Southern YarnThe

N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E D O W N U N D E R C L U B O F W I N N I P E G I N C .

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eApril/May 2019

APRILTaste of the CommonwealthMonday, April 15, 2019, 7 to 9 PM

MB Liquor Education Centre, Grant Park Shopping CentreCost: $40 per personThe Royal Commonwealth Society invites DUCWmembers to learn all about some of the wines,beers, and liquors that are made in theCommonwealth countries. ProductAmbassador Aaron Alblas, whoregularly is on the cooking showsponsored by MLLC onCTV Saturdays pairing wines withthe wonderful recipes beingprepared, will be our host. He willfind some of the products made inthe various countries of theCommonwealth, tell us about themand let us sip and sample. It hasalways been a fun evening. Contact Betsy Burtby 12th April if you plan to attend: 204-488-0167 or betsyburt@mts.net

ANZAC DaySaturday 27th April 2019, 5 pm

Scandinavian Cultural Centre764 Erin St, WinnipegMake a date to commemorate ANZAC Day with amemorial service, singing of our nationalanthems, followed by a delicious POTLUCK dinner.This is always a memorable event, so come andbe a part of it, and the fun to follow. There will bea LEGAL game or two of Two-up – and prizes! Anddon’t forget – the Bar will be open.

Commonwealth Day EventsThirteen members of the DUCW attendedthe Commonwealth Day reception at Govern-ment House on Wednesday March 13. Invit-ed by Murray and Betsy Burt, President andSecretary of the Royal Commonwealth Soci-ety, Manitoba Branch, and welcomed by HerHonour Lieutenant Governor Janice Filmon,it was a wonderful night that included min-gling, beverages, speeches, and a light sup-per. There was also an interfaith eveningservice at The Cathedral Church of SaintJohn, presided by Bishop Right Rev GeoffWoodcroft, and Murray Burt read theQueen’s Commonwealth address and brieflyreviewed the status of the Commonwealth inthe past year. These annual events remindus of our ties to each other and the impor-tance of keeping the Commonwealth goinghere and around the world.

Afternoon Tea at High TeaBakery Thanks again for the extra treats that wel-comed members who came to enjoy theambience and hospitality at High Tea Bakery– keep it up and this is sure to become a reg-ular on the DUCW calendar.

Brunch at Miss BrownsA great turnout for some really great food!Big thanks to everyone who joined in the funand the conversa-tion, and to ourhosts Jenny andSteve and staff forletting us take overthe front of theirfabulous restaurantfor a few hours.

DUCW members joined the Royal Common-wealth Society on March 13th for an appro-priately regal reception at GovernmentHouse, hosted by Lt. Gov. Janice Filmon.

Deb Richards (left) just back from 40+ years in QLD, chats

with Toby Elson and Tiernan over breakfast at Miss Browns.

editoriallyyours

Charlie Powell

president’sramblings

Peter Munn

2 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April - May 2019

An unnamed man stopped and shared thispoem for those grieving in Christchurch:

Terrorism has no colourTerrorism has no ethnicityTerrorism has no one beliefThe only thing all terrorism shares is hatredHatred for all those things that make our

world beautifulIf a rainbow was only one colour,

would you still appreciate it?If everything smelt the same, would you still

go out of your way to smell a rose?If every sound had the same tone, would you

still listen to music?You see, the thing that makes the world a

beautiful place is the thing that makes us human: difference

And this is especially true for the place we call home

Our country is diverseDiverse in our land, diverse in our cultureAnd our diversity is what makes our

country beautifulDon’t let hatred take over your heart just

because things are differentLook after each other, family

[Watch the video online]

DINKS andDogsNo, for once whenyou see Dogs in myreport, it’s not the Footscray (oops, Western)Bulldogs, it’s the canine variety I’m talkingabout.

