Is it curtains for a quick flick return?

NEWS

By Susannah Thomsett

Hopes by local residents, traders and film buffs for a return of the iconic Village Twin complex any time soon appear to be dashed.

Securing capital for the project appears to be the latest stumbling block for the site’s redevelopment, with construction now tentatively scheduled for 2012, according to BMD Group senior investment manager Dare Power.
“It is difficult to say when the project will be finished; I have set dates before that obviously didn’t come to fruition,” Mr Power said.
“But if I can get the finance I need by this September or October, construction could begin in 2012 and be completed in late 2012 … however, there are a lot of variables in those dates.”
Mr Power said he got development approval for the Village Twin from City Council late last year, and was now working through issues in raising sufficient capital.
“Due to the demolition this has become significantly more expensive project than we set out with, which is problematic given the current economic climate,” Mr Power said.
Councillor for Central Ward David Hinchliffe told The Independent the Village Twin’s progress was one of the most common issues he gets asked about.
“Generally I think the community is desperate to see the Village Twin development under way,” Cr Hinchliffe said.
“The businesses in this area of New Farm have suffered over the last six years as a result of the hiatus on Village Twin. Not only are these businesses not benefiting from the extra custom from a new Village Twin, but they have had to put up with a loss of parking. As well, the area doesn’t look its best if a major property is mothballed.
“Now the future of the Village Twin, like so many other developments at the moment, is in the hands of the financiers.”
BMD acquired the New Farm heritage-listed site in 2003, and intended to restore the cinema as closely as possible to its original glory.
Mr Power said when BMD bought it, after Village Twin’s tenure ended, the site was in much the same state as when it closed, with both cinema auditoriums left completely unchanged.
“Part of the reason I spearheaded the acquisition of the site was that both auditoriums were so beautiful,” Mr Power said. However, Mr Power said a previous developer’s applications revealed the building’s structural integrity “hadn’t been in good shape for the past 20 years or so”.
“When push comes to shove it would be irresponsible to do nothing to the structure at the rear, the only way to keep it safe [for people to use] was to demolish it.” The rear auditorium, the blue room, was demolished in November 2008, a task that blew out both the time frame and cost of the Village Twin project.
Mr Power said reconstructing heritage-listed buildings was governed by “heritage citations – what council declares is heritage value”.
“Originally this meant all the fixtures and fittings needed to be retained, it was going to be a very onerous job,” Mr Power said.
“The purple room auditorium is still in its 1970s [state], it’s still intact, we will use what original materials we have to effect repairs; there’s not a lot to spare … it’s going to require a little bit of management. “A side effect of the demolition is, armed with the knowledge that a suburban art-house cinema was unlikely to often need a 500-seat auditorium, reconstructing the rear cinema with 200seats makes room for sympathetic retail uses,” Mr Power said.
He saw restaurants, cafes and bookshops sharing the finished building, “nothing glaringly at odds with a cinema”.
Mr Power said who would ultimately run the completed cinema “is something we’re still grappling with, whether to keep it in-house … or talk to an established cinema group.”
“We want to put twin cinemas back on site to be what is had always been – a local cinema that belongs to the community and draws on the community,” Mr Power said.

Public input sought on RiverWalk options

NEWS

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has released five different plans for rebuilding riverwalk at New Farm, – and he’s asking for community feedback on which one is the best.

Cr Quirk said the five options ranged from a fully floating walkway to more economical alternatives such as a fixed boardwalk or retaining wall and cost anywhere between about $50 million and $70 million to build.
Built in 2003 the popular walkway was devastated in theJanuary floods, with sections of the walkwa washed away downstream.
“I am conscious that many residents want to see a cost-effective replacement delivered while maintaining its famous views, which is why we have put forward five different options for the community to give their views on,” Cr Quirk said.
The New Farm RiverWalk was one of Brisbane’s most loved pieces of infrastructure, with more than 3000 cyclists and pedestrians using ity daily.
“January’s devastating floods saw the RiverWalk wash away right before our eyes, but Council is committed to providing a new facility to cater for the many commuters and recreational walkway users.”
After successfully lobbying the Federal Government to cover the cost of the rebuild counil had now come up with a range of different options to ensure that happens." Cr Quirk said community feedback, along with other factors such as cost, environment, constructability and flood impacts would be considered when choosing the preferred design.
“While the previous floating Riverwalk was a beautiful piece of innovation in theory, in reality its design came with an expensive maintenance regime and ultimately led to it being washed away during January’s flood,” he said.
“I want to see the best value for money delivered and am mindful that we need to consider the yearly price of maintaining the structure as there will be no reimbursement of these costs.” C
r Quirk also said directly affected property and land owners, as well as body corporates, would be consulted this month, with consultation with the broader community to follow. The project would be funded by the Federal and State Governments at a cost of up to $75 million, funds that Council could only use to rebuild the riverwalkway. Construction on a new riverwalk was expected to commence in early 2013 and would be completed in mid-2014.


THE FIVE PLANS

Design Concept A: floating structure, closer to the bank with vessel moorings on the outside: Capital cost estimate $68.6m; estimated maintenance cost over 100 years $39.3million. Total $107.9million
• Design Concept B: fixed structure, on the original alignment with an opening for vessels, moorings on the bank; Capital cost estimate $67.1m; Estimated maintenance cost over 100 years $30m Total $97.1m
• Design Concept C: fixed structure, closer to the bank with vessel moorings on the outside: Capital cost estimate $61.4m; Estimated maintenance cost over 100 years $6m; Total $67.4m •
Design Concept D: (shown above): retaining wall, following alignment of riverbank with moorings on the outside: Capital cost estimate $54m; Estimated maintenance cost over 100 year $2m; Total $56m
• Design Concept E: re-design of the original floating Riverwalk – Capital cost estimate $75.1m; Estimated maintenance cost over 100 years $66.6m Total $141.7m

Park saga ‘not over yet’

NEWS

City Councillor David Hinchliffe has warned that the State Government’s recent canning of the re-zoning of Howard Smith Wharves parkland to allow for new hotel and commercial development might not be the endof the controversial project.

