Rodney Henton
THE VERY STRANGE WORLD & REAL SYDNEY OF J A I M I E L E O N A R D E R A K A J AY K AT Z
Jaimie Leonarder AKA Jay Katz has been making a unique difference to Sydney’s nightlife for decades. At the moment he’s got two things going at the iconic Darlo Bar: a Wednesday quiz night and a Sunday DJ spot. Jay Katz spoke with Urban Village’s Rodney Henton.
Y
eah Rod you mentioned the current climate of conservatism in Sydney, it’s affected everything but particularly the grass roots arts. The whole notion of shutting down the city to its entertainment life is the destruction of the culture to me so my wife Aspasia and I are very proactive in creating events like the shows at the old Hefron Hall/ Community Arts Centre in Darlo, opening as many venues as we can to fringe performers and artists. You’ve got a background in nursing and you found a way to involve that in your creative life. JK: The city is for winners but also losers and that could be us in the flash of an eye. I’ve always erred on the side of who are the marginalised and why are these people cast aside. I started to come across musicians that had mental illness or had
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breakdowns, it was the 80s and a time of experimentalism. I felt these people needed empowering. That brings us to the extraordinary band the MuMesons. JK: I never conceived it as that, it was a community of like-minded people – we threw away the rule book. It was about giving the members confidence to create. If you hit a discordant note it didn’t matter, we can start wherever we want and go wherever. I know at the time you were making experimental films and let’s talk about the MuMeson Archives and public showings. JK: I’ve always wanted to share. I’ve opened my home up to screenings but now can’t due to council compliance. For ten years
we showed films on 16mm at the Annandale Hotel. Film can seem insurmountable and intimidating but you can look at different genres and grades and go ‘oh my god this was done for 20-grand against all odds – it’s more entertaining than half the blockbusters I could ever see.’ I’ve always been about shedding light on different and obscure corners of culture. Somewhere here you also dip into a more successful venture, the Sounds of Seduction. JK: Yeah, a time when mainstream culture had just cottoned on to the idea of easy listening music though ironically a lot of it wasn’t easy listening, it was quite innovative but it was the only category they could put it into, stepping back into the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and a lot of the film soundtracks were never played on
Sunday nights is really our love of vinyl. We call it Viva la Vinyl. It’s a lot of 60s and 70s. I love the Darlo Bar. It’s where the old Bohemia of Sydney still exists. the dance floor before. So, we saw a window of culture and came to create a nightclub. My wife even designed the clothes for the go-go dancers. At the moment you’re doing a kind of extension of that with Sundays 3-8pm at the iconic Darlo Bar. JK: Sunday nights is really our love of vinyl. We call it Viva la Vinyl. It’s a
lot of 60s and 70s. I love the Darlo Bar. It’s where the old Bohemia of Sydney still exists. All of the artists that inspired the art of the 70s and 80s if they still exist, they all culminate at the Darlo. Now Wednesday nights you host a quiz show there. JK: I do it with Chris Ruhle who was Dr Vern Pullen the satirist of On the Street and Drum Media fame. We banter back and forth and ask some very funny counter cultural questions. It can be current on the news, quirky science. We avoid sport and other obvious clichés that some dive into. We’re more obsessed with the peripheries of culture and people are very entertained by it. I’m sure it’s one of the more unique quiz shows around.
Save the date, February 23. Surry Hills Picnic Day The parks, pubs, cafes and outdoor spaces of Surry Hills will be transformed in February by PICNIC, a new event celebrating food, culture and community. So, put aside February 23 and grab your mates, family and/or dog for the community PICNIC of your life. Surry Hills is full of parks and outdoor spaces, but rarely are they used together. All that will change on Sunday February 23 when the neighbourhood celebrates PICNIC, an event which is part of the official Mardi Gras program for 2020. The idea is that local cafes, restaurants and pubs will prepare picnic food, and picnickers will use a map to find out where they can locate everything from fresh
summer snacks, delicious desserts and hearty lunches from participating outlets. Pick up your preferred choice, take it away in eco-friendly packaging, buy a specially produced Surry Hills PICNIC blanket and hit the local spots, from Shannon, Ward and Harmony Parks as well as entertainment, artists and DJ’s. If you want to bring your own picnic hamper, feel free.
Local pubs and cafes will be encouraged to create special PICNIC areas, where people can go as an alternative and as a Plan B if it is raining or the heat is too intense. “It’s a great way to celebrate the outdoor areas of Surry Hills, and for us to be a part of Mardi Gras,” says Leigh Harris, President of the Surry Hills Creative Precinct. “The weather should be lovely, the light rail will bring
visitors into Surry Hills, and we are really positive about creating a great atmosphere for this unique event.” PICNIC is supported by Mardi Gras and the City of Sydney.