As written about before, our youngerson Tyler has lived in Toronto for about 8years, and in fact announced his engage-ment to the lovely Hannah a few weeksback. About 6 months ago, they had decidedto get a dog, and over time they decided ona rescue greyhound. I knew little about thegreyhound breed, apart from the fact that I

went to the greyhound races at the localdog track in Melbourne when I wasyounger, bet and lost on them, and noticedthat they were a lean, quick animal. So Iwondered about them getting a grey-hound for a pet, expecting that theywould need to exercise the dog relent-lessly. But that was not the case, as

greyhounds enjoy sleeping. A lot. And being‘Dual Income, No Kids,’ the dog is spoiled.He has a dog walker for exercise during theday, a dog trainer for what I am not quitesure of, and often goes to Doggy Daycare.But he is a food thief, and easily nabs anyfood left unattended. Although he has founda good home, maybe the trainer will helpwith the food theft.

Enjoy the Spring and Summer, Peter

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George VI and Elizabeth in Winnipeg. Both arrivedin the city on the King’s official birthday in Canada]

Royal Visit 1939The 1939 royal tour by King George VI andQueen Elizabeth was the first time a reign-ing Canadian monarch had stepped foot inthis country. The King and Queen spent amonth in Canada, touring the country from17 May to 15 June (excluding four days in theUnited States from 8 to 11 June). Theycrossed the country twice in a blue and sil-ver royal train that became the most recog-nizable symbol of the tour. The tour began inQuébec City when the royal couple arrivedon the Canadian Pacific liner Empress ofAustralia escorted by two destroyers and twocruisers of the Royal Canadian Navy. PrimeMinister William Lyon Mackenzie King for-mally welcomed the couple with a speechthat included the words, “Today as neverbefore the throne has become the centre ofour national life.”

The westbound journey included stops inTrois-Rivières, Montréal, Ottawa, Kingston,Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Banff,Vancouver and Victoria — as well as numer-ous small towns and villages. The train thentraveled east, stopping, among other places,in Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Sudbury,Guelph, Kitchener, Windsor, Hamilton, St.Catharines and Niagara Falls. After the visitto the United States, the royal couplereturned to Canada and continued their tourthrough Rivière-du-Loup, Fredericton, SaintJohn, Moncton and Charlottetown, before

departing by ship from Halifax. Beforereturning to Britain, the royal couple sailedto St. John’s, capital of the separate Domin-ion of Newfoundland at the time. [Read moreonline, and also some rare footage].

Aviatrix Jean BattenEighty two years ago,New Zealand aviatrixJean Gardner Bat-ten, CBE, OSC, brokea world record withthe first solo flightfrom England to NewZealand. It took 11days for her to fly the22,891 km for therecord-breaking trip.Born in Rotorua, shebecame the best-known New Zealan-der of the 1930s,internationally, bymaking a number of

record-breaking solo flights across theworld. She made the first-ever solo flightfrom England to New Zealand in 1936. In2017, her heroic solo journey and status asNew Zealand's greatest aviator was celebrat-ed by Air New Zealand with an all-femaleflight crew from London all the way to Auck-land. Way to fly, Jean!

Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum execu-tive director Stephen Hayter has been with themuseum for 20 years. (Tim Smith/The BrandonSun)

Hayter piloting museum for twodecades [Bud Robertson, The Brandon Sun:02/9/2019] During the Second World War,aircrew personnel from Australia, NewZealand, England, and Canada were alltrained under the British CommonwealthAir Training Plan, which operated basesacross the country, including Brandon. TheBrandon museum is the only one dedicatedto telling the story.

Stephen Hayter learned his profession inthe museum management and curatorshipprogram at Sir Sandford Fleming College inPeterborough, Ont. [More online].

April - May 2019 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 3

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Lost and Found[Nick Miller, SMH: Jan. 25, 2019]

London: Against theodds, and just in time

for Australia Day,M a t t h e wFlinders hasbeen found.The body of thefamous Britishexplorer whohelped name

and was the firstto circumnavigate

Australia wasthought lost when the

cemetery he was buried in205 years ago became a public park behindLondon’s Euston railway station. But a hugearchaeological dig, part of preparations for a$100 billion rail project, has defied predic-tions and identified Flinders’ remains amongthousands to be removed from the site.

