Newsletter of the Watson Community Association Inc.

Number 70 Summer 2011

This edition:
♦ Garden Advice MESSAGE FROM THE WCA CHAIR
♦ Yummy recipe Recently the WCA committee has:
♦ Woodland Update
♦ And lots of local stories! Submitted comments to development applications
for commercial development on the Watson Ser-
vice Station site; a change of lease for the Carotel
2011 AGM: site (to allow for residential development), and a
Thursday May 12 multi-unit residential development on ‘The Fair’.
ACT Sports House Our primary concerns with the commercial and
100 Maitland Street Hackett other developments were;
7:30—10:00 pm ♦ Parking associated with the commercial
development of the Service Station site &
the lack of a Master Plan to provide guid-
WCA CONTACTS
ance for further development.
Chair & Woodlands Convenor ♦ Lack of a Master Plan to provide guidance
Richard Larson
for the continuing development of north
02 6241 3024
Watson.
Secretary
Julie Smith 02 6241 8861
We held a general committee meeting discussing
Treasurer
Jon Real 02 6255 4046 ongoing local issues and sent a representative to
the 5th meeting of the EPIC Community Advisory
Editors
Kimberley Britt Council.
0417 450 773
A representative attended the Summernats 2011
joint advisory meetings held nightly during each
Sarah Clough
day of the event.
0419 281 804
This year’s WCA AGM has been set for May
12. I will be retiring as Chair after serving in this
position for three years. If you are interested in
joining the committee, please contact any of
members on the contact list; we welcome new
faces and ideas.
Richard Larson, WCA Chair

The WCA particularly thanks the Australian Catholic University (ACU),

Signadou Campus in Watson, for printing this Newsletter as a community service.

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 Watson—then and now...
Did you know that 9 August 2011
will be Census night? This will
mark 100 years of national Cen-
sus taking in Australia.
Past Census information tells us
some interesting things about
our suburb. For example, the
Census collects data about the
monthly housing loan repay-
ments of people purchasing their
homes. Changes in these
amounts help to illustrate the rise
in house values.
In 1991, repayments in Watson
were still pretty low, with 30% of
home buyers paying less than
$200 per month. Just ten years
later, in 2001, only 6% of repay-
ments were that low, while 14%
were more than $1,400 per
month. And by 2006, 55% of
home buyers in Watson were
spending more than $1,400 a
month in loan repayments, in-
cluding 28% spending more than
$2,000.
And what type of dwellings were
people buying? Not surprisingly,
the Census reflects changing
patterns of development in Wat-
son. In 1991, 79% of dwellings
were separate houses and only
1.7% were semi-detached, ter-
race or townhouses. By 2006
separate houses, while still the
majority, had fallen to 62%;
semi-detached, terrace or town-
houses had risen to 19.6% of
dwellings in Watson.
The Census also shows changes
in the income, occupation, edu-
cation and family background of
Watson residents – keep an eye
out in future issues of Watzon!
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 Doctor, Doctor, Give me the news...
Have you driven past the doctors’ sur- Seema Sharma are still working at
gery on Windeyer St recently? the Watson Medical Centre and the
core business remains the same—the
You may have noticed a new sign provision of quality general practice
announcing the Watson Medical Cen- medicine while maintaining family
tre. What was previously the Watson practice values.
Medical Clinic has recently come un-
der new management and has had a Carol, Jackie and Anne are still the
name change. friendly, experienced faces behind the
front counter.
The new practice principal and owner
is Dr Philip Toua and he has been The Centre has also started a Nurse
practising at the Watson Medical clinic on Friday mornings run by Deb
Centre for the last 8 months. Dr Toua Hood RN, providing immunisations,
has lived in Canberra for over 12 health checks and simple office pro-
years and previously worked at a cedures e.g. ear syringing.
large practice in Tuggeranong as well
as a regular stint as an Emergency The Watson Medical Centre opening
Department doctor at The Canberra hours are –
Hospital. Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 8.30am
to 5.00 pm
He has general practice experience
from South Australia and NSW as Tuesday, Thursday— 8.30am to
well as solid paediatric experience 6.30pm
from New Zealand, PNG and The
Children’s Hospital, Camperdown in Saturday — 9.00am to 1:00pm
Sydney. He has also worked in In-
digenous Health in Arnhem Land, NT.
Drs Peter Ragg, Helen Mooney and

