WANTED: Nanny for Prince George for Tour Down Under

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on the lookout for a nanny to look after baby George on their trip to New Zealand and Australia in April, Britain's Daily Mail newspaper has reported. 

Proud mum and dad William and Kate, with their baby Prince George

The royal couple's current nanny, Jessie Webb - who looked after Prince William when he was a child and came out of retirement to tend George - has reached the end of her contract. 

Mrs Webb, 71, took the job on the condition that she would work only for three months, the newspaper reported. "Mrs Webb is still at Kensington Palace and William and Kate are keen to retain her services, but they are discreetly looking for extra help for the month-long trip this spring," the paper said. 


The Duke and Duchess did not hire a maternity nurse after George's birth last July. Instead the couple moved into the Middleton family home in Berkshire so that Kate's mother, Carole, could help out.

When they moved to Kensington Palace last September, they persuaded Mrs Webb to join their household.

It had been rumoured that Carole Middleton could join the tour Downunder to help look after George. However, aides insist that will not be the case and the couple will instead hire a new nanny. 

Prospective candidates would need to be experienced, discreet, trained in paediatric first aid and demonstrate an ability to cope in stressful situations, Janine Bayley of nanny recruitment agency Rock mybaby.co.nz said. 

"We have placed nannies and babysitters for some high profile families including Hollywood actors while visiting in New Zealand," Mrs Bayley said. "We find their expectations just the same as other families, although we do encourage the nannies not to become star struck. 

"At the end of the day, parents want someone who is responsive to their child's needs, able to provide a quality, educational environment and someone who knows how to have fun. Regardless of where we are in society, we just want the very best for our children." 

The royal entourage may include a housekeeper and Kate's personal hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker. 

Royal Nannying: Five keys to success 

• Mum is the word. Discretion will be vital as the ravenous media look to exploit any means to find fresh angles on the visit. The nanny should be occasionally seen, but certainly never heard.
• Sleep is over-rated. With near constant travel and a packed diary of obligations to fulfil, the royal couple will be constantly on the move. The nanny can expect to be on call 24/7.
• Say cheese. Photo ops for baby George will be par for the course and there's every chance the nanny will get caught in the lens at some point. A constant smile would be a good idea.
• Keep calm and carry on. George soils his nappy while meeting John Key? No drama. It's just another day at the office. Hand me the wipes.
• A way with children. It may seem obvious, but if wee George isn't taken with his nanny that is going to be one long trip from Kensington Palace and back.

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Arctic Monkeys - Touring Australia May 2014

Frontier Touring is thrilled to confirm that Sheffield Arctic Monkeys will be landing in Australia next May to embark on their biggest tour of our shores to date!

Arctic Monkeys first burst onto the music scene in 2006 with their Award-winning debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.  The album became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history. 

In the years since their debut, the band have received two Grammy Award nominations, five Brit Awards, headlined the iconic Glastonbury Festival twice and taken to the world stage in front of billions as part of the London Olympic Games opening ceremony. Originally one of the ‘best new bands to watch’, Arctic Monkeys have well and truly cemented themselves now as one of the most important British bands of their time.

The band were last Down Under in 2011 for Falls and Southbound Festivals as well as a handful of Australian headline shows; in 2014 they will return for their most extensive run of tour dates including two New Zealand shows and five Australian shows in celebration of their fifth studio album AM (out now through Domino Records/EMI).

On the charts, AM was the band’s fifth consecutive UK #1 debut, making them the first artist signed to an independent label to achieve this. Closer to home, the album shot straight to the #1 spot on both the ARIA Album Chart and New Zealand’s Official Album Chart.

As well as success on the charts, AM was also heralded by critics  across the globe as Arctic Monkeys’ best album to date and was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Music Prize just two days after its release.

If the demand for their latest album is anything to go by, these tickets won’t last long. Be quick to see Arctic Monkeys; one of the greatest live bands to emerge in recent years.

TOUR DATES*:
Tue 6 May - Sydney Entertainment Centre
Wed 7 May - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Fri 9 May - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Sat 10 May - Adelaide Entertainment Theatre, SA
Tue 13 May - Perth Arena , WA
*Ticketek is selling for the above venues only.

The The Syd Ent Centre Site for More Info

Melbourne Remove Control Tourist

VISIT MELBOURNE DIGITALLY WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL TOURIST

Google Maps, live cams and various other technologies transform the concept of travelling nowadays and make it so much easier to see different countries directly through your internet browser window.

