Foreshore 2010 Review

The line-up of Foreshore this year was outstanding, with class international and Australian acts spread across three stages, over twelve hours. Looking at the set list whilst standing in the long queue to enter Commonwealth Place, I was pretty happy with the set times for the day.

Making my way through security, they conducted an amazingly thorough bag search which included the security guards confiscating my sunscreen and paw paw lip balm. This seemed a ridiculous enforcement of their no liquids policy to me, and to other annoyed punters that had prepared for a sunny day, leaving me sour.

Fortunately the first band, Fun Machine, lived up to their name and lifted my spirits with their crazy rainbow wings and fast paced lyrics. The female drummer and backing vocalist was a standout, keeping the beat and providing a nice contrasting sound to the two boys on guitars up front. They played their stand out track, Nintendo in the jungle, getting the crowd into the mood.

Looking around the crowd it seemed like the festival had been invaded by a teenage tangerine army with their uniforms of tiny shorts, bikini tops and crocheted singlets for the girls, and bare chests for the boys. There were some refreshing stylish feminine floral dresses and sharply dressed guys, but it was evident that everyone was here to let their hair down and have a good time, and on the most part, the audience was well behaved all day.

After Fun Machine, I skipped across to the Block Party Stage to watch local hip-hop act Omar Musa, Kodak and Rush perform an energised set. The declaration of, "I want good music, I like it, I love it," summed up the feelings of the audience that had now grown in size to create a small mosh pit at the front of the stage. Their set included an impressive beat-box performance by Kodak from Western Creek, who was able to combine a popular ringtone, bass and beat at the same time. Keep an eye out for these boys, as their pure musical talent will ensure they go far in our national music industry.

Once Tiesto took to the stage in the huge Hi-Top Tent, the spaces between people quickly filled, with thousands of fans squeezing in to catch a glimpse of the world's number one DJ and dance to his slick beats. Appearing alone on stage throughout his two hour set, he didn't have much audience interaction other than a suave smile as he looked out at the mass of people clearly enjoying his tunes. Concentrating on blending the elements of his songs together, he seamlessly created perfect builds, breaks and drops, making it obvious why he’s still number one.

Miami Horror took to the Kicks Stage when dark storm clouds rolled in over Parliament House, thankfully they held up and Foreshore remained a dry affair. Dressed in a floral shirt with a suit jacket over the top, the lead singer Josh Moriarty looked like he had just come from a 1970's work Christmas party, as they played well-known tracks such as Moon Theory and I look to you. Their live rendition of Sometimes was well executed and the audience sang along while their new single, Holidays fitted the day perfectly with the start of summer just a few days away.

Before I knew it, darkness had arrived and the Hi-Top tent looked incredible with rows of light fittings above the crowd flickering different colours to the beat of Afrojack. His set opened really strongly with well-known tracks like It’s Nasty Time, Barbara Streisand, Take Over Control and Day and Night.

Afrojack suffered technical difficulties but managed to keep music going while all his equipment was changed over by festival staff. The middle of his set the crowd waned a little, probably because of Cut Copy starting on the Kicks Stage, but maybe he pulled out all the popular songs too early, making the middle of his set rather bland. He finished with a new remix of Push me, which got the crowd back into the groove for a strong finish.

Australian band The Temper Trap finished the night on Kicks stage showcasing why they won two ARIAs this year. Their live sound was impeccable, utilising multiple drums and percussion to create the best sound on the day. This band had obviously been touring solidly and their set ran like a well-oiled machine. Playing their famous tracks Fader, Sweet Disposition and Love Lost to an adoring crowd, who sang along with every song. Lead singer Dougy Mandagi was the star of the set, with his voice on key and stage presence second to none. At one stage Mandagi picked up a big drum, which he drummed along to the beat with, pouring water onto it so it sprayed everywhere when being hit, creating an amazing visual spectacle.

It was clear that the crowd thoroughly enjoyed Temper Trap and were more than a little disappointed when the band finished 15 minutes early and didn’t come back for an encore, despite the masses chanting for ‘one more song’.

