Southern YarnThe April 2013

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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find us on facebook or the webwww.downunderclub.mb.ca

email: info@downunderclub.mb.ca

APRILANZAC Day

Saturday, April 27th, 6:00 pmScandinavian Cultural Centre, 764 ErinMake a date to commemorate ANZAC Day witha memorial service, singing of our nationalanthems, and a delicious POTLUCK dinner. Thisis always a memorable event, so come and be apart of it and the fun to follow. And don’t forget– the Bar will be open.

MAYTGIF Speaker Series

Friday, May 24, 2013Scandinavian Cultural CentreReception: 5:30, Dinner 6:00 pmThe SCC’s guest speaker will be (Aussie and DUCW member) Tim Sinclair-Smith,Director of Zoological Operations at AssiniboinePark Zoo. Tim will be speaking on theInternational Polar Bear Conservation Centre &how he is dedicated in making Assiniboine ParkZoo one of Canada’s leading facilities inconservation, research & education. Tickets: $17.50 each, reservationsrecommended – call 204-774-8047.scandinaviancc@shawcable.com

JUNEMorning at The Zoo

Saturday June 15, 8:50 AMAssiniboine Park Zoo, enter by the South GateOnce again, we are invited to take a ‘behindthe scenes’ tour of our ever expanding andchanging zoo. Curator Tim Sinclair-Smith will beour guide as we look, listen and learn. We arelimited to 25 people, so we encourage thosewho missed out last time to get their names innow by calling Lynley at 204-275-7631 ASAP.And then we will open the list up to others. Planto stay around after the event to visit more ofyour favourite animal friends — on your owntime and your own schedule. Admission is adonation(suggested minimum $10 individual, $20 perfamily).

The Victoria Cross (VC) is a militarydecoration awarded for valour "in thepresence of the enemy"[1] to members

of the Australia Armed Forces. It may beawarded to a person of any rank in any serv-ice, and to civilians under military com-mand. Being the highest award in theAustralian Honours Order of Prece-dence, the Victoria Cross takesprecedence over all other postnom-inals and Australian orders anddecorations. The Victoria Crosswas instituted by Queen Victoriain 1856, initially to reward acts of val-our during the Crimean War. (FromWikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The following is the accountof just one of the nine VictoriaCross recipients from the Gal-lipoi Campaign.

Private John (Patrick) HamiltonUnit: 3rd Battalion Born 24 January 1896 at Orange, NSW. Action: 9 August 1915 in Lone Pine trenches, Gal-lipoli Peninsula, TurkeyThe Turks had launched a violent general attackextending along much of the front. The northernpart of the assault was directed at the junction ofthe 3rd and 4th Battalions. At Sasse’s Sap theenemy forced the Australians back but were oust-ed by a counter-attack. Later the enemy forcedthe barricade and streamed up the sap towardsthe 3rd Battalion headquarters. The adjutant of the3rd Battalion instructed several men to get out onthe parapet and attack the Turks in the trench andthose coming across open ground. Hamilton,under the cover of a few sandbags, lay out in theopen shouting to those in the trenches where bestto land their bombs while he kept up constant

sniping fire against the Turkish bomb throwers.His example had much to do with the enemy beingdriven off during this attack. Died: 27 February 1961 Buried or Commemorat-ed, Woronora Cemetery, Sydney. Current locationof the VC Australian War MemorialLink: http://www.anzacday.org.au/education/medals/vc/austlist.html

RSVP: If you let us know you are coming, wecan be ready for you! RSVP to 204-228-9959 oremail social@downunderclub.mb.ca .Advertise in The Southern Yarn. Contact Jenny(228-9959, info@downunderclub.mb.ca) for all therates. Send your submission by email toinfo@downunderclub.mb.ca or mail to PO Box1655, Stn Main, Winnipeg MB R3C 2Z6.