The discovery has been described asAustralia’s version of the recent rediscoveryof Richard III, and experts hope Flinders’skeleton will yield new insights into his lifeand work. [More online]

Saving the Bilby [Ann Jones, ABC, Apr. 7, 2019] In the middleof Western Australia in a special restrictedzone, the Birriliburu Indigenous rangers aresearching for traces of bilby. They fan outover set points in the landscape, searchingfor anything that will give a clue as to wherethe nocturnal inhabitants are hiding. Thegreater bilby, known here as muntarngarku,is a wonderfully lanky little fluffball — it hasa long snout and ears and looks a bit like across between a bandicoot and a hare. Itused to be found over 70 per cent of Aus-tralia, but now it's restricted to 15 per cent.[More online]

A World of Their Own [Jennifer Feller, ABC, Apr. 8, 2019] In 1968,four clean-cut young Australians were at thetop of the pops. Three men in suits and apetite woman in a homemade dress with rib-bons in her hair, singing lilting folksy har-monies amid the rock counterculture.During the four years they recorded, thequartet blazed an international trail withtheir first three singles reaching numberone. They were The Seekers.

Georgy Girl, from the film of the samename, smashed through the singles chartsto number one in the US and was nominatedfor an Academy Award for best original song.Their songs live on in popular culture and inthe songs mothers sing to their children, asoundtrack to the lives of so many Aus-tralians. [More online]

Crown of thorns starfish.

Love finds a way …[University of Queensland research] Thepower of attraction is an unlikely ally in sav-ing the Great Barrier Reef from the destruc-tive scourge of its fiercest enemy, thecrown-of-thorns starfish, and could play amajor role in helping to save corals reefs andother marine environments globally.

Husband-and-wife UQ researchers Pro-fessor Bernard Degnan and Associate Profes-sor Sandie Degnan of UQ’s Faculty of Sciencefound that the coral-eating starfish gather enmasse when mating due to pheromones – ascent the researchers have decoded – so theprickly pests can be lured together for cap-ture. [More online]

Bluey the cattle dog has wonparents over [Kellie Scott ABC Life: Mar. 26, 2019] Peopleoften say there isn’t a handbook for parent-ing, but if there was, it would likely list Blueyas essential viewing. Kids love it, but theBrisbane-based animation has also caughtthe attention of parents for being a breath offresh Aussie air.

The ABC KIDS’ show follows the lives ofblue heeler pup Bluey and her family (yes,Bluey is a gal — an “accidental” dig at namingconventions that is just one of the coolthings about the show) and it features differ-ent dog breeds throughout.

I’m not a mum but I just quietly ended upbinge-watching four episodes whileresearching this story.

(If it’s also news to you, do yourself afavour and go laugh your way througha seven-minute ep now.)

It’s just about to drop new episodes, sowe wanted to find out: why are so many peo-ple addicted to a dog cartoon and are kidsgetting as much out of it as adults do? [Moreonline]

Renewing Australian PassportsThe Australian High Commission is startingto plan their trips west for passport applica-tions and renewals this year. So far, onlyAlberta is in the works in late summer (datesto be announced), but if enough people inManitoba want to take advantage of this,there might be a trip here before or afterEdmonton/Calgary.

In the meantime, “If any Australian citi-zens need to renew/apply for a passportsooner, they should book an appointment atone AHC’s regular offices (Ottawa, Toronto,Vancouver). Clients can monitor our web-page and/or follow the Australian High Com-mission on social media, using the linksbelow, to keep informed of any upcomingprograms.”

Online: [Web site] [Facebook] [Twitter] Questions: otwa.passports@dfat.gov.auInfo on passport applications: [Link]And we will share any posts from the AHC on theDUCW’s Facebook page and website.

4 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April - May 2019

newsfromOzvarious sources, see web links in online edition

Royal visit Prince William will visit New Zealand inApril to honour the victims of theChristchurch mosques terror attack.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern con-firmed the Duke of Cambridge would visitNew Zealand in late April.

Prince William will represent the Queenduring the visit.

“I am mindful that the trauma inChristchurch will last long after the NationalRemembrance Service this week,” Ardernsaid.

“I’m sure all New Zealanders but especiallythe Muslim community of Christchurch willappreciate seeing the compassion and support,that has been so tangibly demonstrated sincethe attack, continue into the future.