Foreshore certainly lived up to its reputation as Canberra’s premier music festival, and I am eagerly looking forward to see what Kicks have up their sleeves for 2011.

New Depot opens on Beaumont Street

By Grace Keyworth

The team behind The Depot on Darby Street have opened a larger, grander venue on Beaumont Street. Carrying the same name, The Depot on Beaumont encompasses three stories, making it one of the largest restaurant/bars in Newcastle.

Situated in the completely refurbished Masonic Hall, it's evident that a lot of thought has gone into embracing the historic character of the space, while still giving the venue a contemporary feel.

Business partners Chad Taylor and Adam Baker have utilised the space to its full capacity, showcasing multi-level entertainment. The restaurant, located at ground level, seats 190 guests, while the mezzanine level (second floor) hosts a stunning cocktail lounge. The third floor is yet to open, but will be a VIP lounge and bar early next year.

Taylor and Baker say the new venue has capacity to cater for large groups of people, a market they always wanted at Darby Street, but space restrictions didn’t allow for it. They’ve created a special menu for groups of 10 or more people, giving guests the choice of a tapas banquet or platters of their mains to share.

The tapas and dessert menu is similar to Darby Street, but Beaumont promotes a different style of eating for main meals. Designed to be shared amongst friends, the 1 kilo tomahawk slow-cooked steak is the star of the menu. Served with a Romesco sauce and a trio of condiments, it is sure to satisfy the hungriest of couples.

The Depot is currently holding a competition to name the VIP bar. The winner and 9 of their friends will score a stretch hummer transfer to the exclusive opening night party. Submit your name suggestion via their Facebook page by December the 15th for a chance to win.

Stay tuned to OutInNewcastle for events at The Depot.

Stonefest 2010 @ University of Canberra

By Grace Keyworth

Stonefest day dawned hot and steamy with forecast afternoon storms. That didn’t stop six thousand music lovers descending on the ovals at the University of Canberra for the 42nd Stonefest festival.

I arrived at the gates at the advertised opening time of 10.30, only to be told that it would be another half an hour before they opened. Just as the first drumbeats could be heard from the main stage, security started the very thorough bag check process and ushered the eager early arrivals in.

I made my way to the front of the stage to watch the local band and Triple J unearthed competition winners, Los Capitanes. It was an energetic thirty-minute set by the six young musicians, with much jumping around and on stage antics, but not a lot of class. The lead singer stopped halfway through a cover of Missy Higgins’ Scar to pour water on his nipples, a move that got him heckled by the handful of punters watching.

The band took the lack of audience with tongue-in-cheek humour, re-naming one of their songs, ‘Thanks for opening the gates just as we started playing,’ and suggested to photographers they edit some fans in later. Their music had a fast beat and quick lyrics coupled with the paced drama of trombones and trumpets, providing songs that had the small audience eventually tapping their toes.

By the time Operator Please started in the early afternoon, a decent crowd had arrived and people were now standing at the front of the stage. The five young band members were obviously well rehearsed, but I couldn’t help feeling that the girls were the stronger members of the band, making a big effort to connect with the audience.

They played a series of their old songs such as Just a song about Ping Pong, Leave it alone and a fun cover mash up of Push it andMilkshake.

Xavier Rudd sat alone on stage with an array of instruments surrounding him, opening with a beautiful slide guitar on his lap. Barefoot and wearing ripped jeans, his look matched his laid back tunes, which were a firm crowd favourite and the size of the mosh pit quadrupled during his set. Finally Stonefest was feeling like a party as people were hoisted onto their friend’s shoulders and sang along to the well-known songs Time to smile and My own eyes. Xavier displayed his versatility, being able to play the didgeridoo, drums and sing at the same time.

In his final song, Let me be, the looming clouds let loose and the crowd got drenched. Those that had ponchos whipped them on, while the others embraced the rain and began a frenzied dance.