Tourism Victoria agency in Australia decided to take this experience to a whole new level and with the help of Clemenger BBDO agency created a Melbourne remote control tourist.

How it works

The idea of the campaign is to allow anyone around the world experience Melbourne first hand through the physical body of a remote tourist.

In other words, you go online, send a request of what you want to do in Melbourne and one of the four remote tourists does it for you. Additionally, every request gets videotaped and streamed on the website.

 As a result, huge interest from people around the world has been reached with the campaign becoming popular through Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Not to mention lots of bloggers talking about it online.

And that is a result of a campaign, that has only been live for 5 days. Have a look at the website here.

Points to Note

-Clever idea of the campaign helped to cut the cost of running it live for a longer period of time

-Results website is now a huge database of short videos of interesting things people can do in Melbourne

-The campaign also served as a research to find out what are the most popular things tourists would like to do in Melbourne


Our Thoughts

This is a unique experience offered to online users and also a very clever method of research at the same time.

Being live for only 5 days, the results undoubtedly prove that the idea of the campaign has paid off very well.

Besides spreading the word of mouth, company now also has a well designed website, which also serves as a perfect database for anyone willing to travel to Melbourne and wanting to check how the city looks through the eyes of people who are there.

So both, short-term and long-term goals have been achieved easily and formed a great basis for any further actions. Well done guys!

Destination Melbourne – Popular With Visitors from West Australia

Each year, more than a million West Australians* fly across Australia to visit the eastern states, the largest proportion of whom choose Victoria as their destination of choice. 

This number is growing – 10 per cent more West Australians visited Melbourne in 2012 when compared with the previous year.

Whether it is for work, holiday, shopping, to eat out at some of the country’s best restaurants or to attend one of the many sporting and cultural events, there is no doubt that Melbourne has it all.

And with three airlines now vying for passengers and up to 15 flights direct from Perth to Melbourne daily, flying to Melbourne has never been easier or more affordable. 

From $150 each way, West Australians now have the perfect excuse to fly across Australia and enjoy all Melbourne has to offer – even just for the weekend. 

Metro Apartments on Bank Place offers inner city apartment style accommodation that lives up to the city’s European charm. Tucked away down a cobbled laneway,  the surrounding heritage-listed piazza introduces you to Melbourne’s charming lanes and city precinct with its range of cafes, restaurants and enticing shopping. 

Bustling by day and alive with al fresco dining by night, Bank Place is situated a short stroll away from all of Melbourne’s sought after attractions: Bourke Street Mall, Federation Square, Southgate Centre and Crown Casino. 

Hop on one of Melbourne’s famous trams to spend the day at the MCG or the National Gallery of Victoria, and take in a show at the Victorian Arts Centre – only a short ride away by taxi or tram. 

The property offers 46 apartments, a choice of either studio or one-bedroom suites, as well as a split level, two bedroom penthouse. All suites include a kitchenette and laundry facilities. 

*Tourism Victoria Origin Market Profile,Year ending Dec 2012

To book, contact Metro Apartments Bank Place on +61 3 9604 4321 or call the toll free Central Reservations line on 1800 004 321. Alternately, bookings can be made online at www.metrohotels.com.au

View this Press Release and all Metro Hotels News

Bernard Tomic's Return Buoys Sydney Officials

HIS life might still hold some uncertainties but organisers believe Benard Tomic will be in the right frame of mind to try to defend his Sydney International title in January.

Tournament director Craig Watson is a relieved man being able to confirm that Tomic has signed on again for the combined ATP-WTA event (January 5-11) at Sydney Olympic Park courts.

“To win his first (ATP) title was an important breakthrough for him but equally important for us to get him back as he's a crowd-pleaser,” Watson said. “His tennis is great to watch.

“I've found that with tennis players when they come back to defend titles they grow an extra leg.”

Tomic's personal life as well as his professional hiccups with his coaching arrangements so often brings the Queenslander into the headlines.

In the lead-up to Sydney last January police were called to the roof of a Gold Coast hotel where Tomic and mates were involved in a scuffle in a hot-tub to celebrate his 20th birthday.

His 21st birthday passed in October without incident.

But the fall-out from the eight-month suspended sentence handed to his father John Tomic for assaulting former warm-up partner Thomas Drouet in May is ongoing.

The ATP and ITF have banned Tomic from being an accredited person at tournaments, including the past three grand slams and next year's Australian Open. Tomic Snr can however buy a ticket to the Sydney International.

Tomic was due to name a new coach this month, but there has been no announcement as yet.

