New Car Warranty Protection

next to Claremont Oval.
The plans stipulated that all new multi-storey buildings in the de- velopment would have to have below-ground and basement parking for occupants.
Claremont this week released its much-anticipated blueprint for the 9.4ha area north of the rail- way line that will set Claremont’s shape for the next century. Structure plans for the precinct will be shown to the public from this week, after the council voted to advertise the plans and seek public comment on them at this week’s council meeting.
The council has a statutory obligation to advertise the plans for a minimum of 21 days, and commenced this 21-day period from Friday this week. “The release of the Proposed Structure Plan is a significant mile- stone which will pave the way for transforming the poorly-utilised north-east precinct into a vi- brant centre with excellent access to public transport and improved pedestrian connectivity with the town centre,” Claremont’s mayor Peter Olson said.
“We look forward to further in- volving the community in refin- ing the plan as we head towards the final planning approval.” Widespread advertising of the plan would ensure that members of the community had the oppor- tunity to present their views and give input via public submissions before the plan was presented to Claremont’s councillors for formal

Cottesloe’s push to curb anti- social behaviour and hoon driving along the beachfront has earned the town a presti- gious award from the Office of Crime Prevention.
The scheme includes a suc- cessful lock-down experiment at local hotels, even though Northbridge has rejected a trial of the scheme.
While the WA Crime and Safety Awards cannot be hand- ed out until the new government is sworn in, the council has been notified that the award will be going to Cottesloe.
The community safety pro- gram includes extra ranger pa- trols, CCTV, a 9pm lock-out at both hotels, and three-hour parking restrictions applicable 24 hours a day to both major beachfront carparks.
“If you leave (a pub) after 9pm on a Sunday you don’t get let back in,” said senior ranger Neil Ferridge.
“That way the crowd starts dis- persing and at 10pm closing time you don’t get so many peo- ple in the streets.” He said the three-hour limit at No. 1 and 2 carparks was also playing its part.
“The carparks also start emp- tying by 9.30, so you don’t get peo- ple going back to their vehi- cles and drinking alcohol … and causing trouble,” he said.
Reports of anti-social behav- iour have reduced dramatical- ly in the two years the program has been running.
It all began when a commit- tee was formed to tackle the prob- lem. The group included local res- idents, business proprietors, councillors, council staff, po- lice liquor licensing, hotel man- agers, council rangers and the officer-in-charge of Cottesloe Police Station.
They agreed peak time was Sunday evenings during the summer, with activity concen- trated around the Cottesloe Beach Hotel, the Ocean Beach Hotel and associated carparks.
The awards will be present- ed as part of Crime Prevention Week on September 25 at Fraser’s Function Centre in King’s Park.

Energetic celebration by the Merchants of Bollywood

By Rama Gaind

From stage to the big screen, a concert film of the colourful and energetic celebration of song and dance titled The Merchants of Bollywood is screening at Canberra’s Greater Union Cinema for a limited season.
The lavish stage production has toured the world and tells the story of the Merchant family dynasty that holds the responsibility to uphold the ancient tradition of the Kathak dance, the dance of the Gods.
The story intertwined through dance is the fictional version of Vaibhavi Merchant’s life, who is now known as ‘choreographer to the stars’ in Bollywood, but was born into a family of kathak dancers from Jaipur. She is the granddaughter of pioneering choreographer Shri B. Hiralal, who was dancer and choreographer during the ‘golden era’ of Hindi cinema.
She choreographed the musical The Merchants of Bollywood which was written by Toby Gough. Her sister Shruti has been directing the musical both in the UK and Australia.
In the stage version captured on film, the main role is played by Carol Furtado as the rebellious Ayesha and Dipender Singh as Uday, her childhood sweetheart.
This particular dance tradition is about to die out with the last of the gurus, Shantilal Merchant. His granddaughter Ayesha goes against his wishes, goes to Bollywood and applies a more modern version to dance routines in films and is now ‘choreographer to the stars’ in Bollywood.
From hip-hop and classics to disco, the vivacious moves by the dancers carry the audience with them. With an irresistible beat, the music has been written and arranged by composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant
The concert in this movie was filmed at Barcelona’s Tivoli Theatre and features 40 dancers on stage, who change into more than 1000 costumes and wear 2500 pieces of Indian jewellery.
There are 800 films made in Mumbai every year, and the grandiose backdrop of the show replicates some of the most popular movies including a handful of classics from 1955 to 1974. Indian cinema fans will recognise the parodies of stars of today and yesteryear and references of such gems as Mughal-e-Azam and the legendary dance by actress Madhubala.
Vaibhavi continued to choreograph selected numbers in prominent films such as Devdas, Baghban, Fida, Dhoom, Veer Zaara, Aaja Nachle, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.
She also choreographed one of the most popular songs of 2005, ‘Kajra Re’ from Bunty aur Babli, winning several awards.
Where does she get her inspiration? She draws it from music itself, admitting to being aware of her traditional musical roots coupled with following the works of Kylie and Beyonce, to name a couple of young singing sensations.
Vaibhavi has been a judge on popular dance shows on television in India – Nach Baliye 3 and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa – which has further pushed her profile into the limelight. If you missed the stage show, then now is your chance to see, and re-live, an unforgettable Indian musical experience!