Spiderbait were up next, and the three piece showed a solid performance overall, singing Awesome, Sunshine and finishing with Black Betty. Kram was very impressive by playing such an intense drumbeat while singing the rough and loud lyrics. The whole crowd was upstanding for them, but you couldn’t help feeling it had more to do with the wet grass than their urge to support them.

Does it offend you, yeah? came all the way to Australia from their native England just for Stonefest. Their fast, energised beats certainly got everyone moving, while a new slower take on their hit Dawn of the Dead showed off their softer side. The sound quality was an issue for this set, with the vocals being drowned out by the other instruments. Lead singer James Rushent even stopped between songs and yelled at the sound tent to turn up his microphone. This seemed to be a recurring problem during the day, with multiple artists complaining on stage about the ‘technical difficulties,’ and audience members saying they couldn’t hear the vocals.

Bliss and Eso were the second last act of the night. The Australian Hip Hop group displayed why they are so famous by producing an engaging performance. After the hard dance tracks of Does it offend you, yeah? it seemed a little out of place in the line up and perhaps for the sake of keeping the rhythm, they should have gone before them. They played Down by the riverand Eye of the storm which really got the audience singing along. They also showed off their raw skills with a beat boxing performance and an impressive DJ scratch session demonstrating why they deserve credit as one Australia’s finest bands.

Pendulum finished the night with a killer set. This was the band most punters came to see and pulled immense support from the audience. The stage screen was used to broadcast a multimedia presentation with a montage of images flipping to the beat. They played The Island, Watercolour and Propane Nightmares along with their remix of the ABC News theme song. The enthusiasm of the band members on stage was evident with MC ‘Verse’ doing inspiring jumps around stage. The poncho clad audience joined in with the jumping, expending the last of their energy from a very wet, but very fun filled day.

That 1 Guy @ Transit Bar

By Grace Keyworth

Magic was in the air when I arrived at Transit Bar to see That 1 Guy play his mystical instrument. Hailing from the States and dressed all in black with two felt bowler-hats planted firmly on his head, it would fair to say that he looked a little curious. Although his giant grin showed his gentle personality, he even mingled with the crowd well before his support act Mr. Percival took the stage.

Mr. Percival sat on a stool, armed only with two microphones and a looping machine, and began to build songs using only his voice.  He beatboxed the drums, then hummed the guitars and finally sung the lyrics, making a very impressive live performance. He sang a beautiful cover of High and Dry and a fun rendition of Electric Avenue, which got some of the crowd up and dancing.

The real dancing started when That 1 guy, whose real name is Mike Silverman started playing. On stage with his giant harp-shaped metal pipe, which he built himself out of plumbing supplies, you wondered how it could possibly produce music. If you looked closely you could see some strings running down the length of the pipe, which enabled That 1 Guy to pluck, strum, drum and even draw a violin bow across it to make a myriad of different sounds with the help of a macbook pro hidden behind the speakers.

He created feel-good beats with harder guitar like melodies, which stirred the crowd into shameless bopping and grinding.  His quick rhyming lyrics showed a big Dr. Seuss influence with one of his songs called The moon is disgusting (it’s made out of cheese).

His stage presence was outstanding, keeping high energy and a big smile for the whole 90-minute set. He also entertained the audience with some slick magic tricks during show whilst still singing. He made cards disappear and then reappear from an audience member’s hand, and vomited a stack of cards. He even used a duck sock-puppet to help illustrate a duck quack in one of his songs.

Towards the end of the set a leather cowboy boot appeared which he plugged a cord into and started playing that instead of the pipes. A puzzled look came across the audience with everyone wondering how it worked, but at the same time not caring because it sounded so good.

It was certainly a fun night, packed with surprises and magic, but mostly displayed the musical talent that these two men have to offer. 

Thirsty for more

by Grace Keyworth

The nice guys of Australian music, Thirsty Merc, are back on the road relentlessly promoting their Mousetrap Heart album, already playing 11 shows out of their 24 show, Spring Tour.

Known for their hits like Someday, Someday and In the Summertime they already have a huge fan base, and are currently touring the country visiting their old fans and certainly making new ones.