Dine Al Fresco in Surry Hills
A new food festival Al Fresco is planned for Ward Park in Surry Hills in March 2020. Maree Sheehan tells Lachlan Colquhoun about planning the area’s biggest lunch party. Imagine dining together at a long table lunch with between 500 and 1000 people. Some of them are your friends, and there are people there who might not be your friends now, but will be soon enough. “There’s a magical thing that happens when you sit down at a table and eat with people,” says Maree Sheehan, one of the organisers and the founder of dining walk business The Sydney Connection. “There’s always a great community vibe which happens, and that’s what we are planning with Al Fresco.” Slated for March 15, 2020, Ward Park – right next to the new light rail stop - will be converted into a giant outdoor dining area with a long table lunch for up to 1000 people. Seven local restaurants and bars have already committed: Mama’s Buoi, SOUL Dining, Brix Distillers, The Winery, Arthur, The Essential Ingredient and Tilly May’s. Drinks will be provided by at a licensed bar and other providers of
coffee and gelato and more offerings will be announced closer to the date. The event takes place during Delicious magazine’s inaugural Delicious Month Out. Diners will be able to purchase their food via Square with a diverse menu of food available at various price points. “The idea with using Square technology is that we want the event to be cashless, so we minimize queueing and make it all as seamless as possible for people,” says Sheehan. While it might sound ambitious, Sheehan co-organized a similar event in Kings Cross a while back and says it was a major success. “We had around 1200 people at a night time event there,” she says. “March is beautiful in Surry Hills and we’re looking forward to making it a big community success.” Al Fresco is supported by the City of Sydney.
Local Rewards comes to Inner Sydney Locally focused rewards scheme Local Rewards launches across Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Redfern in March 2020. It promises a win for consumers who are loyal to local merchants and offers merchants a new way of inspiring loyalty from their customers. Local Rewards is an initiative of the Surry Hills Creative Precinct and Urban Village media with leading fintech partner Open Sparkz, with initial support from the City of Sydney.
Loyalty schemes are everywhere, but most of the benefits go to the scheme operators, and most of these are large national corporates with no connection with local markets. Spend thousands at a national grocery chain, and the best result from their loyalty scheme is maybe a new sandwich maker. As for airline schemes, who hasn’t been ultimately frustrated at seeing the number of points you need for the flight you want? So…enter Local Rewards, a new community-based program created by the Surry Hills Creative Precinct and Urban Village with the aim of creating a win-win for local consumers and merchants and fostering a more vibrant and innovative business eco-system in our own backyard. The chance to register will be Local Rewards has some fundamental differencavailable online from 12th February es from other schemes. at alfrescolonglunch.eventbrite. First of all, there are no special cards or tokens. com.au
All a consumer has to do is go to the Local Rewards website www.localrewards.com.au and register the MasterCard of their choice (other scheme cards will follow the initial rollout). Then, when they go into a merchant who is a Local Rewards participant, they will receive an automatic 10 percent ‘cash-back’ on the price of any purchase above $20. All of this happens in the background. The consumer doesn’t even have to mention that the card is registered with Local Rewards – the system recognises the card and credits the discount reward back to the cardholders account. If the cardholder wants, those rewards can also be allocated to the benefit of local schools, charities or community groups. You want to donate to a local primary school? You can do this through shopping locally and using Local Rewards. For merchants, there is no point of sale inte-
gration or staff training involved. Once again, it happens automatically in the background. Local Rewards is using technology from award winning Sydney fintech company OpenSparkz, which is being rolled out in much larger schemes across South East Asia and Australia. The Surry Hills Creative Precinct and Urban Village are partnering with OpenSparkz to explore what can be achieved in a locally focused community-based loyalty scheme, so Local Rewards is something of a first in Australia. Local Rewards will also help fund the Surry Hills Creative Precinct, so benefits will be shared through the local business community. More details will be released in coming months as the scheme is rolled out, and information will come from www.localrewards.com.au and from Urban Village.
