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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eFebruary/March 2019

FEBRUARYSunday Breakfast/BrunchSunday 24th February, from 9amMiss Browns Hot-pressed Sand-wich and Coffee Co, 288 WilliamAve (between Princess and King),Winnipeg.

The reservation has been confirmed for thiscasual social get-together, socome along and treat yourselfto breakfast, brunch or lunchfrom the menu … You willneed to call Judy at 204 2757083 if you’re coming, so wecan let Miss B know numbers.

MARCHAfternoon TeaSaturday 16th March, 2pmat the High Tea Bakery2103 Portage Ave, Winnipeg

Another casual social get-together.It happens to be the day before St Patrick’s Day,so you might decide to order Green tea.Upstairs, the Bakery has 17 seats and a fewmore downstairs. This proved to be a popularevent last year, so give Judy a call at 204 2757083 and plan to join us on this fun occasion.

APRILANZAC DaySaturday 27th April 2019, 5 pmScandinavian Cultural Centre764 Erin St, Winnipeg.

Make a date to commemorate ANZAC Day witha memorial service, singing ofour national anthems, followedby a delicious POTLUCK dinner.This is always a memorableevent, so come and be a partof it, and the fun to follow. Wemay even have a game of Two-up! And don’t forget – the Barwill be open.

Some of our younger members reallygot into the spirit of this year’s “bake-off” for our Australia Day / Waitangi

Day celebration. ‘On ya, Aidan, Sam andClaire – well done! Thank you to everyoneelse, too, for rounding out the choices. Asusual, it was an abundant and deliciousfeast.

Brains were tested with the two sets(Aussie and NZ) of trivia questions compiledby Judy Powell. Friendly rivalry saw a team ofKiwis slightly edging an Aussie team for topscore on the respective answers. And thekids were in charge of the Two-up games –calling “Place your bets!” and tossing those

pennies like pros.So, between thechefs, trivia, andtwo-up winners,lots of prizes werewon.

We werehappy to welcomea couple of newmembers – Oliver

from NZ and Chris from OZ. What a smallworld – turns out Les Fitt and Oliver attend-ed the same school at the same time! Too badour President, Peter Munn, was under theweather and had to sit this one out.

Join us at Miss Browns forbreakfast/brunch:Just the thing to brighten up the Februaryblahs. Join Club members at this eclecticeatery on Sunday morning Feb. 24th –details in the Calendar column. But youneed to let us know you plan to attend: RSVPusing social@downunderclub.mb.ca or bycalling 204 275 7083.

DUCW members braved frigid weather to warm their hearts and fill theirtummies with an array of eats and treats from our youngest members.

Kids’ kitchen

editoriallyyours

Charlie Powell

president’sramblings

Peter Munn

2 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca February - March 2019

Thanks to JennyGates for typing upthe Getting to Know feature for this

issue – about “Two-Up” (p.6). Now, I thinkthere needs to be some explanation forreaders who have never attended one of ourevents here in Winnipeg. We play Two-Up atmany of our gatherings – it is easy and funfor all ages, and results in a winner in just afew tosses. So, here’s the explanation: theway we “place our bets” is to stand up andplace both hands on your head, or bothhands on your butt, or one hand on yourhead and the other on your tail. Everyonewho doesn’t match the result of the toss ofthe two pennies (yes, we use genuine pre-decimal Australian pennies) is out and theysit down. Those left standing place their betagain and there is another toss. It usuallyonly takes three or four tosses to get a win-ner. So, we’re not really breaking any laws;and, in fact, we’re upholding a long-observed ANZAC Day tradition.

There is a charming 1937 book titledThe Lore of the Lyrebird by Ambrose Pratt inwhich much of the credit for advancing theknowledge of lyrebirds is said to be due toan amazing friendship between a malelyrebird and a widowed lady named MrsEdith Wilkinson, who, at that time, livedhermit fashion on one of the higher slopesof Mt Dandenong, Victoria, Australia. Sincethen these birds continue to fascinate andimpress and have become superstarsthrough YouTube and David Attenboroughdocumentaries. They are also the subject inthis issue’s Birds I view (P.8).

Thank you this month to Jude McCud-den, Jenny Gates, Chris Brasher, MalcolmWhyte, Judy Powell, Peter Munn, TerryDelong, Murray Burt, our advertisers andyou, our readers!