“If there is a change of government and former Lord Mayor Campbell Newman becomes Premier, a new hotel plus three new commercial buildings on that small parkland site will be back on the agenda,” Cr Hinchliffe believes.
“I know Campbell and he’s stubborn. The four new buildings for this area were his baby. He won’t give up easily even though it was severely flooded in January.
“This area is zoned ‘parkland’ and already has four heritage listed buildings. It’s hard enough coping with four buildings that could potentially be flooded let alone another four, including a 13,000sqm seven-storey hotel.
“I have $404,000 in my Ward Parks Trust Fund earmarked for this park. I want to have that money spent on cleaning the site up and turning the area not covered by the existing buildings into parkland.
“If the area was converted to parkland now and boutique coffee shops etc in the wharves and the Water Police building, it will be so much harder in years to come to build on the parkland area.”

Let the 2011 show begin!

NEWS

After last summer’s natural disasters, Queenslanders are being urged to attend this year’s Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) to enjoy a 10 day showcase of what makes this state great.

RNA Chief Executive Jonathan Tunny said the state had endured much hardship and it was time to celebrate all things Queensland. “It’s been a tough year for many communities across the state, from the city to the bush,’’ he said.
“The impact of the January floods caused much heartache and devastation but also stirred communities to rally behind one another in a wonderful outpouring of civic pride and true mateship.” Mr Tunny said the Ekka was the state’s oldest, proudest and most loved community event and this year more than ever, the show was truly about bringing city and country together.
“The great community spirit and the traditions that personify the Ekka are at the heart of the show,’’ he said. “The Ekka is the people’s event, a celebration of the best of the best and a chance to come together with family and friends to enjoy an event unlike any other.”
Now in its 134th year, the 2011 Ekka features an amazing line up of show stopping entertainment including performances by Grammy and ARIA award winners, a culinary heaven including some of the nation’s finest food and wine, Australian first technology, about 23,000 competition entries, plus an amazing 10,000 animals. Mr Tunny said about 400,000 visitors are expected to attend Queensland’s biggest event, which offers families unbeatable value with more than 70 per cent of the RNA Showgrounds dedicated to free activities.
“On average, a visitor to Ekka spends seven hours at the show, which equates to about $3.50 an hour with no need to spend more, as we encourage people to bring their own food and drinks and enjoy lunch and dinner in our chill out zones.
“Combined with hundreds of free activities to choose from each day including fashion parades, concerts, competitions, food and wine sampling, free kids shows plus the two hour night time entertainment program, it’s hard to find better value.”
And show organisers are promising that the famous Ekka Strawberry Sundaes: that for more than 20 years have helped fund vital transplant research through the Prince Charles Hospital Foundation. will be better than ever this year. T,he sundaes will now feature award winning hand made ice-cream from the Mammino family of Childers; 50 per cent more strawberries and all ingredients are 100 per cent Queensland grown. It’s home grown produce supporting home grown research. A great way to support Queensland farmers while making a donation to transplant research.


The Ekka at a gance

Tickets: Adult admission 15 years of age and older $25.00 Child admission 5 years of age to 14 years of age (inclusive) $15.00 Infant - no ticket required 4 years of age and under Free Concession admission Includes students, seniors, and other groups. Check accepted concession cards $19.00 Family A Two adults and two children $60.00 Family B One adult and one child $35.00 Seniors Discount only valid on Thursday 11 August and Thursday 18 August, and only with accepted Seniors Card. Check accepted Seniors Cards $15.00 Family Ride Bundle Family A pass plus a strip of 55 carnival coupons $105.00 Single Ride Bundle One adult pass plus a strip of 55 carnival coupons $67.00
Times: Ekka's gates open at 9:00am daily and close at 9:00pm. Some attractions within Ekka may finish earlier. Check the table below to make sure you don't miss out! Ekka IgNITES presented by B105 starts each night at 6:00pm in the Energex Community Arena (with the exception of opening night, Thursday 11 August). Public transport: To find the most efficient way to get to Ekka, visit TransLink to use the Journey Planner. You can also call TransLink on 13 12 30, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Trains: CityTrain arrivals and departures platforms are located in the middle of Ekka. A loop service operates between Roma Street, Central and Fortitude Valley stations. Trains leave these stations every 10 minutes from 8:20am, returning frequently until 10:00pm.

Only one suburb left with homes under $300,000

PROPERTY News

Brisbane only has one suburb left where the median house price is under $300,000, new research by PRDnationwide reveals.

The analysis reveals Inala recorded a two per cent drop in house prices in the six months leading up to March 2011 – pushing the median house price below $300,000 for the first time in xx years. The Brisbane Market Update identifies the top ten most affordable suburbs and the top ten premium suburbs for both houses and units.
Josh Brown, PRDnationwide research analyst, said looking at the areas with the cheapest units and houses – nine out of the top ten in both markets recorded price decreases of up to 18 %. Three in four of the Top 10 most affordable unit suburbs are located in the north of the city – Kedron, Lutwych and Wooloowin.
“This region has undergone significant development over the past couple of years – in particular the Airport Link Tunnel and Busy Way,” said Mr Brown.
“This means when those suburbs start to witness price recovery – it could be accelerated due to coinciding with improved amenity and investor interest,” he said.
“Apartments in these areas mainly appeal to first home buyers and investors, given the affordable entry point, convenience and strong rents being achieved.” Looking at areas with the cheapest houses – topping the list were Inala, Acacia Ridge and Darra – all registering a median house price under $355,000.
“These regions attract buyers who have little reliance on the CBD and surrounds for employment,” said Mr Brown.
The top ten most expensive suburbs were also identified – with New Farm emerging as Brisbane's most premium suburb registering a median house price of $1.3 Million. The most expensive median unit price of $554,500 was recorded in Bulimba - it recorded 23 transactions over the six month period.
“The top ten premium unit suburbs are almost all within a five kilometre radius of the CBD in well serviced areas, with a high degree of amenity,” he said.