Queer Screen’s 27th
Mardi Gras Film Festival 13 - 27 Feb 2020 Evolve. Emerge. Fly. Special events, filmmaker guests, parties and more await you at MGFF20, book your tickets now! queerscreen.org.au www.urbanvillage.com.au
17
of Art
By
Summer
t’s e a h Whin t d o on ‘ho
Fiona McIntosh
SABBIA Gallery For fifteen years, SABBIA Gallery has presented leading contemporary and Indigenous artists working in glass, ceramics and now fibre. It has recently relocated to Redfern and in December will present Together we tell our stories, an exhibition of Indigenous artists and communities from remote Australia sharing their unique stories rendered in ceramics, glass, painting and fibre artworks. New work presented is from Bula Bula, Ernabella, Girringun, Maningrida, Ernabella & Yalanji Art centres, and includes glass sculptures by the highly sought-after Indigenous artist Jenni Kemarre Martiniello. Though each artist looks to respected traditions for inspiration, their works are informed by contemporary practices and perspectives. Together we tell our stories opens on 7 December. The Gallery closes for the summer break 21 December, reopening 16 January 2020 with a continuation of the exhibition. From 29 January Sabbia will present new work by one of Australia’s foremost ceramicists, Jeffrey Mincham AM, whose practice has had a resounding impact on the contemporary studio ceramic movement here. He is well known for his hand-built clay bodies & multi-fired glazes that paint a literal or abstracted sense of landscape across or around the form. Exhibition dates: 29 January – 22 February 609 Elizabeth Street Redfern T: +61 2 9361 6448 E: gallery@sabbiagallery.com www.sabbiagallery.com Open: Tue - Fri 11am - 4pm, Sat 11am - 4pm, or by appointment Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery Stella Downer Fine Art Tiwi Island artist Alfonso Puautjimi’s exhibition will be on at Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery until 14 December, presented in association with Ngaruwanajirri Inc. Nguiu, Bathurst Island NT. It will be followed by a selection of works from the stockroom until the Gallery closes for the summer break on 21 December. Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery
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Above: Robyn Stacey Eyes Wide Shut 2019, photographic print on metallic paper 155.5x119cm (image). Image courtesy the artist and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney
Fiona McIntosh is a Sydney based independent art advisor, working with clients to experience and acquire quality artworks. www.fionamcintoshart.com.au
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Left: Josephine Nangala, Untitled, 2018, acrylic on linen,61 x 31 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Utopia Art Sydney Below left: Bronwyn Kelly, Woven mat 2019. Image courtesy the artist and Maningrida Arts and Culture Centre Below: Alfonso Puautjimi, 4 Houses, 2 Cars, 2019. natural ochres on paper 57.5 x 76 cm Image courtesy the artist and Ngaruwanajirri Inc. Nguiu, Bathurst Island, And Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery
reopens in 2020 on 10 February. Please check the website for details. In the same building is Stella Downer Fine Art with Tanya Chaitow In dreams I wake until 21 December. Stella Downer Fine Art 1/24 Wellington Street Waterloo T: +61 2 9699 2211 E:info@stelladownerfineart. com.au Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery T: +61 (0)2 9699 2211 E: info@aboriginalpacificart. com.au Open: Tue–Fri 10am– 5pm, Sat 11am–5pm Darren Knight Gallery Darren Knight Gallery has been in Waterloo since 1997. It is a testament to the calibre of the artists presented, that this Gallery continues as an influential leading force in the national contemporary art scene. On now is a group exhibition, including new works by photographer Robyn Stacey, mixed media artist Noel McKenna and sculptor Louise Weaver. The Gallery closes 21 December for the summer break. It reopens 14 January. From 1 February will be new
work by Charlie Sofo and Mary MacDougall. As with many of the artists represented by Knight who make the ‘ordinary extraordinary’, Sofo works across a range of media to make artworks which speak to the incidental details of life, finding meaning in simple processes, materials and actions Also on will be a solo exhibition by Sam Peterson. She is an artist whose disability limits what she is physically able to make herself, but she manages to make work with the help of friends. This is her first exhibition in a commercial gallery and will comprise plasticine artworks, including one which uses yellow plasticine to cover the front windows of the gallery. Sam will also present a new performance work I’m not a good girl. 840 Elizabeth Street Waterloo T: +61 2 9699 5353 E: info@darrenknightgallery. com www.darrenknightgallery.com Open: Tue - Sat 10am - 5pm
continued to keep their traditional stories alive. The annual exhibition, Papunya Tula Artists: Community X showcases the diversity of work that is produced in the western desert communities of Kintore and Kiwirrkurra, not only by the leading and established artists but also by emerging artists who are starting to find their artistic voices. Artists include George Tjungurrayi, Elizabeth Marks Nakamarra, Lorna Brown Napanangka, Matthew Tjapangati, Narpula Scobie Napurrula. Exhibition and Gallery close 21 December for the summer break. The Gallery reopens on 28 January with an exhibition of ceramics, entitled Form. Each of the exhibiting artists, including Brett Stone, Donna Green, Kati Watson and Marea Gazzard, have used clay for many years but it is not the clay that defines them, it is the unique forms they manipulate with clay and for which they have come to be identified. Exhibition dates; 4 – 22 February 983 Bourke St Waterloo T: + 61 2 9319 6437 E: art@utopiaartsydney.com. au www.utopiaartsydney.com.au Open: Tue - Sat 10am – 5pm
