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!
Haka Rugby is heading to Winnipeg. The three-day camp is from Thursday July 25 to Saturday July 27 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Hosted by Winnipeg’s Assassins Rugby Football Club, the camp is run by Haka Rugby Global, which fuses its passion for rugby with New Zealand’s Māori culture and heritage to help develop the next generation of leaders.
The camp is tailored to girls and boys in the U8 to U16 age range, and participants are supported in a safe and controlled environment, where they will learn skills that apply both on and off the rugby pitch.
Players aged 14 to 16 will also receive a more in-depth experience of elite training.
“The camps explore a different side to rugby, especially as they are a fun way to expose Māori culture to a wider audience, as well as connecting kids with rugby,” said Caleb Stick, Haka Rugby Global’s North American co-ordinator.
For more information:
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/sports/2024/07/17/haka-rugby-camps-coming-to-winnipeg-july-25-27
The Southern Yarn for July-August 2024
24-Yarn_0708-JulyAug The Southern Yarn for July August is complete and posted here for your enjoyment.
Here is the editorial to get you started:
I’m a bit too old and unfit for cricket these days, but there was a time when I, along with other younger and fitter fellow DUCW members, played and enjoyed the game at a competitive level. In the winter we played (and won the championship) indoors (with a tennis ball) and in the summer we played at Assiniboine Park. We had to stake out the boundary and peg a large mat down for the pitch. So, it is good to learn that an upgrade is in the works (see p.5) since there are now so many new Canadians, particularly from South Asia, who also want to continue enjoying their traditional sport.
With the Paris Olympics about to start, we will no doubt soon be cheering on and celebrating new heroes. Australia’s and New Zealand’s first Olympians get a mention on p. 4.
There is also more of our Club history (see p.6), thanks to Jenny Gates and our bird this month is the oriole. Thanks again to all our sponsors, contributors and advertisers.
Charlie
The Southern Yarn is once again ready for your reading pleasure. There is lots to say, but instead, let’s whet your appetite with Charlie’s editorial, and you can dig in direc
tly from there. All from the little club newsletter than could…
Following on from last issue’s reminisces of school army cadet days: the quiz answer is the Bren gun.
When we went bush on weekend bivouacs we had to take army-issue rations with us – canned stew, condensed milk, “dog” biscuits, tubes of Vegemite, etc. At the annual two-week camp, regular army cooks served up the meals in mess tents. The fun times thankfully balanced the more serious implications of what the cadet movement was all about.
In addition to rifle practice and learning maneuver strategies, our participation in the annual ANZAC Day parades and ceremonies kept the more sober realities front of mind. For 75 years our DUCW has maintained the serious remembrance of the ANZACs and their sacrifices and achievements, especially for each next generation.
We also maintain the balance with the many lighter activities. And there is more humour in uniform in this edition. You can also learn more of what “the little club that could” has gotten up to in part 2 of Jenny Gates’ Club history piece on p. 7 – pretty amazing!
All this and so much more – thanks to all who have contributed and our advertisers.
Southern Yarn, March-April 2024
When we commemorate ANZAC Day this year (Saturday, April 27, at the Scandinavian Cultural Center) it will mark the start of the Down Under Club’s 75 year anniversary – see Jenny’s article on this milestone (p. 6). Jenny is mining the archives and will bring further installments of DUCW history in future Yarns. Continue reading
24-Yarn_0102-JanFeb 
So, we’re into 2024 already, and The Yarn is right there, along for the ride with you.
The January-February edition is available now, and here is the Editorial to get you started:
Happy new year, Yarn readers! And it’s not just a new year, it’s also the Club’s 75th! That’s quite an achievement for a little outpost here in the middle of North America, eh?! Talk about the “Aussie/Kiwi battler” – the DUCW exemplifies just such a character. And this little Southern Yarn gazette plays a not so insignificant part in the battle to stay alive and relevant ‘midst the constant bombardment of alt-media’s missiles, mortar and manipulations.
So, if you value these 8 pages in your inbox or mailbox every couple of months, please heed Catherine’s renewal reminder (p.1). Where else does one find such concise and concentrated downunder content? This edition, again, is a typical example – there’s Club and member news, book reviews, bird views, OZ and NZ news – you choose.
Since there likely would not be a DUCW if it weren’t for the BCATP, it gets another prominent mention (p.6). The humble but joyful little canary gets the honour of first bird “viewed” this year (p.8).
Huge thanks again to Jenny, Peter, Judy, Catherine, advertisers, Brian, et al.