Valley retail continues its Winning way

NEWS

Fortitude Valley’s growing reputation as a hub for upmarket furniture, homewares and motor vehicle retailers has been boosted by the arrival of a century-old NSW based appliance store making its first major foray into Queensland.

And the good news for those who fear the Valley heart has been abandoned to fastfood outlets and convenience stores, Winning Appliances will open their mega store in Brunswick Street only metres from the Valley malls at the start of September.
State manager Robin Maini (pictured above) says the new store at 201-211 Brunswick Street will be Australia’s largest upmarket whitegoods retail appliance store.
He cited nearby quality furniture, homewares and luxury car showrooms running along Wickham Street and down to James Street and beyond as one of the catalyst for Winning’s move to the city’s second business district. “We felt this is the place that people come to for upmarket purchases for the home. The Valley is the place to be.
“We did no look anywhere else but the Valley for our building. We saw this one and fell in love with it”. The family-owned business bought the building in May for $4.4 million and refurbishment and fitout will cost between $2 and 2.5 million extra. The building was originally known as Foresters Hall after the ancient order of the Foresters who built it in 1808. It was designed by prominent architect John Hall.
It became the Cook’s Picture Palace between 1910 and 1922. The property was the venue of the Manhattan and Site nightclubs in the 1980s and ’90s. It was until recently a furniture showroom.
Mr Maini said the new Winning Appliances store would boast the largest range of European and American appliances, with several upmarket brands – Sub-Zero and Wolf — exclusive to Winnings in Queensland A major innovation would be a midmarket to niche boutique bathroom showroom – a first for any Winnings outlet in Australia. Another feature would be a large kitchen area where chefs would cook and demonstrate equipment for customers.
Mr Maini believes the store will become a “the hub for architects, designers and homemakers to come and see upmarket appliances and bathroom showrooms”. And the Valley could be just the beginning of the store’s Queensland expansion. Although the company has spent its first century based in NSW, he said all profits from Queensland would now go back into Queensland expansion and development.
In an area where street marking is becoming a problem, Winning Appliances believe they have that covered too. They have entered into a mid to long-term lease with CityCare for a 30-space carpark in CityCare’s now vacant block next to the new retail store.
Mr Maini said his company had a strong philanthropic bent and in developing a firm friendship with its new neighbours had donated a number of new appliances towards CityCare’s work in the community.

The show outside the show

MY SHOUT ... with Ivor Thurston

Sadly I’ve decided to stay away from one of my favourite licensed establishments for the next 10 days or so.

Regular readers of my column would know that the Jubilee Hotel in St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley, is one of my favourite haunts, where I mix regularly with other top members of the Fourth Estate and from The Courier-Mail to discuss world, national and local politics and other important issues with my peers. We enjoy a tipple or ten as we chew the fat so to speak. Sometimes younger scribes join us too when they’re not to busy pasting their stories into their scrapbooks or writing their latest missives to management about why they should be made senior feature writers or editor now that they’ve been at the job a full six months or more.
We always have good times there – we’re old- school journos, of that there can be no doubt – but as I said at the outset, the Jubilee at this time of the year gets just a little too crowded for yours truly.
The pub over many years now has garnered a reputation for being the place to be after a day or night out after the Ekka – the show outside the show, if you will. Loud music, that sort of rubbish. Nothing wrong with that, but your columnist is too old to share any premises with hordes of young people having post or pre-Ekka fun. What’s worse, many of them will be clearly of a giddy mind and staggering about uncontrollably!
Now before you race off to alert the Liquor Licensing people, I’m not suggesting in any way, shape or form the Jubilee provides alcohol to drunken folk. Heavens above, no. These youngsters will be of unsteady gait and troubled stomach because they’ve tried to ride some darned fangled machine there called the mechanical bull. I was invited at a pre-Ekka function once a very long time ago to try out this contraption, and I can tell you now that after that rather unpleasant experience you won’t find my hush-puppies within a bull’s roar of it.
Now it is true that I have been known to be seen at the Jubilee slightly unsteady on my feet and of light head, but I blame that entirely on the pretty barmaid who was just a little too enthusiastic with the upturned bottle as she prepared my favourite tipple – the Pimms Dakota with citrus peel.
The poor lass was human, after all, and her generous pours were her way of flirting with me. True. While I might be getting on a little in years, I know no-one of the female persuasion who can resist a dapper chap in a lime-green cardigan.
But may I conclude by taking the Jubilee management to task over their ad on the back page of this journal. Things happening there “every nite”, kind sirs? The word, I believe, is “night”. Well it was when I went to private boarding school in the Old Dart. Is it any wonder my old chums and I when we meet at the Jubilee reflect sadly on the declining standards in our once-great profession?

Bank interest

He’s always tinkering with them, so I guess that’s why my very good friend Les Pullos is so good at business.

