honda mag 59

HONDA MAG 59
NEWS | PRODUCTS | MOTOR SPORT | PARTNERSHIPS | LIFESTYLE | TRAVEL | SOCIETY
ISSUE 59 | HONDA.COM.AU
HONDA MAGAZINE | HONDA.COM.AU
CONTENTS
ISSUE
59
/
WINTER
2015
02 PRODUCT: ACCORD SPORT HYBRID
06 NEWS: THE WORLD OF HONDA
10 TRAVEL: NEW ORLEANS
16 PRODUCT: CIVIC HATCH
20 TRAVEL: BHUTAN
26 PRODUCT: CR-V SERIES II
30 ART & SOCIETY: JOHN WOLSELEY
42 ART & SOCIETY: PHIL WITHERS
06 THE WORLD OF HONDA
08 The Civic Tourer.
37 HONDA IN MOTOR SPORT
45 FAN FEATURE
37Formula 1: McLaren-Honda update.
45#HondaAllStars. We wanted to
find the greatest Honda of all-time,
but rather than choose ourselves,
we wanted the people to decide!
07The new head of Honda,
Takahiro Hachigo.
07HondaJet
08 The HR-V SLF campaign.
09
The 10th Generation
Civic Concept car.
09 Honda Dealer Excellence awards.
39MotoGP: Jack Miller and 2015
World Championship.
40 WTCC: update.
Editor: Stuart Sykes; Executive Editor: Paul Harley; Design & Production: Cassie Dalton. For general enquiries regarding Honda motor vehicle products or services, contact Honda Australia on 1800 804 954.
01
PRODUCT
ACCORD SPORT HYBRID
CHASING THE HYBRID DREAM
AS EARLY AS 1966, SOICHIRO HONDA HAD COMMITTED TO
“LEAVE BLUE SKIES FOR OUR CHILDREN.” SO THE JOURNEY TO THE
ACCORD SPORT HYBRID WAS ALWAYS HONDA’S DESTINY.
Hybrid technology is often extolled as the best of both worlds. But all too often,
the pursuit of efficiency results in important trade-offs where performance is concerned.
02
The truth is, there aren’t too many performance hybrids out
there in production.
The challenge for Honda was to create a hybrid that satisfied its
own sky-high standards for efficiency and lower CO2 emissions,
but that also met the expectations of the modern Honda customer.
It had to be exciting to drive.
There lay the bedrock for the Accord Sport Hybrid. It couldn’t
simply combine two different engines. It had to be a hybrid
of two opposing ideas.
As Honda’s hybrid offering developed, it became evident that
success would be as much about the supporting technology as
it would be about the engine performance itself. Vital breakthroughs
in engineering paved the way for sophisticated solutions.
One of those solutions adapted Honda’s CVT technology for the hybrid
engine system, Electronic Continuously Variable Transmission (E-CVT).
This means the Accord Sport Hybrid has no transmission. At least,
no transmission you’d recognise. Rather than a set number of gear
ratios, E-CVT allows a near infinite number of possibilities.
FOR THE DRIVER,
THIS YIELDS A
SMOOTHER, YET FAR
MORE POWERFUL,
ACCELERATION.
It was clear from the outset that a true sport hybrid would
occasionally be required to go beyond the capabilities of any electric
motor. So Honda developed a three-mode driving system known as
Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD).
For most applications, and particularly for city drivers, the Accord
Sport Hybrid will remain in the highly economical Electric Vehicle
mode. This includes starting the car, idling and lower-speed driving.
When extra acceleration is called upon, the car automatically enters
Hybrid Vehicle mode by introducing extra power from the petrol
engine. It’s only when cruising at higher speeds that Engine Drive
mode is engaged and the powerful 2.0 litre i-VTEC petrol engine
takes over completely.
03
But performance alone does not make a sports car. Looks can be just
as important.
The shape of the Accord Sport Hybrid has been largely decided by
aerodynamics, which gives it a sleek and sporty aesthetic. This is
enhanced through a spectacular array of LED Daytime Running Lights,
which flank an attractive blue grille accent.
The modern look is not limited to the car’s exterior. Located just above
the centre touchscreen is an LCD colour display. This is the Intelligent
Multi Information Display known as i-MID. It’s the home of built-in
satellite navigation with SUNA live traffic updates^. When the Accord
Sport Hybrid is put in reverse, it also becomes a display for the
multi-angle reserving camera. With i-MID everything, such as the song
playing on the stereo, is kept comfortably within the driver’s line of sight.
As if the multi-angle reversing camera wasn’t enough, Honda has
also installed a camera in the passenger-side wing mirror. Drivers
who have ever fallen victim to this notorious blind spot will know
why. This technology is known as LaneWatch, and as far as safety
features go, it’s absolutely remarkable. i-MID screen displays the
camera image as the driver indicates to change lanes. ‘Car length’
markers are displayed on screen, which provides a whole new level
of confidence to the driver changing lanes.
Other safety features act more subtly. The Advanced Driver Assist
System includes Adaptive Cruise Control (which adjusts the car’s
speed to the vehicle in front), a Collision Mitigation Braking System
(ready in an emergency) and Lane Keep Assist (which reads road
markings to help the Accord Sport Hybrid to stay centred and safe).
If the thought of an economical hybrid vehicle drums up images
of austerity and compromise, the Accord Sport Hybrid defies
convention. With power in abundance and some of the most
impressive new infotainment and safety technology on the road,
nothing goes amiss.
But just how efficient can a sport hybrid be?
WITH FUEL
CONSUMPTION AT
ONLY 4.6L PER 100KM*,
IT’S AT THE TOP OF
ITS CLASS.
^ SUNA is a registered trademark of Intelematics Pty. Ltd. Coverage includes Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane,
Gold Coast, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra metropolitan areas. Refer to sunatraffic.com.au for full details.
* The
figure quoted is based on ADR81/02 combined test results. You may experience different results
depending on driving conditions and the condition of the vehicle.
04
WIN 40K TO MAKE YOUR
DREAMS REAL
Start dreaming again because the
Power Your Dreams competition is back
Due to the amazing response last year we’re now giving away $40,000 to spend however
or wherever you like. That much will power any dream you can think of. Put a deposit on a blimp,
ski across Europe or build a pool on your roof. It’s your dream, you decide.
For your chance to win something larger than life, simply sign up to receive email communications
about Honda products and promotions. If you’re already signed up, you can still enter the
competition by visiting honda.com.au/poweryourdreams
Competition open to Australian residents ages 18+. Begins 00:00hrs on 01/07/15 and ends 23:59hrs on 30/09/15 AEST. Authorised under Permit Numbers: NSW LTPS/15/04475, ACT TP 15/06184, SA T15/1008. For full terms and conditions, visit honda.com.au/poweryourdreams.
NEWS
THE WORLD OF HONDA
WHAT’S MAKING NEWS FOR HONDA AROUND THE GLOBE?
06
NEW MAN, NEW CHALLENGE
There’s a new man at the head of Honda, and with him
comes a new call to ‘Team Honda’ to take up the challenges
of our 21st century. Takahiro Hachigo, whom eagle-eyed F1
fans may have seen attending the Austrian Grand Prix with
the McLaren Honda team, has a flawless Honda pedigree.
As an Assistant Large Project Leader he had a big hand in the
development and success of the Honda Odyssey in the States;
he was General Manager of Honda’s Suzuka factory; he moved
on to be a Vice-President of Honda Motor Europe; and a recent stint
in China was the last stepping-stone to his current position.