Mousetrap Heart was recorded in Los Angeles in the beginning of 2010. They teamed up with super-producer Matt Wallace who has worked with bands such as Maroon 5 and Faith No More. Guitarist Matt Smith said it was an amazing experience for the band. “The main thing I noticed over there was the level of production was so high. They make albums so well, and so quickly.”

Matt, who joined the band just over a year ago, didn’t know he was even going to L.A to record Mousetrap Heart until a week before they left. “It was crazy, I got the call about a week before we left, so I was super excited. It was awesome.”

You could imagine that joining a band that has more than eight years of history and over 200 000 record sales behind them would be a daunting task, but Matt said it has been easy. “They’re nice guys so it’s been easier than I thought it was going to be. It seems right now, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

Before joining the band Matt played with a reggae band, The Strides. “I’ve never really played in a pop band, or even in a rock band.” He met the lead singer Rai Thistlethwayte after one of The Strides shows. “He came up after the gig and said hello and we should play together sometime. I think because Rai was writing a lot of the new songs on the piano there was room for a guitar player to come in and play more rhythmic sort of stuff.”

Mousetrap Heart has a more jazz and groove feel than the group’s previous albums, but still retains the heart-felt lyrics and catchy hooks they are famous for. Matt said their aim was to make an album that people could dance to, while still having lyrics the audience can connect with.

Thirsty Merc’s Spring Tour covers a lot of Australia with gigs in smaller towns like Yamba and Dubbo. Guitarist Matt says that a lot of their fans are from regional areas, so the band loves to go and visit them. “As soon as we get out to those parts like Dubbo and Leeton, heaps of people come and it ends up being a massive party. They’re some of the best gigs!”

After each show the band almost always hangs around to greet their fans, sign autographs and pose for photos, giving them their reputation for being one of the nicest bands in the business.

The band is excited for their upcoming Canberra show, stating that the last show they did here in June was one of the best of their tour. “Canberra goes off! I’m really looking forward to playing at the ANU Bar,” Matt said.

Thristy Merc will be playing at the ANU Bar on the 17th of November. Tickets can be purchased from Ticketek for $35.90 + bf.

Farming's future in the Murray-Darling Basin

FARMERS have been irrigating land in the Murray Darling Basin for more than a century. What does the future hold for the Basin?

Who lives there?
More than two million people live the Murray-Darling Basin according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The agricultural industry employs ten percent of these people, compared to three percent Australia wide. The highest employment rate has recently changed from Agriculture to Retail. Retail now employs fourteen percent of the working population in the Basin. Around 60 000 of Australia’s farms are in the basin, and just over 15 000 of them use irrigation.

Where is the Basin?
When people think of the Murray, usually their thoughts jump straight to the irrigation towns of Griffith and Mildura. In fact the basin spans across one million square kilometres and includes land in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT.
Geographically this area starts in the north at Tambo in Queensland and also includes Roma and Toowoomba. It covers most of New South Wales includes towns such as Tamworth, Armidale, Broken Hill and Wagga Wagga. In Victoria the high profile towns of Albury, Echuca, and Swan Hill that dot the banks of the Murray itself are directly affected by the flows of the river. Renmark in South Australia along with Murray Bridge are also in the Basin. A note worthy city that is not in the Basin but relies heavily on it for its drinking water is Adelaide.

How much does the Basin produce?
Although the basin only covers ten percent of Australia, it produces forty percent of our agricultural output. The basin is commonly referred to as Australia’s food bowl, and these claims are generally correct.
The basin produces all of Australia’s rice and oranges and around half of its wheat, lamb, pork, apples and grapes. It also produces 15 percent of Australia’s cotton and a third of our beef. According to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, only 360 square kilometres of the basin are used for fresh vegetable production. This is only one percent of the area of the Basin, but produces a quarter of Australian vegetables.
Three million Australians rely on the Murray-Darling system for their drinking water.