137 (that’s right!),One hundred thirtyseven Fahrenheitdegrees. In late January, that was the differ-ence in temperature between Winnipeg andAdelaide. And though that was a day forAdelaide with its highest ever recordedtemperature, it was nowhere near a recordcold temperature for Winnipeg. And I havean emailed query from a friend in Minneso-ta asking if is it true that simultaneously on

Australia’s east coast, Victoria is havingbushfires, NSW is suffering drought, andQueensland has monstrous flooding espe-cially around Townsville.

It seems that bad weather eventsare becoming even more commonplace,and it is a worldwide happening. Unfor-tunately, along with property destruc-

tion, there is loss of life. Even marinecreatures have their problems with flood-ing, and there are some great images nowof crocodiles climbing trees to escape rag-ing flood waters.

So keep warm, only about 60 days untilthe golf courses open.

– Peter

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Red Flag riots were a seriesof violent demonstrations andattacks that occurred inBrisbane, Australia over thecourse of 1918–1919. Theattacks were largely undertak-en by returned soldiers fromthe First Australian ImperialForce (AIF) and were focusedupon socialists and other ele-ments of society that the ex-servicemen considered to bedisloyal. The name was coined

because of the flagsthat a number of thedemonstrators carried,which were associatedwith the trade unionmovement and werebanned under the WarPrecautions Act. Themost notable incidentoccurred on 24 March 1919,when a crowd of about 8,000ex-servicemen clashed withpolice who were preventing

them from attacking the Russ-ian Hall in MerivaleStreet, South Brisbane.[Source: Wikipedia]

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[Australian Government,Department of the Environ-ment and Energy, Aus-tralian Antarctic Division]:A cricket bat has been foundat the Casey research sta-

tion in Antarctica with the signatures of theSri Lankan and Australian team membersfrom the Feb. 1988 test in Perth (Australiawon by an innings and 108 runs).

Former expeditioners from the periodsay the bat almost certainly arrived inAntarctica with the late Tom Maggs, a muchloved and respected dog handler and stationleader at Casey. In a surprising twist, Tomlater became the father-in-law of an Aus-tralian cricket captain, when his daughterBonnie married Tim Paine in 2016. [Readmore online].

[Canstar Community News: Simon Fuller, 5th

Feb, 2019; Photo by Rob Colburn] DUCWmember Steve Setka (with the ball) is theonly Manitoban selected in the 61-mantraining squad preparing to contest the AFLInternational Cup in Melbourne, Australia in

2020. The final cut of 44 players who willform the “Northwind” will be contesting theprestigious trophy for their 7th consecutivetime. If Steve’s passion for the game rubs offon the rest of the team, they are going to behard to beat. [Read more online].

February – March 2019 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 3

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Congratulations

Congratulations to Jacque-line Cassel-Cramer andArthur Cramer who tied the

knot on Saturday, January 5th, 2019. Photos byAndrea Ormiston Photography, cake fromStephanie Anne Cakes.

Aussie Rules in Canada!!?? …

What seafood to eat[The Conversation, 4th Dec, 2018] Many Aus-tralians are concerned with the sustainabili-ty of their seafood. While definitions ofsustainability vary, according to governmentassessments, over 85% of seafood caught inAustralia is sustainable. However, justbecause a fish is sustainably caught, it does-n’t make it the most nutritious and healthyoption – and vice versa. For the first time,research has investigated the seafood Aus-tralians eat in terms of what’s best for us andthe planet. [Read more online].

The Blues just got bluer …[Sydney Morning Herald, Broede Carmody,17th Jan, 2019] The Melbourne music com-munity is mourning the death of the mandubbed “the gentleman of Australian blues”.Singer-songwriter Chris Wilson died earlierthis week after being diagnosed with can-cer. He was reportedly 62 years old. Thesinger-songwriter shared the stage with thelikes of Bob Dylan, Johnny Diesel and ElvisCostello during a career that spanned fourdecades. He was well known among Mel-bourne’s music scene, with Cherry Barowner James Young once describing him as“Australian blues royalty”. [More online].

Vegemite’s influence andbranding[Sydney Morning Herald, Charlotte Grieve,25th Jan, 2019]. Vegemite commercials of the1990s pivoted to embracing middle-classsuburbia, with ads showing kids playing ingrassy backyards comparing heights againstbrick walls before Mum brings out the whitebread triangles slathered with our nationalspread. Now, the biggest challenge for thebrand is to retain relevance, and to attractnew Australians on board. Dr Brent Coker,who studies consumer psychology at theUniversity of Melbourne, says internationalvisitors often mistook Vegemite for chocolatespread, and vowed to “never eat it again”.[Read more online]. And you can see it being3D printed online [here].