Can you imagine summer?Pool Party and Potluck

Saturday July 13, 2:00 pm57 D’arcy DriveThe club will provide burger and buns, but itis a potluck so please bring side dishes anddesserts. Let Lynley know you are coming bycalling her at 275-7631 or 943-3775.on

line

Australian Victoria Cross recipient

Advertise in The Southern Yarn and on ournewly redesigned websitedownunderclub.mb.ca. Contact Jenny (228-9959,info@downunderclub.mb.ca) for all the rates. Send your submission by email or mail to PO Box 1655, Stn Main, Winnipeg MB R3C 2Z6.

2 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April 2013

G’day, A few Clubmembers were among the audiencethat got to preview the movie “The

Sapphires” at the Cineplex Odeon onMcGillivray Blvd recently. It tells the storyof an all female Australian Aboriginal popgroup in the ‘60s – based on fact and withplenty of humour, drama and romance asthey tour Vietnam to entertain the USAtroops. Certainly recommended viewing ifyou get the chance when it hits the screens.

Australians and New Zealanders alsoserved in Vietnam: 521 Australians diedand there were 3,000 wounded; there were187 New Zealand wounded and 37 deaths.Like on Remembrance Day, we also gatheron ANZAC Day to honour and express ourgratitude to the many for their service andsacrifice in all campaigns, and to continueprayer for peace in our world. It is unfortu-nate, in this day and age with so muchhumanitarian need, that war and peace con-tinue to demand so many preciousresources.

On a brighter note,we had the pleasure of arare visitor to our back-yard last week – a Pileat-ed Woodpecker. Suchsimple delights help ustolerate this extendedwintry weather until itsinevitable surrender tosummer’s surge.

See Lynley David-son’s 2-year update on

life in Christchurch, NZ, after the devastat-ing earthquakes in 2010-11 (p.6)

This month Gordon introduces Alexan-dra Corcoran to us (p. 4).

Thank you to this month’s contributors –Brian Hydesmith, Lynley Davidson, JudyPowell, Jenny Gates, and our regulars, Mur-ray and Gordon.

Enjoy!

Greetings, Spring is here, but there is still avery large pile of snow in my

front yard. Maybe next week it willarrive. There are some very con-fused geese out there at the dogpark, wondering if they made awrong turn somewhere on theirjourney north.

The club was fortunate to beinvited to a gathering of theFriendship Club of Manitoba thislast week to give them someinsight into the DUCW and in particular theevents surrounding Christchurch and howit is doing, 2 years after the earthquake. Thefriendship clubs do exchanges betweencountries with visitors staying in the homesof friendship members from the country

being visited. Their interest in NewZealand is due to members travelling

down to New Zealand and the pro-posed trip of members comingup from Christchurch. Unfortu-nately the Christchurch grouphas cancelled their proposedtrip to Winnipeg due to the ongo-

ing need to look after theirown communities needs,but the Friendship Clubhere decided they wouldstill be very interested to

meet us and tell them about Christchurch.Lynley Davidson gave them a talk aboutChristchurch today and I talked a littleabout the Down Under Club and NewZealand in general. Lynley being from closeby to Christchurch talked about how theearthquake has affected the community andthe ongoing struggle. The event seemed tobe a success with many people asking ques-tions and expressing interest in NewZealand. Thank you too to our support groupwho turned up to involved and spread theword among those present.

Next event isANZAC, see youthere.

editoriallyyours

Charlie Powell

president’sramblingsTerry Roberts

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Check out Lynley’s discussion on page 6 ofChristchurch two years after the big earthquake.Sights like these twisted tracks were shown.

CondolenceDUCW members send condolences to Elaineand Ed Clairmont on the recent passing ofElaine’s mother, Gwen Goldberg, on April 5.

Chocolate overtakes thetraditional Australian meat pie[Sophie Langley, April 4, 2013] New researchhas found that Australia’s love of the tradi-tional meat pie with sauce is waning, aschocolates and lollies as convenient snacksgain popularity with consumers.[link]

Although the Global Finan-cial Crisis (GFC) has meantless impulse buying, the

research from Australian indus-try research group BIS Shrapnel

showed that people are still willing to buy con-fectionary through convenience stores, milkbars and other ‘route trade’ locations. Overall,confectionary as a total product category hasseen a growth of 18 per cent in value since2010 to $711 million.