Hachigo-san’s keynote speech as the new man in charge laid
stress on the six-region global operations model Honda has
implemented, and on the importance of developing
challenging projects. ‘Share one goal, take on challenges,
attain high targets’ was the gist of it – a rallying-cry to
the 200,000 Honda associates around the world.
HONDAJET
FLYING HIGH
HondaJet is bringing something truly
innovative to business aviation.
Typical of those challenging
projects, said the new CEO, is
the HondaJet. It has also figured
in the news from Honda’s world in
recent weeks with a ‘world tour’ that
saw the stunning new business aircraft
log 26,000 nautical miles and visit 13
countries.
As Michimasa Fujino, President and CEO of Honda
Aircraft Company, puts it, HondaJet “is bringing
something truly innovative to business aviation.”
The itinerary took in Japan and a number of European
countries including Switzerland, where the HondaJet
featured prominently in one of the biggest aviation
shows on the calendar.
Honda claims that the quick, economical and luxuriously
appointed HondaJet has broad appeal in the European
zone, its range comfortably encompassing most of the
major cities on the continent and in the United Kingdom.
The UK itself, Belgium, France, Germany and Poland were
also important stop-overs on the HondaJet’s tour.
07
…AND DRIVING ON – AND ON
While the HondaJet criss-crossed the skies above
Europe, down below a more traditional form of
Honda activity was taking place.
the car, averaged 2.8 litres per 100km, or around
1,500 kilometres per tankful at a total cost –
a TOTAL cost – of just 645 euros.
Two long-term Honda associates forsook their
office in order to clamber into a 1.6 litre Diesel
Civic Tourer and write their names into Guinness
World Records history. Fergal McGrath and Julian
Warren covered 13,498 kilometres in a 25 day
odyssey (pun intended) that began on June 1 at
Aalst in Belgium and took in all 24 contiguous
member countries of the European Union.
The two c olleagues averaged seven and a
half hours on the road each day, or around 600
kilometres. Their visits to the 24 countries were
verified by a combination of fuel/mileage logbooks,
GPS and video evidence, photographs and
independent witnesses.
Just to put their achievement in perspective, that’s
the equivalent of driving from the UK to Australia
– with just nine fuel stops. The Civic Tourer, a
straightforward, standard production version of
It was no trouble to the Honda – but its two
drivers, who have known each other for 17 years,
were glad when their adventure ended. “After
spending so much time behind the wheel,” said
Fergal, “Julian and I are just happy to be back
behind our desks for a while!”
...the HR-V SLF,
a car equipped
with no fewer
than 10 selfie
cameras...
TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOURSELF
In a totally different vein, and acknowledging the
image-conscious society we have created, Honda in
the United States recently ran a fun campaign based
on an extremely clever variant of its updated HR-V.
and recruited Ashley H, who enjoys a social media
influencer rank of 99, to knock herself out with
as many selfies as she could muster.
Well, ever-alert to its customers’ needs and wishes,
Honda’s American arm offered… the HR-V SLF,
a car equipped with no fewer than 10 selfie cameras
(in addition to the standard rear-view camera)
PS. Just in case you didn’t catch on, it was all an
April Fool’s Day joke. Who said car makers couldn’t
have a sense of humour?
The results can be seen in some fun footage at
Did you know that one-third of all photographs taken
hrvselfie.com. The deliberately self-centred Ashley
by people in the 18 to 24-year-old bracket are so-called H (“I’m all about living in the moment”) uploaded the
‘selfies’? Or that no fewer than a million ‘selfies’ are
shots from her smartphone to HondaLink, saying
snapped every day?
“I just want the world to see what I’ve done…”
08
LESS SELFISH, MORE CIVIC
If gawping at yourself isn’t quite your thing, you could
try eyeing off something else that’s very easy on the
eye. Also out of the States has come the first stunning
images of the 10th Generation Civic Concept.
Debuting at the New York International Auto Show,
the new concept car boasts what Honda calls “the
sportiest Civic design in brand history.” The car is set
to be offered in several body styles and showcases
Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology powertrain.
stylish Civic we’ve ever made,” which is no small
claim for one of the cars that turned Honda into
a global success story.
Low, wide and appealingly aggressive in its stance,
the new Civic Concept is one of the most exciting
developments on Honda’s global radar at the moment.
“Charismatic, connected and athletic,” says Guy
Melville-Brown, who headed up the exterior design
team. Honda expects the car to be a game-changer.
John Mendel of American Honda says the new
concept car is “flat out the most dynamic, the most
technologically advanced and the most refined and
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Closer to home, let’s take our hats off to the people who were
recently recognised as examples of Dealer Excellence by Honda
here in Australia.
South Australia and Queensland scooped the pool, with three
dealerships demonstrating the consistently high standards Honda
buyers have come to expect. Top of the list is Dave Potter Honda
of Glenelg in South Australia, winning the award for a fifth
consecutive time.
Two dealerships in the Sunshine State also backed up their previous
achievements. Southside Honda of Woolloongabba won for the
second time, while Blue Ribbon Honda of Yamanto struck gold for
the third time in their history.
High marks have to be attained in Sales, Service, Parts and Customer
Satisfaction. As Honda Australia Director Stephen Collins said,
“This is our way of recognising their commitment to excellence.”
Our warmest congratulations and compliments to them all.
09
TRAVEL
NEW ORLEANS
THE BIG EASY FOR BEGINNERS
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
STUART SYKES
10
Sultry, southern, stubbornly
alive despite Mother Nature’s
best efforts to obliterate:
New Orleans is a feast for
the senses, a city of mixed
heritage and multiple cultures.
And all that jazz…
BIG EASY OR BIG JOKE? PRINCESS OR PROSTITUTE? NEW ORLEANS IS ALL
OF THE ABOVE AND A GREAT DEAL MORE THAN A THREE DAY STOP-OVER
EN ROUTE TO THE WEST INDIES COULD ALLOW US TO DISCOVER.
On the other hand, a short stay is perhaps the ideal
way to savour N’Awlins, whose ‘Big Easy’ nickname
comes from its live-and-let-live attitude to life.
The Dauphine is a small, slightly old-fashioned but
comfortable hotel on the street of that name in the
French Quarter, our base for three days in New
Orleans. Why go anywhere else? The Quarter,
or the Vieux Carré as it’s also known, has it all.
Its streets are a movie set peopled by characters
and caricatures, a colourful, chaotic mixture of past,
present and a future less uncertain than it seemed
just a few short years ago. Courtyards – where
people can meet without being seen – and balconies
– from which you can see practically everybody –
abound in this part of a city whose architecture
is a constant delight.
11
Music and food are everywhere. After all, ‘Laissez
les bons temps rouler’ – a kind of French translation
of ‘Let the good times roll’ – is the local catch-cry.
Arriving early in the evening we head – on local
recommendation – straight to the nearby Café Soulé
and take the easy way out: the New Orleans trio of
crawfish étouffée, jambalaya and gumbo made from
chicken and the local andouille sausage. It’s just a
taste of New Orleans we’ve come for… And did you
know that ‘cocktails’ were a gift to the world from
the Big Easy?