Samson & Delilah, the low-budget feature film debut from Australian director-writer-cinematographer, Warwick Thornton has stunned the film world by taking out the Camera d’Or (Golden Camera) at the Cannes International Film Festival this week.
The prize – one of the most coveted in film – was awarded by an independent jury to the best first feature film presented in any of the three Cannes selections – Official Selection, Director’s Fortnight or International Critics Week.
French actress Isabelle Adjani awarded the prize to what the jury described as "the best love film we’ve seen for many a year.”
Samson & Delilah screened in Official Selection in “Un Certain Regard” – a category reserved for films that express a personal vision, with an emphasis on special cultural expression and cinematic innovation.
“Thank you for believing in our first born baby,” Thornton said as he accepted the award. “I don’t know what to say. Viva Cannes, viva le cinema.”
The Camera d’Or prize puts Thornton and his film in esteemed company. Previous winners of the Camera d’Or since its creation in 1978 include Jim Jarmusch (Stranger Than Paradise); Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!); Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know) and Steve McQueen (Hunger).
The prize was last won by an Australian in 1996 when Shirley Barrett won the award with her debut, Love Serenade.
Since its Australian theatrical release on May 7, Samson & Delilah has become a genuine word-of-mouth sensation, growing its audience every week.
The film will continue to expand onto more cinema screens over the coming weeks.
Samson & Delilah tells the love story of two Aboriginal teenagers in a remote community in the Central Australian Desert and features stand-out performances by newcomers Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson.
Samson & Delilah was co-produced by CAAMA Productions in association with producer Kath Shelper’s company Scarlett Pictures.
Developed and Financed by the Indigenous Branch of Screen Australia.
Financed by the NSW Film and Television Office, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Adelaide Film Festival and the NT Film Office.
Distributed in Australia by Footprint Films / Transmission Films / Paramount Pictures Australia.
Samson & Delilah is in cinemas now
 

WARM UP AT CANBERRA YOUTH THEATRE THIS WINTER!

The school holidays are fast approaching and Canberra Youth Theatre is getting ready to run two fantastic drama workshops for young people aged 7-12. The workshops are daily from 10am-3pm in our theatre at Gorman House Arts Centre, they will be packed full of fun drama games and exercises and will conclude with a short performance for family and friends.

The first week of the holidays (6-10 July) invites 7-9 year olds to dig up their magnifying glasses and join SPYS R US as they become super sleuths solving a quirky mystery… whilst YIKES! will run in the second week (13-17 July) and is perfect for 10-12 year olds who want to create a story chock full of spooky exclamations as they explore the use of sound effects in performance – Crash! Bang! Rattle! YIKES!

Places in workshops are limited so avoid disappointment and enrol today!
Sibling/Friend discount available!

Enrol now by contacting CYT on 6248 5057
Or email [email protected]
www.cytc.net

Business Manager, Canberra Youth Theatre
Salary: $55,000 – $60,000 plus superannuation

Canberra Youth Theatre (CYT) is seeking an outstanding candidate for the position of Business Manager.
 
Canberra Youth Theatre (CYT) was established in 1972 and is a nationally recognised youth arts company which creates and promotes theatre with young people ages 7-25 that is inspirational, enriching, empowering and innovative. CYT is a not for profit company with three fulltime staff members (Artistic Director, Business Manager & Workshop Coordinator). Canberra Youth Theatre is supported by its members, the ACT Government through artsACT and the ACT Health Promotions Grant Program, and the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

The Business Manager must have demonstrable:
– high level financial, budget and project management experience
– high level computer skills with proven efficiency with databases, Word, Excel and MYOB
– ability to work autonomously and cooperatively as a member of a small creative team
– high level written and oral communication skills and proven ability to prepare successful funding submissions
– strong organisational skills, ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure with minimal supervision and a demonstrated ability to prioritise and manage workloads

For further information and a full job description call 02 6248 5057 or email [email protected]

Applications addressing the section criteria and CVs should be sent to:
Artistic Director
Canberra Youth Theatre
Po Box 127
Civic Square
ACT 2608

