Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

A passionate researcher and storyteller, Sita Sargeant successfully applied for a Capital of Equality grant through the ACT Government’s Office of LGBTIQ Affairs.

She is using the funding to produce a queer history podcast which she expects to publish by the end of the year.

In 2021, the founder of She Shapes History began organising walking tours around Canberra after noticing an absence of easily accessible women’s history in the ACT.

In addition to a ‘Badass Women of Canberra’ tour and a ‘Spies in the Capital: Women in Espionage’ tour, She Shapes History runs weekly LGBTQIA+ History of Canberra tours, bringing the city’s queer secrets out of the closet.

Sita brings gems of insight from the tour to the recording studio. There will be six half-hour – or “commute-length” – episodes of the podcast.

Sita’s fellow She Shapes History guide Zev Aviv co-presents the podcast, bringing a trans perspective to the conversation.

Each episode will dive into the history of an iconic site of queer Canberra history and will feature an interview with someone who has contributed to the social fabric of queer Canberra.

The Capital of Equality Grants Program aims to support and strengthen Canberra’s LGBTIQ+ communities.

Funding is available across three streams:

• Connection Fund
• Partnerships and Capacity Building
• LGBTIQ+ Leadership.

“I don’t think the podcast would have been possible without a Capital of Equality grant,” Sita said.

“It has allowed us to pay for all the recording equipment. As a small business I’m not sure we could have justified the spend otherwise.”

But perhaps most importantly for Sita, the grant ensures she can pay her guests for their time.

“There are so many queer people whose emotional labour is exploited time and time again. It just wouldn’t have aligned with our values as a business not to pay them for speaking with us,” she said.

Sita says a lot of queer history is white and under-documented, and conflicting views abound.

“Queer history is especially interesting in Canberra, and both the tour and podcast offer an interesting insight into our city in a way you wouldn’t expect,” she said.

“We invite people to the podcast who are active in the queer community today or were in the past. We create a space for them to share their story, which we then use as a starting point to delve into the history of key queer landmarks in Canberra. We find that this is a really engaging way to get the history across and to help people feel more connected to Canberra.

“A woman named Sam Edwards features in one episode, for example, and she’s a cornerstone of Canberra’s queer community,” Sita said.

“She helped establish the first SpringOUT Pride Festival and moved here at a time when it was quite uncommon to be out. She helped get Canberra’s queer scene up and running. Hers is a great episode.”

As well as recording the podcast, running She Shapes History and working another part-time job, Sita is going from strength to strength, having landed a book deal to write a women’s history travel guide to Australia.

She found the Capital of Equality grant application process simple and said she received a lot of support along the way.

“This grant was the second I’d applied for – I was unsuccessful the first time, and I took away some key learnings from that. I’d really encourage people to apply for a grant, but not to be discouraged if they don’t get it the first time,” Sita said.

Capital of Equality grants are open until 22 October 2023.

Find out more or apply for a grant on the Office of LGBTIQ+ Affairs website.

A She Shapes History tour in progress

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A new National Skills Agreement between the Commonwealth Government and all states and territories will support a strong and skilled workforce for Canberra’s future.

The five-year agreement will focus on lifting the national skill level and attracting more skilled workers into critical and emerging industries.

The investment will aim to grow the ACT’s total workforce to 300,000 by 2030.

The agreement incorporates funding for a number of new initiatives in the ACT which will support key priorities in skills and workforce development, including:

• Over $24 million in matched ACT-Commonwealth funding for TAFE Centres of Excellence, with a focus in the ACT on the transition to a net zero economy
• $6.5 million in matched funding for Closing the Gap initiatives to support training for First Nations Canberrans
• $14 million in matched funding to improve VET and apprentice completion rates, with a focus on groups such as First Nations students, women and other vulnerable cohorts
• Approximately $13 million in matched funding to foster collaboration between CIT and other public training providers to enhance quality and capability in the VET workforce and sector
• Close to $1.5 million to improve access to foundation skills and learning

The ACT Government will continue to support Fee Free TAFE at CIT, so priority cohorts such as young people, jobseekers and women in non-traditional fields will have access to free training in areas of skills need.

We have committed to delivering thousands more Fee Free TAFE places over the coming years, with a specific focus on renewable energy, cyber security, the care sector, construction, hospitality and foundation skills.

With more than 2500 Canberrans already taking up this opportunity for free training in 2023, the Government will continue this popular program to achieve better education outcomes and support local businesses with the skills they need to succeed.

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The ACT Government’s Renters’ Home Energy Program provides free in-home energy assessments tailored to anyone living in a rented home in the ACT.

The assessment identifies where energy is being used and provides simple solutions to help renters save on their bills.