“Prince William has a strong connectionwith the people of Canterbury since his vis-its here following the Christchurch earth-quakes. [More online]

Kakapo hitting record numbers[NZ Herald; 28 March, 2019] Record num-bers of kākāpō chicks are entering a new eraof hope for the threatened species with ahugely successful breeding season.

Breeding numbers are encouraginglyhigh so far – 249 eggs have been laid, 76 havehatched and 71 live chicks are carrying thehopes of a renewed generation of kākāpō.The previous record, in 2016, was 47 chickshatched and 33 fledged.

Some chicks inevitably fall foul of sick-ness, weather, accidents and other unpre-ventable incidents, as when one of thebreeding sites flooded previously, taking thelives of three precious chicks.

This year, Dr Andrew Digby, science advi-sor for kākāpō and takahē at the Departmentof Conservation (DOC), says he had hoped tohave over 50 chicks fledged. That goal hasnow been surpassed, which is a tribute tothe technology and dedication of the DOCrecovery team, Meridian Energy support,and a programme which touches everyaspect of kākāpō life – including intricatemonitoring of their breeding habits. [Moreonline]

That sucksAn apple orchard out the back of Puketapuhas a new worker, one which could help theindustry’s chronic seasonal labour shortagein the long term.

The world’s first robotic apple harvesterhas been set up at a T&G Global orchard inHawke’s Bay.

It looks less like Star Wars’ C-3PO andmore like a tractor, and makes a sound simi-lar to a rooster, but it could be a game chang-er for apple growers, helping ease labourconstraints the industry currently experi-ences. It uses vacuum suction to remove theripe apples.

The robot, which currently is nameless,was designed by American-based companyAbundant Robotics. [More online]

April - May 2019 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 5

newszealandvarious sources, see web links in online edition

Road Directions

Completely bushwacked on anoutback road somewhere pastWoop Woop, a tourist slammed

on the brakes and pulled his car over tostop beside a swaggie who was trudg-ing along in the scorching midday sun.

‘I say,’ called the driver, ‘can yougive me the directions to the nexttown?’

‘Yeah,’ replied the swaggie, as hewiped a flow of grimy sweat from hisbrow. ‘You turn right at the next cross-road, travel about ten miles until youspot a big shed, turn right again untilyou see a big gum tree, then turn right

again until you come to a train line,then turn right.’

An hour later, the same car camebouncing down the same road and thecar once again pulled over to where theswaggie was seated, resting under agum tree.

‘I never could follow directions,’ saidthe tourist. ‘Could you do me a bigfavour and travel with me so you couldpoint out the way?’

“Certainly,’ said the swaggie, climb-ing in. ‘Just drive straight ahead. You’relucky mate, sometimes I send fellowslike you around the track about three orfour times before they offer me a lift!’

BushYarn

Farewell, Ruth ThomasDUCW member Ruth Thomaspassed away on March 19, 2019. Shewas 97 years old and died peaceful-ly in her sleep. Ruth and husbandPeter were members of the Clubfrom the very beginning, and as sonRalph said, “Thank you for all thefun they had as club members overthe years.” Those of us who knewthem still remember Ruth and Peteras active members who enthusiasti-cally participated in events andactivities. Both will be fondlyremembered for their humour andfriendship. Rest easy, Ruth [moreonline].

Soldiers, thieves, Maori warriors:the NZ convicts sent to Australia

[The Conversation: Kristyn Harman, SeniorLecturer in History, University of Tasmania:24th Oct., 2017]

Soon after it became a British colony,New Zealand began shipping the worstof its offenders across the Tasman Sea.

Between 1843 and 1853, an eclectic mix ofmore than 110 soldiers, sailors, Māori, civil-ians and convict absconders from the Aus-tralian penal colonies were transported fromNew Zealand to Van Diemen’s Land.

This little-known chapter of history hap-pened for several reasons. The colonistswanted to cleanse their land of thieves,vagrants and murderers and deal with Māoriopposition to colonisation. Transportingfighting men like Hōhepa Te Umuroa, TeKūmete, Te Waretiti, Matiu Tikiahi and TeRāhui for life to Van Diemen’s Land wasmeant to subdue Māori resistance.