One of the biggest players in the Valley hospitality scene, Les recently gave his FatBoys cafe – part of his Royal George/Ric’s empire – a makeover, putting in a bar at the back for his loyal patrons.
And sitting there sipping a flat white the other day, I see he’s crossed the mall and is tarting up one of his establishments on the other corner of Ann Street, the Bank I believe it’s called.
I’ll look into this matter and report back soon about what’s happening. He’s a restless man, that Les. Never seems to be able to just sit back and take it easy, unlike yours truly.

Ekka time brings tears to this old bird’s eyes

FROM MY CORNER ... with Ann Brunswick

It’s almost Ekka time again and your favourite columnist’s eyes are getting just a little misty at the thought of the 10 days of excitement that are now almost upon us.

My eyes do it every year in fact, perhaps as some sort of Pavlovian reflex whereby the very mention of the word Ekka has the eyes watering. Do they do that simply to beat reality to the punch; showing off the symptoms of that ubiquitous Ekka cold or the effects of those dry and dusty westerlies that seem to spring up the moment the big ferris wheel starts to take paying passengers on the opening Thursday?

But if you must know, and I’m going to tell you anyway, those eyes might just be welling up a little with nostalgia too, ‘cos your Ann has had a soft spot for the Ekka every since he/she was a little boy/girl.
And as my loyal readers would know, your Ann is a sentimental old chook at heart which probably explains why the poultry pavilion has always been one of her favourite Ekka haunts. Along with countless other Brisbanites, the Ekka proved an annual benchmark to important stages in that rite of passage as your Ann’s unusual childhood unfolded.
That Ekka outing is warmly recalled when she first made the transition from the rather timid merry-go-round rides to the frightening Cha Cha Cha (Twister in later years). Only to find out a year later that the Cha Cha Cha was child’s play after all, compared with how easy it was to lose all your loose change on the Zipper or the contents of your stomach on the much-feared Vomitron as we called it back then. That landmark Ekka year when she proudly stepped out of the front gate with what seemed then like an unbelievable amount of money in her wallet/purse – enough seemingly to buy every dagwood dog at the show – with her proud parents/ guardian/ halfwayhouse supervisor beaming from the kitchen window as she made her first foray to the show, not only on her lonesome, but wearing for the very first time shoes. Then a few years after that, not just shoes but long trousers or a proper skirt with pleats and all, depending on how she felt about such things that particular morning. And then as the years unfolded, where sitting up on Machinery Hill tucking into the contents of sample bags way back when sample bags were exactly that – samples of all sorts of licorice and peanut-based goodies – was no longer her primary focus at the Ekka.
Where hours spent happily on the hill listening to John Nash call the main ring program made way for that nervous wait by the phone booths outside the police station next to the showbag pavilion wondering whether that “date” from school would in fact turn up. And the sorts of wildly erotic fantasies that swirled around inside his or her fertile teenage mind as to what just might happen on the Octopus down the SideShow Alley later that night if indeed he or she did show.
Ah, readers, the memories. Someone better hand your Ann a tissue right now! So maybe we can meet up at the Show this year. No doubt my annual request to be allowed to join the precision cars in my trusty LandRover will be meet with the usual stony silence. Pity. I think it would be spectacular addition to the program.
So until the RNA wakes up to itself, keep an eye out for me at the chooks. If not there, I’m usually in the front row of the fashion parade or on the floor of the original cattlemen’s bar.

***

Have you noticed how quickly Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited fish-wrappers across our nation have embraced the whole issue of privacy, and the public’s right to it?

Odd isn’t it, that it takes just the hint of a public inquiry into the media sparked by concerns about the type of invasions of privacy practised by Rupert’s tabloids in the UK, and his Aussie papers embrace the whole notion of privacy as fast as a stand-up comic with a shaving cream pie in his hand.
Not only that, but they go out of their way to find examples of how the “big brother” federal government and its agencies are eroding people’s privacy by keeping tabs on them through various means. That wouldn’t be the very same government that wants to set up some form of media inquiry would it? Oddly enough, it is.
Who’d have thought it? News Limited tactics are embarrassingly transparent – embarrass the government in the hope of staying its plans for an inquiry. So, after years of heading the Right to Know campaign, News Limited’s local head honcho must now be planning a Right Not to Know campaign.
Well, he certainly proved he respected the privacy of Melbourne Storm players didn’t he?

***

The State Government has announced the installation of extra fixed speed cameras at six locations throughout Brisbane. The reference to “fixed” is not a slur on their reliability or the integrity of their readings.

No, it means that unlike speed cameras in the back of vans that can roam our roadways and pick off lead-foot drivers at various locations, the new ones will be concreted into position at locations deemed to be favoured by speedsters.
In unveiling the cameras the government expressed the hope that the new digital cameras will deter people from breaking speed limits. Well, we all know the answer to that. They won’t.
The location of existing fixed speed cameras is public knowledge, signs warn approaching motorists of their presence, yet they still catch hundreds of people a year whose fines add considerably to state coffers. Now it is not my argument that people should be allowed to break the speed limit.
But let’s not pretend that the cameras, especially fixed ones, somehow educate drivers not to speed. If they did, revenue from them would eventually be zero, and that’s not going to happen.
Any suggestions, dear readers, for a solution that might actually work?

Fast and fun killer thriller

FILMS ... with Michael Dalton

Hanna (M)
Director: Joe Wright
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana & Jessica Barden.
Rating: 4/5
Running time: 111 minutes.

Watching films about assassins and secret agents chasing each other murderously and firing bullets with abandon makes me wonder: what they do when they’re not doing that. Do they occasionally take the night off and rent a movie, hang up their revolver, and catch up with friends?