The program is a free and easy way to:

• save on energy bills
• get tips on the quickest, cheapest and best ways to reduce energy use
• make rental homes more comfortable without using more gas or electricity
• find out ways to reduce your impact on the environment.

Home energy experts involved in the program have vast experience in carrying out home energy assessments in the ACT. Inspectors like Jeff Knowles provide advice to renters about their energy use and simple steps they can take to save money.

“Canberra is different from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne as our summers are quite hot, our autumns and springs are lovely, then we have intense cold throughout the winter,” Jeff said.

“With such a range of temperatures, it’s tough to build a building in Canberra that works well all year round.

“The rising cost of living pressures are pushing people into greater and greater energy efficiency,” said Jeff.

“The Renters’ Home Energy Program aims to assist people by educating them about the properties they live in and the energy they use. Following some simple steps, renters could save around $200 each quarter off their gas and electricity bills.”

Energy saving tips:

• Understand what your home is made from, which direction it faces, and identify where heat or cool air can escape. A free home energy assessment and home energy web tool can help you identify these problems and their solutions.
• Check your insultation. ACT has introduced a regulation requiring all residential rental properties to meet a new minimum energy efficiency standard for ceiling insulation. Find out more about your rights as a renter.
• Use a thermometer to monitor your fridge temperature. Most rental properties have their fridges running much colder than they need to be, which uses more electricity.
• Prevent draughts by sealing doors and windows. Door draught stoppers and seal strips are good options.
• Use a plug-in power meter to monitor how much electricity your home appliances are using. Meters can point out inefficient appliances in your home such as electric element heaters.
• When operating your washing machine, use cold wash cycles so that you’re not using gas or electricity to heat water.

_{The rooms you are heating, the number of hours heaters are on, and the temperature setting all have a big impact on your bills.}

Depending on the season, you may also receive a selection of free energy saving materials to improve the energy efficiency and comfort of your home.

With a hot summer approaching, now is an ideal time to think about how to make your home more comfortable without spending more money on energy bills.

Canberra renters can book a free in-home assessment and find out more about the Renter’s Home Energy Program on the Everyday Climate Choices website: climatechoices.act.gov.au

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The ACT Government is driving a circular economy by expanding landfill gas capture at the Mugga Lane landfill.

This will reduce emissions and provide reliable renewable energy that could power up to 10,800 homes each year.

It is happening through the expansion of a partnership with Australian owned and operated clean energy engineers, LGI Limited (LGI), which will deliver a landfill gas expansion project.

The project builds upon a successful three-year program. It will further enhance capabilities for capturing harmful methane emissions generated at Mugga Lane landfill and transforming it into reliable renewable energy for the ACT.

“Emissions from landfills without biogas management systems can be a significant problem and can contribute up to 80 per cent of a local government’s carbon footprint,” LGI Founder and Managing Director Adam Bloomer said.

The Government’s priority is to reduce and recycle organic food waste to divert it from landfill, minimising harmful waste emissions. Capturing the emissions created by the organic material that does end up in landfill, however, is also key.

“The ACT Government’s carbon cutting approach of using proven, cost-effective technologies to capture and abate the harmful methane emissions from Mugga Lane and generate reliable, dispatchable (24/7) renewable energy is an example of what progressive governments can achieve by prioritising the environment,” Adam said.

The expansion project will include the establishment of two additional 1 Megawatt gas to energy generators, an additional 12 Megawatt of battery storage and a 20 Megawatt grid connection with Evoenergy.

Once the project is completed, it is expected the Mugga Lane landfill gas facility will have capacity to generate 50,000 Megawatt hours of dispatchable energy.

This is enough energy to power up to 10,800 homes in the ACT each year.

Adding the battery system will provide storage capacity and rapid dispatch of the renewable energy generated by the engines, at times when the grid needs it most.

As part of the LGI partnership, the ACT has been able to reduce carbon emissions by 764,000 tonnes, over the past three years.

More than 80 million³ of biogas has been captured at Mugga Lane, allowing for 96 Gigawatt hours of renewable energy to be generated.

The Mugga Lane site upgrades will further enhance this.

The project will see two additional full-time positions employed on the site and significant investment into the local economy through the engagement of local contractors for everything from concreting to catering.

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Childhood friends Fleur Froggatt and Sachi Wimmer had never recorded a podcast before.

Their shared passion for garden design, combined with a post-COVID desire for a new career direction, prompted them to start their podcast On Garden Design.

They do this from The Hive – the professional podcast studio at Woden Library.

“It’s amazing for a free facility,” they said.

“The support is first rate and the facilities are exactly what we need. We book ahead and can always get the time we want. It’s convenient, accessible and easy to use. And while this is new technology to us, it’s been a great learning journey in every way.”

