THE steep learning curve in harsh political reality for ACT Labor Senate seat-warmer David Smith just got steeper. Smith’s insecurity over being returned to the bench from whence he was plucked was brutally confirmed by the person he replaced. Unsurprisingly, Katy Gallagher who has been silent since being disqualified by the High Court for breaching Section 44 is back in the game citing “unfinished business” as the reason for re-contesting her Senate spot.

THE NSW “baby blues” breakthrough win in the state of origin opener shared Twitter space with the news of another NRL-related birth. Host of Channel 9’s “Footy Show” and former Canberran Erin Molan and her partner Sean Ogilvy announced the arrival of Eliza Emily Ogilvy in the hours before the Blues’ win. Fellow “Footy Show” panellist Beau Ryan and “Today” show fill-in Ben Fordham were among a throng of sporting and showbiz types tweeting congratulatory messages. Victorious Blues’ coach Brad Fittler went further, tweeting the opening lyrics of Axiom’s ’70s hit “A Little Ray of Sunshine”.

FIVE-time Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe has called on officials to cut elite athletes some slack. The Thorpedo is a part of the Australian Institute of Sport’s new athlete well-being and engagement team and was in town for its first summit. The 11-time world champion said: “We have an expectation around our team that is usually elevated and I don’t think it’s beneficial when sporting organisations are talking about how many gold medals we will win.”

COMEDIAN and children’s author James O’Loghlin has drawn heavily on his Canberra childhood for his fifth book “The New Kid”. Like O’Loghlin, the book’s central character Sam moves to Canberra from interstate and faces the challenges of fitting in.

In “The New Kid”, Sam’s adventures begin when he sets out to make himself “the most popular kid ever”. O’Loghlin, who now lives in Sydney with partner actress Lucy Bell and their three daughters, says he misses the wide open spaces of Canberra but not the cold winters.

Male stripper turned designer gardener whose green thumb is imprinted on the landscape of one of Canberra’s most fashionable addresses has run into some strife. The gossip pages are awash with reports of former Manpower member Jamie Durie’s latest financial woes. Durie’s JPD Media and Design Pty Ltd has entered into voluntary administration after a former colleague sued the TV personality for alleged unpaid commissions. Durie, who had Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement, designed the grounds of the Observatory Living complex at Wright and had his work showcased at Floriade 2012.

STILL on matters botanical and a row of plane trees lining the median strip on Morisset Street, Queanbeyan, are providing a natural canvas for the town’s latest yarn-bombing exhibition. “The Great Queanbeyan Stitch-up” follows the 2017 effort which saw the Monaro Street bridge covered in thousands of squares of brightly coloured, knitted and crocheted squares supplied by scores of locals.

A FLAMBOYANT tone has fallen across another nearby NSW town. Sightings of the “fab five” presenters of the Netflix reality show “Queer Eye” sent fans into a frenzy speculating wildly on the tasteful team’s target. The program, which gives advice on grooming, interior design, food, wine and culture to straight men, is filming a makeover of a Yass hotel and of a local lad for an upcoming episode.

MEANTIME, a Canberran missing the insightful social commentary and sharp wit of radio veteran Mike Jeffreys will be pleased to know the former 2CC breakfast announcer is back in the capital thanks to a deal between SKY News and WINTV. From the end of June, Jeffreys and his controversial co-commentators Andrew Bolt, Graham Richardson and Paul Murray will be free-to-air on SKY News on WIN. CEO Angelos Frangopoulos says the deal – a first for SKY – will provide “the depth and breadth of news, sports news, weather news and public affairs content, available on SKY News on our premium channels on Foxtel, to even more Australians”.