4 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca February – March 2019

newsfromOzvarious sources, see web links in online edition

Advertising Rates Down Under Club of Winnipeg Inc.The DUCW now offers advertising opportunities for annual advertisersand periodic advertisers. Please note that we can be flexible with respectto the print dimensions in order to accommodate the ads you provide.The following rates are determined as at January 2019:

PLEASE NOTE: Our newsletter is now published bimonthly – 6 times ayear. Issues are published in February, April, June, August, October andDecember.

ANNUAL ADVERTISERS – Advertisements run throughout the year in print and online approximate size (h x w) website cost Partner level 2¾” x 7½” OR 4½” x 5” large ad $300 Sponsor level 2¼” x 7½” OR 3½” x 5” small ad $200Supporter level 1¾” x 7½” OR 2¾” x 5” weblink $100

PERIODIC ADVERTISERS – Single-issue advertisements in newsletter (The Southern Yarn) approximate size (h x w) Yarn PDF cost single column square 2¼” x 2¼” web link $20 single column short 5” x 2¼” web link $35 eighth page 2¼” x 3¾” web link $35 2-column sixth page 2½” x 5” web link $45 quarter page 5” x 3¾” web link $50 single column tall 10” x 2¼” web link $55 2-column half page 5” x 5” web link $60 half page 5” x 7½” web link $65 full page 10” x 7½” web link $80

Closing date for submissions of single-issue advertisements is the first ofthe month you want the ad to run (i.e., February 1 for the February/March issue). To book ad space, contact us by the 15th of the monthbefore you want the ad to run (i.e., January 15th for the February issue)to ensure there is space available.

For more information, contact: Jenny Gates – Media, Communications and Advertising Down Under Club of Winnipeg, PO Box 1655 Stn Main, Winnipeg MB R3C 2Z6 Mobile: +1-204-228-9959, Email: info@downunderclub.mb.ca Website: www.downunderclub.mb.ca

Waitangi Pub Crawl[NZHerald, 4th Feb, 2019]: Thousands of NewZealand ex-pats took to the streets of Londonto show off their Kiwi pride and celebrate thesigning of the Treaty of Waitangi. The annualWaitangi Day Pub Crawl, which began at10am Saturday London time, is described asan event to bring the New Zealander ex-patcommunity closer and reminisce about thehomeland. Last year more than 6000 peopleturned out for the event, which has been run-ning for more than three decades. The high-light every year is the Kiwiana costumesdonned by revellers, and 2019 was no differ-ent. [Read more online].

Heating up in wine country … [NZHerald, Aimee Shaw, 2nd Feb, 2019]: Marl-borough, considered the engine of the wineindustry, is now home to about 70 per cent ofall vines and some 510 grape growers.

In total, New Zealand has about 700wineries and more than 2000 individualvineyards. About 10 per cent of the wineriesand 5-6 per cent of vineyards are certifiedorganic. However, climate change now posesa significant threat to this country’s wineindustry, says NZ Winegrowers chief execu-tive Philip Gregan. [Read more online].

Honoured Maori[NZHerald, Peter De Graaf, 4th Feb, 2019]:Many hundreds of people gathered at theWaitangi Treaty Grounds to honour SirHekenukumai Puhipi, who was knighted forreviving the ancient Maori arts of ocean voy-aging and celestial navigation. The 86 yearold, who lives at Aurere in Doubtless Bay,received his knighthood in front of Te WhareRunanga, the carved meeting house, fromGovernor General Dame Patsy Reddy. Tap-ping him on each shoulder with a ceremoni-al sword, she proclaimed “Arise, Sir Hek” -prompting a series of powerful haka andwaiata from kaihoe (waka paddlers) andschoolchildren who had travelled fromaround the Far North. People came from asfar as Hawaii to see Sir Hek receive hisknighthood, a sign of the esteem he is heldin around the Pacific. [Read more online].

February – March 2019 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 5

newszealandvarious sources, see web links in online edition

Winnipeg Touch Rugby TournamentYou are invited to watch and/or participate in the 3rd Touch Rugby Tournament on Sunday April 14 from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at 770Leila Ave. Hosted by Winnipeg Touch Rugby, both players and supporters are welcome. This year’s tournament has a mixed women andmen format. The canteen will serve hot and cold food all day, and the bar will be open. You are also welcome to bring your own food ifyou want. For more information, contact Caleb Stick at cpstick@gmail.com.