Watson said Tomic showed last time on Ken Rosewall Arena he could handle the pressure of both opponents and public opinion.

“It was a great win by him because he was coming off the back of some issues with his father and Tennis Australia back then too,” Watson said yesterday.

“But he played an absolute fantastic tournament last time.”

Tomic has held a consistent ranking - still No51 in the world - for the past season, although he ended it poorly losing in the first round of his last five events.

Watson also named world No5 Juan Martin Del Potro and Poland's Wimbldeon semi-finalist, and world No21, Jerzy Janowicz as Sydney contenders.

Del Potro enjoyed a boom end of the season making three finals back-to-back and winning two - Tokyo and Basel. The 25-year-old Argentine also made the semis at Wimbledon, falling to Novak Djokovic.

Accessible Street Signs in the CBD

The City of Melbourne has installed 80 new tactile street signs to assist residents and visitors who are blind or have vision impairments to move around the CBD safely.

The City of Melbourne consulted Vision Australia, Vic Roads and Health Science Planning Consultants on the project as part of the Disability Action Plan 2014-2017, to create a more inclusive and accessible city for everyone.

Features of the signs include:

• high contrast colours to assist people with low vision
• braille labels indicating street names
• accessible height (plates attached to signposts at eye-level)

The new signs are located at 10 major CBD intersections.

Find out more about the Disability Action Plan.

Melbourne Cup: Fiorente, Verema Meet Strong Support of Call of the Card

 

Fiorente's hold on Melbourne Cup favouritism was secured after meeting with strong support at Monday's traditional call of the card.

One punter placed $50,000 on Fiorente at $7.50, and other bets on the Gai Waterhouse-trained runner saw him shorten into $7.

Waterhouse's son Tom tried to back the horse to win $1 million but he was knocked backed by bookmakers, while a separate attempt by a punter to win $400,000 was limited to $100,000.

Australian racing's first lady is also saddling up Tres Blue in the Cup, but there was limited interest for him at $21.

Two-time Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver says he couldn't be happier with his booking for Fiorente.

"He just does everything you ask of him and he has trained on well since the Cox Plate," Oliver told RSN Racing and Sport Radio.

"When you ask him to quicken he's got great acceleration and he relaxes well in his races, so he's just got the perfect attitude for a Melbourne Cup horse.

"It's got a lot of depth this field this year ... up to half the field have got strong winning chances, but I've got a lot of respect for the imported horses and for Lloyd Williams's horses as well."

Verema, meanwhile, also came in for solid support at the call of the card, including one $7,500 bet each way at $15.

There continues to be steady money for the French mare, whose trainer Alain de Royer Dupre rated her as good as his 2010 winner Americain.

She is drawn inside in barrier three, which poses a minor concern for de Royer Dupre.

"We are only careful because she is a filly with a very long action and if you have no pace there could a problem," he said.

"She is a similar horse to Americain, but I think the level of competition is going up every year and the competition is very tough."

There were moves at longer odds for Ibicenco, who was backed to win $500,000 at odds of $101, forcing his price into $61, and Ethiopia was supported at $91 to win more than $250,000.

One bet to win $100,000 was placed on Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner, while runner-up to him Dandino ($14), as well as Irish runner Simenon ($18), also had some support.

Mount Athos remains the second favourite at $11 despite drifting slightly since Saturday's barrier draw.

An unlucky fifth last year, Mount Athos had been supported into favouritism in some markets last week on the back of strong trackwork.

But drawing barrier 22 saw him attract measured interest at the call of the card, except one bet written for him to win $200,000.

There was a handful of smaller bets on Metropolitan winner Seville ($18), but punters seemed disinterested in the defeated Caulfield Cup favourite Hawkspur at $16.

The outsider for the Cup remains Sydney Cup winner Mourayan at $151.

The final call of the card prices were:

1. Dunaden $41
2. Green Moon $41
3. Red Cadeaux $81
4. Sea Moon $15
5. Brown Panther $19
6. Fiorente $7
7. Foreteller $31
8. Dandino $12
9. Ethiopia $91
10. Fawkner $17
11. Mourayan $151
12. Seville $18
13. Super Cool $61
14. Masked Marvel $36
15. Mount Athos $11
16. Royal Empire $21
17. Voleuse De Coeurs $17
18. Hawkspur $16
19. Simenon $18
20. Ibicenco $61
21. Verema $15
22. Dear Demi $21
23. Tres Blue $24
24. Ruscello $71