Closing Date: Friday 12 June 2009

Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire on DVD

By Rama Gaind

Multi award-winning Slumdog Millionaire (Icon Film Distribution) is an exhilerating fairytale about an underprivileged street child who scales the heights of success.
The flawless blend of taut direction, fine acting and magical music lends weight to a popular belief that filmmakers are dream merchants – and through Slumdog Millionaire Danny Boyle is no exception.
This endearing, inspirational film won eight Academy Awards this year: Best Picture, Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), Best Film Editing (Chris Dickens), Best Sound Mixing (Resul Pookutty, Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke), Best Cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle), Best Original Score (A.R. Rahman) and Best Original Song with lyrics for Jai Ho by Gulzar and score by Rahman..
There’s a certain manipulative quality in the realism of Slumdog Millionaire that’s magical.
Seasoned actors Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan star with newcomers Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and Madhur Mittal.
Tugging at the heartstrings, it follows the rags-to-riches story of Jamal Malik (Patel) whose life is akin to a Dickensian journey which sees him correctly answering a series of questions on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
To obnoxious police officers, led by Irrfan Khan, he recounts his life’s journey from rubbish tips, pick pocketing and running scams at the Taj Mahal before he goes on to gain unbelievable riches.
It’s only through flashbacks, which are seamlessly strung together, that the answers come forth to reveal an extraordinary life involving his brother Salim and a melodramatic love story between Jamal and Latika (Pinto).
As demonstrated by the sometimes comical, but mostly heartbreaking scenes of Jamal’s childhood, the authenticity is derived from the incredible, ever-changing, energetic and brilliant colours of Mumbai.
Based on the book Q & A by Indian diplomat and author Vikas Swarup, three different actors play the role of the three main characters as they grow up.
Patel brings a sense of vulnerability to his role, while Pinto’s Latika is a deep, intense character.
Slumdog Millionaire is an ingenious commentary on Indian society intertwined with romance as viewers are plunged into Mumbai’s pulsing, contradictory life. Viewers are thrown into the vividness of the film, where the slums are not static, but a thriving, bustling metropolis and the passion of the actors is picture perfect.
Special features of this DVD include commentaries by Boyle, Beaufoy and producer Christian Coulson about making the movie, together with the journey of the three characters, deleted scenes and scene selection.
 

Staff at Centrelink’s National Support Office in Tuggeranong turned up the volume last Friday with loud shirts, ties and socks to raise money for children with hearing difficulties.

Staff raised over $2100 for The Shepherd Centre to assist children who are deaf or hearing impaired to develop spoken language.

Centrelink’s Aaron Munchow, who lives in Conder, said he organised the ‘Loud Shirt Day’ fundraiser because he wanted to help kids.

“This event was important on a personal level because I’m hearing impaired and I received a lot of assistance from the Victorian arm of the Shepherd Centre when I was younger,” said Aaron.

“The centre helps deaf children across Australia develop their listening, language and speech skills so they can enter mainstream schooling, so it’s a very worthy initiative.

“In more recent years I’ve tried to be a bit of an ambassador for these sort of programs. I want to give something back to the community that helped me.

“It was also great the Shepherd Centre and Australian Hearing were able to help with the event coordination and providing promotional material for us to use on the day.”

Aaron said ‘Loud Shirt Day’ is also an important event for his team, the Diversity Team in the People Strategy Branch at Centrelink.

“We look at ways we can promote a workplace culture where people’s differences are recognised and valued,” he said.

“So if we can help to provide opportunities for kids with hearing difficulties that’s really a huge achievement for us as a team and also for Centrelink.”

Aaron’s team also ran a best-dressed competition on the day with two categories, the ‘loudest’ and the ‘most craziest’ outfits of the day.

Contact: Siobhan Dillon, (02) 6155 2776 or 0403 658 934
 

A woman said she saw her tiny toy poodle crushed in the jaws of a Siberian husky as they walked at Jackadder Lake in Woodlands.
A second dog was jumping at her pet, she said.
“My dog was yelping and yelping and when he was half-dead the husky literally spat him out,” Matti Dickinson said.
But the owner of the husky said the poodle provoked the incident by running towards his two dogs, which were on leads.
Tony Cousins (70) said his eight- year-old husky Tova mouthed the dog and was reprimanding it, as it would with a puppy, for running into its space.
“Unfortunately, it was so small and frail it was injured,” he said. “When Siberian huskies play, they grab each other by the neck and shake.” He said he called police after Ms Dickinson phoned him and turned up at his house.
“She was pounding on the door,” he said. “It is something that has shaken us very much.” Ms Dickinson said she looked him up in the phone book and called to tell him her dog was dead.
“I asked him, ‘what if it had been a child?'” she said.
Ms Dickinson (45), who owns a manufac- turing company, said she was walking her dog Pucci, a toy poodle hauhau, at Jackadder Lake at about 5pm on Wednesday last week.
She had left her two daughters, aged 11 and 15, at home nearby.
She said police arrived at her house while she was at the vet’s.
She bought Pucci as a puppy two years ago for $1200.
“He was my little boy ,” she said. “He fitted inside my handbag.” Ms Dickinson said after the attack a man drove her and her dog to a vet. ‘crossed with a chi-