Two-UpHistory of Two-UpTwo-up is a type of gambling as Australianas the wild colonial boys. This great Aus-tralian game is enshrined in the traditionand heritage of the nation. It is also knownas swy (meaning two) or merely the school.It originated from the English “Pitch andToss”, but the Aussie convicts soon preferrednot to pitch the coins against a wall.

Judge Collins recorded in 1874 that gam-bling was rife amongconvicts. Some hadbeen known to loseall their money, provi-sions, and even theclothes they wore. InDecember 1867, fourmen were prosecutedfor conspiracy todefraud while play-ing two-up using anob. In 1852, the Min-ister of Justice inWestern Australiastated in Parliamentthat he felt the ban-ning of two-up to be“a great injustice”, since it was in his opiniona “traditional fair game”, despite being out-lawed in 1812.

In spite of the penalties attached to play-ing the game and police raids on two-upschools, the game continued to be played inthe gold fields, shearing sheds, drovers’camps and back streets. Wherever Aus-tralian troops landed and fought, the twopennies rose from the kip, spun in the air,and landed to the accompaniment of loudexcitement and colourful language.

After World War I, the police developed atradition of “no two-up raids on Anzac Day” —a tradition that is still alive today — when it iscommon for Aussie pubs to have a “ring” ontheir doorstep on Anzac Day.

Common TermsSchool — a group of people playing two-upAlley Clerk — one who arranges bets for mugsMug — an inexperienced playerBoxer — person(s) who controls the gameand is in charge of the spinning of the pen-nies and the centre and the amount get bythe other players against the spinner. The

boxer also supervises the side-bettingbetween punters and collects a rake-off fromall winnersRingie — another name for the boxerRing — area designated for the spinner tospin the coinsCome In Spinner — the cry that clears the wayfor the coins to be tossed, all bets havingbeen placedSpinner — person who spins or tosses thepenniesKip — flat piece of wood used to toss the pen-niesNob — a double-headed pennyHead ’em — toss two headsDooked ’em — three straight headsCentre — the money wagered by each personwho takes a turn at the spinning of the coinsplus the amount bet by the other playersagainst the spinnerRake-off — a percentage the boxer gets fromall the winnersSleeper Catcher — person who picks up thebets that have been left on the floor too longCockatoo — a lookout who signals if there isdanger of a police raid

At the DUCW events, left, it goes like this: withyour hands on your head, or ‘tail’, or one on each,you place your bets and await the verdict from theSpinner’s coin toss from the Kip. Simple!

How to Play – the original rulesThe rules of two-up are a bit different to howwe play the game at DUCW events, so it’svery interesting to read how it worked in theold days.

The boxer controls the game. They are incharge of the spinning of the pennies andthe centre, supervising the side-bettingbetween punters, and collecting a rake-off.

Players stand in a ring, with the spinnerat the top of the ring directly opposite theentry gate. The spinner must stand in thering to toss the coins, which must land andcome to rest within the ring.

The spinner bets that he will head ’emand other punters back tails. After the centrehas been set, the other players can bet witheach other, choosing either heads or tails.

The spinner starts by placing the pen-nies on the kip – one head up, the other tailsup, with the heads polished and the tailsblackened for easy identification. The pen-nies must be tossed off the flat side of the kipand land on a soft surface or pad. They mustalso rise to a good height and spin, or theboxer will declare the throw void.

The spinner must win heads three timesbefore he can collect any winnings from thecentre. He is then at liberty either to bet ashe wishes or to retire, upon which the kippasses clockwise to the next person in thering.

The boxer takes a percentage each timethe spinner has dooked ’em. If the penniesshow one head and one tail, it is classed as ano throw or odds. The spinner loses by throw-ing tails or by throwing odds five times in arow.

6 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca February – March 2019

GettingtoKnowhistory, and members of our club

Bad-news tourists make verynegative NZ headlines A family of unruly tourists from the UK dom-inated headlines in New Zealand last monthand they’ve left a trail of controversial inci-dents on the road from North Island toSouth.

The large family group, reported to bearound 12 people from three generations,including a grandmother, first attractedattention after several members were filmedleaving large amounts of rubbish on Taka-puna beach.