What problems does the Basin face?
Many environmental studies have found that the Basin has been stressed by the over allocation of its water resources. The blame has been firmly planted on the State Governments by allowing too much water to be taken out of the system for many years.
Associate Professor David Paton from Adelaide University said that they have known for two decades that the amount of water been taken out of the system was unsustainable.
“We should’ve started the process of reform, 10 or 20 years back to get the best outcome for this system,” he said. “The pain that people are going to experience now, and the environment has already experienced that pain- it’s deteriorated dramatically, is actually required now to make that difference.” Dr Paton said that a healthy river is integral to a sustainable irrigation system.
“If you have a healthy river then you have potential healthy irrigation systems and healthy communities along the river systems into the future.”

What is being done to fix these problems?

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority was established in 2007 to manage the Nation’s water resources in the national interest. Part of its responsibility under the Water Act is to come up with a plan that sets out the future water allocations for agriculture, industry and environment.
Importantly the Federal Water Act 2007 states that water for environmental needs must be given primacy and then the balance of the water shall be divided up for other purposes. This is unique internationally as no other country puts the environmental needs above those of industry and drinking water.
A lot of work has been done to improve irrigation technology to maximise its efficiency.
Professor Mike Young, from the Wentworth Group of concerned scientists, said that more work needs to be done to also make environmental water management efficient. “In the last two decades the irrigation industry has been revolutionary in terms of improving water management,” he said. “Environmental water management hasn’t made the same progress. We can get both sides right.”
The guide to the draft of the plan was released last week, which farmers have reacted angrily to the planned cuts to irrigation water. A group of farmers publicly burned the plan at a meeting in Deniliquin, claiming their livelihoods would be lost if the planned cuts are followed.

How much water does the Basin have to use?
The Bureau of Meteorology says the basin has an average rainfall of 480 millimetres per year. This equates to just over half a million gigalitres. The MDBA says most of this water is used by plants or evaporates, only 32 800 GL, or fifteen percent of it ends up in the river system. The Basin can store up to 35 000GL in its water storages. According to BOM it currently has 25 000 GL in storage.

How much water does the environment need.
The Murray Darling Basin Authority found that the environment in the basin needs at least 3000 Gigalitres a year more than what it is currently receiving to be sustainably healthy. The Murray Darling Basing Guide plan says that the environment in currently receiving 19 000GL a year on average. The proposed changes means that water to the environment will need to increase by at least six percent. The MDBA says that this amount should keep the mouth of the Murray open for eight out of 10 years. This year is the first year since 2002 that water has flowed out of the mouth of the river.
The basin has more than 30 000 wetlands of which sixteen are of international significance and recognised under the convention on the Wetlands of International Importance. The Willandra Lakes region is also classified as a World Heritage Place in 2007. These wetlands are essential breeding grounds and food sources for many species of waterbirds, fish and plants.

What do the cuts mean for farmers?
The MDBA says in the guide that the reduction in water allocation for agricultural purposes won’t mean that every farmer will lose twenty percent of their water. Instead the government will voluntarily acquire water licences and those licences will be withheld for environmental purposes. The MDBA predicts that this re-allocation will reduce the gross irrigated agricultural activity by $0.8- $1.1 billion. This will have obvious impact on the farming industry and the communities that depend on income from agriculture

Burra land access not finalised for Murrumbidgee – Googong Pipeline

By Grace Keyworth

Negotiations between Actew and landholders in Burra directly affected by the Murrumbidgee to Googong transfer pipeline are still not finalised.

Actew’s communication and governance manager, Chris Webb, said yesterday (29/04/10) that Actew has been negotiating with seventeen landholders in the Burra region to agree where the 11-kilometre pipeline will be laid.

Mr Webb said Actew had approached landowners and offered compensation for the land the pipeline would run through.

“We indicated to them that we were wanting to go across their land and we had a process for doing that,” he said. “The biggest thing with the process is that we’re trying to a reach voluntary agreement.”

He said where voluntary agreement could not be reached, they will ask the NSW Government to compulsory acquire the land on Actew’s behalf under the NSW Pipelines Act.

