SERVICE with a… who’s that Press Club waiter about to plant a smacker on the unsuspecting cheek of the Opposition Leader’s wife, Ros Seselja? 

As in life, it’s all a matter of timing and perspective. Snapper Silas Brown took these shots at the Great Election Debate at Gandel Hall when Zed was zeroing in on Mrs S for a supportive peck after his performance in the Great Debate against Labor’s Katy Gallagher. He got there.

Dogs are barking

But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles
To fall down at your door  

So goes the old “Proclaimers” hit “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”, something of an anthem for door-knocking politicians everywhere – and they are everywhere at the moment. But from Silas Brown’s privacy-invading shot of Liberal MLA Alistair Coe’s resting shoe, four years walking the front garden paths of Ginninderra are clearly taking their toll on his dogs.

Funny Barr none

DEPUTY Chief Minister Andrew Barr finally noticed the Centenary in the room and gently took a dig at creative director Robyn Archer’s never ending story at her VIP launch of the Centenary program earlier this month.

During his speech at the beautifully-scheduled Floriade opening, Barr recalled the mammoth presentation (which oscillated between passion, tedium, singing and ukulele playing), quipping: “For those of you who had experience of Robyn Archer’s two-hour launch of the Centenary program, possibly felt as I did, exhausted, and that we’d already lived through the Centenary.”

Rocket man

CELEBRITY gardener and former stripper Jamie Durie stole the show at the Floriade launch. The pocket rocket was in good humour assuring everybody, when he first went on stage, that he was in fact standing up and, yep, he’s much shorter in real life. Durie went on to mention his former work as a Manpower stripper, saying he had no problems going “from hot pants to pot plants”.

Naughty Genevieve

AND while we’re on the subject of speeches at the Floriade launch, MC and ABC 666 presenter Genevieve Jacobs roused some giggles with a bit of naughty talk. Jacobs, who wore a low-cut Leona Edmiston frock, likened gardening to sex saying the two pleasures are addictive. Right. There was a blush-making line about a zucchini, too…

Do-or-die for Daz

We shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…

That’s Winston Churchill, but it might as well be his local namesake, Darren Churchill, the perennial candidate for public office. Having snared a less than dazzling 192 first-preference votes in Ginninderra at the 2008 poll, Daz just hasn’t heard the voice of the people. He’s back into the fray, hoping to top his PB 0.3 per cent following for the Australian Democrats in the northern electorate. Darren doubles as ACT party president and tirelessly stands for parliament, any parliament, having also had a crack at the Federal seat of Fraser in 2007 and chased a Senate spot in 2010.

Parking mystery

REGULAR readers of “CC” will recall the column’s pout about fluoro stickers on the $12-a-day parking machines announcing specifically that the price of all-day parking would increase by $1.50 a day from September 3. Mysteriously, the stickers disappeared and the machines remained fully sated at $12.

“CC” wondered why: Political nervousness about the fees going up this close to the election, we innocently mused? After calling TAMS we were passed rather strangely to the Justice and Community Safety Directorate. The sweet communications officer wouldn’t take a question over the phone and insisted on our sending an email. We did. And someone we’d never spoken to called Danielle Krajina, wrote back, straight faced that the stickers were “wrongly placed” on the machines and then proffered Parking Operations’ apologies “to the Canberra community for any inconvenience”. That would be the inconvenience of having more money in our pocket, we suppose. And a prediction: The stickers will be back around, oh, Monday, October 22.

WITH the promise of “recycling at its most fashionable”, the ACT Women’s Legal Centre is urging women with too many handbags and baubles (“CC” hasn’t met one yet) to drop their excesses off at the centre (8 Piguenit Close, North Lyneham) in support of its annual Bags ‘n’ Bling fundraiser, from 5pm, on Wednesday, September 26.

With legal precision, they urge: “Come along on the night for a glass of bubbly and to bag your own bargain (cheap cheap cheap) – one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure!”

More information at  6257 4377 or email coordinator@womenslegalact.org

Snappers united

WHAT would you call a group of photographers? “CC” doesn’t know either, so we googled a group of snappers. No good. Next logical projection: snappers to crocodiles. Bingo! En masse, the Oxford Dictionary tells us they’re called a “bask”.

So, from 3pm on Sunday, September 30 a “bask of snappers” will be wandering the bushes of the Botanic Gardens in the spring Photowalk, organised by local commercial photographer Hilary Wardhaugh, who says it’s a chance for any person, irrespective of age or ability, to get together and have “a lovely walk, get some fresh air and meet other photographically minded people”.

“CityNews” snapper-to-the-stars Silas Brown also plans to be there, like he needs the practice.

“It is meant to be all inclusive whether you own a DSLR, a compact or just a phone-cam,” says Hilary.

“If we get enough photowalkers they’ll keep the cafe open for coffee until 5pm, so it’d be great to know if you are going to come.”

RSVP to Hilary on 0418 255416 or email hilary@hwp.com.au

Gary’s making plans

FORMER member for Eden-Monaro Gary Nairn has been out of the spotlight for a while, but he’s making headlines again after scoring a big gig in the new NT Country Liberal Party Government.

The “NT News” complains that incoming Chief Minister Terry Mills broke an election promise by not advertising Nairn’s new job.
“Former CLP president and qualified surveyor Gary Nairn, who left the Territory 20 years ago and became a Liberal Party federal politician, will be head of the new Planning Commission,” the paper reports.

Nairn, who was an MP for 11 years in the Howard Government, had previously lived in the NT where he was CLP president between 1990 and 1994.

Silly suburbs

CLEARLY the grind of the backbench is getting to him. The Federal member for Fraser, Andrew Leigh, is seeking to put some “celebrity” into Canberra’s approaching centenary and has encouraged locals to come up with the “silliest suggestions of celebrities after whom your suburb could have been named” on his blog.

Suggestions so far include Hughes after cricketer Merv Hughes, Pearce after Guy Pearce, and Russell after Russell Crowe. And there’s bonus points for the first and last name – props to those who suggested Harrison Forde, adult film actress Paige Turner, and ANU economist Bruce Chapman.