Fleur and Sachi now release a half-hour episode each fortnight.

While focused on the east coast of Australia, the podcast’s content translates internationally.

They now have subscribers in 27 countries.

“Garden design is ubiquitous to every culture and style,” they said.

“We have listeners from places you wouldn’t think of. In fact, the one that really surprised us was Dubai.”

Since opening in 2021, The Hive has welcomed a host of intrepid broadcasters keen to take advantage of the free facility.

Accommodating busy schedules, the studio is available outside regular library hours – from 9am to 9pm, seven days a week.

While the equipment is easy to use, library staff provide a studio induction tailored to new podcasters’ abilities.

“One thing people always comment on is the excellent audio quality,” Fleur and Sachi said.

“We’re not aiming at a professional market, but we have a broad church of listeners. We’ve even had professionals in the industry saying thank you for doing it.”

The pair don’t hesitate to recommend the studio to anyone considering starting a podcast or elevating an existing one.

“There are so many reasons we’d recommend it,” they said.

“It’s a nice evolution, being Canberra girls and library users. We came to the library as kids, and with our kids, and it’s really great to take that to the next level now.”

Book a spot at The Hive podcast studio

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This week the Canberra Hospital celebrates 50 years providing health care to the Canberra community.

The Canberra Hospital, originally known as Woden Valley Hospital, officially opened on 24 September 1973 and since then has transformed into the largest general hospital in the ACT and surrounding NSW region.

This milestone offers an important opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has worked at the hospital over the last 50 years.

Cathie Stoffell is one of those staff members. She began training as a student nurse at the Royal Canberra Hospital in January 1972.

She had finished high school just two months before.

“I was 17. Students were required to live-in then, and I remember my brother and father were allowed to come up to the room, but there were no males allowed,” she said.

“There was just one man in our course. He was paving new ground at the time. Other male nurses followed, of course.”

The three-year course moved at a cracking pace. “We were apprentices, really. We had six weeks of training – injecting oranges and lifting ‘Mrs Bedford’, the dummy, onto the bedpan. From there we were launched onto various wards and were straight into it,” Cathie said.

It was a confronting start for a teenager, and Cathie recalls her first experience of a patient’s death, when a young girl died from leukemia.

“We would debrief amongst ourselves, I suppose. There was nothing formal. It was a regimented sort of atmosphere. There were always bedpans you could be scrubbing so we just got on with it.”

Overall, though, Cathie recalls having “a ball”, getting up to all kinds of “shenanigans” with her fellow students.

“We used to find the leftover meals and eat them in the linen cupboard,” she said.

Starting at the then-Woden Valley Hospital was quite exciting, and Cathie remembers the newness of it all.

In 1973 when the Canberra Hospital opened its doors, things looked pretty different.

The hospital had 36 beds and served a population of around 172,000 with about 175 staff members.

Fifty years on, the Canberra Hospital has over 650 beds and is the only tertiary hospital between Sydney and Melbourne, caring for a population of more than 650,000 people from the ACT and surrounding region, with thousands of staff on the campus at any time of the day or night.

With the new Critical Services Building opening next year, the hospital will offer more emergency, surgical and critical care, with a brand-new emergency department, more operating theatres and more intensive care beds.

Cathie’s early training held her in excellent stead for many other opportunities, and she has nursed all over the world.

It also helped her form a close-knit group of friends, all of whom stayed in nursing careers.

They have a group chat on Messenger and celebrated a 50-year reunion recently.

Like Canberra Hospital, nursing has changed over the years. There are no more starched aprons and pleated hats, and technology plays a much greater role for all staff.

Having worked everywhere from the UK to Saudi Arabia, Cathie loves Canberra and continues to nurse here.

“I remember on day one of our training, they asked us if anyone had changed their minds and three people left,” she said.

Having had such a full career over five decades, Cathie is pleased she stayed.

^{Cathie at her graduation}

^{Cathie Stoffell today}

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Year 10 and 11 students from Canberra schools competed in the sixth annual Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) Advanced Construction and Engineering Bridge Challenge.

Held on Friday 22 September, the Challenge is focused on developing engineering, construction and STEM skills in ACT schools and is organised by CIT’s Building Construction Team.

The goal of the Bridge Challenge is for student teams to design and construct the strongest suspension bridge possible to support a load and ultimately test the destruction of their bridge in time-trialled heats against rival schools.

As a result, students develop a positive experience of engineering and construction, and become more aware and skilled with engineering and building principles.