“There are some of them that are opposed to the project and they’ve indicated that under no circumstances will they agree to a voluntary acquisition…” he said. “What we then need to do is go through a compulsory process of acquiring that land. So the landowner is still compensated but …effectively we will ask the NSW government to acquire it on our behalf under the Pipelines Act. ”

Burra landowner Kerry Bos has lived on his forty acre Williamsdale Rd property for 28 years and is still negotiating with Actew about the compensation for the kilometre of his land the pipeline will run through.

“We’re in the middle of a discussion about the piece on the other side of the road because we have an application in to subdivide that title,” he said. “When that happens, the block will be subject to a separate compensation and we’re just discussing the mechanics of how that will be sorted out.”

Mr Bos said that Actew had also offered to replace the old fence they needed to pull down to lay the pipe and also fix some of Williamsdale Road.

Mr Bos said he understands the need for the pipeline project to go through but it is impacting on his lifestyle.

“I’m a little irritated by the fact that our lifestyle is being interrupted,” he said. “It’s not only that they’ll lay a pipeline, but I have to be here at certain times to meet with people, and sending emails back and forwards…and do a whole lot of things I would rather not to have to do.”

Mr Bos is also concerned on how the pipeline will affect his ability to sell the land he is waiting on subdivision approval for. He said he doubts he would get the current market value for that land if construction were taking place on the block when he is trying to sell it.

The Murrumbidgee to Googong Water Transfer Project is part of Actew’s water securities program. The transfer project involves moving water from Angle Crossing on the Murrumbidgee through 11 kilometres of pipe to Burra Creek where it will flow down the creek into Googong Dam.

Mr Webb said the original plan was for construction to be starting now, but unexpected difficulties in the approval process involving the Federal Government means that construction was not likely to start until at least September.

Fumbled the ball, but finished the game.

I am quite disappointed in how my interview turned out, but no time to re-do it so hopefully it's a pass!

I turned up at Skyfire at about 6.30pm and met with the Red Frog crew who were well underway with setting up a water station and playing some card games with the teens. It turned out that I actually knew a lot of the Red Frogs from primary school, including James the co-ordinator who I was going to interview.

This was good news as it meant I was able to relax and didn't stress about the interview but not so good because I think I got too casual with the questions when it became time to interview him. I had planned on just interviewing James and then leaving before the fireworks, but he was really busy getting things organised and didn't have enough time to chat until after the fireworks had finished.

So I hung about and watched the fireworks and the Red Frogs do their thing, chatting to some of them while they were having a break and getting the background story on how the organisation started and why the individuals decided to volunteer their time. This was good because it made me understand their goals for the evening and gave me a larger picture of Red Frogs initiative.

Finally James had a few minutes spare so I interviewed him, but we couldn't get a quiet place to sit so the recording has lots of distracting background noise. In hindsight it would have been better to interview him the next day after Skyfire where the quality of the sound would have been much better. He was also distracted by everything going on around him and kept turning his head away from the microphone so his voice is much quieter than mine on the recording. I have learnt a valuable lesson to adjust the level to the talent, and not just my own voice.

As I mentioned previously, I think the interview turned into more of a conversation between friends rather than a newsworthy interview, and his answers were un-expectantly long and before I knew it the recorder was ticking past 4 minutes before I felt I really got into the interview.

I approached some Police on duty, introduced myself and asked if I could ask them a few questions, but they said no because they didn't have authorisation to talk to journalists and suggested I talk to their Media Unit instead. They did say "off the record" that there had been a few underage kids sent home but that the final figures would be released to the media later that night. The Canberra Times reported on Sunday that 24 teens were taken into custody but no serious charges were laid.

I also talked a group of drunk teens, but none of them wanted to be recorded- they just wanted to steal my equipment. Classy bunch of kids.

Editing the story has been quite simple, just topped and tailed and edited out some irrelevant information about almost being hit in the head with a beach ball towards the end of the interview.

