WODEN Valley is said to be named after a nearby homestead, whose owner Dr James Murray titled it “Woden” in October, 1837, after the Old English god of wisdom.
It was a fitting name from Dr Murray, who wanted to spend his life pursuing wisdom.
But another man, Dr Harold Koch, questions this and believes Woden Valley’s origins come from the Aboriginal word for possum. The Aboriginal word, either “wadyan” or “wadhan”, became known to English speakers as “Woden”.
The traditional custodians of the district are the indigenous people of the Ngunnawal tribe.

Hellenic Club hits the big four-oh!

THE Hellenic Club was established in Phillip after an overwhelming social need for Canberra’s Greek community came to the fore in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
“They needed a place to bring their families alongside their Greek and Australian friends,” says operations manager Mick Douros.
“They needed a place they could call ‘home’.”
The Hellenic Club has since been serving the community for 40 years, and Mick says this significant milestone was celebrated on February 24.
He says the birthday celebrations have been in full swing, with more than 50,000 members as well as the whole community embracing the cultural and customer experience that the Hellenic Club prides itself on.
“Two words have been used a lot lately that illustrate the proud qualities you will find inside the Hellenic Club,” he says.
The first he says is “philoxenia”, which translates to “friend to a stranger”, and the second is “philotimo”, which translates to “love of honour”.
“The relationship between members and staff has never been stronger with everyone feeling part of the family,” he says.
“We are forever improving and reinventing our customer service and offerings to ensure that our members and guests are on the receiving end of the best customer service in Canberra.”

The Hellenic Club, Matilda Street, Woden. Call 6281 0899 or visit hellenicclub.com.au

Lingerie store helps women make the right foundation decisions

SINCE opening more than 20 years ago, Colleen’s Lingerie and Swimwear in Garran has evolved and now specialises in bra sizes and styles that are hard to find.
Originally Colleen’s Lingerie and Swimwear was established to help women who have had breast cancer surgery with its post-surgery bras.
Gillian Horton, a former customer after having surgery herself for breast cancer, took over the store in 2014.
“What women don’t know is that anybody can come in and be fitted,” she says.
“We’re finding that women who have difficulty finding bras that fit well can come and get fitted.
“We cater for large cups, large backs, small cups and front closing bras.
“If you’re actually fitted in the right bra size then you’ll be more comfortable. “The right bra will give you the right foundation.”
But Gillian says Colleen’s Lingerie and Swimwear doesn’t just sell bras and has other items such as underwear and swimwear.
In the past 20 years Gillian says the choices have increased and there are now different types of bras for all occasions.
“We also have very spacious fitting rooms to make women feel comfortable when they come in,” she says.
“And we make sure they receive an excellent customer service. Our focus is the customer.”

Colleen’s Lingerie and Swimwear, Shop 6, 22 Garran Place, Garran. Call 6285 1311 or visit colleens.com.au

Think lined curtains when it comes to insulation

WITH winter on its way, the owner of Alexanders Curtains, Rosslyn Rebbeck, says the most energy efficient method, when it comes to decorating and insulating a home, is to install well-lined curtains with a pelmet covering the top.
“Double glazing is not the answer,” she says.
Rosslyn says they have a curtain heading system which is a lot more effective and has a good rapport with the energy rating people.
“Over the last few years Alexanders have been developing a new curtain heading system called ‘EVO’,” she says.
“This new heading system allows the curtains to stack back far more efficiently than previously available heading types, allowing more valuable winter sunlight in.
“Together with the new ‘EVO’ heading system we have developed new track sections that incorporate a sleek and slim-lined pelmet system which does not require the traditional bulky timber pelmet over the top of your curtains.”
Alexanders Furnishings has been servicing Canberra and its surrounds for about 50 years and Rosslyn says they look forward to welcoming new and old customers to its showroom on Hindmarsh Drive.
“We also custom make roller blinds, roman blinds, bonded fabric blinds, honeycomb blinds, venetian blinds and sunscreen roller blinds,” she says.
“There are many different finishes and colours to choose from as well.”

Alexanders Furnishings, Shop 5, Paul’s Centre, Hindmarsh Drive, Phillip. Call 6281 1611.

Catering options aimed at ‘wowing’ guests

FOLLOWING the launch of Daana Restaurant’s catering service, co-owners Sanjay and Sunita Kumar say it’ll be the talking point of any conference, function or event.
“Winners of ‘Best New Restaurant’ in 2017 and ‘Best Indian Restaurant’ in 2018, our chefs will surprise and delight your guests with their delicious global fare and friendly personalised service,” Sanjay says.
“Daana provides generous catering options to match any budget and takes the hassle out of organising meals for groups of 15 to 500 for corporate clients, government agencies, university departments, embassies, small offices and for private celebrations with family and friends.”
Sanjay says they have many different options to “wow” guests, from a variety of different international cuisines such as Mediterranean, Australian and Asian.
To make it easy for customers, Sanjay says people can order for all corporate catering online.