“This is typical consumer behaviour dur-ing tougher and uncertain economic times,”said Rosengren. “Chocolates can be smalland inexpensive, and we like to reward our-selves every now and then with a little treat,”he said.

Chocolate dominates the confectionarycategory, making up two thirds of the catego-ry’s $457 million total value.

The growth in sweet snacks has effective-ly taken sales from the remaining edibleoptions in the route trade market, with bak-ery products, ice cream and snack foods allexperiencing declines in value since 2010.The number of confectioner route trade out-lets has also increased, from an estimate 591in 2010 to 662 in 2012, with the total marketvalue almost tripling over the two-year period.

While meat pies still dominate the bak-ery products category, the Australian iconhas seen a 9 per cent drop in market valuesince 2010, to $79 million. The only two bak-ery products that have increased in valuesince 2010 are sausage rolls, which were up4 per cent to $46 million, and cakes, up 14per cent to $38 million. Biscuit sales alsodeclined.

“Chocolate is quick to buy and eat, where-as meat pies are more of a lunch item. It’salso much easier to eat a chocolate bar. Ameat pie can be a struggle to eat when you’reon the run, for instance,” said Rosengren.

Sailing in the wake of the VikingsAn Australian adventurer is preparing for apioneering trip along the waterways of Rus-sia from the Arctic to the Black Sea, openingup a route that few foreigners have travelledsince the days of the Vikings.

Sydney doctor John Vallentine, whospends half his time practising medicine andthe other half sailing the world's oceans, iswading through marshes of bureaucracy tomake the trip possible this northern summer.

His boat, the cruising cutter Tainui, islaid up in Tromso, Norway, after an explorato-ry trip Dr Vallentine made to St Petersburglast year.

He plans to set off from the Arctic port ofMurmansk at the time of the summer sol-stice, when the midnight sun will illuminatehis way down waterways long closed to for-eigners. His route will take him past theSolovetsky Islands, used as gulags in Com-munist times, and down the infamous Belo-mor (White Sea) Canal, built by slave labourunder Stalin. [link]

Herds Dried Off as DroughtSpreads to South Island[25 March 2013 NEW ZEALAND] Two dis-tricts on the west coast of the south islandwere included in the drought listing on Fri-day as the dry weather continues to impactfarming.

The usually wet Buller and Grey districtsof the west coasts are suffering from the dri-est spell in 41 years and with forecasters pre-dicting for the high pressure systems todivert weather fronts, the problems couldstay for weeks.

Across these areas milking herds have

been forced to dry their herd up to twomonths early.

Minister for Primary Industries, NathanGuy said: “It is very unusual for the WestCoast to experience drought conditions andis not something that local farmers are usedto. It shows just how extreme this dry periodhas been.”

“Conditions have deteriorated quickly,and local farmers have asked the Govern-ment to recognise the tough situation theyare facing.” [link]

The islands by other namesThe country’s two main islands could soonalso be officially known as Te Ika-a-Mauiand Te Waipounamu.

The New Zealand Geographic Board NgaPou Taunaha o Aotearoa Public is consultingthe public about whether to formally assignofficial alternative Maori names to the Northand South Islands.

The process means the English andMaori names could be officially used togeth-er or individually.

The move follows a proposal to change thename South Island to its original Maori nameTe Waipounamu (the waters of greenstone)and the North Island to Te Ika-a-Maui (thefish of Maui), suggested after consultation.

April 2013 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 3

newsfromOzsource: Sydney Morning Herald, unless noted.

newszealandsource: NZ Herald, unless otherwise noted

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Te Waipounamu

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Alex Corcoran

Like most of our members, Alex hasbeen around – a lot! Her father workedfor an American bank and was in

Switzerland when she was born. He wastransferred to Italy, Egypt and Holland, andthen to Sydney.

