Welcome to the Down Under Club of Winnipeg. We’re a social club based far, far from our original homes and hold regular events for members and guests. We also produce a monthly newsletter about connections in our new community and all things happening down under. Go on, explore our site and consider joining our group. Hooroo, mates!
ANTHONY ALBANESE, Prime Minister of Australia: Thank you for joining us. For all of us tonight, the devastating scenes at Bondi Junction are beyond words or understanding. Australians will be shocked this evening. This was a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately targeted at innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday, doing their shopping. Tonight, the first thoughts of all Australians are with the victims of these terrible acts and their loved ones. Our nation offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to all those who are grieving for someone they have lost. And we send our strength to those who have been injured. And all of us are thinking of the dedicated doctors, nurses and healthcare workers who will be working through the night to save lives and to care for their fellow Australians. Today, Bondi Junction was the scene of shocking violence. But it was also witness to the humanity and the heroism of our fellow Australians, our brave police, our first responders, and of course, everyday people who could never have imagined that they would face such a moment. And some of the footage is quite extraordinary. Staff for whom this should have been a normal shift, shoppers peacefully going about their lives, and yet for these Australians, their first instinct in the face of danger, was to help someone else. That is what we hold onto tonight as Australians. That’s confirmation of who we are. Brave, strong, together. The work of the NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police is ongoing. But what we can say for sure tonight is this, to any Australian affected by this tragedy, every Australian is with you.
The Southern Yarn is once again ready for your enjoyment. It will be in the collection on our Yarns page, as well as via the image here. Thanks for sticking with us through our 75th anniversary in 2025 and we look forward to the year ahead with you.
Here’s Charlie’s editorial to get you started…
Many of you know, of course, that our Down Under Club meets for several of our events in the Scandinavian Cultural Centre. This has been a happy and convenient arrangement for many years now. For those who haven’t been there, we meet upstairs in a central open area adjoining the kitchen. Around that area are five other rooms dedicated for each of the SCC member countries – Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Those rooms are mini-museums and serve to help keep their cultures alive and educate and entertain the public, especially during Folklorama.
This year marks 150 years of settlement by the Icelanders in Manitoba. The Winnipeg Free Press has recently run a few nods to this major milestone. A good one to read is “Icelanders’ Manitoba saga marks Year 150”, by Conrad Sweatman (WFP 16Oct2025).
Meanwhile, as we’ve been highlighting throughout the year in the Yarn, our little Club has been celebrating 75 years! We will reflect on this achievement at our upcoming AGM – hopefully there will be a good turnout to help inform our start for the next 75.
In this issue there is the usual mix of Club news, travel, remembrance, trivia and birding. Thank you to my editorial assistants Jenny and Brian and our other contributors and advertisers. And, in case you have wondered – yes, we do make extensive use of AI to produce the Yarn — Actual Intelligence. 😊
We recently had a road trip to Cleveland, Ohio, and enjoyed some great sights, sites and scenery going and coming. But in all seven states through which we passed, smoky skies reminded us of the northern Manitoba bushfires.
Over 2 million hectares are affected, making them the worst on record. Which is why it was heartening to learn of the assistance from Kiwi and Aussie firefighting teams [July 13, 2025]:
“Fire and Emergency New Zealand deployed an additional 43-person taskforce to Manitoba, Canada, to bolster the local response to more than 500 actives wildfires currently burning in the region.
