Issue 29

Just as surfers achieve their eloquence by unifying with and conquering the ocean (something that has occurred naturally), skateboarding can only achieve its yearned artistic expression when done in a ‘natural landscape’. Skateboarders define any terrain that isn’t purposefully built to skate as natural. Skateboarding is inherently something done outside of regiment. RAINER CHLANDA (pictured) provides a perspective on what 'the street' means to skaters, why skating the street is central to their culture.

Town Council candidate Matty Day (pictured) says he will push for a “Kick it to the Kerb” day when residents can recycle household items.

One story behind the statistics

The courts are dealing with “at least 10” such cases a day, said Magistrate John Birch, as he sentenced a man for an drunken assault on his wife. Presumably he meant the Alice Springs Courts, where the daily figure of 10 would not surprise anyone used to looking up the lists.

In this case Mr Birch was inclined to impose a harsher penalty than the mandatory minimum of three months but he fully suspended the sentence. After completing the paperwork the man walked free, given a chance to try to get his life back on track. For it had been on track, for 40 years ... KIERAN FINNANE reports.

IMAGE: From a powerpoint titled Unnecessary Suffering, presented by Justice Jenny Blokland at the 2013 Bali Conference of the Criminal Lawyers Association of the NT, the graph shows the heavily disproportionate representation of Indigenous women (the red line) in domestic violence assaults.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Sir – The Government should postpone passage of the Alcohol Protection Orders (APO) Bill in order to properly consult and to consider the evidence, writes Jonathon Hunyor of the Aboriginal Peak Organisations NT.

Council is a business and needs to run like a business, but every business has a heart and soul and in Alice Springs the heart and soul can be found in community events. Council should do its best, therefore, to look after and promote them. It already offers financial and in kind support but it could do more, says by-election candidate John Bridgefoot (pictured). KIERAN FINNANE reports.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Alice Springs engineering firm CAT Projects has been acknowledged as the Northern Territory Regional Exporter of the Year, for its success in building an export market for its services and practical solutions in countries as far reaching as Nepal, the Philippines and Kenya. PHOTO: Village Energy Planning in Maligaon – Orrisa State, India.

Alyawarr artist Michelle Holmes Pwerla, from Ampilatwatja, has been voted the People’s Choice Award winner as part of this year’s 30^th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. The 45-year-old artist received 121 votes of the 1781 votes cast for her painting My Country, acrylic on canvas, which depicts the country she lives on.

Ardent followers of cricket fronted up at Centralian Sports in the CBD first thing Monday this week, hoping to buy grandstand tickets to the Chairman’s XI Ashes tour match against England to be played at Traeger Park on November 29 and 30. But all the tickets had gone the Monday before, October 28, a week before the official sale date. ERWIN CHLANDA reports.

John Bridgefoot (pictured), a candidate for the town council by-election this month has had a restraining order made against him and was convicted for breaching it. ERWIN CHLANDA reports. PHOTO: Penelope Bergen, ABC Local.

The school was trashed (photo) and community staff were in fear of their lives when a sports weekend at Mutitjulu turned into a mass riot that lasted till Wednesday last week. ERWIN CHLANDA reports.

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A container deposit depot has opened in Alice Springs, doing 28 "separations" after its predecessor shut down when he was required to do 24. Local manager Andrew Lee says the number of separations required is "labour intensive" but the high turnover makes it worth-while. ERWIN CHLANDA reports. PHOTO: Depot worker Shaun Thomas lobs a stubby into one of the 28 separation bins as fellow worker Jason Birch sorts a delivery from Tom Buzzacott (at right).

A strong last quarter gave Wanderers a 47-point win over Central Australia at Gardens Oval on Saturday.