As an aperitif to the main musical course we hop into
a bar called Sing Sing for nightcaps and some lively
jazz. After visits to the French Market (the oldest in
the USA), the Café du Monde and its beignets (French
doughnuts) made famous by the novels of James Lee
Burke, and a highly entertaining hop-on hop-off bus
tour of the streets, our second night brings us to the
centre-piece of the musical menu: a concert, booked
well in advance, at the famous Preservation Hall, ‘the
place that kept the music alive’ and one of the focal
points of the Big Easy’s vibrant musical life. It’s small,
crowded – people sit on the floor – and hot as hell,
but the Preservation Hall-Stars take us on a 45-minute
trip that banishes all discomfort, physical or otherwise.
12
Day three is our biggest. It begins with a tour
of Laura Plantation, less than an hour outside
the city but a world away from anything most
of us have known.
Back in the city the boys in our group are dropped
off for a tour of an altogether different kind.
New Orleans, perhaps surprisingly, is home to
a World War II museum which some listings rank
as the fourth-best museum in the United States
and the 11th-best in the world.
A Tom Hanks ‘blockbuster’ video about America’s
involvement in the war is more Hollywood than
history, but the much more impressive Boeing
Center makes up for it and so does the new
Campaign Hall. This astonishing space offers
an ‘immersive experience’ taking the spectator
through the stages of the Allies’ journey on the
Road to Berlin and ultimate victory.
After all, ‘Laissez les bons temps rouler’
– a kind of French translation of ‘Let the
good times roll’ – is the local catch-cry.
Individual galleries are built like the ruined square
of a French village, the murderous hedgerows
of Normandy after the invasion or the freezing
forests of the Ardennes in Belgium. This is
interactive, immersive technology put to its finest
use: entertaining, informative and quite gripping.
This wonderful museum is a place where you
could spend a week, never mind an afternoon…
Last but not least, a musical dessert to follow
our main course at Preservation Hall: a delightful
dinner at Maison on Frenchmen Street, where
the resident band, the New Orleans Jazz Vipers,
are just brilliant: a collection of alluring individuals,
from Molly on rhythm guitar to the sax player
with a voice like a rough file ideally suited to the
repertoire. This bunch of musicians are always
themselves but always completely together.
A bit like people in the Big Easy, really…
13
New Orleans, perhaps surprisingly, is
home to a World War II museum which
some listings rank as the fourth-best
museum in the United States and the
11th-best in the world.
14
A CREOLE PLANTATION:
LAURA
‘LAURA’ IS – OR WAS – A CREOLE
PLANTATION WHICH PRODUCED
SUGARCANE IN ITS 300-STRONG
HEYDAY, BECAUSE COTTON
AND TOBACCO DON’T FLOURISH
THIS FAR SOUTH.
First question in the Big Easy: what’s the difference
between Creole and Cajun? Half a world is the answer:
Creoles were originally people of European (French and
Spanish) origin but born in America. Cajuns (from Acadia
in Nova Scotia), fled forced exile to settle in Louisiana
and offer, like the Creoles, an alternative to Anglo-Saxon
traditions in the New World.
‘Laura’ is – or was – a Creole plantation which
produced sugarcane in its 300-strong heyday, because
cotton and tobacco don’t flourish this far south. Karen,
a very straightforward lady of a certain age, guided us
through its 200 year history, the wealth of its owners
(a Register of Slaves shows one with a market value
the equivalent of $100,000 in 21st century terms) and
its intriguing female-run past.
Built on pyramids of bricks eight feet deep, the home,
set high on columns of brick and clay and topped by
a cypress superstructure, has recently been restored
to something like its former glory and now rates as
the top tourist attraction in the state of Louisiana.
Founded by former French naval officer Guillaume
Duparc, the plantation covered 12,000 acres at its
largest, the house itself set 200 metres south of the
Mississippi. Its name changed to ‘Laura’ in 1874 after
Laura’s grandmother split the property between
Laura’s father and aunt. Family infighting was set
aside when Laura’s father, Emile named his half after
Laura. When she herself on-sold it in 1891 she
insisted that it must forever continue to be called
the Laura Plantation.
Laura married a St Louis man, Charles Gore and
had three children, but now there are no living
descendants of Laura Locoul Gore. In fact the wheel
has turned full circle: Laura’s cousins left after the
plantation was sold in 1891 and their own
descendants live there to this day.
From the Maison Principale (‘main house’) with
its Creole design and vibrant exterior colour scheme
to the slave cabins built in the 1840s, ‘Laura’ offers
an architectural snapshot of two centuries.
Soberingly, however, we are also reminded that
in the mid-19th century, when at its height, the
plantation was home to 195 people. No fewer
than 175 of them were slaves…
15
PRODUCT
CIVIC HATCH
ALL THINGS GREAT AND SMALL
16
Little things have a large effect
in the 2015 Civic Hatch.
Evolution, by definition, happens gradually. Small changes in the most minute
of details that build into a bigger picture over time.
But those small changes are worth celebrating.
Honda’s new 2015 Civic Hatch is a stunning example of evolution at work.
The most obvious update is pure aesthetics, a brilliant light show provided
by the new LED daytime running lights and wrap-around taillights. From every
angle this Civic Hatch looks modernised, with a spirited energy about it.
It projects a personality much larger than its small frame lets on.
Nine generations after its introduction in 1974, the Civic continues to be
admired the world over for its agility and handling. Simply put, it’s a fun
car to drive. It always has been.
Which means, for purists, the key update here will be Honda’s Agile Handling
Assist System (AHAS). AHAS brings an exciting new dynamic to an already
very responsive car.
By applying a light braking force, imperceptible to the driver, to individual
wheels during cornering, AHAS helps the Civic Hatch 15YM stay glued to
the road, even in poor driving conditions.
17
THE CIVIC HATCH
HAS COME A LONG
WAY IN ITS 40
YEARS.
Its shape has become sleek and coupé-like in
its aerodynamics. It now comes with the latest
technology, like the 7-inch colour touchscreen Display
Audio system. Its 5-star ANCAP safety rating is the
highest available. And if you’ve always considered
the Civic Hatch to be on the smaller side, you’ll be
surprised to see just how much space Honda has
created inside the cabin. In part, this is due to
Honda’s renowned Magic Seats.
For the uninitiated, these are seats that flip and fold
flat, with barely any effort required, into all sorts
of helpful configurations. Since you never know what
unruly object you may one day have to transport,
Honda’s Magic Seats are the closest you can be
to prepared for anything.
...Honda’s Magic
Seats are the
closest you can be
to prepared for
anything...
But Magic Seats didn’t just appear out of thin air.
They, too, are the result of important evolutions
over time. By relocating the car’s fuel tank, Honda
rediscovered new room to fold the rear seats flat
into the floor cavity. It makes the Civic Hatch not
only an unlikely carrier of oversized cargo, but also
a dream to load and unload.
For those in search of even more magic, the seats
in the VTi-LN model have been fitted with elegant
leather-appointed trim1. It’s carefully considered
finishing materials like this one that in recent
evolutions of the Civic Hatch have elevated the
interior environment. This gives the Civic Hatch
a sense of style and luxury shared by the most
expensive entrants in its vehicle class.
1. Leather-appointed trim includes non-leather material on selected, high-impact surfaces.
18
Designed specifically for the Civic Hatch
model upgrade, the revised spoiler brings
a subtle but sporty edge to the existing
coupé profile. After years of evolution,
with constant improvements to
aerodynamics and efficiency, the new
spoiler feels like the finishing flourish.
Just one more small but significant step
towards perfection.
