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Canberra Today 25°/29° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

A thing going on

SNAPPER Silas Brown, curious when there’s thing going on, snapped these construction hoardings at Kingston shops and set “CC” the challenge of finding out more.

On the remote possibility it was a cafe under construction (joke) we called “CityNews” dining reviewer Wendy Johnson who told us it was indeed to be a cafe, from the team behind Manuka’s Urban Pantry, opening later this year, and to be called curiously Me and Mrs Jones, from the song of the same name (“We meet ev’ry day at the same cafe / Six-thirty I know she’ll be there / Holding hands, making all kinds of plans / While the jukebox plays our favorite song”).

Happy now, Silas?
Blasted and busted

CANBERRA public servant and toy blaster hobbyist/blogger Martyn Yang, found himself in a bit of a “situation” with global game company Hasbro over a post he uploaded on to his site about an unreleased Nerf gun.

Martyn runs Urban Taggers, “a blog community” that’s dedicated to “all things to do with toy blasters”.

When Martyn received an email from Hasbro offering samples of a new and unreleased Nerf gun to offer his blog’s readers, he thought all his Christmases had come at once. Wrong!

Instead, he found two lawyers at his doorstep, slapping him with a letter saying he’d used unauthorised information and images of the “N-Strike Elite Rampage” that’s protected by copyright. Oops.

The company was in fact trying to track the blogger’s address down.

“…I really didn’t know that my hobby of shooting toy guns and foam darts was going to lead to all this…” writes Martyn on his blog.

Although, he hopes “not to post on this issue anymore”, it’s definitely gone viral.

Taiwan-based CGI-animated news site Next Media Animation has created a YouTube video dedicated to Martyn’s story.

“I DON’T look anything like NMA’s CGI portrayal of me!! :P,” Martyn wrote on his blog.

To view the NMA’s news animation visit http://youtu.be/i7HoC_Rnx_U

To learn more about Martyn’s blog visit http://urbantaggers.blogspot.com.au
Anzac Day in a distant town

FORMER ACT Liberal Party president Winnifred Rosser and partner David Malloch are now residents of Polinago, a small Italian town an hour outside Modena in the Emilia Romagna. She reports that just as Anzac Day is one of the most important national days in Australia, for Italians it is also Liberation Day, celebrating the end – in 1944 – of Italy’s engagement in World War II.

Winnifred writes that visitors Cowra resident and former Canberran, Col. Tiit Tonuri (Rtd) and his wife Jan were explaining the importance of Anzac Day to Australians, when the local mayor immediately invited Tiit to join with the former members of the Alpini (the Italian Mountain Corps) and Carabinieri in celebrating Liberation Day and Anzac Day.

Col. Tonuri placed a floral tribute on the local war memorial and was presented with a plaque and a pennant.

“Of course, this was all followed by a wonderful long lunch, lots of really good Lambrusco and Nocino (digestive liqueur),” Winnifred writes.

Calling all NCDC types

DES Pain, a former chief engineer of the National Capital Development Commission (the forerunner of the National Capital Authority) with colleagues Gordon Shannon, Geoff Campbell and Barry Browning, is organising a reunion commission staff next March.

“It will be 55 years since the commission started operations and 25 years since its abolition,” Des says. “This does seem to be an appropriate time to relive the accomplishments of the NCDC and to renew old friendships.”

While he has lists of names and addresses of many former commission staff he knows there are many people not on these lists and “we do not wish to exclude them”.

Former staff members who’d like to know more should contact Des by email at despain@bigpond.com

 

Marathon men for Marymead

CANBERRA’S “forever classic” radio station will be put to the test on May 12 when 2CA presenters Leighton Archer and Larry Appley stay on air for 24 hours to raise money for Marymead.

The radiothon will include “special guests and celebrities from around Canberra, Australia and the world” who will call in to the station to keep the lads alert throughout the marathon fundraiser.

Marymead is an organisation that supports vulnerable and disadvantaged children and families.

To be part of the 24 hour radiothon for Marymead tune into 1053 2CA, on digital radio or online at 2ca.com.au from midday Saturday, May 12.

 

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