Call for volunteers

Watzon is also seeking volunteers to help with distribution. If you are inter-
ested in helping, please email lizgrace@grapevine.com.au

Watzon is interested in hearing from you. If you are interested in contribut-

ing, email k.britt85@hotmail.com

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 Cannelloni for busy families

When you check “cannelloni” on Wikipedia, the description reads like the
description in a application of a letters patent – rectangular pasta sheets that
are rolled into a cylindrical shape encompassing a filling....

Sometimes this valuable online reference can be a bit cold when it comes to
recording the delights of fabulous food, such as this classic Italian dish.

In Italian, cannelloni means ‘big pipes’, and traditionally they are about one
inch in diameter and four inches or so long. Surprisingly, they were only in-
vented about 100 years ago, in a restaurant known as the ‘O Parrucchiano’
in Sorrento, Italy by the chef Nicola Federico.

Sorrento lies south of Pompeii, on the coast of the Bay of Naples and is now
a famous tourist destination. Traditionally, cannelloni can be stuffed with ri-
cotta or meat. Mostly though, when out and about in Canberra eating at Ital-
ian restaurants, it is the ricotta /spinach version that reigns supreme. I think
this is because it is accepted as a viable vegetarian alternative for restaurant
goers that hate weak attempts at vegetarian food!

Cannelloni in Canberra is hard to replicate, mainly because we just don’t

have access to the fresh San Marzano tomatoes that are cultivated in the
region around Naples. These tomatoes, the base of the beautiful sauce that
flavours the Napoli ragu ( a sauce of meat and vegetables, including toma-
toes, that’s simmered for absolutely ages) and this recipe’s sauce, are
grown in volcanic soil; and if you have ever tasted them, you will know just
how fabulous they are!

This recipe, presented by Catherine of McCawley Street, Watson, is a real

favourite. The foundations of the traditional cannelloni are here, but modified
for the modern, urban Canberran. She says it’s quick and very easy to pre-
pare after a long day at work, and everybody loves it. The recipe serves
around 4 people and goes well with a fresh green salad.

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 Recipe…

Ingredients

500g ricotta, full or low fat

150g baby spinach leaves, chopped
Small handful basil, finely chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Fresh lasagne sheets (if you have less time, just use the dried tubes from a
box and stuff them till you run out of filling)
500ml passata or freshly readymade tomato sauce or similar
grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200C.

Break up the ricotta in a bowl and add spinach, garlic and basil and mix well.
Add nutmeg, salt, pepper to taste.

Spread a layer of tomato sauce over the base of a rectangular oven

dish. Cut lasagne sheets in half, and spread 2-3 tablespoons of mixture
down the centre of each sheet, roll each piece into a tube and overlap edges
slightly.

Put the cannelloni tubes in the baking dish, seam side down, cover in re-
maining sauce and sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake for around 25 mins.

Watzon features a recipe each edition provided by residents of Watson. If

you have a wonderful recipe, that has a special meaning and brings joy
around the dining table that you would like to share, please give me a call on
0419281804 or send me an email, cloughsarah@bigpond.com

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 Memories of Watson's First 50 Years as a Suburb

Following on from the successful celebration of Watson's 40th anniversary

as a suburb in 2003, the Watson Community Association is already starting
to think about the commemoration and celebration of the 50th anniversary in
2013!

Do you have photos, memorabilia or stories to tell about your time as a Wat-
son resident? Do you know of anyone now living elsewhere who also might
be able to share their memories with us? Have you arrived in Watson re-
cently or were you one of the "originals"? Whatever your length of time with
us, we would love to hear from you.

