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Canberra Today 14°/19° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Canberra Confidential / Court not in the act

ACT Courts white wallIT’S a miracle! CC can’t help but wonder how the unspoiled, white hoarding erected on the Vernon Circle side of the law courts building site has lasted these past few weeks untroubled by the vulgar blight of graffiti. Give ’em time.

Fast, rude and treadbare

LITTLE wonder the ACT government’s Budget is bolstering the speed-camera brigade if this survey from a national tyre company is anything to go by. It discovered, though we’re at a loss to understand the methodology, that the ACT topped the nation as the “state most likely to speed”. And heaven help you if you get lost in Canberra without your smartphone. We were rated as the nation’s “state least likely” to give good directions.

And another tyre company has been sneaking around Australia’s carparks measuring the rubber tread of 16,904 cars and concluded the ACT is one of the nation’s worst for tyre safety with 38 per cent of Canberra vehicles below the legal minimum tread.

Fiona takes on Rome

FORMER Canberran-cum-Sex Party leader Fiona Patten has declared “an all out war” on the Catholic Church with an appeal to crowdfund the party’s $25,000 election campaign ad.

Bemoaning that no matter who wins the election Australia will still end up with a Catholic PM in The Lodge, she tells prospective donors that her party is the only one with “the balls to stand up for issues that matter to the majority of Australians – and up to the religions who stand in the way of changes to the law”.

Bertie the Aeroplane… up for some crowdfunding.
Bertie the Aeroplane… up for some crowdfunding.
Bringing back Bertie

AND while on crowdfunding Canberra filmmaker and long-time department store Santa Claus, Michael Kraaz, is about a third of the way towards raising $8000 to produce a documentary on the pioneering work of Australian animator Eric Porter, particularly his two Aeroplane Jelly cinema advertisements featuring Bertie the Aeroplane, made in 1946 and 1954.

He hopes the character’s wide appeal will encourage pledges for the project’s crowdfunding campaign at pozible.com/project/195679.

Apart from getting their names in the final credits, supporters will receive a range of rewards including a digital download and DVD copy of the completed film, some special jelly dessert recipes and, of course, a packet of Aeroplane Jelly.

Plod loves a ‘throwback’

WHAT’S happening to our seemingly monarchist local police force? Here’s the latest nonsense to appear on its Facebook page: “As Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 90th birthday we thought it would be a great time to throwback to her trip down under in 2011.” Really? Nothing else to do?

“Canberra came down with a case of royal fever as the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh spent seven days touring the capital.” No we didn’t! Don’t these chumps know we’re the most republican community in Australia?

“Our officers, including the Water Operations Team and members from the Specialist Response Group and Bomb Response Team were out in force to ensure the royals were safe.” Remind us, what did that cost taxpayers?

Bore water signPigs, we do

RESTLESS CC snout Cedric Bryant spotted this oddly cryptic daubing of two foraging feral boars in a Yass garden that apparently indicates to passers-by that the householders don’t use town water. Bore water, geddit?.

Quick-draw funding

NOW bereft of Australia Council funding, the Canberra Contemporary Art Space, at Gorman House, is fundraising on July 9 with Quick Draw, a night of “fast-paced, fancy-free fun and entertainment, where everyone goes home with an artwork. You just don’t know which one it will be.”

Fifty local and national artists have donated the art, which will be randomly assigned to guests over the course of the $250-a-ticket evening. Tickets via eventbrite.com.au

Dander’s up…

“THE fact that the ACT Labor/Green Coalition, 43 months into a 48-month term of government, has committed to a $1.65 billion light rail project that won’t deliver good transport outcomes, but would burden future generations of Canberrans with debt, is an act of political bastardry,” fumes Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson in his usually benign monthly newsletter.

Describing the May signing as “the most arrogant act in the history of the ACT”, Jezza promises to Canberrans a chance to stop this folly at the October ACT election.

“Our plan is for no light rail but instead to invest in health, education and better local services for all of Canberra,” he more characteristically coos.

 

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