Transportation was also used to punishredcoats (the British soldiers sent to guardthe colony and fight opposing Māori) whodeserted their regiments or otherwise mis-behaved. Some soldiers were so terrified ofMāori warriors that they took off when facedwith the enemy.

Early colonial New Zealand had no roomfor reprobates. Idealised as a new sort ofcolony for gentlefolk and free labourers, NewZealanders aspired towards creating autopia by brutally suppressing challenges tothat dream. On 4 November 1841, thecolony’s first governor, William Hobson,named Van Diemen’s Land as the site towhich its prisoners would be sent. The firstboatload arrived in Hobart in 1843 andincluded William Phelps Pickering, one ofthe few white-collar criminals transportedacross the Tasman. Pickering later lived as agentleman after returning home.

In 1840s Van Diemen’s Land, convictlabourers were sent to probation stationsbefore being hired out. Many men transport-ed from New Zealand were sent down theTasman Peninsula, where labourers wereneeded at the time.

Ironically, those eventually allocated tomasters or mistresses in larger centres likeHobart or Launceston would have enjoyedmore developed living conditions than NewZealand’s fledgling townships. In those days,Auckland’s main street was rather muddy.

Early colonial buildings were often con-structed by Māori from local materials.

At least 51 redcoats were shipped to thepenal island. Some committed crimes afterbeing discharged from the military, butmany faced charges related to desertion.Four of the six soldier convicts who arrivedVan Diemen’s Land in June 1847 were court-martialled in Auckland the previous winterfor “deserting in the vicinity of hostilenatives”.

As Irish soldier convict Michael Tobinexplained, the deserters had been returnedto the colonists by “friendly natives”; that is,Māori who were loyal to the Crown duringthe New Zealand Wars. Perhaps as a form ofinsurance, Tobin had also struck CaptainArmstrong, his superior. Several other sol-diers also used violence against a superior -it was bound to ensure a sentence of trans-portation, removing them from the theatreof war.

Irish Catholic soldier Richard Shea, forinstance, was a private in the 99th Regimentwho used his firelock to strike his lieutenantwhile on parade. This earned him a passageon the Castor to Van Diemen’s Land. Histhree military companions on the vessel,William Lane, George Morris and John Bai-ley, all claimed to have been taken by Māorinorth of Auckland and kept prisoner for fourmonths. But surviving records reveal thattheir military overlords thought that thethree had instead deserted to join the ranksof a rebel chief.

Maori fightersIn 1846, NZ governor George Grey pro-claimed martial law across the Wellingtonregion. When several Māori fighters wereeventually captured and handed over tocolonists by the Crown’s Indigenous allies,they were tried by court martial at Porirua,north of Wellington.

After being found guilty of charges thatincluded being in open rebellion againstQueen and country, five were sentenced totransportation for life in Van Diemen’s Land.The traditionally-clothed Māori attracted alot of attention in Hobart, where colonistsloudly disapproved of their New Zealandneighbours’ treatment of Indigenous people.This is ironic given the Tasmanians’ ownnear-genocidal war against Aboriginal peo-ple.

Grey had wanted the Māori warriors sentto Norfolk Island or Port Arthur and hopedthey would write letters to their allies athome describing how harshly they werebeing treated. Instead, they were initiallyheld in Hobart, where they were visited bymedia and other well-wishers.

Hobartians were worried that the Māoricould become contaminated through contactwith other convicts. Arrangements weremade to send them to Maria Island off theisland’s east coast, where they could live sep-arately from the other convicts. [Moreonline]

6 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April - May 2019

GettingtoKnowhistory, and members of our club Portrait of Hohepa Te Umuroa

by William Duke. Wikimedia Commons

Aus finance join climate issuesThe big four Australian banks, superfunds,and insurance companies are taking climatechange into their own hands by signing ontoan initiative that aims to realign the sector tosupport better social, environmental andeconomic outcomes for the country.

Launched on Wednesday, The AustralianSustainable Finance Initiative brings togeth-er leaders and executives from major banks,insurance companies, super funds, financialsector peak bodies, civil society groups andacademia.

The initiative includes a steering group,tasked with developing a plan on how thefinance sector can help deliver internationalclimate agreements, and transition to a moresustainable and resilient economy.

