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Canberra Today 15°/19° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Where the streets are paved with… lots of history

TWENTY-one years after Australia’s first prime minister, Edmund Barton came to power, the settlement of Barton was established in his name in 1922. 

Its streets are named after governors. Blackall Street, for example, is in memory of Col. Samuel Wensley Blackall, an Irish soldier and politician, who was the second Governor of Queensland from 1868 until he died in office in 1871.

Adjacent to Capital Hill, Barton is home to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Attorney-General’s Department, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and several other Commonwealth government departments.

It’s also home to the Edmund Barton Building, which is regarded as one of architect Harry Seidler’s most important Australian buildings. The building was placed on the Commonwealth National Heritage List in 2005.

Other heritage-listed areas in Barton include the Brassey Hotel, which was completed in 1927 by the Federal Capital Commission in an American colonial revival style. Another is Hotel Kurrajong, which was designed by John Smith Murdoch in the garden pavilion style. It often housed politicians, especially from the ALP, for half a century and is particularly noted for being the place of Ben Chifley’s death.

 

All hail Canberra’s ‘best day spa’

CREATED to be Canberra’s most sought-after wellness destination, there’s nothing else like Hale Gym & Spa, says the hotel manager of Brassey Hotel, Kathryn Carling.

Whether people want to work on their fitness in the gym or relax in the spa, Kathryn says Hale provides a sanctuary for the body and mind.

When it comes to the mind, Kathryn says Hale Spa is a place of complete indulgence and relaxation where people can escape to.

“[There’s a] full suite of spa treatments across nine luxurious rooms including a couple’s suite with a bath and dual shower,” she says.

“Our cave-like plunge pool provides total solace in a tranquil place [and] our infrared saunas and steam rooms are geared towards extracting impurities, whilst relaxing muscles and promoting recovery.

“Our Scandi-inspired client lounge with fireplace provides the perfect place to relax pre and post treatment and our luxurious change rooms include personal lockers, plush towels, premium amenities and finishing stations complete with Dyson hair dryers and Cloud 9 straightening irons.”

Kathryn says Hale Spa is always blown away with positive feedback, with one saying: “Hale is by far the best day spa I have been to in Canberra! The massages are absolutely amazing and the facilities are gorgeous.”

Hale Gym & Spa, 10–14 Macquarie Street, Barton. Call 6188 3299 or visit halehealth.com.au

 

Support the club that supports services

Canberra Services Club manager Marija Djeke.

THE Canberra Services Club manager, Marija Djeke, is calling on Canberrans to come to Barton and support the club so it can continue to support service people of the ACT and its surrounds.

“We’re here to help service people, so when you support us, you’re helping us support ambulance services, firefighting services and police,” she says.

“We support the ACT branch of the War Widows’ Guild of Australia, too, by providing them with an office here.”

So Marija invites all locals to come to the club’s great location and have a meal or use its function space for events such as weddings, anniversaries, reunions, birthdays and christenings.

“We do conferences, too, and have corporate catering options,” she says.

Marija says the club also has specials throughout the week such as $4 stubbies on a Thursday and its meat raffles on Friday nights.

“We have happy hour every day from 4pm to 6pm,” she says.

“And we have great, reasonably-priced pub food such as pizzas, burgers, steaks, pasta dishes and chicken schnitzel, which is a popular one.

“The atmosphere is also great. It’s friendly, the place has a nice home-like feel and the staff always go above and beyond.”

Canberra Services Club, 51 Blackall Street, Barton. Call 6162 0503 or visit canberraclub.com.au

 

The director and massage therapist of The SMART Centre, Vince Cosentini.

Vince offers quality massage therapy for all

AFTER working with elite sportspeople at the Australian Institute of Sport for about 13 years, Vince Cosentini decided to open The SMART Centre last year so he could provide sports massage and rehabilitation therapies to the general public.

Vince brings with him almost 19 years of experience, and has treated athletes at two Olympic Games and two Commonwealth Games, before deciding to head his own practice, which treats everyone.

“Primarily I wanted to work with the general population again, sharing my knowledge and expertise in treating a variety of conditions such as back and shoulder injuries,” he says.

“I also wanted to build a team of therapists around me to help everybody with massage therapy.”

At The SMART Centre, Vince says each and every one of their clients can be confident they’ll get the best care.

“All the therapists undertake regular professional industry education and are recognised within the massage therapy industry,” he says.

“In this industry so many massage clinics pop up that don’t have qualified therapists. All the therapists at The SMART Centre have industry qualifications, professional association memberships and the appropriate professional insurance.

“The primary reason to go to someone who is qualified is you get the best in massage therapy and health care to overcome muscular aches and pains.”

The SMART Centre, inside the Brassey Hotel, corner of Belmore Gardens and Macquarie Street, Barton. Call 0411 762082, email thesmartcentre@outlook.com or visit thesmartcentre.net.au

 

Trainers who believe in ‘human potential’

Yellow Edge client service manager Victoria Appleby.

YELLOW Edge has been supporting leaders at every level since it was established in 2002, says its client service manager Victoria Appleby.

The leaders of Yellow Edge itself, the four founding directors, were colleagues at a large multinational and decided to start the business after they were frustrated with the constraints imposed on them in their former roles, which consequently affected their clients.

Now, Victoria says they support leaders through training programs, professional coaching, citizen engagement and consultancy work.

“They decided to take a stand and embark on a new journey together, armed with a depth of client understanding and a mission to provide exceptional service,” she says.

“We believe in human potential and our ability to support and elevate our clients to higher levels of performance.

“We are not a training company that provides ‘off-the-shelf’ offerings to our clients, but instead create tailored solutions for valuable, practical outcomes.

“We partner with our clients on projects and often become their trusted advisers in the leadership and development space.

“Clients regularly tell us they appreciate our ability to understand their needs, that we’re easy to work with and that we provide positive impact and change.”

Yellow Edge, Level 2, 9 Sydney Avenue, Barton. Call 6273 0168, email clientservice@yellowedge.com.au or visit yellowedge.com.au

 

Pilates studio with an international interest

WHEN Lanette Gavran started Pilates Canberra in the ACT about 24 years ago, there was only one other studio around.

“At the time I was a personal trainer and realised very quickly that lots of people have an injury and weren’t able to lift weights or go for a run,” she says.

“I realised Pilates was an avenue to rehabilitate people to a good level of strength and mobility.

“We do a lot of general strength and conditioning as well as rehabilitation from injuries and specific conditions.

“We also do a lot of pre and post natal work and have referrals from allied health specialists and medical specialists.”

Since opening, Pilates Canberra has grown, and so has Lanette’s skillset, which brings many visiting instructors from Australia and internationally to her studio to study with her.

“We’re one of the top Pilates studios in Australia,” Lanette says.

“I travel annually to the US to study with people who are prodigies of instructors who were working directly with Joseph Pilates.

“So I have a knowledge base that’s greater than many others and am constantly passing it on to my wonderful instructors.

“My instructors all have or are studying the highest Pilates qualification in Australia, which amounts to four years of study.”

Pilates Canberra, 14 Macquarie Street, Barton. Call 0412 022917, email barton@pilatescanberra.com.au or visit pilatescanberra.com.au

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