THERE’S ONE OTHER UNIQUE TRAIT ON DISPLAY. AND, SPOILER ALERT: IT’S THE SPOILER.
19
TRAVEL
BHUTAN
MAGIC IN THE MIST
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
BELINDA JACKSON
20
Flying tigers, sacred peaks and heavenly
birds soar amidst a landscape of monasteries
and fortresses. Award-winning travel writer
Belinda Jackson discovers Bhutan.
Belinda Jackson travelled to Bhutan as a guest of Bhutan & Beyond.
21
IN BHUTAN, IT SEEMS
EVERYTHING POINTS
SKYWARD, FORCING
YOU TO CAST YOUR EYES
TOWARD THE HEAVENS.
In this little corner of the eastern Himalayas, the
mountains tower far above us. Closer to earth, the
country’s most recognisable monastery, Tiger’s Nest,
is a stack of whitewashed buildings high on a rocky
mountain ledge, heralded by fluttering prayer flags
and steep steps that climb, climb, and keep climbing.
To be fair to Bhutan, Tiger’s Nest is but a bump on
the country’s high plains. Its highest mountain, the
unscaled Gangkhar Puensum, towers at 7,570 metres
– Tiger’s Nest is ‘only’ 2,800 metres, though my
sea-level lungs are acutely aware of the rarefied
air we breathe.
A dog trots alongside us as we journey toward the
monastery. “Perhaps he’s on a pilgrimage, too,” I suggest
to my patient guide, Tshering. “Maybe he was a lama in
another life,” he responds seriously. And so we name
him Lama, and watch as he weaves between pilgrims
and sightseers on the steep, busy path.
Druk Yul, the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon, is
mashed between the two super-nations of India and
China. Carefully independent, the people of Bhutan
are not like us. They eat raw chillies for breakfast.
Their national sport is archery. Their televisions were
switched on in only 1999. They have yaks, blue sheep
and snow leopards. They also have five queens and
21 peaks over 7,000 metres.
22
Bhutan shares with India the
love of a good billboard full
of advice: Life is a journey:
– complete it.
Spotting those mountains is like celebrity-spotting in Hollywood – you
know they’re out there, but they can be elusive. Briefly, I spy beautiful
Jomolhari, ‘the goddess’ and the country’s second highest peak, her
pure, snow-white face peeking from behind the pine-covered hills that
shield her from view.
Racers, take note. This is not your kind of country. Bhutan is just 550km
wide, but it’ll take you three days to drive it. “Two, if it’s an emergency,”
confirms my driver. I think I’ve misheard, then I realise we haven’t touched
50km since I’ve been in the car. The maximum speed across the entire
country is just 60km, dropping to a crawl up mist-laden mountain passes
such as Chele La, at 3,780 metres, and there can be a dozen bends for
every kilometre.
No matter, there is plenty of entertainment on the drive. Bhutan shares
with India the love of a good billboard full of advice: ‘Life is a journey:
complete it,’ or ‘Slide prone area. Inconvenience regretted.’ They are a
charming bunch, these 700,000 Bhutanese people, clad in their national
uniforms. For women, a silk cross-over jacket, a tego, is teamed with the
kira, a long, straight skirt, while the men’s gho is cut like a mid-thigh
shave coat and usually tartan. Expect to see it on guides, on government
officials and at public events, though I do see farmers happily striding
their potato paddocks, clad in a faded gho.
The first modern tourists were allowed into the secretive kingdom in
1987, but today you can do it in style, with digs by some of the world’s
most luxurious hotel names – Aman, Como, Taj… Don’t expect bling,
do expect designer simplicity and possibly the world’s best views.
Or you can stay in a Bhutanese farmhouse. “Expect rustic,” I’m warned
of my stay in Gangtey Valley.
Sitting on the floor of the farmhouse kitchen with my driver and guide,
I’m joined by the owners, their elderly parents and their young children:
the little two-year-old, Sonam Dechen, plays with a knife and a piece
of timber her mum gives her.
There are no seats or tables in a Bhutanese home; the 79-year-old
Chodar Dem sits effortlessly in half-lotus position, warmed by the
bukhari (wood stove). Her son and master of the house, Phub Gaytshey,
leads me to my room – it’s the farmhouse’s altar room and it’s an honour
to sleep on the floor beside the incredibly elaborate, well cared-for altar.
The electricity was switched on only 18 months ago, broadband internet
is coming soon.
The next morning, we shoot a few expertly made arrows trimmed with
pheasant feathers before heading off for a walk through Phobjikha Valley
to pick wild strawberries, visit the 400-year-old Gangtey monastery,
chat to two women sitting in a field weaving fabric for a kira and visit
a conservation centre for crane. That’s birds, not buildings: the muchmythologised long-neck cranes are considered sacred animals in Bhutan,
connected with the heavens.
23
Marijuana grows by the
roadsides and the government
encourages school children to
rip it out.
Bhutan is a curious mix of modernity and tradition.
The country has no navy and no air force. Tuesdays
are alcohol-free and selling tobacco is all but illegal.
Marijuana grows by the roadsides and the
government encourages school children to rip it out.
Eco-tourism is taking hold as the new economy,
governed by an economy based on Gross National
Happiness. And people paint penises on their houses
to keep evil spirits at bay.
As we hike through the high valleys, I wonder if
Tshering thinks I’m stupid, as I keep asking him to
repeat himself. It’s forbidden to climb some of the
sacred peaks, yetis live on the next ridge and Tiger’s
Nest was founded by a lama (priest) on a flying tiger.
Above us, high up in the trees, bright prayer flags
dance until they fade, tear and eventually dissipate
on the fresh breeze. The scent and the smoke from
the incense burned in every shop, hotel and house
carries a million prayers up to where the eagles
gather, up higher past the clouds and into paradise,
to be heard by celestial ears.
So close to the sky, there’s magic in the mist,
and I believe.
24
GETTING THERE
The national carrier, Druk Air, flies via Bangkok or Singapore to Bhutan.
Return flights from Bangkok to Paro cost around US$700.
CURRENCY AND VISAS
Australians need a visa to visit Bhutan, obtained with their travel itinerary
through a licensed tour operator. The Bhutanese currency is the Ngultru (Nu),
which is tied to the Indian dollar. AUD1 = Nu47. ATMs are becoming more
common in Paro and Thimphu, but pack a back-up of small denomination USD
as well. You can now exchange Australian dollars in the major banks.
STAYING THERE
A three-star Taste of Bhutan tour costs from US$1,398 a person, seven days, while a five-star tour of
Bhutan’s outstanding luxury properties costs from US$5,695 a person, 11 days. Otherwise, take a tour on
a new Royal Enfield ‘Bullet’ motorcycle, from US$4,449, 12 days/11 nights small group tour. Bhutan tours
are all-inclusive (accommodation, guides, transport, meals, entrance fees and visas) and must be pre-booked
and paid for beforehand. For those on a budget, travelling in low season (June-Aug and Dec-Feb) outside
the busy festival season, and in groups of three or more, significantly reduces your costs.
1300 367 875, bhutan.com.au.
