POINTS NORTH

Points North thought it particularly sensitive of Mosman resident and senior Liberal backbencher Bronwyn Bishop to stand up for the ordinary person during the week.

Senator Bishop said the Libs should appoint a representative to the Republic Advisory Committee of eminent Australians only if the person represented "ordinary Australians". She said the Liberal Party should take part "only if the person who would be appointed would be somebody who could speak for those Australians who want to ask the question: 'How is Australia to benefit?'

"Those people, ordinary Australians, are presently excluded."

Senator Bishop, who is far from ordinary in a great many ways, said the committee would give a biased view and would not take into consideration the opinions of other Australians. How horrifying.

"There are those people who want to see ... the States abolished ... the Senate abolished ... an entirely different system of government to Westminster.

"If we are going to have a discussion, then we ought to have it well and truly, and have it properly, and have all views discussed."

COLOUR COATS

Senator Bishop kept the "colour" code for the premier of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sydney premiere of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat on Saturday. She was, as usual, pretty in an exceptionally striking, lurid pink overdress. With her was her daughter, Angela, who reports on entertainment for Channel Ten, wearing her own Technicolour coat.

Kerri-Anne Kennerley was also there, along with Hey Dad's Rachel Beck and Home and Away's Ross Newton. The glare was broken by the ABC Lateline's Kerry O'Brien, in a dinner suit. Up-and-coming northern beaches band Zillian and the Zig Zag Men were velvet-caped and looked suitably groovy, despite daunting competition from younger ranks. They even managed to ignore manager Paul Christie, who was busy proclaiming that they were all his children.

But it was the appearance of Liberal leader John Hewson and his wife Carolyn - who appeared to be wearing the same jacket that she had donned for the premiere of Ain't Misbehavin a few days earlier - that made one wonder if it were really the wonderful performance that the pollies were interested in rather than snaring a copy of the exceptional dreamcoat.

OUT-SPANGLED

However, some pollies are less inclined to attract attention at every possible moment. The sedately dinner-suited NSW Minister for the Arts and Member for Willoughby, Peter Collins, and his wife, Dominique, looked slightly ill at ease among the throng of belly dancers, fire-eaters and snake-charmers at the recent Medici Ball, held to raise money for the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

OVER THE BORDER

When Mosman Council tried several years ago to name a street after its most famous sporting son, Allan Border, it failed.

Australia's cricket captain grew up in a house in The Crescent, opposite Mosman Oval, but the council's plan to change the street's name did not gain the support of residents.

But, flushed with the success of a special cricket match last month - with teams skippered by Border and Greg Chappell - to mark Mosman's centenary as a municipality, the Mayor, Dom Lopez, suggested to his fellow aldermen that Mosman Oval should become Allan Border Oval. The council endorsed his recommendation with nary a blink.

TRAGEDY IN WINGS

The sudden death of Percy saddened everyone at the Marian Street Theatre, Killara, where Frederick Lonsdale's play, Canaries Sometimes Sing, is now playing. The production manager, Malcolm White, went to a pet shop in Leichhardt to find a canary to play the role of Percy. The one he chose looked rather poorly, but he felt sorry for it and decided to give it its big stage break. Just when the tiny tweeter was getting into the role, it fell off its perch, stone dead. Two canaries have been bought to replace it - one as an understudy.

BRAZILIAN BRIO

The well-known northside property investor and restaurateur, Manfred Haas, has made a re-entry to Sydney with his new venture, Vivaz, a $2.5 million South American restaurant at The Rocks.

The stylish eatery, Churrascaria , seats about 280 people and offers Brazilian-style skewered marinated meats all week, with live South American music some nights.

The Brazilian concept is as flamboyant as the restaurant. The interior decor combines Mexican, Inca and Latin American themes, with outsize artwork in tones of bright blue, red and gold hung amid blue corinthian columns and bar stools. It may sound bizarre, but it looks wonderful, as do the mustard-cushioned retro chairs in one of the sunken eating areas.

Mr Haas and his chef partner, Hendrik Visser, who was involved with Trumps restaurant in Mosman and Woollahra, have taken a 10-year lease on the property, which once housed the Old Spaghetti Factory. The two partners and restaurant consultant Jozsi Feszt have recently returned from South America, where they studied menu and presentation concepts.

"Compared with many of the restaurants in Rio and Buenos Aires, the appearance of this establishment, quality of the food and service is far superior," Mr Feszt said.

Mr Haas has had 11 restaurants in Sydney over the years, including Schweizer Hof at La Perouse and L'Orangerie at Neutral Bay.

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