Canberra Friends of Dili (CFD) recently farewelled the retiring Ambassador to Australia, Abel Guterres, at the Timor Leste Embassy in Deakin. For many years, Abel and his wife, Ana, have worked tirelessly to assist people in Timor Leste, and with their support, Canberra Friends of Dili have held regular fund-raising events, including that to establish and provide ongoing assistance to the Permatil School Garden in Bidau-Masau. … Read more.
Author: Geri Bryant-Badham Page 5 of 10
Speaking recently with ANU historian, Christine Wallace, one of the founders of the Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) in Australia, Iola Mathews, shared her experiences of the heady days of second-wave feminism which saw immense changes at home and work for Australian women. A one-time journalist with The Age, in 1984 Iola was recruited by then Australian Council of Trade Unions’ (ACTU) President, Bill Kelty, to help bring women’s issues into the mainstream under the Prices and Incomes Accord between the ACTU and the newly-elected Hawke-Keating government. … Read more.
The recent Design Canberra Festival (designcanberrafestival.com.au/events/), saw renowned Australian and internationally-renowned architect, John Andrews AO, discuss many aspects of modern architecture with author-comedian, Tim Ross (from the ABC’s award-winning Streets of Your Town series). After completing a Masters in the 1950s at Harvard University, John designed various acclaimed buildings across North America, such as the CN Tower, Scarborough College at Toronto University and Gund Hall at Harvard. … Read more.
Canberra author, researcher and editor, Penelope Hanley’s latest book, After She Left, takes readers on a journey through five decades, focusing largely on three main characters: bohemian artist, Deirdre O’Mara, an Irish émigré in 1927 to Sydney, where she soon gives birth to her daughter, Maureen. Maureen takes a different life path to her mother, opting for marriage at a young age and devotion to husband, children, hearth and home. … Read more.
Canberra is renowned for its laid-back and country-like lifestyle which also has the sophistication of quality hotels and restaurants, as well as excellent learning centres, schools and tertiary institutions, and national institutions including Parliament House and the National Gallery of Australia. Among Canberra’s sought-after suburbs are those in Weston Creek. Established in 1968 and named after Captain Edward Weston from Sydney’s Hyde Park Convict Barracks, this precinct is often dubbed by residents as ‘a well-kept secret’, with well-priced housing, in a compact setting of undulating hills and wide-open green spaces. … Read more.
In his memoir, A Very Great City One Day, well-known Canberra architect, Roger Pegrum, intersperses stories of his family background and personal, academic and professional life, tracing times from his arrival in Canberra as a 10-year-old with his twin brother, Tony (who also became an architect). The family settled into the new Canberra suburb of Narrabundah. … Read more.
Very popular with many Australians (including Canberrans) and international tourists, Victoria’s Great Ocean Road stretches along the south western coast of the state spanning the Surf Coast (Torquay to Cape Otway) and Shipwreck Coast, further west of Cape Otway. Heritage listed, winding (treacherously so at times) and hugging the coastline, the road was built by Australia’s returned soldiers during 1919-1932, and dedicated to soldiers killed in World War I. … Read more.
Fish is a speciality of Weston Creek’s BYO Croatian restaurant, Maestral. And with exquisitely-prepared food, generous servings, friendly staff and low corkage charges, it’s not surprising that it attracts diners from interstate as well as the ACT. Set among a coterie of eateries overlooking Trenerry Square carpark, Maestral’s extensive menu includes fish stew/soup, seafood platters, reef and beef steak (with prawns), scallops, lemon sole, cod, sardines, along with various accompaniments. … Read more.
Around two and a half hours’ drive from Canberra via Tarago and Nerriga across various State Forests that meet the Princes Highway just south of Nowra, the Huskisson Bed & Breakfast (www.huskissonbnb.com.au), is hosted by Kate and Steve, renowned for their hospitality in ensuring that guests enjoy a peaceful break from modern life. … Read more.
Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary, Sally McManus’s book, On Fairness, was launched in Canberra by welfare advocate, Dr John Falzon, and Sally outlined the work and achievements of the ACTU and union movement, and acknowledged earlier generations of Australians in securing the employment and social programs enjoyed today. … Read more.