25
PRODUCT
CR-V GOES ON A WILD HORSE CHASE
26
WHETHER IT’S LOOKING FOR MONSTERS UNDER
THE BED, OR MAKING SURE THE TOOTH FAIRY
TURNS UP ON TIME, YOU HAVE TO GO WITH IT
A LOT AS A PARENT. SOMETIMES YOU EVEN HAVE
TO GO ON A BIT OF A WILD GOOSE (OR HORSE)
CHASE. IF THAT’S THE CASE, THERE’S NO BETTER
SUV THAN THE HONDA CR-V SERIES II. TO SHOW
IT, A NEW TV AD WAS FILMED BY ONE OF
AUSTRALIA’S MOST PROLIFIC DIRECTORS,
HAMISH ROTHWELL OF GOODOIL FILMS.
27
Title: Wild Horse Chase
Production: Goodoil Films
Concept: Leo Burnett Melbourne
THE
STORY
THE
HORSES
THE
EFFECTS
The ad tells the story of a little girl who
is determined to replace her broken pink toy
horse. Her dad goes along with her solution
to the problem, driving her to the ‘Ranch
of the Rainbow’, a place where coloured
horses are bred. From a colourful muster,
to a wild pink horse and an ending with a
twist, the action packed ad required a lot
of planning and expertise to be completed.
The real stars of the show were the 21
horses that made ‘Ranch of the Rainbow’
a reality. They were supplied by Equine
Films, a company who specialise in
training horses for the film industry in
New Zealand. Previous work by Equine
includes The Saddle Club TV series, and
Lord of the Rings. The safety of the horses
was paramount during the course of
filming, with Equine’s team of wranglers
and onsite vet ensuring the animals were
healthy and happy at all times.
Colouring of the horses was a massive
special effects undertaking handled by
ALT VFX in Brisbane. To complete the
process, each horse had to be manually
‘clipped out’ in each frame of footage.
Add to this a CGI dinosaur and it’s easy
to see they had one of the biggest jobs
of the production on their hands.
28
THE GEAR
Such a breadth of shots meant that
everything from handheld cameras, to
helicopters were required at different times
during the shoot. One key piece was a
custom-made camera stabilised ATV which
could handle the uneven location surfaces.
A similar camera rig was used in the recent
film, Mad Max – Fury Road.
THE CREW
The ad involved a talented Australian and
New Zealand based crew. From location
scouts, to make-up artists, horse wranglers,
stunt drivers and of course the actors,
everyone worked together to produce one of
Honda Australia’s largest commercials to date.
If you haven’t already seen
the ad on TV, watch it HERE.
29
ART & SOCIETY
JOHN WOLSELEY
GETTING INSIDE THE LANDSCAPE
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
JANE BURTON TAYLOR
30
England to Australia: it’s a familiar enough journey, but for artist John
Wolseley the point was to find and explore something deeply unfamiliar.
His work, and his most recent exhibition in particular,
underline the integrity of his search.
31
In his studio in country Victoria, John Wolseley is
immersed. At one end of his sprawling workspace,
crowded with botanic specimens, sketches and a
chaos of creative clutter, he is using a grinder to cut
into a canvas that covers an entire wall. The artist,
who for 30 years has been documenting Australia,
is preparing for his next show.
Wolseley, a respected elder of the Australian art
scene and most recently included in the Art Gallery
of NSW Dobell Drawing Biennial, is an artist with
an intimate and idiosyncratic take on landscape.
Speaking in a melodious English accent, he reveals
he isn’t Australian-born, a fact which has perhaps
fired him with his yen to communicate about
this land.
Originally Wolseley travelled to Australia to find
long-lost family. He says he had another impetus too,
to move away from the tame, manicured landscapes
of his birth country. He tells how a colleague had
described living in Europe as “like living in a large
green lettuce.”
I wanted to go
to a land that was
wilder, a land you
could see the
bones of.
32
The moment he landed, Wolseley felt “a special
empathy, some kind of connection” with the country.
He stayed and has spent the rest of his life depicting
Australian landscapes, but in a manner which broke
dramatically from his own cultural aesthetic tradition.
He rejected what he called the “majestical” point
of view, which was the norm amongst English artists
of that time, and still is in many circles. “The oldfashioned artists had the magisterial gaze,” he
explains, “they painted the landscape from a distance.”
Wolseley wanted the antithesis. He wanted to live
and work in the landscape and respond to it; even
to collaborate with it.
“I had to change my experience of landscape,”
Wolseley recalls. “You have to climb on the
landscape and it is the accumulation of detail you
have to get from it, from moving across it, that
slowly builds... letting the work come out of that
experience... It ties in with the idea that to find
the essence of something, you have to see the
process of the place rather than the fixed object.
“Then you do start to understand it and you get
to know the people who live there, the Aboriginal
people and the farmers, the scientists. You get to
find a way in. I’m interested in the idea of trying
to get inside the landscape.”
For Wolseley research is as much a part of his
art practice as is the physical making of works.
An accomplished water-colourist, he uses many
techniques. Typically, he gathers layers of
information from a landscape; observing; taking
impressions and scratchings from the place; inking
up plants and making relief prints of them;
sometimes even burying a canvas for months
to let nature do some of the work.
In 2002, when he did a series on the impact of
a bushfire in the National Park south of Sydney,
he actually dragged his watercolour paper across
the carbon-laden twigs of the fire-ravaged scrub
and the complex scratchy marks became a part
of the lyrical whole.
“My paintings tend to be made up of all these
different systems, just as when you look at the
impact of the different energies, or forces,
[at work in nature]. The landscape has been formed
by water and by wind, then people have ploughed it
up, so I’m replicating what’s happened in nature,
landscape as palimpsest.”
(Palimpsest is a Greek word. Before the invention of
paper, the Greeks used vellum to write and draw on.
It was used again and again, so impressions of the
past would endure and this was called palimpsest.)
This is the philosophy of respectful, experiential
exploration that has guided Wolseley’s ritual annual
visits to places like the Simpson Desert, and his
subsequent art making, for the past thirty-plus years.
Wolseley’s most recent exhibition at the National
Gallery of Victoria, titled Heartlands and Headwaters,
was initiated by patron Sir Roderick Carnegie AC.
It is on a continuum with Wolseley’s lifework.
Carnegie approached Wolseley to do a series
about the Australian landscape.
The artist proposed an installation, incorporating
large paintings on paper about wetland swamps,
lakes and flood plains.
33
“Australian landscape painters generally make Australia seem very hostile
to human beings and dry,” Wolseley explains. “I wanted to show a side of
Australia that was much more nurturing and fecund, and isn’t quite so hostile.”
Wolseley chose to make works about the places he had been visiting and
camping at for years. They included the Finke River in the Simpson, as well
as the ancient sphagnum swamps of central Tasmania, the flood plains of
the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory and the Gwydir Wetlands
in New South Wales.
On our visit to his studio, in the Whipstick Forest outside Bendigo, most of
the works have been sent off already, but there are still some in progress.
Wolseley’s studio, located in a straggly forest of box-ironbarks,
is tailor-made. It has a massive hoop pine ply ceiling which curves
downward, with long skylights either side letting in sunlight that
gently changes with the day.
Among the many artworks here, past and in progress, is a large
relief print taken from a cross-section of an ancient tree. “It is
actually from a 2,000-year-old Huon tree slab,” Wolseley explains.
It will be in the show, as will the work at the far end that covers
the length of one wall.
This work is based around the motif of water birds. Wolseley
has “inked up” the remains of birds to make physical imprints
onto the swath of paper, including one of a pelican which he
found on the edge of his own dam.
He concentrates now on cutting into the
work to abstract the images of the birds,
seemingly in flight, with a light grinder.
