'…not only did the Council object to the design, but the local covenant, prohibiting any material other than masonry, was invoked by Nicholls, a one-time assistant to Walter Burley Griffin (the American designer of Canberra), who controlled the subdivision. '

'The timber-clad overhanging section offended. Only the original authors of the covenant could alter its provisions. My phone call to Chicago pleading with 82-year-old Marion Mahoney Griffin finally resulted in her relenting to change the rules…'