Category Archives: Yarn

Sept-Oct edition of the Southern Yarn

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

Yarn July August 2023

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

The Southern YarnSpring 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

Yarn January-February 2023

The first issue of The Southern Yarn is available now, online and in colour, and will be making its way through the post to those still having our postal version in glorious B&W on yellow paper.

Here’s Charlie’s editorial to get you started:

With this first edition for 2023 it is probably worth another reminder of the origins of the DUCW – namely, a bunch of Kiwi and Aussie servicemen wanting to socialize together after making it through WWII and choosing to make Winnipeg their home. This newsletter evolved later, and while sadly those founding vets have all passed on, we try to maintain a nod to their contribution by consistently including an article or something with a military theme – serious or otherwise. So, on p.6, in “Getting to know” there is a piece of history that was news to me until I read of it in the Australian Geographic. The focus is on the secret diamonds, but the bigger picture is the bombing of Broome, WA (I had only heard of the attack on Darwin). It is good to note that the AG journalist rightly acknowledged the critical role of the (Indigenous) Nyal Nyal man who first made contact with the survivors and raised the alarm – as opposed to the Mission Brother, who gets the credit in other accounts.

There are other contributions by my usual collaborators — Jenny, Peter and Judy — and I am particularly grateful this month to Jude McCudden (observations of changes downunder, p.2) and Ed Powell (guest Birds I View observer/writer, p.8). Hopefully they will inspire more of you readers to send in news or links to stories of interest to others. Special thanks, as always, to our advertisers, and Brian Hydesmith who assembles this into its presentable format. Continue reading

Southern Yarn October – December 2022

The Southern Yarn is available for you to download.

You can click on the image to the right or you can check out the Yarns page here: The Southern Yarn.

Here’s Charlie’s editorial to get you started:

It’s a beautiful Manitoba autumn – leaves changing to all shades of green, yellow and red; geese honking overhead; harvests in and gardens put to bed; returning songbirds singing to be fed. It has been fun enjoying in-person club events once again – the pool party, golf tournament, brunch – and more to come, as per the calendar.

Continue reading