I wanted to show a side of Australia that was much more
nurturing and fecund, and isn’t quite so hostile.
34
John Wolseley – Heartlands and Headwaters.
The work is about the Gwydir Wetlands near Moree. A significant part
of these wetlands has recently been bought by the government and
turned into reserve, saving an important ecosystem from being
“destroyed and lasered into vast flat cotton farms”, Wolseley says.
“To cotton farm, you have to use a lot of water, also chemicals, so
it completely changes the nature of the ground. Cotton farming really
shouldn’t be happening in the area. A lot of my work is about land use,
and whether it is sustainable. It is really a political statement.”
Tony Ellwood, Director of the NGV, echoes this observation: ‘Wolseley’s
work is not only of great beauty,” he says, “but also demonstrates how
depicting the landscape has become an important form of activism.”
As Wolseley muses on the political nature of his work, his eyes drift
out to the dam, a view of which is framed by one of his studio windows.
“They are white-winged chough,” he says, watching a group of small
black birds which have gathered on the far side of the dam. “There are
usually around 12 of them and they do everything together. They have
one or two babies a year and they all help.”
Later we go walkabout in the bush that surrounds his studio, and he talks
more about these curious birds, Wolseley seeming more naturalist than
artist. We step on crackling dry leaves through the crusty black trunks of
the ironbarks. Then we come on a patch of cream-coloured earth, which
has a tangle of bird prints and peckings, plus one lone tell-tale feather.
“This is the clay pit of the chough birds,” Wolseley says. Further on he
points out a beautiful, perfectly oval-shaped structure high up one of
the eucalypts. “It is the nest of the chough birds,” he says. Both of us
look up in amazement at the pale sphere which appears sculpted.
The time he spends in a place looking at it and understanding it, just as he
has these extraordinary chough birds, gives John Wolseley his insight and
inspiration. For most Australians and, for that matter, most urban dwellers,
this kind of intimacy with landscape is rare. Wolseley’s artworks are
exquisite, a kind of epic homage. Guided by his thoughtful vision, they
allow us into our own intimate meander through the natural world.
35
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MOTOR SPORT
It’s a challenge – but it’s the right
challenge because without the
support of a company such as
Honda, I don’t think it’s possible
to win the World Championship.
THAT’S RON DENNIS OF HONDA’S FORMULA 1 PARTNERS MCLAREN
SPEAKING MIDWAY THROUGH THE TEAM’S FIRST SEASON OF ITS
NEW ERA TOGETHER. NO-ONE SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY…
Honda would be the first to admit that things have
not gone entirely to plan in its first season back with
McLaren at the pinnacle of world motor sport. But as
the F1 year reached its tipping-point, there were signs
that better times might lie just around the corner.
The Hungarian Grand Prix, the exact mid-point of this
year’s 19-round FIA Formula 1 World Championship,
was the first race in which both McLaren Honda
drivers, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, finished
in the top 10 and both scored points for the team.
Jenson Button
The final race before the extended mid-season break
sent Alonso, who was fifth, and ninth-placed Button
off on their holidays in a lighter frame of mind.
As World Champions, Alonso in 2005 and 2006 and
Button in 2009, their patience might have been
stretched a little by the early-season absence of
results. The difficulties were caused in part by the
fact that Honda comes to the business of supplying
the new breed of hybrid F1 racing power units one
year later than everyone else in the field – and we
all know that a year in F1 is a very long time indeed.
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
37
For Button Hungary brought a happy throw-back
to his previous time as a Honda driver: it was at
the testing, twisty Hungaroring that the Englishman
secured his first Grand Prix victory for the Honda
team in 2006.
Button, 35, has called on all his experience to stay
positive through the challenging early days of the
new partnership, and Hungary was the perfect case
in point. “Overall, I think the team is in a good place,”
the veteran of more than 270 Grands Prix insisted.
“We’ve had a tough few races recently but we’ve
stuck together and we’ve stayed strong.”
It was the perfect antidote to Button’s home race at
Silverstone, where he retired on the first lap through
no fault of his own, then watched as Alonso at last
broke his 2015 duck with a point for 10th place.
These, of course, are not the heady results of the
original McLaren Honda partnership, once so
dominant in F1. As current Racing Director Eric Boullier
has observed, “You establish a brand by your success,
and repeated success,” so there is understandable
impatience for that success to be renewed.
As the early results came and went, Ron Dennis – the
most obvious link to the original McLaren Honda era –
made a pertinent comment. “We have to use the pain
as a motivating force,” said the man who was once
used to seeing his red-and-white Honda-powered cars
take victory after victory around the world.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s the right challenge because
without the support of a company such as Honda,
I don’t think it’s possible to win the World Championship.
Therefore we have to go through this pain to get to
where we want to be.”
Chief Officer of Honda Motorsports and head of the
power unit development Yasuhisa Arai was perfectly
willing to accept that the process he and his
colleagues are going through is a difficult one.
“We have a huge, great history as McLaren Honda,”
he reminded everyone at the start of the season.
“Everybody thinks about that, so I have a very big
pressure on me.”
As the season headed towards its halfway point,
Arai-san met media questions about his work and
the prospects of success head-on. Dismissing
suggestions that he might call for outside help to
speed things up, he said simply: “I want to manage
my own program myself.”
The crucial element for every team in this new and
complex era of hybrid engine technology has been
reliability. You find the limits of componentry only by
going beyond those limits, a truth acknowledged by
the recent decision to allow Honda, as a new entrant
in this much-changed F1 world, a freer hand in terms
of engine development as it plays catch-up with the
more experienced players.
Once Honda has established those boundaries t
he company will be free to focus on performance.
And once that happens, Boullier for one is convinced
that the challenge will be met.
“It’ll take time to get to where we want to be, we
know that,” he said in the wake of the Hungarian
result. “But we’ll get there, that I guarantee.”
Alonso too, a man rumoured to be disenchanted, not
with McLaren Honda but with the whole new world
of F1, has been encouraged by recent happenings.
“These points are a good way to send the whole
team into the summer break,” the Spaniard said in
Budapest, “but we need to further maximise our
chances in the second half of the season.”
Jenson Button & Fernando Alonso
Jenson Button
38
MOTOR SPORT
…The lure of a three-year
contract with Honda Racing
Corporation (HRC) was just
too good to refuse.
Catalunya, June 14 2015
MILLER:
AN AUSSIE LEARNING THE ART
MotoGP is no walk in the park, but Australia’s
Jack Miller has embraced his new life in the premier
world championship grand prix racing fast lane.
20-year-old Jack Miller doesn’t shy away from
a challenge. That much is clear when you consider
that of all the rookies in the 2015 MotoGP title
race, the Townsville lad has undoubtedly made
the biggest leap: all the way from Moto3, where
the 250cc single-cylinder engines used are
chicken-feed compared to the 1000cc, 250hp
missiles in the premier class.
Some sage observers believed it was more than
walking a tightrope – he’d be blindsided by the
instant hit of MotoGP, putting his career into
something of a mini tailspin. But Miller wouldn’t
have it any other way.
Sure, he could have chosen a ‘safe’ route into Moto2
where he would have been closing in on race wins
by now, but that’s not the Miller style – and the lure
of a three-year contract with Honda Racing
Corporation (HRC) was just too good to refuse.
Not even Mick Doohan or Casey Stoner received
such a massive long-term endorsement from HRC
when they made their MotoGP debuts (500cc in
the case of Doohan).
