Category Archives: Media

Southern Yarn for March-April, 2026

The March-April issue of The Yarn is ready for your online perusal, and the monochromatic analog version is entrusted to our ever faithful Canada Post, for those less likely to be reading these words on the web… and as usual, we start off with the wise words from our editor…

With all the bad news that bombards us these days, it’s a welcome break to spend time searching for and reading “other” news. And not just news – history, humour, member happenings and events also.

In this issue, there is some history concerning early emigration to New Zealand and Australia; there is some Tundra humour, some Footrot Flats humour courtesy of Murray Ball; there are snippets of all sorts of other interesting information and much more.

Thank you to Jenny, Judy, Peter, Brian and our advertisers for their contributions. Thank you, too, to Cherie at Echo Publishing in Sydney. After some back and forth with emails, we were granted permission to reproduce selected excerpts from Favourite Cricket Yarns by Ken Piesse (2016). You’ll find one of them somewhere further on in this issue.

Enjoy, Charlie

Australia can’t easily reduce its military dependence on the US, but with Canada, can mitigate risk

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Not that often do news or scholarly articles overlap current events top-of-mind for Canada and Australia, so this one caught my eye, on The Conversation:

https://theconversation.com/australia-cant-easily-reduce-its-military-dependence-on-the-us-but-with-canada-we-can-mitigate-risk-276528

Here is the overview:

When Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Canberra last week, he issued a stark warning. Canada and Australia are so tightly integrated with great powers such as the United States that it makes them extremely vulnerable if those ties are weaponised. “Middle powers have a choice: compete for favour or combine for strength,” he said.

But can Australia actually make itself less integrated with the US, militarily?

As part of our special series, After the Rupture, security expert John Blaxland says the US and Australia are so tightly bound on defence matters, this would be extremely difficult – if not impossible.

But, he adds, there are ways to mitigate the risks of overdependence. And Canada could play a role here, given the depth of possible engagement Carney touted during his visit last week.

Working closely with Canada could help Australia be a more confident, self-reliant regional leader when it comes to security. It could make us slightly less vulnerable to the whims of leaders like Donald Trump, as well.

By the way, The Conversation is neither just reportage nor scholarly, but rather a hybrid of where those two disciplines can intersect. Recommended reading for thoughtful and well-researched analysis on current events and popular topics, usually by academics specializing in the area.

Bondi tragedy

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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.

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 →

Winnipeg Fundraiser for the Australian Bushfires — We Are SOLD OUT!

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THANK YOU, Winnipeg, for your generous support of our bushfires fundraiser.

We are SOLD OUT, and tickets will NOT be available at the door.

If you would still like to help, we are accepting donations. Any amount is welcome, but donations of $20 or more will get a tax receipt from the Canadian Red Cross for monies sent to the Australian Red Cross Disaster and Relief Recovery Fund. To make a donation, contact Peter Debenham at 204-955-0393.

The devastating bushfires in Australia are continuing to take an almost unimaginable toll on that country. At least 34 people have died, livelihoods have been lost, countless native animals and livestock populations have been decimated, and millions of hectares of land have been burned beyond recognition. Continue reading →