honda mag 59
Transcription
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 WIN A NEW Just service your Honda to be in the draw* By taking care of your Honda, you could take away a new HR-V. Just get your Honda serviced# at an authorised Honda Dealer between 1 July and 30 September 2015 and you’ll be automatically entered into the draw to WIN a brand new HR-V VTi-L including all on-road costs. With a stylish look and a host of features, the Honda HR-V is the car you’ve always dreamed of. HR-V VTi-L features: • 1.8 litre petrol i-VTEC engine • 17-inch alloy wheels • Touchscreen Display Audio system • Multi-angle reversing camera • Magic Seats • Panoramic sunroof • Leather-appointed seat trim^ Don’t miss your chance to win. Book your next service today. *C ompetition 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/15/04420, ACT TP 15/06289, SA T15/996. For full terms and conditions, visit honda.com.au/servicewin. #A service is defined as all periodic maintenance inclusive of interim and promotional services. Check with your Honda Servicing Dealer for eligibility. ^Leather trim includes some non-leather material on selected, high impact areas. 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 Welcome to Honda Financial Services Honda cars have a reputation for quality, reliability and great value for money. Our Honda Financial Services products are no different. Competitively priced and packed full of unique features and extras, our comprehensive range of insurance* and finance^ products make it easier to get your new Honda on the road sooner. To find out more about Honda Financial Services, visit your local Honda Dealership. Our experienced Business Managers are there to help you choose the right package and ensure that the process of protecting and financing your new Honda is as enjoyable as driving it. For more information visit honda.com.au/financialservices Honda Financial Services is used by Honda Australia Pty Limited to generally describe the insurance products issued under the Honda brand, and finance products issued under the trading name Honda Finance Solutions. Insurance products under the Honda brand are issued by Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFSL 234708 (Allianz). Finance products are issued under the trading name Honda Finance Solutions by Macquarie Leasing Pty Limited ABN 38 002 674 982 (Australian Credit Licence No. 394925) (Macquarie). *Your Authorised Honda Dealer arranges this insurance as agent of the insurer Allianz. We do not provide advice on this insurance based on any consideration of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision, please consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement available from www.honda.com.au/insurance ^Finance products are provided by Macquarie trading as Honda Finance Solutions, to approved applicants, subject to the satisfaction of assessment and other criteria. Terms, fees and charges apply. Full terms and conditions available on application. HONDA COMPETITION WINNERS APRIL 2015 PURCHASE & OWNERSHIP CUSTOMER SURVEYS 10,000KM SERVICE SURVEY 10,000KM SERVICE SURVEY H. Roberts, VIC B. Anderson, QLD PRIZE: $500 CALTEX STARCASH FUEL CARD PRIZE: $500 CALTEX STARCASH FUEL CARD PURCHASE SURVEY PURCHASE SURVEY M. Blight, QLD S. & M. Brown, SA PRIZE: $500 CALTEX STARCASH FUEL CARD PRIZE: $500 CALTEX STARCASH FUEL CARD SERVICE YOUR HONDA WIN A HR-V ALL-NEW HR-V GIVEAWAY A. Lay, VIC H. Papamargaritis, NSW PRIZE: 15YM HONDA HR-V VTI-L PRIZE: 15YM HONDA HR-V VTI-L JULY 2015 PURCHASE & OWNERSHIP CUSTOMER SURVEYS 20,000KM SERVICE SURVEY 10,000KM SERVICE SURVEY S. Simeon, QLD S. Lay, VIC PRIZE: $500 CALTEX STARCASH FUEL CARD PRIZE: $500 CALTEX STARCASH FUEL CARD PURCHASE SURVEY PURCHASE SURVEY S. Sipos, VIC M. & C. Williams, TAS PRIZE: $500 CALTEX STARCASH FUEL CARD PRIZE: $500 CALTEX STARCASH FUEL CARD SERVICE YOUR HONDA WIN A CR-V R. Bromley, VIC PRIZE: 16YM HONDA CR-V 4WD VTI-L 47 HONDA MAG 59 NEWS | PRODUCTS | MOTOR SPORT | PARTNERSHIPS | LIFESTYLE | TRAVEL | SOCIETY If you have any feedback send us an email [email protected] Honda Australia Pty. Ltd. ACN 004 759 611 ABN 66 004 759 611 95 Sharps Road, Tullamarine, Victoria, 3043. Freecall 1800 804 954 honda.com.au/cars