You can get in touch with any of the WCA Committee members or contact
Gina Grey directly on 6247 0859.

Woodland Update

The working group has been quiet over the last few months. Apart from spo-
radic weeding and slashing, a small team of volunteers has been kept busy
eradicating mynas and starlings in the vacant paddock near Prime TV on An-
till Street. Four traps have been reactivated since early December. Up until
the end of January a total of 67 birds have been caught and euthanised.
There remains a large flock of birds which congregate around Colin Oldfield’s
property across the road, where there is a large farm dam and ready feeding
in the sheep paddock and next to the prop-
erty.

The Watzon recognises that the gardening conditions in Watson are unique. Do you have
plants that thrive particularly well in Watson soils? Send us your tips for getting the most out
of your garden in Watson and we will include your tips in our gardening feature in the next
issue. Contact Sarah on 0419 281 804 or cloughsarah@bigpond.com

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 Noah’s Trim…

A boat building project in a Watson front yard has caught the attention of
many locals in recent years, and provided a new vista for neighbours and
passers-by in recent weeks after being decorated with bright Christmas
lights. In 2011, it is expected the 11 metre, 3 tonne catamaran will be fin-
ished.

Named after Mathew Flinders cat, Trim, the boat is a retirement project for
an experienced sailor and adventurer, who plans to sail round Australia and
to some of our Pacific neighbours in a year or two.

Some local residents have dubbed the boat’s owner as ‘Noah’, with sugges-
tions that the suburban Ark was timely preparation for the Great Flood. Oth-
ers sheltering from recent downpours have mused that perhaps the wet
weather would float the boat to the coast.

Over the past few years, truck drivers, ACTEW workers, police, firemen, and
other interested folk driving or walking by have slowed for a closer look and
even a chat. Some local kids have enjoyed a grand tour. Each spring for the
past two years, a possum has moved into the hulls, to raise her new babies
in unaccustomed luxury.

Since beginning building in 2006, ‘Noah’ has fielded many questions. ‘How
long has it taken to build it?’, ‘What is it made of?’, and of course, ‘How will
you get it down the coast?’

The project has taken hundreds of hours, starting with construction of two
composite fibreglass hulls one at a time in the garage, and concluding with
paint, and the addition of shiny winches and anchoring gear. Speculation that
‘Elvis’ the helicopter or a Zeppelin would airlift it to the coast was unfounded.
More mundanely, later in 2011, the boat will be loaded onto a truck for the
slow journey down the coast — as in the SBS show ‘Monster Moves’.

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 Notices & Local Services
PROBUS CLUBS

Probus is a worldwide association for retired or semi-retired people. It is sponsored

by Rotary and is non-fundraising. Meetings are held monthly, with a guest speaker &
morning tea. Outings, lunches & bus trips are organised.
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME AT BOTH CLUBS
Canberra North Ladies
10.00 am Yowani Country Club,
2nd Monday of each month.
Membership $20.00 per annum. Joining fee $5.00
Ladies contact: Beverley 6248 8236
Canberra North Men’s
10.00am St Margaret’s Church, Hackett
2nd Tuesday of each month.
No. of members: 42
Subscription $25.00 per annum. Joining fee $5.00
Men contact: Ted Baker 6241 4853

IMPORTANT CONTACT DETAILS

Neighbourhood Watch Website http://www.nhwact.com.au
AFP Website http://www.afp.gov.au
CRIME STOPPERS 1800-333-000
or http://www.act.crimestoppers.com.au
SCAM PROTECTION 1300-302-502
or http://www.scamwatch.gov.au
AMBULANCE/FIRE 000
POISON INFORMATION 131-126
POLICE ATTENDANCE 131-444
UNWANTED CALLS 1800-805-996
STRAY DOGS 6207-2424
CANBERRA CONNECT 132-281

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
To receive a monthly newsletter via email register
your interest at watson@nhwact.com.au
WWW.NHWACT.COM.AU
Or contact Mick Motion-wise,