This year, 17 teams competed. The winning school teams were:

• Lightest:  Melba Copland MCSS 1 (0.401 kg)
• Design, Innovation and STEM:   Marist Ninjaneers
• Sustainability: Kingsford Smith Champs 1
• Maximum Load: Radford Roebling (230.5 kg) – new record weight
• Overall Champions: Radford Roebling.

CIT Interim CEO Christine Robertson said the challenge gives students a taste of possible career opportunities available in the construction and engineering fields.

“CIT offers multiple design, engineering and construction courses as well as various trades which relate well to Bridge Challenge,” she said.

Training in these fields can lead to construction management, trades, design, architecture and engineering careers, many of which are experiencing skills shortages.

As an introduction to CIT, the Challenge often introduces school students to training options available at CIT.

“We are always keen to open our doors and encourage local school students to explore CIT at a time when they may be making decisions on a future career path,” Christine said.

“There are so many great career opportunities available through vocational education and training and we are proud to offer young people options about their pathways to make informed decisions.”

The teams prepared bridge designs that showcase construction, efficiency and strength solely with the materials supplied by CIT.

This year the Bridge Challenge was supported By Geocon, Project Coordination, JWland, Training Fund Authority, NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction), CIT Yurauna, Construction Industry Training Council.

For more information about construction and engineering at CIT, visit www.cit.edu.au

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Have you heard of pickleball? It’s more than just a cute name. The sport is gaining popularity around the globe – and Canberra is no exception.

Combining elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball is a favourite with players of all ages and abilities.

Played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court, pickleball is just one of the lesser-known sports played at ACT Government venues including Belconnen Community Centre and Namadgi School in Kambah.

Using a perforated plastic ball and paddles that are about twice the size of table tennis bats, it’s a game for two or four players.  It can be played either socially or competitively, requiring little more than some hand-eye coordination and plenty of enthusiasm.

Stuart Campbell, President of Pickleball ACT, has been passionate about the sport since 2018.

He describes it as: “Fun! Satisfying! Addictive!” and says there are around 300 pickleballers in Canberra, with that number increasing rapidly.

“In the last three months Pickleball ACT had over 1400 attendances at our sessions. There’s a further group of social players in Erindale who’ve been around for a while and two new groups – Pickleball Canberra and the Canberra Pickleball League – commenced operating recently. Both have generated even more pickleball interest in the region,” he said.

Meeting demand is a challenge. “We have 10 sessions per week, run over seven days, at five different venues. These are almost always fully booked. We just can’t keep up,” Stuart said.

Most interest in the sport is generated by word of mouth.

“On top of that, in recent years the professional leagues have settled on entertaining formats and that brought in high profile team investors such as Nick Kyrgios, LeBron James, Naomi Osaka and Tom Brady, who all recognised pickleball’s attraction and growth potential.

“Pickleball has also enjoyed quite a deal of media exposure though celebrity pickleball fanatics such as George Clooney, Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Phelps and Andre Agassi,” he said.

Pickleball ACT’s vision is for the sport to thrive in Canberra.

“A club in every suburb! We aspire to have players from juniors through to seniors, social play and competitions, casual hitters to very high level. We see great potential for the broadest levels of inclusivity. We dream of having some dedicated courts in Canberra,” he said.

“Thus far it’s been an all-volunteer effort. Nick Kyrgios reached out to us to offer support, which we really appreciated. It would be great to have additional prominent locals to champion pickleball.”

The sport has come a long way from its 1965 origins as an American kids’ game.

And with more and more people perfecting their lofty serves, it seems the sky really is the limit.

Stuart Campbell, President, Pickleball ACT

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For close to a century, the Yarralumla Nursery has provided new landowners in Canberra with free plants to establish their gardens.

The ACT Government’s Plant Issue Scheme supplies Canberrans who have purchased a new residential block of land with plants suitable for local climate and soil conditions.

New landowners must prove their eligibility and then are entitled to $220 worth of plants per block. There are three plant packages to choose from, which include a range of locally-grown trees, shrubs, hedges, and ground covers of various sizes.

It’s the first step in building new gardens and beautifying Canberra’s newest suburbs.

Ankita and her family were among the first Whitlam residents to in 2021. After moving into her home in the suburb, she made the most of the program.

“We found the information about the Plant Issue Scheme through their brochure in our letterbox,” Anika said.

“Since then, we went to Yarralumla Nursery and received some plants for our front and back garden for our newly built home.

“Yarralumla Nursery staff had helped us to choose the different plants and sizes to choose from.”

Free plants are available to claim within two years of the settlement date on the ACT residential land purchase agreement. This eligibility is transferable if the land is sold during this period.

More information about the free Plant Issue Scheme, including eligibility conditions and registration, visit act.gov.au/plantissuescheme

_{Ankita and her family in Whitlam.}

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