The group was videoed by local KristaCurnow as they left when an eight-year-oldboy was seen abusing the woman, withthreats to “knock your brains out”. They’vealso been accused of dining at restaurantsand refusing to pay their bills, after claimingto find hairs and ants in their meals. Thefamily has Kiwis so riled up that a petitionwas even launched to get the family kickedout of the country – and it seems signatorieshave been successful, as Immigration NZconfirms the group has been issued a depor-tation notice.

A 26-year-old woman in the group hassince been charged with theft, alleged tohave stolen energy drinks, rope and sun-glasses from an Auckland service station.

While the behaviour of these trouble-some tourists has captivated the nation,they’re not the first to sully Kiwi shores.

Tourist drivers who are unfamiliar withNew Zealand’s roads often make headlinesover the busy summer holiday period. Insome cases, tourists have been left strandedon the side of the road after having their carkeys confiscated by locals concerned abouttheir driving.

In January last year, a tourist arrested fordangerous driving on the Gibbston Highwaynear Queenstown told police he was rushingto find a toilet after eating too many cherriesin Cromwell.

Queenstown Sergeant Keith Newell saidthe 29-year-old foreign national overtook twocars in front of an oncoming vehicle, forcingthe two cars to pull to the left to avoid a head-on collision. Motorists called for the intro-duction of visitor “V-plates” for touristdrivers, following a spate of incidents lastyear. According to the 2015 data from theNew Zealand Transport Agency, foreign driv-ers contribute to about 6% of all crashes

resulting in injury or death — even thoughtourists are estimated to make up just 1 percent of all road traffic in the country.

In 2014 drivers on an overseas licencewere involved in 16 fatal traffic crashes, 100serious injury crashes and 436 minor injurycrashes. Of these crashes, the overseas driv-er was at fault in 15 of the fatal crashes, 78 ofthe serious injury crashes and 332 of theminor injury crashes, resulting in 22 deaths,118 serious injuries and 551 minor injuries.

NZ kiteboard star JustinaKitchen back in Justina Kitchen trains alongside NewZealand’s top two men’s kiteboarders, LukasWalton-Keim and Sam Bullock, who was 18that last year’s sailing world championships inAarhus. The trio are a considerable distanceahead of their competition and would love tosee more get involved in the sport.

All three light up when talking aboutwhat it’s like to foil and a short clip of Bul-lock travelling recently at 24 knots in onlysix knots of breeze prompted plenty of chat-ter in kiting and sailing circles.

“The first time you foil is the most surre-al experience, because you lift off and every-thing is quiet and there’s no splashing,”Kitchen says. “Just the speed you are goingmakes it so much more exciting.” Kitchenhas mapped out the next 12 months, whichincludes training in San Francisco and rac-ing in Mexico before May’s world champi-onships at Lake Garda. She hasn’t yet racedinternationally in her return to the sport.

“Which makes it seem crazy I’m talkingabout world championships and Olympiccampaigns,” she says. “The numbers doing itat the moment are quite small and theupskill process to be a kiter is a long one. Tobe able get around a course and do all themanoeuvres takes about three years.

“I’m racing Sam and Lukas and havebeen assured by Sam that if I keep going asI am I would be top 10 at the worlds.

“The plan is to keep racing through to atleast 2024. At the time I will be 35 and weassume foiling will be in for at least twoOlympic cycles so, depending how that goes,it’s not out of the question to keep racinguntil I’m 39”Kitchen’s three-year-old alreadyhas a small trainer kite she takes to thebeach and plays with while mum is out train-ing. Chances are she’ll be foiling before her10th birthday and will then aim to beat mum.And that will be a whole new world forKitchen again.—SOURCE: NZ Yachting

Perth Boss’s order: “Wear-tight-clothing-or-leave”A nightclub chairman who told female staffto wear tight clothing or quit says it was a“throwaway comment” and the proposedchanges to the uniform would not beenforced at Amplifier Capitol in Perth. Theladies at the Northbridge venue had beenordered by management to start wearing t-shirts with a scoop neck which revealed thecleavage of some employees.

In a note to staff, owner David Heatonwrote: “If you don’t feel comfortable in theuniform then you are welcome to findemployment elsewhere.” The memo left stafffurious and a backlash followed. In a longFacebook response Mr Heaton acknowl-edged he was wrong to say that “any staffuncomfortable with the changes should quit,a throwaway comment I very much regret,”he said.