Utopia Art Sydney Utopia Art Sydney has represented the Indigenous artist owned and run company, Papunya Tula since 1988. During this time and despite upheaval and change, the artists have
Mayspace Currently at Mayspace is the ongoing series of photographs by Janet Tavener called Seedless, investigating the threat climate change poses to the humble seed and
the catastrophic cascading effect it will have on our complex food chain. The photographs are complemented by the woodblock prints of Helen Mueller Nowhere to go, developed from her time with a citizens’ science project monitoring the mangrove forests of the Daintree in Far North Queensland. The prints are the artist’s response to the mystery and majesty of this fragile and endangered environment. Exhibition and Gallery close 21 December for the summer break. Mayspace reopens on 29 January 2020 with Urbanscapes, paintings and works on paper by Hendrik Kolenberg and Evan Salmon. These two artists share an interest in making art of the suburban environment, finding subjects in the familiar and commonplace. But it is not a place that matters to them as much as the power of light to transform, intensify or surprise them. They will be joined by Kevin McKay, whose paintings Eastern Suburbs Streetscapes explore the back streets of Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs where a gritty working-class history and village charm lingers despite the gloss of gentrification and the encroachment of high-rise development. Exhibition dates: 29 January - 16 February. 409b George Street Waterloo T: +61 2 9318 1122 E: info@mayspace.com.au www.mayspace.com.au Open: Tue - Sat 10am – 5pm, Sun 12pm – 4pm
Above: Robyn Stacey, Paris Green, 2019 photographic print on metallic paper, 154.2 x 119 cm. Image courtesy the image and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney Below: Barbara Cleveland She is a stained glass window, 2019. Production still. Image courtesy the artists and Sullivan + Strumpf Sydney
Sullivan + Strumpf Sydney Ursula Sullivan and Joanna Strumpf opened a gallery together over 14 years ago in Sydney and since then, have established a strong reputation for representing leading artists working across digital media, sculpture and painting. Having expanded to two venues, in Zetland and Singapore, the Gallery embraces an international outlook, carving out new and diverse audiences and contexts for the artists they work with. Currently on at Sullivan+Strumpf Sydney is new work by artist eX de Medici The Wreckers. eX de Medici is renowned for her intricate watercolours and ongoing interrogations of the politics of power and the relationship between life and death. Her unique aesthetic is informed, in part, by her background as a tattooist. Also on now is new video work by Sydney artist collective Barbara
Cleveland, This is a stained glass window. The collective ‘Barbara Cleveland’ is directed by Diana Baker Smith, Frances Barrett, Kate Blackmore, and Kelly Doley. The name is taken from the mythic feminist performance artist whom they recovered from the margins of Australian art history and who has been a key feature in their work. This new video work is inspired by the description of the friendship between the two authors, Hannah Arendt and Mary McCarthy and their shared intellectual and creative pursuits. Exhibition and Gallery close 21 December for the summer break. The Gallery will reopen on 14 January and from 31 January will present a group exhibition of stable artists. 799 Elizabeth Street Zetland T: +61 2 9698 4696 E: art@sullivanstrumpf.com www.sullivanstrumpf.com Open: Tue - Sat 10am – 5pm, or by appointment
Mother’s Outrage at Local Sign A Surry Hills mother’s group has deemed a street sign deeply offensive to their children. “Are they saying my child is slow? How offensive! I’m offended,” said local woman Rhonda. “My Tabitha is reading at a 5th grade level. Sure she’s in the 5th grade, but that’s not the point.” The council has been contacted by the group and has seen fit to remove all street signs immediately. “It’s a small price to pay,” said
6
tips to curb spending and increase savings By Glen
Hare
Are your finances constantly on the backburner? Do you squirrel away an amount each month then find yourself squirreling it straight back out? Have you racked up debt and find yourself never being able to get ahead? The good news is you’re not alone and the even better news is, you can do something about it! Here are 6 tips to curb your spending and increase savings:
3. Have accounts with no card access: Why does your savings account need a card? It should only be accessible for big considered purchases/ goals
1. Pay yourself first: Determine how much you want
5. Don’t use your credit card for purchases:
to save or when you want to be debt free and agree on a fixed monthly amount to achieve these specific goals. Just contributing “whatever’s left over” towards these goals gives you no clarity on when they’ll be achieved.