I’ve just seen Hanna,a hot new thriller starring Cate Blanchett and my curiosity has been quelled. Here’s at least one secret agent who does nothing but work.
In of all things an action role, Blanchett, as Marissa, does her best work in years. We get lots of wide-eyed close-ups as she ruthlessly circles her targets, calmly adding a silencer to her shiny weapon, and showing no mercy. Fitted out in winter colours and sporting an auburn wig that makes her look like a homicidal auntie, she comes on in a chilling style.
Her targets are expert assassins Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) and her “father” Erik (a flat Eric Bana), two fugitives the “agency” have all but forgotten about until one day Hanna tells him she wants to return to civilisation (she’s been in isolation since birth it would seem). All hell breaks loose when they do and before they know it, they’re dodging bullets, running, shooting, spying and circling, all to an exhilarating score by The Chemical Brothers.
Director Joe Wright maintains an even sense of control over the action, notably in the scenes with Hanna and her new friend Sophie, played by the engaging Jessica Barden who stole all her scenes as a starstruck mischief-maker in Tamara Drewe. She does it again here, wisecracking and wide-eyed, and intuitive enough a performer to know where the humour is.
Despite its modern stylings, there’s something disarmingly old-fashioned about this flick. Skip the penguins and robots currently frying everyone’s brains. This is Fast and Fun.



Hard keeping up with Jones's

Captain America: The New Avenger (M)
Director: Joe Johnston
Stars: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving
Rating: 3/5
125 minutes

The superhero genre just seems unstoppable but for every exciting step forward, we take a step back, or in the case of Captain America: The First Avenger, a pause. The setting is so right. After the colourful galactic adventures in Thor, here we’re earthbound in the richly detailed retro stylings of the early 1940s.

Applying the technology used in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) starts off dwarfed by all. Such is his lack of confidence, he’s hopeless with girls, bullied, and constantly denied a passport to his dream of becoming a soldier and defending his country.
Then one day Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) asks him to take part in a secret experiment that sees him transformed into a muscleman. He becomes a celebrity, appearing at benefits and promoting national pride but soon after, he’s off to the front lines.
Along the way Steve sort of falls in love with the stiff, bland Peggy Carter (a dreadful Hayley Atwell) and does battle with an evil eyebrow-arching Nazi (Hugo Weaving).
Stealing all his scenes is Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Chester Phillips who expertly tosses one-liners into the rather dull war zone where most of the film takes place; Jones is slumming as he adds a touch of class and at times must have wondered how he made it to here.
But Captain America is missing a heart. Perhaps that’s why the Spiderman movies were so successful. Sam Raimi never lost sight of “the ordinary mortal” angle, even when his hero was zooming around the metropolis.
Here, after a death-defying rescue mission, the captors cheer their new champion on with an expectant hooray and he grins goofily, yet it doesn’t feel as if the kudos is earned. This is a movie you’re expected to like.


THE BINGE

Compiled by Tim Milfull

Something to fry the brain wit

Our regular reviewer is Tim Milfull is on study leave although he did lave his books long enought o compile this issue’s Binge.Lovers of droll punnery and intelligent comedy will be overjoyed to learn that the first three seasons of the BBC’s QI are now available on DVD.
Chaired by the extraordinary intellect of Stephen Fry, and supported by the much-maligned regular panellist, Alan Davies, each episode of QI features guest comedians competing on teams for points awarded for answers to questions focusing on general ignorance. Viewers unamused by QI must surely not have a sense of humour.
Finally, Julia Bacha’s astonishing documentary, Budrus is finally available on DVD. Named for a contested village in the Gaza strip, Bacha’s film follows the experiences of Palestinian leader, Ayed Morrar, who decides to use peaceful resistance to protest Israel’s efforts to extend their monstrous “Separation Barrier” further into Palestinian territory.
As the bulldozers crawl closer, Morrar’s daughter Iltezam enters the fray, along with an amazing collection of Israeli supporters who prompt the Palestinians to reassess their perception of Israel. This astonishing and powerful story reminds us of the power of peaceful protest.

Fine taste tempters from Primo Estates

WINE ... with David Bray

Joe Grilli. Mature-aged drinkers may remember the name. Your reporter certainly does, having admired the man’s work, as Primo Estate’s owner and winemaker, over several decades.

The new publicity generating about this well-established enterprise seems to be part of a growing trend for renewed marketing campaigns, perhaps reaching into Queensland effectively for the first time in some years.

Whatever the reasons for their appearance on my bench (kitchen, not cellar), it’s good to see these wines and to hear the good stories that tend to come with them.
Primo Estate grows its grapes in McLaren Vale on a rocky, steep site rising to 300 metres with mainly shale stone soil.
There’s the Joseph d’Elena 2011 pinot grigio: Grilli planted a single hectare of this variety the week his daughter Elena was born, in 1998. Now the vines have roots deep into the shale: “Soil and altitude, combined with an intense viticultural regime, results in a small crop of evenly-ripened fruit”, to which was added a small batch of grapes from Woodside in the nearby Adelaide Hills. 2001 was a wet vintage, but, in the boss’s words, “the vineyard gave the fruit the classic grigio characters of apple and pear punctuated with sweet spice”. About $28.