“Or you can chat with us about your requirements and budget, and we’ll put together some menu options that will really ‘wow’ your guests and have you fielding compliments for days,” he says.
Impressed with Daana’s fresh ingredients and unique menu options, Sanjay says they started catering through word of mouth before the official launch and have already catered for places such as the ACT Legislative Assembly, ANU, UC and Canberra Hospital.

Daana Catering. Contact 5105 1048, email chef@daana.com.au or visit daanacatering.com.au

 

The place for expert advice about paint

THE family-run business Paint Place in Phillip, formerly known as The Decoration Centre, has been delivering quality advice and paint to the region for 41 years, says owner Alex Hetenyi.
Initially established by Alex’s dad, the store is backed with two generations of knowledge with Alex joining the team as a teenager, before becoming the owner with his brother, and now on his own.
“With the experience we have and the level of knowledge we have, we can solve any project and maintenance issues with the correct advice and correct products from the beginning,” Alex says.
Being paint specialists who only deal with paint, Alex says they get a lot of customers complimenting their services.
“We’re friendly, we’re backed with knowledge and we can help with any project from staining or oiling your deck to painting the inside of your house or painting furniture.
“We offer colour-matching services and have an interior decorator who can help with colour advice in store by appointment.
“We service a lot of trade in Canberra as well and have a good, better and best range, which suits any budget.”
Paint Place also has allergy friendly paints, which Alex says have up to zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in them.
“This means people can paint in the home during the day and then sleep in it at night with no problems,” he says.

Paint Place, 38 Botany Street, Phillip. Call 6282 3666 or visit paintplace.com.au

 

Builder Achim knows his stuff

WITH a focus on giving its customers an efficient yet quality service, Woden Valley Glass is the destination for custom-made showerscreens, wardrobe doors and kitchens, says manager Achim Weissegger.
Woden Valley Glass, which has been in Canberra for about 50 years, was taken over by Achim about a year ago, bringing with him more than 30 years’ experience.
“I’m a builder so I know a lot about shower screens and I have been doing bathrooms and the rest for a long time, so I know what works and what doesn’t,” he says.
“A lot of other companies have sub-contractors who do the work and rush through it but we make sure that the job is done efficiently and properly.”
Before deciding on a sliding wardrobe door, a kitchen splash-back, a glass palestrate, a mirror or glass replacement, Achim says customers can come into the showroom where there’s the choice of a lot of different options.
“We’ll go through the advantages and disadvantages of different products and come up with something that works for you,” he says.

Woden Valley Glass, 63 Colbee Court, Phillip. Call 6281 6716, email wodenglass@gmail.com or visit wodenglass.business.site

 

Friendly, family oriented legal team

ESTABLISHED in 1986, the team at Capon & Hubert are not only backed with decades of experience but they also love what they do, says its finance director Rhonda Hubert.
The team, who work out of Phillip, enjoy assisting its clients and Rhonda says they hope it shows!
“A large part of our client base comes to us by way of referral,” she says.
“It’s a measure of our success and so is the confidence which our clients and other professionals put in our experienced, friendly and family oriented team.”
The staff at Capon & Hubert work in areas such as wills and enduring powers of attorney, estates and probate.
Its principal solicitor, Ken Hubert, has more than 32 years’ experience in the Canberra region and specialises in family law and mediations.
And, the conveyancing team is headed by Daryn Griffiths who has expertise in commercial and residential property.

Capon & Hubert, 32-38 Townshend Street, Phillip. Call 6152 9203 or email enquiries@chsol.com.au

 

Cafe brings together the community

WHEAT and Oats’ owners Phattreeya Thongphet and Jinsun Joo love bringing together the community with their Korean-infused food.
“We treat everyone like family as we feel so blessed to be part of this community,” Phattreeya says.
“We know that people in Canberra are busy bees and we want to help in our own way by providing a more nutritious meal.
“We try to make everything in-house as much as possible and try to purchase ingredients or items that are local within the area and Canberra. “Although we are a Korean infused cafe we try to buy the ingredients locally in order to know exactly what we are serving.”
On Good Friday, Phattreeya says they will have live music from 9.30am to 11.30am and 6pm to 8pm as well as a new menu for the week.
“There is also a free easter egg hunt for the children at 12pm,” she says.
“We have live music on Saturday mornings, run many workshops such as macrame plant hangers, kokedama and kids’ cooking class to help introduce healthy options for kids.”
Wheat and Oats also does catering and Phattreeya says their most popular items are spring rolls, curry puffs and Korean fried chicken.

Wheat and Oats, 22-24 Colbee Court, Phillip. Call 6282 6828, email wheatandoat@gmail.com or visit @wheatandoats on Facebook