This assignment was much tougher than expected, definitely a very steep learning curve, but I have come away with new respect for radio journalists that have to do those sorts of interviews every day.

Photographs of Skyfire

I got the ball rolling- Hope I don't drop it

So since the last time I wrote I have decided on my story and have set up my interview for tomorrow night.

The annual Skyfire event sees about 100 000 people in Canberra surround Lake Burley Griffin to watch fireworks set to music. This is organised by the one of the commercial radio stations 104.7 and the sound track for the fireworks is broadcast live on their station.

Family fun and frivolity is promised, and it is hyped up by the radio station months in advance, each year promising to be bigger and better than the last year.

Having lived in Canberra my whole life, I have heard many stories of the event, but much to just about everyone's surprise have never actually attended the event.

The stories I have heard over the years have not really been positive ones. In highschool it was seen as the event to go to and drink alcohol underage and meet other teens from different parts of Canberra as it really the only event where 1000's of teenagers can go. Legally they are not allowed to drink, but older friends, siblings and even parents have been known to supply the alcohol. I had many friends have their first drink there, first kiss and horribly even had a friend sexually assaulted there when she was 16.

There have also been stories of Police IDing my friends and tipping out/confiscating any alcohol that they had in their possession, but there have been far less of these stories over the years than stories of drunken behaviour. Teens doing the wrong thing at Skyfire will always out-number the Police trying to control them.

I then heard through the grapevine that an youth organisation called Red Frogs would be present at Skyfire this year, providing a 'safe tent' free from alcohol and giving away free food, soft drinks and having couches for young people to relax on.

So I have set up an interview with the Canberra Co-ordinator of the Red Frogs tomorrow night to talk to him about why they are volunteering to help the youth and the problems they have come across during the night. I also hope to be able to talk to a Police Officer and a teen about what they think of the underage drinking that occurs at Skyfire and whether the presence of Red Frogs have made a difference.

Have to learn to walk before running-first steps

I discovered I am able to set up a blog. I feel like a winner already.

I still haven't decided on a story idea for my first assignment, but am getting closer to having a solid plan. Will update when interview is finalised.

RAINS TEST COTTER DAM CONSTRUCTION

RAINS TEST COTTER DAM CONSTRUCTION

By Grace Keyworth

Recent rains showed environmental measures are working at the construction on the Cotter Dam Enlargement, according to a surveyor on the site.

The surveyor, who did not want to be named, said the rain had not caused any delay. The site preparation is complete and the first blasting of rock is scheduled to start this week.

Construction was running on schedule.

The rains had proven that the environmental safety measures were adequate and no pollution from the site had entered the water.

“The rains were good because it showed us that the runoff systems worked and also identified a couple of places that needed adjusting for future falls,” he said.

Blasting is to begin this week to remove rock from the abutment where the new dam wall will be constructed.

An Actew spokesperson said that a 700 metre exclusion zone will be set up for the blasts and that local traffic may be disrupted with some roads being closed for up to 20 minutes per blast.

“Signs around the construction site will show the date and time of the next blast, and traffic controllers will ensure that the blast area is free of vehicles when the blasts occur,” he said.

Dr Gary Bickford, who was Actew’s Program Director for Water Security during the planning of the dam, said the enlargement was only part of the plan to secure Canberra’s water supply for the future.

“The Cotter Dam Enlargement is a part of a wider plan to ensure Canberra’s water supply is secure for the future,” he said. “The Murrumbidgee to Googong transfer pipe as well as buying irrigation water licences from NSW farmers completes the current plan to increase the amount of water Canberra is able to use.”

When complete at the end of 2011, the dam’s capacity will increase from 4 gigalitres to 78 gigalitres, making it Canberra’s second largest of storage behind Googong and increasing Canberra’s overall water capacity by 35 percent.

One million tonnes of concrete will be needed. Aggregate will coming from the debris from the blasting of rock.

Actew’s website says the rock will be transported to the specifically built rock crushing shed on the site for processing and eventually end up in the concrete for the dam wall.