His MotoGP schooling with HRC has begun as an
‘Open’ class rider for CWM LCR Honda, the same
team where Casey Stoner began his career in 2006.
Miller is riding a Honda RC213V-RS – essentially
a ‘production’ version of the fully-fledged factory
prototypes being ridden by Dani Pedrosa and world
champion Marc Marquez.
Miller’s first half-year in MotoGP has probably
lived up to expectations: he’s crashed four times,
had the same number of point-scoring finishes
(with a best of 11th), and has regularly been the
fastest Open class rider on track. As much as it’s
a learning year he still wants to go fast, like most
20-year-olds… It’s been unpredictable, but great
to watch at the same time.
When Miller’s been on it, he has really delivered,
trumping quality opposition like 2006 world champion
and fellow-Honda rider Nicky Hayden. During the year
he also became the first person to ride a MotoGP
bike on salt flats, which he did as a pre-race
promotion for the world title round in Argentina.
Looking at the bigger picture, not too many people
will forget Miller’s rookie MotoGP season in a hurry
– not so much for the Aussie deeds, but the
scintillating racing at the front of the pack, with
Marquez and Yamaha pair Valentino Rossi and
Jorge Lorenzo the main pacesetters.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go up
that high into the mountains and discover a big
salt flat like that. It was pretty cool,” was how
Miller summed it up.
The trio shared the race wins during the first
nine rounds, with Lorenzo winning four from
championship leader Rossi (three) and Marquez
(two). Marquez has been a livewire, which is his
stock-in-trade, but three crashes have made his
play for title number three a tough one.
While Miller’s pace has been impressive, his
starts have been nothing short of sensational:
he’s regularly made up seven to eight positions
in the opening laps of most GPs. He hasn’t always
finished the races upright, but there’s no doubting
his aggression and raw speed.
Miller saw out the first half of the season with
a 15th place finish at Sachsenring, and this is how
he described it: “We are definitely improving each
week. We’ve had some good results and some bad
results, today could have been a really good result
but it wasn’t to be. Anyway, I’m quite happy with
my first half-season in MotoGP, it’s been difficult
but it’s also been a lot of fun.”
Miller’s first season in MotoGP is taking on a
similar appearance to Stoner’s in 2006: plenty
of ups and downs, but with a long-term contract
in his back pocket there’s no sense of desperation:
he’s got time on his side.
However, with his machine now really humming
again – he’s reverted to some 2014 chassis
components to solve some traction issues – he’s
going to be the man to beat in the second half
of the year.
Marquez has still been involved in the two biggest
highlights of the year: a phenomenal one-lap
qualifying run in Austin which showcased all his
bike-handling skills, and a cracker of a race at
Assen which came down to the last corner as he
and Rossi touched. The Spaniard lost out to Rossi,
with plenty of commentary about who was to
blame. For the pair in question, they quickly moved
on to the next race, which Marquez won…
39
MOTOR SPORT
‘HOME’ RACES SEND HONDA INTO
MID-SEASON BREAK IN GOOD HEART
THE CASTROL HONDA WORLD TOURING CAR TEAM IS AGAIN CHASING HARD
IN THE FIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AS A MID-SEASON BREAK LOOMS…
Gabriele Tarquini – Portugal, July 12 2015
Latin America… North Africa… Europe east and west:
it sounds like someone’s dream itinerary, but for Castrol
Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro the first
few months of 2015 were no holiday.
The eight rounds of the 2015 FIA World Touring Car
Championship to date have taken them from Argentina
in March to Portugal in July, ahead of a two-month
lay-off before the championship concludes with four
long-haul meetings in Japan, China, Thailand and Qatar.
Two-thirds of the way through the scheduled 12 rounds,
Tarquini and Monteiro were fifth and sixth in the overall
standings – with another Honda ace, 31-year-old
Hungarian Norbert Michelisz, one spot ahead of them
for the Zengo team.
Honda stood second in the manufacturers’ table on
487 points, giving vigorous chase to the front-running
French Citroëns.
Tarquini, the 53-year-old former world champion, was
expecting great things after intensive work by JAS
Motorsport on the official Honda entries ahead of the new
season. “We will see the reality of our work in Argentina,”
said Gabri as they prepared for the opening races.
After Monteiro had claimed a podium in the second
Argentine race, with Tarquini and Michelisz in close
attendance, the 40-year-old Portuguese driver was able to
say, “We are clearly closer to the competition than last year.”
I could
remember
how it felt in
2012 when
I had won
here.
The street circuit in Marrakesh, Morocco, was less kind
to the Civic chargers, but Michelisz was able to put
a smile on everyone’s faces when the series returned
to his native country.
Norbi claimed an outstanding victory in race two on
the tight confines of the Hungaroring, outside Budapest,
his second success in three years on his home circuit.
“I could remember how it felt in 2012 when I had won
here,” he said. “This is a dream day for me.”
Norbert Michelisz – Portugal, July 12 2015
40
I was really attacking... left, right,
outside, inside – and eventually
I got it.
Gabriele Tarquini, Tiago Monteiro
– Portugal, July 12 2015
Tiago Monteiro
“Right from the start of the season I was confident in our
winter developments,” added Alessandro Mariani of JAS,
“but until now we didn’t show our potential.” While
Tarquini endured a difficult Hungarian weekend, Monteiro
posted fourth and fifth places in what he called
“definitely a positive two races.”
Monteiro was again buoyed by his performance at
the Nürburgring in Germany, where he was third in
the second race. “It’s the most difficult race-track
in the world and nothing compares,” he insisted.
There was even better news when the teams travelled
to Moscow for round five. Tarquini claimed a fine podium
in the first race, but in the second Monteiro brought his
Civic through to win with Michelisz third in the team’s
best weekend to date in 2015.
“We’ve been fighting and working so hard to catch up,” said
a delighted Monteiro, “so these results are a huge boost.”
The WTCC’s system of weight penalties for success
caught the team out in Slovakia, where they had to run
with an extra 60 kilos of ballast, and France, although
Michelisz managed a strong second place in the second
race at the picturesque Le Castellet track.
Gabriele Tarquini
Norbert Michelisz
The first part of the season finished with a home race for
Monteiro when the series paid its inaugural visit to the
street circuit at Vila Real, to the east of his native city
Porto. Sadly Tiago’s second race finished almost as soon
as it started with an accident that was not of his own
making, but Tarquini took a feisty podium to make up for it.
“I was really attacking,” said the Italian, “left, right,
outside, inside – and eventually I got it.”
With Michelisz also on the podium in the opening
Portuguese race, the Honda camp was able to head
into the well-earned break in good spirits to recharge
the batteries – cars’ and drivers’ – for the final Asian
segment of the season.
Tiago Monteiro – Portugal, July 12 2015
41
ART & SOCIETY
DESIGNS ON NATURE
WITHERS: NOT THE BEST NAME FOR A MAN WHOSE WORK REVOLVES AROUND GARDENS?
ON THE CONTRARY, EVERYTHING PHILLIP WITHERS TOUCHES TURNS INTO AWARD-WINNING GARDEN DESIGNS.
THE YOUNG VICTORIAN IS DETERMINED TO MAKE IT A HAT-TRICK OF HONDA SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS
AT NEXT YEAR’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW.