2. Use more than one bank: Don’t be 2 bottles of rosé
deep at The Winery and instantly transfer money from your savings. Having your savings with another bank will ensure the ‘overnight’ transfer curtails your potentially bad decisions.
4. Tell your friends and family: Having the support
of others around you will ensure they have greater context for suggesting a (cost effective) summer picnic in the park for your Saturday adventure. This will also avoid them unintentionally sabotaging your efforts.
Research shows that those that have a credit card for everyday purchases are likely to spend 25% more. Points are great (within reason) but if you find yourself waiting for the next pay-cheque to pay off last month’s credit card, to then load it up again next month, it’s time to get off the hamster wheel. 6. Asking ‘do I need this?’: Consider the impact that
‘stuff’ you don’t really value is having on what’s truly important to you.
Contact Glen and Jessica at www.foxandhare.com.au
By
Dr Nima Rahmani
Pet Advice
During summer we see a number of pets with skin issues, below we have listed some common causes of these:
1. Flea allergy: Flea allergy is
the most common skin disease in cats and dogs, caused by an allergic reaction to the flea’s saliva. In many dogs, even one flea bite is enough to trigger the hypersensitivity and skin disease. Using a good quality flea treatment regularly is the easiest method to prevent this condition.
2. Hot spots (pyotraumatic dermatitis): Hot spots are
a council representative. “We can’t have anyone being offended, ever. Think of the children.” Full story: surryhillstimes. com / Facebook, Instagram @ surryhillstimes
superficial skin infections that usually happen following constant scratching or chewing of affected areas of skin. These spots are red, wet and sometimes covered in pus or a scab. Finding one of these red and usually circular lesions, you will need to get your pet checked by your veterinarian.
3. Contact dermatitis:
During the summer months, pets are usually spending more time outdoors. Playing on grass or
amongst plants increases the risks of skin irritations on the parts of the body coming into contact with the environment (e.g. abdomen or paws). Your vet will choose the best treatment options according to the severity of the symptoms, but prevention - avoiding the offending plants - remains the best way to prevent recurrence in the future.
4. Ear infections (otitis externa): Bugs thrive in the dark,
warm and moist environments of the ear canals, often leading to ear infections. Increased bathing and going for swims during these hot seasons increases the risk of ear infections. Make sure to check and clean your pets’ ears as needed. Please contact your vet if you notice symptoms such as head shaking, pawing and rubbing of the ears. Let’s all enjoy the nice weather while it’s here!
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19
Surry Hills Brunch Jimmy Wong WITH
Jimmy Wong is a past MasterChef contestant on season 8, Food creative consultant, Photographer, Cook and longtime resident of Surry Hills
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s the days get warmer and the festive season looms ever closer, having my friends over is a way of life, as we sit lazily on my apartment’s rooftop terrace. Brunch is my favourite meal of the day, so today I am sharing my brunch menu of recipes with you. As a cook, it’s about using seasonal produce and our friends at our local grocers can give you guidance on the freshest produce available, which will be tastier and often cheaper than produce that are out of season. Trips to the local grocers are exciting as there is always something new that inspires me in my cooking and recipes. The perks of living in Surry Hills is that my favourite places to source my ingredients from are all within an easy walk from where I live. Let’s start the brunch with a refreshing summer smoothie, followed by the main dish of herbed mushrooms, crispy prosciutto, roasted tomato, poached egg on toasted sourdough. I’ve been called a ‘food pusher” by some of my dearest friends (and they are probably right), because I can never have anyone leave my place hungry. So to ensure full bellies we will finish with a simple vanilla rice pudding, vanilla bean ice cream and Persian fairy floss. Today’s brunch recipes are made for four guests, all sourced from my local grocers and bottleshop: Crown Street Grocers, Maloney’s Grocers, The Essential Ingredient and Clock Hotel bottle shop. I hope you have a wonderful time making these recipes, please share what you create on social media with the hashtag #jimmywongeats, I’d love www.urbanvillage.com.au
to see how yours turned out! The ingredients for this set of recipes can be purchased for under $90, spending $13.50 for persian fairy floss in The essential Ingredients, $15.50 in Crown Street Grocers for Iggys sourdough and prosciutto and $60.50 in Maloneys for the rest of the ingredients. It’s time to get cooking, summer is here! Jimmy Wong Eats Brunch (serves 4)
Summer smoothie Ingredients 350g Plain yogurt 1 small bottle of orange juice 1 punnet raspberries 1 x mango 3 tbsp honey 1 cup milk Method Pour orange juice in an ice tray and freeze. In a large blender or large bullet blender, place cut up mango, raspberries, frozen orange juice cubes, yogurt, honey and milk and blend. Serve in a small balloon glass.
