Monday 3rd February

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: Arts Around Canberra + A Helicopter Demo

🌤️ Weather: 33° and mostly sunny.

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This Weekend: 🚁 CareFlight Helicopter Demonstration

Come along to Federation Mall at Parliament House to see the state-of-the-art Airbus H145 Helicopter land and take off. Having completed its 1000th CareFlight mission in Australia, the helicopter will be landing at Parliament House so the public can see the machine up close and learn about its work. There will be complimentary snacks and refreshments along with free toys for the little ones. Details here.

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🎨 Arts Around Canberra

Here’s this week’s arts wrap:

The Oud Unleashed: Six-time ARIA award-winning composer and Oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros will be performing this Sunday at The Street. Details here.

Lunar New Year Concert: The internationally acclaimed Hong Kong String Orchestrawill make its highly anticipated Australian debut to welcome the Year of the Snake with a performance at Canberra Theatre on Wednesday. Details here.

Tuggeranong Arts Openings: Three new exhibitions are opening at TAC this Friday, including Steven Holland’s Moonsnake, featuring a series of bronze serpent sculptures. Details here.

Belco Arts Openings: Five exhibitions will open this Friday at Belco Arts, including 3000 days...and counting... by Sharon Field, an ongoing artwork created on a series of scrolls providing a visual record of the plants we are in danger of losing to climate change. Details here.

BLAZE 2025: Canberra Contemporary’s artist showcase, BLAZE returns this weekend. BLAZE features six exciting artists at the beginning of their careers. Details here.

Caring for Our Creeks: Join artist Kirsten Wehner for a floor talk on her solo Creeksexhibition. Creeks explores life along Weston Creek, a little-known waterway in suburban Canberra. Details here.

EASS Award Exhibition: Australian National Capital Artists (ANCA) awards an annual exhibition to ANU graduates whose work demonstrates creative distinction. The exhibition will be opening this Wednesday. Details here.

Migrant Women’s Art Exhibition: The Civic Library will be hosting an exhibition of works by the Migrant Women’s Art Group as part of the National Multicultural Festival. Details here.

Adrian Fallace Exhibition: Local photographer Adrian Fallace is showcasing a series of landscape, nature, and astrophotography photographs taken throughout the Canberra region and surrounding areas. Details here.

Lindy Lee at Enlighten: The NGA has announced that Australian artist and creator of the Ouroboros sculpture Lindy Lee has been commissioned to illuminate the National Gallery as part of Enlighten.

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Something to do: Cultural Weaving Workshop

Ginninderry Conservation Trust, in partnership with Pitta Pitta Wangkamahdla woman Ronnie Jordan, is running a five-week series of workshops on cultural weaving. You’ll start by collecting plants within the conservation corridor to prepare fibres and learn how to coil weave. The workshops start this Sunday (apologies for the late notice). Details here.

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Classifieds

🧑‍🎨 Bookings Are Open for studioMAP Art Classes for Children & Teens Painting, drawing & illustration from 6-18 years old. After school and Saturday classes. Term 1 commences on February 3. Book Now & details : studiomap.com.au

studioMAP, established in 1995, is a fully equipped and professionally staffed art studio located in Studio 3, M16 Artspace / Community Visual Arts Centre, Blaxland Griffith ACT.

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Classifieds are paid ads that support Canberra Digest. Want to reach over 5000 Canberrans? Book yours.

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Tidbits and News:

Recycling Centre a Step Closer: The ACT Government has announced a partnership with French utilities company Veolia to build and operate a new recycling facility in Hume with construction starting next year. The previous facility was destroyed in 2022 by a fire. The ACT currently sends recycling to Sydney. More.

School’s Back: ACT students will be returning to school this week. This means 40kph zones around schools will be in place.

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Weekend Sport:

⚾️ Cavs Win ABL!: The Canberra Cavalry have won the 2025 Australian Baseball League Championship. More.

Cavs fans can welcome home the Champions this evening at the Narrabundah Ballpark. Details here.

⚽️ Canberra United: Canberra United are closing in on a top-six spot and a place in the A-League Finals with a 1-0 win over Perth. They now sit level on 21 points with sixth-placed Brisbane Roar. Canberra will take on Central Coast this Saturday at McKellar Park. Tickets here.

🏀 UC Capitals: The UC Capitals have kept their final chances alive with a 91-77 win over Geelong. The Caps are within reach of a top-four playoff spot with an all-important game against 4th placed Sydney this weekend. Tickets here.

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Manning Clark House

Manning Clark House in Forrest has long been a centre for lively cultural and intellectual discussion, a vision set by Manning Clark’s widow, Dymphna, when she established the not-for-profit organisation in 1997. There are a couple of upcoming talks:

AUKUS: Going From Bad to Worse: Dr Sue Wareham OAM, a leading voice on peace and disarmament, will outline the concerns surrounding the AUKUS agreement and discuss ways to challenge its implementation. Details here.

‌Truth-listening in a time of truth-telling: Join acclaimed historians Clare Wright and Frank Bongiorno for a compelling discussion on Clare’s latest book Näku Dhäruk The Bark Petitions: How the People of Yirrkala Changed the Course of Australian Democracy. Details here.