Co-chair of the initiative and IAG groupexecutive Jacki Johnson, said the nextdecade was critical for managing climatechange and other risks, and the finance sec-tor needed to play a part in that.

“Australia has made a number of commit-ments to international targets. Achievingthese goals extends beyond social or environ-mental objectives – it’s an economic andfinancial necessity,” Johnson said.

“Our economy simply cannot prosper inan environment of ever-increasing severeweather events and the subsequent broaderimpacts these will have.”

The group will deliver a roadmap nextyear, outlining recommendations for the sec-tor such as mobilising capital to assist withclimate goals, embedding sustainability, cli-mate and human rights considerations intofinancial markets and products, and deliver-ing a financial system that meets consumerdemand around sustainability.

Kiwi gun lovers balk at ban Gun owners in New Zealand are being urgedby those in the business to sign a petition toensure law-abiding gun owners are notunduly punished by the Government’s pro-posed ban on military-style semi-automatic(MSSA) guns.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardernannounced a ban on MSSAs and assaultrifles last week, after the terrorist attack inChristchurch. Legislation is expected to beintroduced on Tuesday and passed as anurgency. It has support across the politicalspectrum.

The legislation is expected to becomelaw by April 11. There will be a truncatedselect committee process to hear public sub-missions. The Government is also workingon the details of a buy-back scheme, estimat-ed to cost up to $200 million.

In response, Gun City emailed its sub-scribers today and urged them to sign a peti-tion to Parliament.

The petition, in the name of Hayden Liv-ingstone, started on last week and had10,786 signatures by 5pm on Friday.

The petition requested “an in-depth pub-lic consultation period on changes to NewZealand firearms legislation, to ensure effec-tive firearms legislation reform that doesnot unduly punish law-abiding firearmsowners while maintaining assurances ofpublic safety”.

It called the Government’s gun lawreforms “ill-advised, partly due to the speedat which they have been implemented andalso due to (understandable) emotionallydriven public pressure”.

The Gun City email, obtained by the NZHerald, asked for more information on theGovernment’s proposed buy-back scheme,including whether it would compensate forgun accessories and ammunition, lostincome or employment, booked travel toevents to use MSSAs, or losses from invest-ment in shooting facilities.

It also called for an independent inquiryinto how the gunman in the Christchurchshootings obtained a firearms licence.

“The reasons and activities for which weown guns vary. Let’s stand united asFirearms Licence holders rather than divid-ing into different groups, in the hope thatother shooting disciplines will not be affect-ed,” the email said. SOURCE: The NewZealand Herald

Reviewing NZ women’s pay riseNew research by the New Zealand WorkResearch Institute at Auckland University ofTechnology (AUT) and the Human RightsCommission has for the first time revealedthe challenges and advantages of NewZealand’s largest pay increase for women. “

The Value of Care – evaluating theimpact of the 2017 pay equity settlement ofthe aged residential, home and communityand disability sectors” examines the impactof the $2 billion pay equity settlement, whichincreased pay for 55,000 workers in a femaledominated workforce who had largely beenpaid the minimum wage.

Nearly 70 staff, including both managersand care and support workers, across theaged care, home and community care and

disability support sectors spoke to leadresearchers Associate Professor KatherineRavenswood and Dr Julie Douglas about theimpact of the pay equity settlement.

“This research is world leading. It isespecially rare for a female-dominated sectorto receive a large pay rise. Now, for the firsttime we can understand the impact of pay-ing carers a living wage,” says the EqualEmployment Opportunities CommissionerSaunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo.—SOURCE Scoop Politics

Fiji: human rights still laggingAmnesty International says Fiji’s leaders areignoring their appeals to tackle what theycall, “the country’s severe human rights fail-ings.” This is despite Fiji’s accession to vice-presidency of the UN Human Rights Council.

Amnesty’s Pacific researcher says theirsix-point human rights agenda was put for-ward ahead of last November’s election tohighlight priority areas for an incoming gov-ernment’s attention. Roshika Deo saysAmnesty’s current review shows none havebeen implemented. —SOURCE Radio NZ

Gender issues in SolomonsThe list of things women shouldn’t doaccording to Solomon Islands’ culture islong: no wearing shorts, no lingering eyecontact with men, no sitting near your broth-ers and no speaking up, among them.