Alex took her primary schooling at vari-ous overseas locations, and secondary atRavenswood in Sydney. She has a Diplomain Tourism and Human Resources (HR), andis fluent in English, French and Spanish.She worked as a French Language teacher ata private school in Sydney for two years.Then it was five months backpacking toNepal and Europe before returning to Syd-ney in time for the Olympics. She volun-teered with the French team in translationand administration work. She did similarduties with the Uruguayan team in the Para-lympics.

Alex stayed in Sydney for four years work-ing for Qantas in their catering division –with trips to Asia, Europe, and all over Aus-tralia. In 2006, she went for a holiday toSouth America, and liked it so much that shestayed for 16 months, living and working inEcuador. It was then back to London for threeyears at the Tate Gallery in the cateringdepartment before returning to Sydney viaIndia for four months. She then got work withMedibank as an HR specialist for 18 months.

And why Canada, or particularly Win-nipeg? Her boyfriend, Tom, lives here. (Love

conquers all!) Their families knew eachother years ago in Cairo. Alex arrived herelast October and has finally obtained a workpermit. She starts a new job soon with Mac-donald Youth Services in their HR depart-ment.

Alex is an avid knitter – jumpers,scarves, etc., and also makes cheese, bodylotions, and balms, etc.

The DUCW connection partly cameabout through a net search that led her toour website, but Alex also currently volun-teers at the Winnipeg Art Gallery withDeloree McCallum, who is a fellow Toastmas-ter with Jenny Gates. Small world!

Alex and Tom are looking forward to join-ing us on ANZAC Day.

Gordon Keatch

Mob Roo’sYou know a group of kangaroos is called a“mob”, but did you know that you can soonmeet the mob at the Assiniboine Park Zoo?

The Assiniboine Park Zoo is excited toannounce that this spring and summer, visi-tors will have the opportunity to hop amongthe kangaroos (and emus) at the Zoo’snewest permanent, seasonal exhibit – Aus-tralian Walkabout.

Scheduled to open May 17, AustralianWalkabout will feature up to 14 female redkangaroos plus their young, as well as fouremus. The exhibit will consist of an expan-sive outdoor enclosure similar in size to aschool gymnasium, located just south of theShirley Richardson Butterfly Garden insidethe Zoo, where visitors will be able to enterthe exhibit with the animals. The concept ofwalkabout exhibits is quite common in Aus-tralian zoological facilities but is rarelyfound in zoos in North America.

“We’ve never had an exhibit like this atthe Assiniboine Park Zoo before,” said TimSinclair-Smith, Director of Zoological Opera-tions. “It’s going to be an entirely new experi-ence for our visitors – they will literally beable to walk around in the same space as theanimals.”

Known as docile and good natured ani-mals, red kangaroos are the largest of all thekangaroo species and the largest mammalnative to Australia. While they are not a newspecies to the Zoo, this is the first timethey’ll be part of an exhibit where visitorscan get this close. The emu, also a native ofAustralia, is the second largest bird in theworld by height after its relative, the ostrich.

The Assiniboine Park Zoo is open daily9 a.m. – 4 p.m. with extended spring/sum-mer hours of 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. [link].

4 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April 2013

gettingtoknow…members of our club

A Most AudaciousAustralian Prison BreakThe plot they hatched was as auda-cious as it was impossible—a 19th-century raid as elaborate and preposterous as any Ocean’s Eleven script. It was drivenby two men—a guilt-ridden Irish Catholic nationalist, who’d been convicted and jailedfor treason in England before being exiled to America, and a Yankee whaling captain—a Protestant from New Bedford, Massachusetts—with no attachment to the former’scause, but a firm belief that it was “the right thing to do.” Along with a third man—anIrish secret agent posing as an American millionaire—they devised a plan to sailhalfway around the world to Fremantle, Australia, with a heavily armed crew to rescuea half-dozen condemned Irishmen from one of the most remote and impregnable prisonfortresses ever built. Read more: [link]

