Good Science Is No Fiction

Sun Herald

Sunday August 15, 2004

WILLIAM PETLEY

IN a time when frocks or footballers garner attention, it's encouraging to know that 900 people attended the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes rewarding outstanding science at the Hordern Pavilion on Tuesday night. Ann Burke, Marist Regional College, Burnie, Tasmania, took out the inaugural Holmes a Court Prize for science teaching. Last year, Divonne Holmes a Court, inspired by vice-chancellor of Macquarie University Di Yerbury's speech on the ability of teachers to encourage students' curiosity, was determined to reward them. Shouting Eureka! were: president of the Australian Museum Trust, Brian Sherman, MCA's Liz Ann McGregor, Sue Cato, Dr Erica Jacobson, Chuck and Margaret Hahn (they're sponsors, too), that hive of hyperactivity, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and the man who instigated the prizes and who seemed too excited to sit, Robyn Williams.

Pachyderm penchant

ON Monday, Taronga and Western Plains Zoo chief executive and director Guy Cooper gave artist James Gordon a tour of the new $40 million elephant enclosure at Taronga. This will eventually house four elephants presently in Thailand, which are soon to board an Aleutian plane for Cocos Islands quarantine, before arriving in Sydney in 2005. Gordon has an elephant history: he was tossed over the shoulder of one while swimming in Phuket; at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, outside Colombo, he met Sama, which had lost a leg to a landmine and he's working on a show honouring Naserian, an orphan he sponsors in Kenya. Lunch over, Cooper returned to his office to find another $10 million and Gordon was again released to the wild. (And to pack for a trip to Spain, where he'll visit Tiffany & Co designer Elsa Peretti.)

Got the hump

HUMP Day, not as you'd imagine, a fundraiser for scoliosis, began at Cruise Bar, East Circular Quay on Wednesday. Complimentary champagne and canapes (Lyonaisse onion and truffle tart, duck and pistachio sausage; that sort of thing) were served, until 7pm, to any girl present. The idea being and reinforcing the venue's name that any boy there intent on continuing an acquaintance can do so with his free eye firmly on his budget. Covering the waterfront: Kellogg's Siobhan Hogan, Sculpture by the Sea's Susie Barr and Tourism Australia's Jo Dyer.

The big red ball

THE invitations are out for Le Bal du Moulin Rouge (at left), the Sydney Cancer Foundation's ball at the Sofitel Wentworth in aid of their Raise The Roof campaign for the cancer centre at RPA. If you haven't received one, call Ariane Gallop on 9515 6018 immediately. Remember, everyone's potential enemy is cancer. (And there'll be buckets of Moet on the night, too.)

Teddy's just the ticket

TEDDY Tahu Rhodes, who despite winning a Helpmann for his performance in Dead Man Walking and not feeling himself for the past two weeks, revealed his ABC Classics CD The Voice at Country Trader, Waterloo, on Wednesday. What a spunk, said Vogue Entertaining + Travel's Sally Webb and judging by the applause, many concurred. Bollinger and Coriole wines were served thanks to Tucker Seabrooks Rob and Judy Hirst. Thirsts with the Hirsts included Margot Montgomery, Rowly Hirst, Theo and Mary Rossi and Geoffrey Clark.

A divine vision

IN her youth, Michal Armstrong studied anthropology; realising communities have and need a spiritual heart. She now works with Shenpen Australia, providing for Tibetan refugees in the south of India. On August 25, at Shapiro Gallery, Woollahra, The Divine Feminine will open including work by Min Mia, of the Wiradjiri people and artist Peter Griffen. There'll be a lama blessing and an offering by the Tara Dhatu Sacred Dance Group. At an earlier event, Armstrong heard guests discussing Buddhist depictions with a Tibetan monk, Christian inspiration with an artist previously a Clare nun and the significance of images with Min Mia: her heart sang. Best you attend and let your wallet sing.

All that's fit to print

ON Monday, George J. Green, president of Hearst Magazines International, and here from New York, attended the Myer parade, dining later at Lucio's with ACPs Pat Ingram, Mia Freedman, Alison Veness-McGourty and Nicole Pizanis. Tuesday, he hit the harbour in Harper's Bazaar publisher Lynette Phillips's sleek teak boat Pop berthing at Otto for lunch with, among others, David Gardiner and Cameron Hoy. Wednesday, he took in the David Jones parade. A regular visitor to the city, he was here to congratulate Freedman with the success of Cosmopolitan, where it sits at No. 1 in its market. Then again, George is that kind of guy.

A load of rubbish

NSW's enthusiastic embrace of the campaign intent on reducing the consumption of plastic carry bags is attractive; the responsible disposal of trash being an environmental must. However, following a recent screening of The Rock's Walking Tall, at Fox Studios, when television's Erika Heynatz (who's apparently a dear) vacated her seat, she'd discarded a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts box; an empty cola container; one depleted popcorn tub; a redundant mineral water bottle and left the floor littered with detritus, including crumpled paper napkins. While rubbish removal creates employment and The Rock is distracting, it was disappointing. To avoid this, Westfield Gold Class two new cinemas at Bondi Junction offer wait-service; a scotch and soda here, a tasty tab-nab there and Moran recliners to view wall-to-wall and digital first-release movies. Doughnut behaviour is discouraged.

© 2004 Sun Herald

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