The rules are nuanced and vary byprovince and tribe. But overall, cultural pre-dispositions across the country leave womenwithout the same level of respect and repre-sentation as men.

The Pacific region has the lowest num-ber of women parliamentarians in the world.In Solomon Islands, one Member of Parlia-ment out of 50 is a woman, and a total of fourwomen have served as MPs in the history ofthe country. —SOURCE: Solomon Times

April - May 2019 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 7

commonwealth place by Murray Burt

Read more most issues from CommonwealthCorner on page nine of the electronic ver-sion of The Southern Yarn.

Murray Burt is a retired editor and journalist whois concerned that lesser elements of the Com-monwealth get poor media coverage.Burt is president of the Manitoba branch of theRoyal Commonwealth Society; past president ofthe Commonwealth Journalists Association; secre-tary of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders ofCanada advisory board; Hon LCol of the 78thFraser Highlanders; a senator of the 166th Bat-tery RCA (Kenora) and a director of The IntrepidSociety. He is retired from more than 50 years ofjournalism.

Board of DirectorsPresident: Peter MunnVice President: Catherine BoweringSecretary: Margaret MunnNewsletter Editor:Charlie PowellTreasurer: Peter DebenhamSocial Coordinator: Judy Powell, with assistants Penny Hechter & Lucia BarronMembership:Terry RobertsPast President: Terry Roberts

This newsletter can be downloaded in PDFformat from the website. Thank you to allof our contributors within the club, fromoverseas and information services. Layoutby design@hydesmith.com

The Southern Yarn is published by theDown Under Club of Winnipeg, Inc.(DUCW). The views and opinionsexpressed by contributors to thispublication are not endorsed by, nor do theynecessarily reflect those of, the members ofthe DUCW. The DUCW and the Editor ofThe Southern Yarn do not accept anyresponsibility for the content or accuracy ofinformation or websites contained in thispublication. Articles may be republishedwith permission of the Editor.

T H E D O W N U N D E RCLUB OF WINNIPEG INC.Station Main, PO Box 1655, Winnipeg Manitoba Canada R3C 2Z61-204-832-4405info@downunderclub.mb.cawww.downunderclub.mb.caLike us on facebook!

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Male snow bunting [Photo: United States Fish andWildlife Service]

Snow BuntingI often see flocks of little, mostly-white birds– out in snow-covered fields or flying upfrom the roadside – when I’m driving out inthe country during winter. I have never beenable to get a good close-up of them, so alwayswondered what they are – so hardy to be outand about at -20C and colder.

Well, I am now certain that they are snowbuntings, since nothing else fits the descrip-tion and behaviour. The Lone Pine FieldGuide to Manitoba Birds confirms it as far asI’m concerned. They are depicted as verysparrow-like, except they are whiter. Appar-ently they are even more white in the sum-mer, so the theory is that the darker plumagein winter helps the absorption of extra heaton clear days.

Their claim to fame is that they are thenorthernmost passerine – breeding in theArctic and only migrating as far as southernCanada/northern USA in the winter. Theyare also found in northern Germany, Polandand Ukraine as well as central and east Asia.

Anyway, it is always a pleasure to seethem – adding life to the snowy landscape.

Here is a poem by someone else whoappreciates them:

8 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April - May 2019

birdsiview…by Charlie Powell

Northern whisper

by Marie-Pier Laplante

Morning light Glowing sight Bracing air My head is clear

Rolling rattle Windy battle In the apple tree You wait for me

Snow buntings Joyful singing In the dead of winter You are my spring

Shivering hands All wounds open The wind blows hard But my mind is calm

White flutter Northern whisper Can you feel this warmth Coming from the frozen ground?

Snow buntings Joyful singing In the dead of winter You are my spring

Snow buntings Covering the field In the dead of winter A sort of relief

Here comes April Restless April Moving buntings To the Arctic somewhere Where it all begins

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Snow buntings feeding [Photo: Nat Capitanio]

Source: Wikipedia