Herbed mushrooms | crispy prosciutto | roasted tomato | poached egg on toasted sourdough Ingredients 400g brown mushroom 1 bunch lemon thyme 1 bunch chives 2 cloves garlic olive oil 1 tbsp butter, unsalted 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses 8 eggs 24 small vine tomato 250g prosciutto (8 pieces) 1 loaf Iggy’s sourdough Method Coat vine tomatoes in olive oil, season with salt, pepper and sprinkle with lemon thyme. Pop tomatoes
with vine on a baking tray and into a preheated oven at 180° C for 20 minutes. Cut mushrooms in half, in a hot pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 clove of chopped garlic and saute mushrooms. To finish, add butter, 1 tsp lemon thyme, 1 tbsp finely chopped chives and 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Brush prosciutto with olive oil, lay onto a baking tray and into the oven for 5 minutes to crisp up. For the poached eggs, bring a large pot of water to boil, add 1 tbsp of vinegar (optional), crack an egg into a small cup. Stir water into a small vortex, gently place an egg into the centre, dropping the egg as close to the water as possible. Once afloat (approx 3 minutes) lift out with slotted spoon and repeat. Cut sourdough and toast, drizzle with olive oil and rub toast with a clove of garlic. To plate, place toast in the center of the plate, then pile on mushrooms, poached eggs and crispy prosciutto. Place roasted tomatoes to one side and serve. Garnish with finely chopped chives.
Vanilla rice pudding | vanilla bean ice cream | Persian fairy floss Ingredients ½ cup medium grain rice ¼ cup sugar 2 ¾ cup full cream milk ½ tsp vanilla essence ½ tsp vanilla paste Pinch of nutmeg Pinch of sea salt 1 tub vanilla bean ice cream 1 bag of Persian fairy floss Method To make the rice pudding place rice, sugar, milk, nutmeg, vanilla paste and essence in a bowl and simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes until thick and creamy. Continuously stir so that it does not burn the mix.
Surry Hills is my urban oasis. Everything I need is within walking distance - great restaurants, local grocers, swimming pool and many great spots to entertain. There is a real urban neighbourhood feel about Surry Hills, with tree-lined streets, an eclectic mix of people and a buzzing food community. I often post about the wonderful moments I have in my neighbourhood with the ensuing caption of “I love my hood” - it has been home since 2004... The rice should be just on being fully cooked. Turn heat off and let sit for a further 5-10 minutes. I like to serve this warm, but can be chilled if preferred. To serve, place the rice pudding in a clear balloon glass, quenelle or scoop vanilla bean ice cream and place persian fairy floss on top and serve @jimmywongeats jimmywongeats.com
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21
Going out on your own in 2020? By Peter English So, you’ve had it with your job. You can see the opportunity and the boss is a dick. You and/or you and some friends can do it better and it’s time to have a crack. Assuming you’ve worked out your funding and you’ve got some accounting/financial advice, here is some legal stuff to consider.