There’s a family name, too, in Primo Estate Zamberlan 2009 cabernet sangiovese: Joe’s father-in-law Rinaldo Zamberlan apparently suggested making a full-bodied red using the ripassso technique (explanation follows soon) of his birth place in Northern Italy.
The 2009 vintage saw a January heat wave, followed, we are told, by near-perfect late summer weather which allowed full development of flavour, colour and tannin in the grapes, 85 per cent of which were cabernet from the maker’s McLaren Vale vineyards, 15 sangiovese from a nearby grower.
Here is the maker’s explanation of the Italian technique under which the grapes were processed: “Newly fermented young sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon is pumped over the dried grape skins from the Joseph Moda (their flagship red, one of the best in the world) for extra fermentation. The wine is then pressed and barrel aged”.
It emerges as a full-bodied, intense, rich, sweet and savoury 14.5 per cent alcohol boomer. $35.
Primo Estate 2009 Shale Stone shiraz another big one. Open top fermenters allow plenty of air to reach the skins during fermentation. Joe reckons “the soul of the wine is released where the skins meet the air”. The wine then spent 22 months in 50 per cent new French and American oak. $32.
Stand by now for Primo Estate 2011 La Biondina Colombard, light, fresh, passionfruit and citrus. “We have just bottled our 30th consecutive vintage . . . Putting a smile on the face of white wine lovers since 1982, our little blonde is just as attractive and alluring as ever”. $16.
And finally, a fizz, Primo Secco nv. It’s made from local colombard, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, the varieties processed separately then blended.
The makers are fans of Venetian Prosecco, as are an increasing number of Australian drinkers, and have turned their skills to producing a delicate and aromatic sparkling wine. Good one. $20.
Joe says Rinaldo also suggested he make grappa, but that will just have to wait.

A TV show’s one thing: now here’s the realty of those home renovations

PROPERTY News

Australian home owners have been urged to take off their rose-coloured glasses when watching DIY Reality TV Renovation home shows and look behind the scenes.

Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects today advised that while Reality TV Renovation shows have a positive impact on getting people thinking about renovation and providing ideas, they do not reflect the reality of renovation.
Archicentre State Manager Queensland Ian Agnew said there is a big difference between some cosmetic renovations such as painting or patching plaster and building work involving structural design, building permits and health and safety territory.
Mr Agnew said the big difference between the Reality Renovation Programs and the real renovation is that the Reality TV Renovation is being driven by entertainment needs where contestants and renovation activity are packaged into a production.
“In the real world renovators are faced with designing a renovation well beforehand, getting planning and building approvals and mapping out the construction program."
Mr Agnew said the success of any renovation is in the planning of the project and in the quality control of the actual building and finishing.
"With the likely increases in energy costs, more than ever sustainable design is going to have a major impact on reducing the cost of running a home in the future. Sustainability needs to be built into the design - it is not an add on."
Mr Agnew said, "people renovating properties for resale and investment purposes should realise that they could devalue their properties with poorly planned and constructed renovations."
Some tips for renovating a property for maximum return include:

• Purchasing a property that is structurally sound.
• Assessing the financial potential with a design and cost analysis before purchase.
• Checking the local development controls to avoid costly design delays.
• Ensuring the design finishes and fittings do not over capitalise the property.
• Utilising design to deliver lifestyle requirements being demanded by the market.
• Obtaining competitive building or sub contract prices
• Renovators wanting find out more about renovation can book into a free design workshop or get a free Cost Guide at www.archicentre.com.au

Exhibition a ripper

EXHIBITIONS

The Museum of Brisbane (MoB) is going “behind the seams” to celebrate the role Brisbane’s migrant textile workers played in an iconic West End clothing factory.

It was a largely female, migrant workforce. And side-by-side, on the factory floor, they forged bonds that continue to last even after the factory doors closed for good.
Behind the Seams: The women who made Can’t Tear ‘Em is MoB’s latest exhibition. It takes visitors inside that West End clothing factory that finally succumbed to overseas competition several years ago.
Behind the Seams reveals the tapestry of cultures, stories and experiences of the women who worked there along with their bonds of friendship that continue to endure.
Largely due to the determination, adaptability and skill of its workers, the West End factory proudly produced and gave rise to one of Australia’s most successful clothing brands, Can’t Tear ‘Em.
Although triumphant over tariff cuts and offshore competition for many years underpinned by the workers’ commitment to keeping the factory open, it closed its doors in July 2009 when parent company, Pacific Brands controversially sent manufacturing offshore.
This exhibition explores the story of the incredible community spirit that was formed inside the factory where many cultures worked side-by-side, under high pressure in a busy but spartan production room.
As part of the exhibition, MoB is offering visitors a rare and privileged opportunity to meet and hear personal stories of two identities behind the Can’t Tear Em; story including Phuong Xuan Vo (pictured above) and Glenda Shugg during two guided tours at 2pm on Sunday, 14 August and Sunday, 16 October.
Behind The Seams: The women who made Can’t Tear ‘Em will show from Friday until 30 October.
The exhibition has been developed in association with the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia who provided training and advocacy to workers who lost their jobs. This exhibition is also a part of a national series of exhibitions acknowledging the contribution of textile workers in arts projects at seven Pacific Brands sites which closed manufacturing in Australia.
MoB is located on the ground floor of 157 Ann Street. MoB is open 10am-5pm, seven days a week. Admission is free.

• For further information about MoB phone council on (07) 3403 8888.

Winter warning on electrical hazards

PROPERTY News

Electrical problems are one of the most frequent building faults revealed in pre-purchase home inspections by Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects. And across Queensland, electrical hazards were reported in almost 20 per cent of homes inspected and many of them posed a fire risk.

