Author Archives: Hydesmith

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Hydesmith Communications: graphic design & photography services Winnipeg

The Southern Yarn – Nov December 2023

The November December issue of The Southern Yarn is available online now, in full colour with links to source and extended content. It will also be in the post this week, in its glorious goldenrod analog paper edition, for those who still anticipate delivery in their letter boxes.

To get you started, here is the editorial:

On 20 September, 1939, Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced to Parliament that Australia was offering the British Government an expeditionary force to bolster the Royal Air Force as it expanded for World War II.

Apart from a force headquarters, the offer comprised 1 Fighter Wing Headquarters with Nos 7 and 15 Squadrons; 2 Bomber Wing Headquarters with Nos 1 and 8 Squadrons; 3 Bomber Wing Headquarters with Nos 16 and 17 Squadrons; and an Air Stores Park, a Medical Receiving Station, a Base Area Headquarters and a Base Depot. The number of personnel required to service this force totalled 3,200 officers and personnel, including a reinforcement pool of 225. Continue reading →

Sept-Oct edition of the Southern Yarn

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The September October edition of The Southern Yarn is available for your reading pleasure. Yes, it’s later than we hoped, but some great content in there as usual!

It’s also on the Yarn page.

And here is Charlie’s editorial to get you started:

As we remind readers, from time to time, most of the founding members of the Down Under Club of Winnipeg ended up here as a result of their involvement in WWII. More specifically, most had come here for air and navigation training, under the Commonwealth Air Training Plan, before being shipped on to more active duty. Then, having survived, they returned to their Canadian sweethearts who were waiting. Continue reading →

Yarn July August 2023

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The Southern Yarn, July-August 2023

Interesting how one thing leads to another, eh? I recently came across a good example of this concerning the other Australian national anthem. In the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Waltzing Matilda was played by mistake for Marjorie Jackson’s gold medal presentation, instead of God Save the Queen. Anyhow, to find out how its tune came to be, see “Did you know” p.7.

Also included in this issue are several stories of how the “Lest we forget” sentiment continues to be honored: a commemorative ceremony in Cairns, Queensland, for a WWII Catalina crew, a similar event in Summerville, Nova Scotia, for the loss of 4 airmen in a training accident 80 years ago, and the efforts of many dedicated volunteers and service personnel to honor the war dead through involvement in War Graves projects.

And there’s the usual variety of other news, humour and summer-reading pleasure.

Yarn May June 2023

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Spring has sprung,
The sun is ris,
I wonder where the birdies is…

They will no doubt be flocking through soon, mostly on their way further north. Thankfully some regulars have stayed around through the winter months – chickadees and nuthatches – and visit our feeders daily.

We took a walk through Kings Park a couple of weeks ago and saw a fleet of pelicans on the river (more than 100). Some were perched on bits of remaining ice. Further along the track, Judy was buzzed by a cheeky chickadee. Luckily, she had come prepared with some black sunflower seeds in her pocket and was soon treated to that unique pleasure of having them feed from her hand. Birds I view this issue is about wood ducks (p.8).

Continue reading →

Southern Yarn for March-April, 2023

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The March-April edition of The Southern Yarn is once again available for your enjoyment.

To get you started, here is Charlie’s editorial:

A couple of bits came my way for this issue that triggered some nostalgia.

Regular Yarn readers will already know that I have a soft spot for Australian bird life, and I’ve been known to eagerly play a YouTube video of a kookaburra laughing or a lyrebird doing imitations for Canuck friends who had a more deprived upbringing. However, in addition to Vegemite, there are many other enjoyable reminders of “home”, such as hearing the ABC Radio News theme music – fair dinkum! Growing up in the ’50s the radio was it for news, entertainment and serials. Continue reading →