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elow is a summary of things to consider based on two options. One – buy, or buy into, an established business. Two – start from scratch. Buy a Business or buy into a Business What operating structure should you adopt? Sole Trader, Partnership, Company or Trust? You should get accounting and legal advice on the best business structure to adopt. You may need to balance the benefits of asset protection using a company or a trust, against the tax considerations for legitimate tax planning and income distribution. If you are setting up a company, or buying into a company, advice on director’s duties and the difference between the rights and obligations of directors and shareholders should be understood. If you buying, or buying into, an established business, that should involve some reasonable enquiries (due diligence) on the business. That includes, financial due diligence on the income and operating costs. • Are any liabilities in the business being transferred or taken on? • Are there finance facilities in place that you may be asked to guarantee? Just as important is legal due diligence on the business assets, the lease and ownership of equipment. • What key assets are being transferred or acquired – consider trading names, trade marks, marketing material, domain names, websites, social media accounts. • Are key staff required to stay? • Can the lease of premises be assigned? Has the lease been reviewed for any unusual or onerous terms? • Have appropriate restraints been agreed to prevent the key persons associated with the business leaving and taking customers with them, or setting up nearby in competition? • Is all valuable and/or key IP been developed by the founders or consultants, or used by the business, owned by the business? Multi-Party Agreements:
If other parties are involved in the project, is there a Partnership Agreement, or a Shareholder Agreement, or a Unitholders Agreement in place? Multiparty arrangements should be documented to cover a range of issues, including (but not limited to) roles and responsibilities, how to get paid, dividend distributions, decision making arrangements, restrictions on the transfer of shares, units or partnership interests, agreed methods for share or unit valuations, alternate remedies for dispute resolution and confidentiality and non-compete provisions. Get it in writing to avoid the risk and uncertainty of disputes later. The most common source of disputes in joint enterprises, is where one of the parties believes that they are doing a disproportionate amount of work, or the others believe one is not pulling their weight. Having a formal agreement with agreed dispute resolution provisions can save a lot of future grief and expense. Starting a new Business Structure – get accounting and legal advice on the best structure to adopt. • Partnerships are rarely used, unless the partners are various companies controlled by the relevant principals, because of the risks of joint and several liability. The actions of one partner will bind the others. For example, if a partner contracted on behalf of the partnership to enter into a long term contract without the knowledge of the others, the others may be equally and/or solely responsible for those contract obligations, or other debts or liabilities a partner might incur without the knowledge of the others. Permissions: Do you require the permission of a regulating body? 1. If premises have been found, is their use for the particular business operation permitted by Council? See comments on Premises. 2. If you’re into professional services and there is a governing body, ongoing professional development may be necessary to maintain practice registration. If so,
what systems are in place to record compliance? 3. Inform yourself of the steps required to establish banking and credit card payment facilities for customers. Premises and Equipment: Have a lawyer review the proposed commercial lease. • I f you are fitting out the premises, landlord consent will be required in addition to Council consent. Rent relief might be negotiated. •B e mindful of any restrictions on sub-letting or the transfer of the lease. Do you understand the scope of the “make-good” obligations on termination of the lease? Making-good can be expensive. •A re rent review arrangements understood? •A re outgoings (e.g council rates) payable in addition to rent? • Is an option available? • I s security required? A 3 month bank guarantee or bond is not unusual, in addition to director’s guarantees if the tenant is a company. Staffing: You must understand your obligations to staff under the relevant provisions of the Fair Work Act and relevant industrial awards. •K now the difference between legitimate and sham contracting. •P rovide compliant contracts to staff and contractors which contain appropriate confidentiality and restraint of trade obligations. •P ut in place systems to monitor your compliance with PAYG tax instalments, superannuation and workers compensation insurance. Insurances: Appropriate levelsof various insurance will be required for your business. •P rofessional indemnity insurance or product liability insurance may be necessary. •T he lease of premises will usually require public liability and workers compensation insurance. It might also require insurance of plate glass, contents and business interruption cover. • S ome business owners take out income protection insurance.
Intellectual Property: If you propose to establish a brand or a trading identity for your business, is the name available to use as a trade mark? • Trade marks are different to business names. A registered trade mark will provide the owner with a monopoly to use that mark for the goods and or services for which it is registered. A competitor who uses a deceptively similar mark can be prevented from infringing in a relatively simple way. • If designers are engaged to design logos and websites and/or to create marketing content, or to customize practice management software, steps should be taken to ensure that IP transfer clauses are incorporated into their service agreements. • Where relevant, marketing projects should comply with not only with Australian Consumer Law, but with relevant Codes of Practice published by industry governing bodies. Privacy Laws: great care should be taken to ensure your business meets its obligations under the relevant privacy legislation. There are significant fines a reputation risk for non-compliance. Business Partners: see comments on Multi-Party Agreements. The takeaway? So, plenty to think about here. Hope you’re not put off. The preparation you do in advance, may just save you the fortune you are planning to make. For more information, go to our website www.surrypartners. com.au
PETER ENGLISH Registered Trade Marks Attorney Surry Partners Lawyers Peter English is the director and founding partner of Surry Partners Lawyers.
www.surrypartners.com.au
Mystery Deepens: Why Aren’t People Destroying Lime-E Bikes? Authorities are confused as to why Lime-E bikes seem to have gone unscathed unlike other bike sharing schemes that resulted in a joyous mass annihilation. The Surry Hills Times sat down with local hooligan Bob Cooper to get his thoughts: “I don’t know man there’s something about the electronic bike I just dig. I don’t want to smash it to smithereens. Maybe it’s cuz it does the work for
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you, so it’s like a good mate who’ll carry a case up a hill.” We spoke to a council member who was equally perplexed. “We genuinely thought they’d all be destroyed by now. We just can’t fathom why people are not throwing them into walls or pedestrian bridges.” Full story: surryhillstimes.com / Facebook, Instagram @surryhillstimes
Something about Son of Frank By
Mike Galvin
Could it be the free canapés between 4pm-6pm Wednesday through Saturday, or the innovative interpretation of my favourite, ‘steak & eggs’? Whatever the reason, everybody’s talking about Son of Frank.