Roof spaces can cause problems, especially if faulty wiring comes into contact with combustible materials, fuelling a fire above the smoke alarm that can leave residents unaware of the fire above their heads until it is well advanced.
Archicentre Queensland manager Ian Agnew said common electrical problems revealed during the property inspections included defective wiring, unearthed power points and antiquated switchboards without residual current devices (safety switches) installed.
“A large proportion of electrical problems have been caused by the owners themselves – or previous owners, personally installing additional power points. This illegal wiring is extremely dangerous and increases the risk of house fires and can be deadly for occupants or visiting tradespersons. Electrical wiring should only be undertaken by a licensed electrical contractor.”
Archicentre’s electrical safety check list includes:
• Never undertake your own electrical work unless you are a qualified electrical contractor. It is illegal and dangerous to do so.
• Use a registered licensed electrical contractor for all electrical wiring work.
• Have the electrician install safety switches on all power and light circuits in the home.
• Minimise the use of double adapters and power boards in the home, as they can overload power points. Have the electrician install enough permanent power points so the temporary double adapters and power boards can be removed. Remove all extension leads as they can cause tripping hazards for the elderly.
• When not in use, electric blankets should remain off, especially when the house is unoccupied.
• Eradicate any vermin. Rats and mice can eat through the insulated wiring in the roof and floor spaces increasing the risk of house fires. Ants like to nest in power points.
Mr Agnew said the three most common causes of winter fires were:
• Accidents or distractions from cooking in the kitchen
• Fireplace and heater-related incidents, and
•Electrical faults
“All home owners should ensure their smoke alarms are working as most fatal fires occur in the home and winter is a high fire risk time,: he said.
“Older adults are considered a high risk group in fire. Some medications decrease their mobility and hearing, which can reduce the ability to detect and escape from fire. Impairments can make it difficult for some people to respond quickly to a developing fire. Living alone can also increase their vulnerability to fire.”
Archicentre has been inspecting homes for smoke alarms since 2004 and Mr Agnew said that since then, the architects had reported a significant number of senior’s homes without smoke alarms. Of the ones that did have them, many were inactive, or had the alarm, but it hadn’t been installed.
“Many families owe their lives to working smoke alarms as you can’t smell smoke when you are asleep. A small fire can quickly grow to involve an entire room in two - three minutes. Smoke alarms are an essential early-warning system to alert you and your family to the dangers of fire and smoke and allow time to escape."

Buyers warm to units in hard times: report

PROPERTY residential

The most affordable end of the Brisbane property market is shrinking rapidly – with house sales under $300,000 dropping 95 per cent in five years.

Brisbane’s Affordable Market Overview report prepared by PRDnationwide research analyst Josh Brown reveals sales below $300,000 have gone from 2307 transactions over the six months to December 2005, down to 125 sales in December 2010.
“The Brisbane market has definitely seen a shift in what is considered affordable,” he said.
All suburbs within the Brisbane Local Government Area which registered the highest volume of sales between $300,000-$399,000 have been identified.
Mr Brown said topping the list for houses were Forest Lake, Bracken Ridge, Inala, Brighton and Acacia Ridge. They were followed by Zilmere, Bald Hills, Banyo, Algester and Tingalpa.
“A total of 117 house sales in Forest lake transacted in the affordable price bracket of $300,000-$399,000,” said Mr Brown.
“This accounted for 55 per cent of all house sales between July and December 2010, highlighting this suburb as one of Brisbane’s most affordable suburbs.”
The researcher said what was considered “affordable” had jumped by about $100,000 in only five years.
“The prospect of buying a house within the $200,000 to $299,999 range within a practical distance of the CBD is no longer a viable option,” he said.
Mr Brown said this had prompted Generation Y buyers to look at purchasing units and townhouses within more attractive areas, which had a lesser impact on their lifestyle.
“People are becoming less inclined to make purchases which adversely affect their lifestyle and therefore units, representing an affordable compromise, are becoming more popular,” he said.
In the same price bracket of $300,000 to $399,000 a buyer could secure a unit of within a five kilometre radius of the CBD – versus potentially 15 kilometres away for a house.
Suburbs which recorded the highest proportion of unit sales within the $300,000-$399,000 price bracket were Brisbane City, Coorparoo, Fortitude Valley, Calamvale and Nundah.

China proves a challenge well worth the taking

By Travel Editor David Bray

We really should know as much as possible about China, right?. One-day visits don’t qualify the tourist to deliver serious advice about the politics and economics of a nation and its big cities. But if you do your homework there’s plenty to be learned and in this case perhaps usefully passed on to others planning to follow.