42
I started putting plants
in, I liked it and thought,
‘I could do this’…
“Bo-LI-via!” hisses the tall, handsome American,
“You’d be on the salt flats, with all those pinks and
casting a withering glance at his travelling companion blues showing through the water, then you’d see an
as he stoops to clean some unmentionable substance island in the sand covered in succulents like a kind
from his shoe.
of oasis… How could you not be inspired by sights
like that?”
“Well, I know a whole lot more about Bolivia than
you do,” retorts the blue-eyed brains of the outfit.
Phillip Withers began taking an interest in colours
“And the whole of Bolivia can’t be like this.”
and shapes while still at school. His early studies
focused on design, but not in the botanical sphere.
“You think so? For all you know, this could be the
“I had a thing for making clothes,” he explains, “so
garden spot of the whole country.”
I got into fashion design and started my own brand.”
In fact he was wearing one of his own tee-shirt
Fast forward a hundred years or so and Bolivia is
designs when we caught up.
the scene once more. Not for Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid, whose conversation we just recalled,
Funding his travel plans led him to some work
but for a young Australian discovering the world
with a friend in Dandenong who was doing garden
before deciding what to do with the next phase
maintenance. “I started putting plants in, I liked it
of his life.
and thought, ‘I could do this’, so I decided to take
Bolivia is where he has a garden moment of his own:
while Phillip Withers was in South America the call
came to tell him he had earned the right to submit a
garden design for MIFGS.
“I’d put an entry in before I left,” Phil explains.
“I thought I was going to be away for quite a while
but I suddenly thought, uh-oh, I’m going to have
to go back!”
some courses.”
Phil built up his basic knowledge, started working
at the same time with another designer, and also
began edging towards his now dominant interest
in sustainability.
“I had to learn the basics,” he explains, “like scale,
how to accommodate the utilities in a garden, the
use of space and so on. Much of that work is a
matter of what the eye sees and the hand can draw,
There was enough time, however, for Phil to absorb
but nowadays of course it’s almost all done through
those Bolivian panoramas and file them away for future
use. “The landscape seemed to change every half-hour,” software. But it’s always governed by the brief.”
he recalls with a note of wonder in his voice.
43
As time has gone on, though, the brief has become more flexible – or at least
the clients have. “From being told there are these ten essentials we’ve got to
incorporate,” he says, “we’ve built up a brand and find ourselves being asked
what we could or would do with the space the client wants to fill.
“We’ll take risks; we’ll sit on the edge. We won’t be afraid of flirting with the lines
between design and art,” is how he explains it. “I reckon there are better purists
than me, but I like to think I can see plants and put them together in interesting
ways, even if others might know more about the fundamentals of
the plants themselves.”
Phil is speaking in his new office in the inner-city suburb of Richmond, a recent
move that’s also symbolic of his whole approach. “We like coming to the city and
greening it up!” he smiles. “When you get down to it, nature has the answers.
The idea is to work with nature rather than against her.”
The notion of sustainability gives substance to the philosophy. “It’s a no-brainer
to me,” says Phil. “We’re here to create gardens that sit there and endure, spaces
that are timeless in their own way.”
And that path leads to Honda and the Sustainability Awards. “You need to think
about how a garden works,” adds Phil, “how it all comes together. How much
energy or other resources does it use? And it’s also all about sourcing your
materials. That’s where I see a cross-over with Honda themselves, the same
principles as they apply to their own business. On issues like sustainability
Honda has been vocal without preaching, and I like that.”
The ‘Food Forest’ that earned Phil Withers the Honda Sustainability Award in
2015 is a case in point. “The idea was built around embracing Melbourne’s food
culture,” he explains. “We tried to focus on how we use a garden. Every plant has
a function as well as a look or a shape – herbs, fruit, veggies, cut flowers – and
we also wanted to bring in an element of play. So the kids’ garden seats doubled
as chicken coops, a screen could be turned around and used as a chalkboard, and
a slide flew through the middle of a veggie patch. It’s important to have a touch
of whimsy in the design…”
Phil Withers
That comes naturally, so to speak, to Phil Withers, who has a ready laugh
and wants to derive as much enjoyment as he can from what he does.
“You build a business to build a lifestyle,” he says simply. While his plans
for expansion encompass Melbourne and Sydney, branching out overseas
is not out of the question.
“That’s why we’re going for the Honda hat-trick,” he says with a smile, “in fact
we’re aiming at the gold medal in next year’s Melbourne Show – that would really
put us in the shop window. It’s time to make our presence felt.”
That’s exactly what he will do when he finds the time to create a garden for
himself. “I really love the coastline,” he says, “so I would like a place to be
symbolic – a garden that represents yourself.” And that’s the underlying
philosophy that sustains Phil Withers.
44
FAN FEATURE
Adwin Affordable sports car, nice body
styling, driver orientated – Integra Type R DC5.
5 – May 21 at 6:34am
Alan Still the best Type R ever owned.
Brendan Honda Type R Civic 2008
Graeme Grum Scott Euro!
Sho S2000 hands down
1 – May 20 at 6:39pm
Brendan NSX!!! Here’s mine :)
8 – May 28 at 9:52pm
Harry All New HRV
3 – May 21 at 8:24am
Trent My Del Sol CRX, brilliant handling
car and the VTEC motor screams along
nicely.
relude
P
a
d
n
o
H
9
8
Rd in my
n
a
e
c
O
t
a
e
r
G
Ruben
10 – May 28 at 9:50pm
2 – May 23 at 10:50am
Andrew That is all!
Chelsea Gotta go with the Type R…
I LOVE MY CAR
1 – May 21 at 9:35pm
James This is my 1989 Integra DA9
which is my pride and joy! She’s been
through a full restoration and is
definitely at her best.
1 – May 21 at 7:13am
Zane Integra!! Easy decision. One of
the best handling FWD cars made
#HondaAllStars
We wanted to re-connect with Honda
owners and re-ignite the passion they have
for their cars, the open road and Honda.
We wanted to find the greatest Honda of
all-time, but rather than choose ourselves,
we wanted the people to decide!
Our initial expectations were that the
S2000 and NSX were going to steamroll the
competition, however #TeamPrelude rallied
the troops to cause a number of upsets,
eventually taking out the title.
Throughout the competition we received
a massive amount of support from our
fantastic fans, here are some of the best
photos we could find!
Hashtag your Honda photos with
#HondaAllStars to be featured on our
Facebook or Instagram and you’ll have
the chance to become our featured
driver of the month.
1 – May 22 at 1:20am
Anthony The 1987 Accord Aerodeck
was fantastic! This car is the absolute
epitome of the late 80s motoring era.
2 – June 10 at 9:46am
Craig Prelude for sure! The Integra is
a beautiful car as well, but the Prelude
has it over the Integra!
1 – May 27 at 1:18pm
James PRELUDE
40 – June 2 at 3:05pm
5 – May 20 at 9:07pm
Blake I have owned both a 1997 Honda
CRX Del Sol and a 1991 Honda EF Civic
Hatch. Both mint cars I absolutely loved.
2 – May 21 at 7:10am
1 – June 4 at 5:38am
David For me it would have to be the
Accord Euro Luxury.
1 – May 21 at 5:59pm
84 – June 2 at 3:52pm
Oliver Big on power, looks and handling!
1 – May 23 at 4:54pm
Grampians las
t Feb in my 89
Honda Prelude
Ruben
45
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subject to the satisfaction of assessment and other criteria. Terms, fees and charges apply. Full terms and conditions available on application.
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