“I would like to make clear that no staffhave been, or will be, fired in relation to theuniform issue…. I also respect the decisionsof those who have departed the venue oftheir own volition in relation to this matter.”Hundreds of people have responded to thepost, with some continuing to criticise MrHeaton. —SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald

Brit comedian not so funnyBritish comedian Jimmy Carr was slammedby Kiwis on Twitter for a quip on the platformsuggesting that the 2011 Christchurch earth-quake had improved the city’s appearanceand Dunedin could do with an earthquakenext.

While Carr is known for his dark andoften inappropriate humor, many socialmedia users found he’d gone too far. —SOURCE: The New Zealand Herald

February – March 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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Australia’s avian aristocratThere are two species - the superb

lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae),found from southern Victoria to south-east-ern Queensland, and Albert’s lyrebird (M.alberti) found between New South Wales andQueensland.

These iconic Australian natives arefamous for their amazing ability to mimic –just Google “Lyrebird videos” and you areguaranteed to be entertained.

The name “lyrebird” stems from theresemblance of the male Superb Lyrebird’stail to a Greek lyre. The tail comprises 16highly modified tail feathers; two lyrates,two medians and 12 filamentaries which areall thrown back over the head in a shimmer-ing fan during courtship display. The tail ofAlbert’s Lyrebird lacks lyrates and consistsof 14 feathers. They are among the largest ofall songbirds. They tend to roost in trees,planing down in a long glide in the morning.Lyrebirds rake the forest floor constantly forsoil-dwelling invertebrates. (“Field Guide tothe Birds of Australia” by Simpson and Day)

The following is a quote from theenchanting little book “The Lore of the Lyre-bird” by Ambrose Pratt (1937):

“… he advanced towards us slowly and deliberate-ly to the very edge of the window and once morefavored us with his quick, intense glances, stand-ing in a pose eloquent of preparedness for flight.Unexpectedly he opened wide his beak and emit-ted a low chuckle that speedily swelled in volumeuntil the air resounded with the full-throatedcachinnations of a kukuburra. As the last notedied away, the Menura retired a step, assumed asquarer pose, and suddenly erected his wonderfultail fan-shape above his back and head. The mag-nificent spectacle held us spellbound. A secondearlier his tail had seemed monotonously colored,but now it evinced many flashing tints of ebonyand bronze and purple. Not only were the gor-geous lyre-shaped plumes displayed to their mostexquisite advantage, but the light under-coloringof the finer wire-like accompanying feathers pro-vided a matchless contrast with the more-sombrecoloring above, as their tips drooped like a silvercurtain over the bird’s head, completely screeningit from our view. Hiding behind this beautiful cur-tain, “James” gave us the most marvelous concertit had ever been our good fortune to hear. In swiftsuccession he imitated precisely and perfectly thecalls and songs of at least twenty of the most-famous songsters of the Australian forest:

8 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca February – March 2019

birdsiview…by Charlie Powell

The magpieA young magpie being fed by parent-birdThe whip-birdThe bell-birdThe complete laughing song of a kukuburraTwo kukuburras laughing in unisonThe black cockatooThe gang-gangThe rosellaThe butcher-birdThe wattle-birdThe harmonious thrushThe scrub wrenThe pardaloteThe thornbillThe starlingThe yellow robinThe golden whistlerA flock of parrots whistling in flightThe crimson rosella

In addition to the above he mimicked several otherbirds whose notes we were unable to identify, and hereproduced, also, the sounds made by a rock-crush-er at work, a hydraulic ram, and the tooting ofmotor-horns…. To the writer, the most amazing itemof his concert was his imitation of the honey-eaters,tiny birds with tiny voices … In order to mimic theirsinging faithfully, “James” was obliged to subdue hispowerful voice to the faintest pianissimo, but hecontrived, nevertheless, to make each individual noteof the soft chorus audibly distinct.”

A truly amazing creation. Hopefully theirhabitats remain secure and they continue tothrive.