China is a challenge. Never been there in many years of travel and here we are arriving, with many hundreds of “moderately-affluent older people” (as we are told) aboard the world’s biggest liner, at Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong . Queen Mary 2 provides excellent lecturers about all three cities, one dealing with history and politics, another with the specifics of tourist attractions and how to make the most of them.
First impressions of China are not brilliant. Xingang port for Beijing : A big, grey wharf, deserted except for a couple of officials and a police car. Bleak compared with the previous port, Osaka’s, welcoming children’s marching band.
The bus ride around Tianjin into Beijing is through unlovely grey landscape, in which workers tend millions of new trees, then industrial sites and grey, unlovely high rise apartments. Interestingly, plenty of road signs in English: Keep Space – rear end collision; No over speeding; Waste discarding prohibited; Change lanes – notice behind.
Lucia, our excellent guide, fills the two hours-plus with interesting details of family life, cost of living, problems of keeping a car. First stop a shopping centre opposite the Temple of Heaven. Nothing appeals here, so out to a little coffee shop which is overwhelmed by the influx that we end up taking our “toasted sandwich” onto the bus.
Then and two-and-a-half- hour walk along the side of Tiananmen Square, jumping a long queue into the Forbidden City. An impressive compound , representing a complicate social structure, some of it breath-takingly beautiful.
Then to general relief, the bus. Main impression is the inescapable crowd and the almost always present squads of uniformed young men. Reckon the people of Beijing are quite afraid of their government, very wary of ubiquitous black Audis with blacked-out windows.
Shanghai (main picture) feels happier. Its port, said to be the biggest and busiest in the world, is still a long drive from town. But the town, in its day described as the Paris of The East and Queen of the Orient , is fascinating – vibrant, lively, historic, going places. The Bund is no longer riverside, with land reclaimed to make life more attractive for the recent Expo.
Spectacular new buildings contrast with traditional elements. The Shanghai Museum, opened in 1996 is good, well worth some time. We battle our way through Old Shanghai Market, advised by our guide that if we become lost to stay where we are and he will find us.
Warned not to eat at Chinese stalls or restaurants, we and many, many other tourists swarm into a Starbucks. Disappointing. They have lots to learn.
A short walk, battling always with crowds, sees us cross a zig-zag bridge into beautiful gardens. Next stop, not altogether enthusiastically supported, is a silk factory which turns out to be quite rewarding. The worms revive memories. The spinning off is interesting, the finished products attractive, so much so that we buy one of their duvets.
Both these huge old Chinese cities swarm with busy people, exist under fearsome smog and are on their way to dominating world trade, along with India, if not just yet the world.
And so to Hong Kong, last seen when it was British, It has not surprisingly changed somewhat but is retains plenty of its former appeal. As reported previously, we can’t score a berth, anchoring out in Junk Bay, 40 minutes by tender to Central.
We take the Star ferry (who doesn’t?) and head off towards the Museum of History but get kinda sidetracked and end up having a quiet drink at a pleasant bar on the promenade, walking back to the ferry and heading back to the welcome of the ship.
Next day we leave her after four weeks. Luggage goes straight to the Marriot Courtyard hotel, which we discover in due course to be suitably comfortable and to have an outstanding dining room.
We are whisked off for a standard Hong Kong tour: Sampans at Aberdeen with ancient and feisty women at the tiller, Repulse Bay, Stanley markets, no change at all so far as we can tell in many years, ordinary food in the waterfront cafes, a jewellery factory visit which is neither more nor less than a sales job, then Victoria Peak which is completely different, a major shopping mall and from which no view of Hong Kong is possible because of heavy fog, natural rather than smog. The tram ride down is fun, as always,
Our last day we work out how to use public transport to the Museum of History and it is well worth the trouble, excellent displays, some interactive. Bus to the airport which has none of the weird attraction of the old one (flying in among apartment buildings), but works very well.
Which concludes both the Hong Kong tour and a fine cruise.
A points-paid upgrade sees us fly home in comfort.

Old habits die hard

By David Bray

It was close. Almost broke a 60-year habit but in the end relented and am glad I did. I had been a season subscriber to the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in its various guises since it first played, under in 1947.

I remember the early conductors John Farnsworth Hall and Rudolf Pekárek. When the 2011 subs became due late last year, we decided to give it away, along with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Queensland Opera.
easons included parking problems at QPAC, traffic before and after events, falling standards of pre-performance meals and drinks service, and inevitably the increasing problems of old age, notably too many stairs and general discomfort moving around. Of course cost was considered but was not a major concern.
Note that performance standards were not a factor. The big orchestra was and is wonderfully energised under maestro Johannes Fritzsch, and the ACO continues to challenge as well as delight with its remarkably high standard and the opera company seems to have recovered from what I saw as last year’s very ordinary Merry Widow. Though recent apparent interference with the 2012 schedule to accommodate the Australian Opera is no great help.
There is major and growing competition in this area from the cinema which has for some years been bringing to Brisbane and a few other centres high definition screenings of outstanding productions from world’s best houses. These offer reserved (and comfortable) seating at less than $30, in the daytime. But we couldn’t give up the live performances. The solution was to go to the orchestra’s morning concerts, where the traffic and parking seem to be easier and the hours more suitable for oldies.
A little while ago we were in the Concert Hall for a wonderful concert: Les Preludes by Liszt, Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No 1 (with Paul Dean enjoying being back with the orchestra) and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Start at 11 a.m., out by 12.20, no exit traffic problems. Same more recently for the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony.
If you haven’t heard our orchestra for a while, be advised that it’s very good. Also note that the daytime concerts include some on Sunday morning. Plenty of walking sticks and frames around and everyone seems happy.

GOMA piles on surreal fun for kids

By Sally Scott

Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art, popularly known as GoMA, has done it again. Recognised as the country’s most visited gallery last year, its newest exhibition – Surrealism, the Poetry of Dreams – is a more than worthy follow-up to its earlier 21st Century: Art in the First Decade, and sure to consolidate its standing with art lovers from around the country.

Surrealism is a 20th-century movement of artists and writers that developed out of Dadaism. It is recognised for its fantastic images and incongruous associations used to represent unconscious thoughts and dreams. Of all art genres, perhaps Surrealism is the one that has the potential to capture children’s imagination the most. It is tailor-made for young fertile minds.
And one of GoMA’s strengths is that it is a free venue, and somewhere that every kid love visiting. Children of all ages (and even accompanying adults) get plenty of opportunities to try their hand at emulating some of the artists whose work is featured.
During the Surrealist exhibition, the large well-staffed children’s area has been turned over to the art and crafts of artists such as Max Ernst, Oscar Dominguez and Marcel Duchamp. In the Surrealist tradition of discovering how unlock the imagination with games and activities involving chance and picture-making, children get to work with pictures, scissors and glue sticks, and crayons and torn paper to come up with their own masterpieces to put up on display or to take home.
The main exhibition, which features the core of the Surrealist collection from Paris’s National Museum of Modern Art housed in the Pompidou Centre, is the excellent and highly recommended main attraction with tickets $10-$20. Children under 12 are admitted free. Artists featured include leading exponents of the movement – Victor Brauner, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Rene Magritte, Alberto Giacometti and Giorgio De Chirico – and film and photography from notaries, such as Luis Bunuel, Man Ray and Rene Clair.

Until Oct 2. More information at www.qag.qld.gov.ay/surrealism


Above: Northside cousins Olivia Magnay and Greta Kasprowicz ham it up for the Indie camera at the GoMA exhibition.