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Justice of the Peace MEG’S TOY BOX
Is a community toy library run
ALF (Noddy) as a non profit venture with
the support of St Margaret’s
FRIPP JP Church.
12 Kerferd St, Tel 6248 7467 during
opening hours only:
Watson ACT 2602
Wed 10am—12pm
Tel 6241 7475

SUNDAY SERVICE 10AM 49 PHILLIP AVENUE WATSON

TEL: 6241 7000 WWW.CCCWATSON.ORG.AU

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 ONE STOP SHOPPING Come to our North
IN WATSON Canberra Mothers’
Group

Watson • Breastfeeding Counsellor(s) on hand to

answer your questions
Pharmacy • All mums, children and mums-to-be wel-
come, and you don’t need to be a mem-
ber to join in

QCPP accredited, seniors’
discounts, free script pick
up and delivery.
We can supply all of your
Pharmacy needs
Contact Ingrid (Ph. 6249 6684) to confirm ven-
ues and for further information
email:
abanorthcanberra@hotmail.com
*Dates/Times, Topics and Venues may
change, please confirm with Ingrid.

7-day Breastfeeding helpline, Ph. 6258 8928

www.breastfeeding.asn.au.
Pharmacy hours:
Mon to Fri 8:30am–5pm
Sat: 8:30am -12:30pm
Russell’s Fitness Classes!
Licensed Post Office, and
Sub-newsagency Every Wednesday and Thursday;
postal services, gifts,
8am –9am at Hackett Community Centre
cards for all occasions,
& stationery items. Improve your strength, flexibility, coordination
Free gift wrapping and movement
available. Classes to suit all levels of availability particu-
Kodak film processing. larly over 50’s age group
For friendly, efficient
All equipment including light weights, thera-
Customer Service
bands and mats will be supplied.

Cost $7 per class (block of 10 tickets avail-

Post Office hours: able)
Mon to Fri 8:30am–5pm Fully qualified personal trainer Russell Reid
Saturdays 8:30am-11:30am Phone: 0421 770 803 and email: rus-
sell.reid@hotmail.com
Ph: 6241 1506

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NEED A PLUMBER? WATSON Supa IGA
NOW! SUPERMARKET

Duncan’s licensed EFTPOS is available, with no

minimum expenditure required
Plumbing Service 4 cent petrol rebate with your
Pty Ltd purchase of $30 plus
Free home delivery services
are also available.
Emergency Repairs
Come in and experience the
Drain Cleaning service for yourself.
Phone 6255 6800
Ducted heating
Gas Fitting Open 7 days
Hot Water Systems from 8 am to 8.30pm

PH 6254 5678

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 Have you just moved to Watson and love gardening?

Watson is now considered inner north and is rapidly becoming a highly desir-
able place to live. Houses are being knocked down and rebuilds taking place
or renovations on many older homes.

If you are purchasing an older home or doing a rebuild the garden may have
been neglected for many years. And yet the existing trees and shrubs could
form the basis for a new garden without removing or clear felling all the
greenery off the block. Most shrubs and trees will respond well to pruning
and if you are, I recommend to seek advice from a qualified horticulturist. At
times I recommend doing nothing except observing the plants for a period,
which may be up to six months. Especially if buying an existing home in win-
ter when many plants have lost their leaves and it is hard to tell if they are
alive or dead. There may be a wealth of wonderful plants such as bulbs lying
dormant under the ground.

For larger trees and especially if they are close to power lines it is important
to have an inspection by a qualified arborist approved by ActewAGL.
I can advise on suitable persons for this inspection. This applies not only
those who are buying an existing home but to every homeowner.
It is usual practice in Britain for example to have a pre-purchase inspection of
the garden and the state of trees in particular, similar to a building report that
is now mandatory in the ACT. The practice of obtaining a garden report is
rarely if ever used here and I would recommend that this is an option to con-
sider.

For a complete appraisal of your garden call me

Cedric D. Bryant

Garden Designer and Horticultural Consultant

Ph: 6241 8752 or see www.cedricbryant.com

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