Reader Feedback We don’t have a Pear Tree in ourbackyard, but we do have anapple tree. We believe it (seephoto) is a Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix) as it has arust colour under its beak on its chin and neck, butnot its whole face, so possibly a female. In pastyears we have had a covey of 5 or so in our back-yard. We called them “The Partridge Family”. –Cheers!! – Terry DeLong

22nd Great Backyard Bird Count:15 – 18th Feb, 2019, (in Australia,it is from 21 – 27th Oct.) duringwhich you just count birds for atleast 15 minutes and submit your results. You cancreate a free account: http://gbbc.birdcount.org/

Lyrebird

“James” performing –photo by Fred Lewis

epagesfor news that just would not fit in the print issue

2019 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn • e-page 9

Fiji’s new online safety lawthreatens to muzzle free speechArticle 19 watchdog the Pacific FreedomForum is concerned Fiji’s new online safetylaws will muzzle rather than protect Fiji’scitizens. The online safety bill was passed in2018 by Fiji’s Parliament and came into forceon the first of January 2019, following arecord timeline marking the introduction ofthe bill before it was passed in Parliamentlast year.

The process and concerns over theintended impact of the legislation on publicconversations raised questions for USP aca-demic Jope Tarai, who penned a chapter onthe online safety bill in the latest NewZealand-based Pacific JournalismReview. “Any Pacific government working tomake cyberspace safer for citizens, especial-ly children, is to be commended,” says PFFChair Det Carreon Brooks, of Palau, “but anOnline Safety Commissioner calling on citi-zens to say nothing if they can’t say some-thing nice is a red flag on freespeech.” —SOURCE: Pacific Freedom Forum

Pacific states shame touringAustralian PM on climate Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s visit to thePacific last month has buttressed some cru-cial alliances, amid concerns about China’seconomic, military and political expansion-ism, in our region.

His three days in Vanuatu and Fiji werelong overdue. Mr Morrison has candidly con-fessed Australia has taken the region forgranted. This was the first time an Aus-tralian prime minister had visited the region,other than for a forum of regional leaders,since John Howard. Mr Morrison’s visit,which follows a trip to Papua New Guinealast year where he announced a naval baseon Manus Island, reflected a new awarenessof the need to counterbalance China’s grow-ing influence in the region.

The visit was not only diplomatically andsymbolically significant. Mr Morrison andhis counterparts announced a range of coop-erative projects, overwhelmingly funded byAustralia, on infrastructure, migration, bor-der protection, military capacity, sport, eco-nomics and more.

But while Mr Morrison’s gesture in show-ing the flag was welcome, his trip wasmarred by a lack of leadership on theregion’s biggest issue, global warming –which poses an existential threat throughrising sea levels and the increased frequen-cy of catastrophic weather events.

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimara-ma said: ‘‘We cannot imagine how the inter-ests of any single industry can be placedabove the welfare of Pacific peoples and vul-nerable people in the world over.’’ In a relat-ed article, Scott Morrison writes about whatwasn’t said on the Pacific trip. It spoke vol-umes, he said.

Mr Bainimarama is usually on thereceiving end of lectures about humanrights from Australia. His galling reproach isa sign that Australia’s lack of action on cli-mate change is hurting our standing in theregion and allowing China to take the moralhigh ground, however unfairly.

China has been funding infrastructurein Pacific nations, in what many analysts seeas a bid to use debt-entrapment to gain sway,as part of its global One Belt One Road tradeand infrastructure program. Its illegal deci-sion to build a military base on artificialislands in the South China Sea, threateningfreedom of navigation in one of the most crit-ical shipping routes, raises questions aboutits intentions in the Pacific, too.

From an Australian point of view, Mr Mor-rison’s trip, which follows the establishmentof a $2- billion regional development fund byhis government, a move supported by Labor,can but be seen in this Chinese context.

Australia should not treat China, itslargest trading partner, as an enemy and itcan look to partner with China where it canin development programs in the Pacificregion. But Australia should ensure thatChina does not replace us as the crucial play-er in the region. For the Pacific nationswhose low-lying islands could disappearbeneath the waves, Australia is letting theregion down through insufficiently robustpolicies to cut carbon emissions.

Mr Morrison assured Mr Bainimaramahe was pursuing “sensible, achievable poli-cies” to meet Australia’s commitments underthe Paris climate treaty and will, in themeantime, be funding projects to protect theisland nations from the effects of globalwarming. Yet the Pacific nations understandonly too well that Mr Morrison has aban-doned any pretence of a national climate pol-icy. His frequent claim that Australia can hitthe emissions reductions required underthe Paris treaty “at a canter” is dubious. Aus-tralia’s carbon emissions are, in fact, grow-ing and unless something is done it will bealmost impossible to reach the Paris targetof a 26-28 per cent reduction below 2005 lev-els by 2030. This they already know in thePacific. —SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald