Under the banner of art Reply

Sculpture by Cecilia Castro, Ruca.

by Aimee Peters

“If I did this exhibition in Chile, or if someone saw me talking to you about The Mapuche, we would both be arrested,” says artist Cecilia Castro.

Possible Worlds: a snapshot of Canada’s finest Reply

“Haunting, bewitching and unforgettable…” War Witch took home the Jury Award for Best Film.

by Michael Simms

The seventh Canadian Film Festival, which wrapped in Sydney recently before travelling to Wollongong and Canberra, was aimed at creating a “snapshot of the best films made in Canada in any given year”, according to festival director Mathieu Ravier.

“Part of what makes Canadian cinema so relevant is its ability to provide a different perspective on the world and our place within it,” he says, adding that Australian audiences “connect with Canadian films in a very immediate way” due to a sense of common culture and history.

Shortcuts over safety Reply

Public infrastructure needs regular inspection and ongoing repair and maintenance. Picture: French Disko

by Jason Liauw

“Ageing infrastructure is a huge issue around the world,” says chartered engineer Professor Keith Crews, an internationally recognised expert in structural systems and Associate Dean in the Centre for Built Infrastructure Research (CBIR) at UTS.

A story of old toys Reply

by Greg Volz

A treasure house of refurbished toys awaiting new owners. Photo: Terry Cook

When it comes to toys, it seems that only brand new will do. The Peninsular Senior Citizens’ Toy Repair Group has a surplus of second hand toys it can’t give away.

“The surplus has gradually built up over the last two years,” says Lloyd Allen, President of the group.

Mr Allen says the group has been repairing toys to give to charities for over 35 years and has over 50, mainly local, charities on its books.

There are a number of reasons why supply had outstripped demand, according to Mr Allen.

The race for bragging rights Reply

by Matt Kelly

The start of the hotly contested Stan Mac relay. Photo: Wentworth Courier

“We want bragging rights on this beach. We want to be able to tell people we’re the best.”

That was the message from North Bondi captain Scott Thompson ahead of the 70^th annual Stan Mac Relay Race between Bondi and North Bondi Lifesaving Clubs held on the 18^th of March 2012.

“Forget the footy. Sydney’s biggest rivalry is Bondi versus North Bondi. There’s no holding back,” he said.

The race, named in honour of Bondi club stalwart Stan McDonald, a champion lifesaver from the 1920s through to the mid-sixties, is always highly anticipated and this year was no different.

Rental crisis strikes low-income earners Reply

by Brigid Smith

Rental ads

A rental crisis has struck Sydney’s low-income earners, according to Anglicare Australia.

The April Report from Anglicare Australia’s annual Rental Affordability Snapshot revealed that just two per cent of rental vacancies was affordable for households on low income.

Ned Cutcher, of the NSW Tenants Union, says, “Tenants in most parts of the country, and definitely Sydney, are being squeezed out. Properties are increasingly unaffordable.”

The decline in rental vacancies has caused an increase in rents.

Only 25 out of 10,385 rental properties available on the Snapshot weekend were identified as affordable and appropriate, according to Anglicare Australia.

Invisible Children accused of hidden agenda Reply

by Paul Clark

Poster declares Kony 2012 a “scam”.

A socialist group in Sydney has alleged there is a hidden agenda behind the not-for-profit organisation, Invisible Children.

Mr Dean Maloney, of Socialist Alternative, addressed a public meeting yesterday at the University of Technology Sydney, where he linked the activities of Invisible Children with US foreign policy and the exploitation of oil reserves in northern Uganda.  Mr Maloney said the US had shown no previous interest in Uganda.  With the discovery of oil reserves, he said, “There is now something in it for the world’s big powers.”

Invisible Children, which has headquarters in the US city of San Diego and operates in Uganda, attained a new level of fame with the release of the film Kony 2012.

Kings Cross residents speak out Reply

by Marcus Wicken

By day, Kings Cross is beautifully peaceful, by night an uncontrolled riot of noise, according to residents. Photo: GothPhil

Kings Cross residents vented their frustrations on March 20 to Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore in a public forum dominated by complaints about the area’s boisterous nightlife.

The Mayor and other Council representatives attended a workshop in Potts Point, the fifth in a series of events at distinct Sydney ‘villages’ this month.

Kate Read, the Council officer who coordinated the event, had anticipated that it would be a good source of ideas for programs to build social cohesion. “This year we’re not just saying ‘what do you want?’, but ‘what can you do that we can help fund?’” she said.

Jedi training takes place in Hornsby Reply

by Jui-Wei Yang

Light sabres at the ready as apprentice Jedis learn the ropes. Photo: Jui-Wei Yang

A Jedi training academy has opened in Hornsby, with a self-proclaimed Jedi master, as the head teacher.  He refers to himself as Jedi Master Eawan, a student of Jedi Master Yoda.

Within the Academy, Eawan and his female assistant  are dressed as the Jedi masters from the Hollywood series, Star Wars.  They each have a prop-like light sabre, the weapon Jedis use.

In class, they give students Jedi apprentice robes to wear and light sabre props like those used by a Jedi padawan or beginner Jedi apprentice.

Blood on the road Reply

The merge point of Fullers Road and Park Avenue in Chatswood has been labelled a death trap by residents. Photo: North Shore times

by Conor Nimmons

“It’s only a matter of time before somebody gets killed,” says Martin Harrison, who has been a resident of Fullers Road, Chatswood, for 15 years. Mr Harrison was speaking following an accident the previous weekend when a 14-year-old girl was involved in a car crash that sent her to a Children’s Hospital at Westmead with concussion.

Pat Reily, the Mayor of Willoughby City Council, has called for immediate action regarding what the locals call the Fullers Road Deathtrap. Six people were injured at the merge point at Park Avenue on a recent Sunday. Local residents are urging local council members to finalise a draft safety scheme for the stretch of road.