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estled on the Green Park end of Victoria Street, Son of Frank is owned by brothers Anthony and Jonathon Canturi. Seasoned hospitality professionals, they’ve been serving up creative cuisine at Author Bio: Sydney’s coolest venues including Mike Galvin Bio - Mike Galvin is est., Eau de Vie, The Apollo and a Postcode 2010 local, founder Cho Cho San. of the Darlo Darlings Facebook The brothers have also mastered Group and a food blogger. A the challenging art of creating an allcommunity focused local, Mike is day food service, offering breakfast, directly involved in charities for brunch, lunch, dinner and the the homeless, marginalised and recently launched aperitivo hour. families who need extra support. The morning mood is relaxed Website www.mikeygalvin.com or and the light-filled courtyard is the @mikeygalvin on Instagram. perfect place to enjoy a long brunch, which you can turn into a two hour bottomless affair. The pace heats up at lunch and as aperitivo hour approaches, the ambiance changes to sophisticated as Son of Frank prepares to welcome the local clientele for dinner. The Food is innovative, drool-worthy, highly original and
Fitness is NOT Thinness BY
Liam Barrett
H
ave you ever heard of Tia-Clair Toomey? She competed in the 2016 Rio Di Janeiro Olympic Games and represented Australia in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. Tia-Clair Toomey is at the pinnacle of women’s fitness and she is not, by any stretch of the word, ‘thin’. The same can be said for Donna Moore, the English super mum who recently stormed the weight-lifting world to become the world’s strongest woman! After only two years of training to boot. What about Serena Williams? Arguably the
most celebrated female athlete ever, once again a definite non contender when it comes to the adherence to societally imposed ‘thin’ ideals. These women are at the top of their game, they have reached the absolute pinnacle of success in their respective fields and they are definitely not losing sleep about whether they’re thin or not. So why do we? I’m trying to highlight the pervasive (and damaging) idea that fitness only exists as an aside to or route toward thinness. I’m about to propose something radical: your weight,
Instagramable. I always start with their twist on the Bloody Mary, appropriately named “Bloody Frank”. The humble croissant has been reinvented, served with chilli scrambled eggs, harissa and nduja. My brunch go-to is steak & eggs: skirt steak with scrambled eggs, cheese hollandaise and onions. The Italian influenced dinner menu is a stunner, featuring pasta, beautifully prepared vegetable creations, brisket and my favourite, veal cotoletta – so tender you can cut it with a spoon! Anthony and Jonathon have created a relaxed atmosphere that oozes authenticity and originality. Whilst the name suggests Son of Frank, you’ll also see Frank’s daughter helping out from time to time. Son of Frank | 263 Victoria St, Darlinghurst | Mon- Tue 7am4pm, Wed - Sat 7am - late on Sunday 8am-3pm
body fat percentage and/or pursuit of ‘skinny’ norms should not be the guiding light when it comes to choosing your daily exercise regimen. Only seeking thinness will never provide you with satisfaction. Take a leaf out of Tia-Clair Toomey’s book and use your body to achieve something other than the approval of random strangers! Do what you love to the best of your ability and the fitness will come with it. If you’ve always wanted to be a swimmer do that! A pole dancer? A football player? Whatever it will take to bring a little joy to your life and break a sweat at the same time. Fitness is not restricted to thinness and never will be. www.thecampfitness.com liam@thecampfitness. com www.urbanvillage.com.au
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An Official Mardi Gras Festival Event Sunday 23rd February 11am-4pm Surry Hills Light Rail Stop at Ward Park
A DAY LONG CELEBRATION OF SURRY HILLS Surry Hills is now better than ever and to celebrate all the reinvigorated parks and brand new pocket parks, we’re having a picnic! Grab a walking map of all the great new places to explore. There’ll be loads of entertainers roving from park to park, plus plenty of prizes to be won. It’s an event you don’t want to miss!
All Day Entertainment
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www.urbanvillage.com.au