100+yearsagohostory from downunder

Alex and Tom

12-year-old sonof Tamil Tigerleaderexecuted afterbeing given asnackEvidence of horribleextremism emergedlast month fromembittered Sri Lanka with a series of execu-tion pictures of Balachandran Parab-hakaran, 12, son of Villupillai Prabhakaran,head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

One view showed the little boy sitting inshorts and bare-chested, a shirt around hisshoulders, seemingly calm. The next showshim, body spread obviously dead, with fivebullet holes in his chest. Accompanying textsays that after the first picture was taken hewas given a snack and then executed in May2009.

The shooting was attributed to SriLankan armed forces. Film director, CallumMacrae, testifying to the authenticity of thefilmwork said:

“It is difficult to imagine the psychologyof an army in which the calculated executionof a child can be allowed with apparentimpunity. That these events were also pho-tographed and kept as war trophies by theperpetrators is even more disturbing.”

Sri Lanka authorities’interference silences the voiceof BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation’sdomestic programming in Sri Lanka wassubject to such unacceptable official inter-ruption and interference that it was sus-pended on March 26, Peter Horrocks, theworld service director said.

“We regret the disruption in service toour loyal audiences in Sri Lanka, but suchtargeted interference in our programs is aserious breach of trust with those audiences,which the BBC cannot allow,” Horrocks said.

In 2009, the BBC shut down its SLBCservice under similar circumstances.

On this occasion Horrocks cited interfer-ence that took place on March 16-18 andagain on March 25. He said he told SLBCthey were “a serious breach of the broadcast-ing agreement” and as such forced the BBCto action. However, the BBC still maintainsseven shortwave bands, three in Sinhaleseand four in Tamil.

Australia’s drugs-in-sportcommission to eye imported KiwitalentIllegal drugs, organized crime and gamblingthat has blown through professional sportare creating turbulence in Australia, andKiwi athletes are likely to feel the breeze.

Team members in rugby, rugby league,netball, and soccer can expect closer ques-tioning and official scrutiny as they head forcompetition across the Tasman.

Several Kiwi sporting franchises play inAustralian professional competitions, andmany athletes are recruited by Australianclubs. It’s easy to understand why the Aus-tralian Crime Commission can expect somecross pollination. The commission hasalready found that use of prohibited perform-ance-enhancing substances is "widespread"in professional sports, its booming tradefacilitated by organized crime.

Fairfax papers quoted Australian FederalJustice Minister Jason Clare as saying “ath-letes from a number of clubs in major Aus-tralian sporting codes are suspected ofcurrently using or having used peptides."

The commission would not name clubsor players in its report and would not say ifits concerns extended across the Tasman.New Zealand franchises were surprised tohear of the report's findings, and said theyhad not suspected such drug use.

In a brief statement, Neil Sorensen,NZRU general manager for professionalrugby said the NZRU would be reviewing thecommission report and its findings.

Blues chief executive Andy Dalton saidthe New Zealand sporting scene has no rea-son to be complacent.

“Given the global nature of the game wecertainly need to be aware of it. I certainlyhaven't come across any incident in eithermatch-fixing or drug-taking since I havebeen involved here.”

McKinnon’s Commonwealthmemoir effectively frankTo those who watch Commonwealth affairsclosely, the subject representing a third ofthe world’s population, gets only skimpyattention in the news media. It’s frustrating.It’s not for want of interesting “stories” beingout there.

And that’s why Donald McKinnon’s newbook, In the Ring: A Commonwealth Memoir,(£20.00, ISBN: 978-1-90-873926-1) is such anasset on the scene at these tremulous times.As London reviewer Philip Murphy pointsout, “There are two obvious things to sayabout this memoir by (the) former Common-wealth Secretary-General (2000-2008….

The first is that it probably offers a strongercase for the enduring value of the Common-wealth than anything published in the pastdecade. The second is that it is unlikely to bewarmly received in Marlborough House, theSecretariat’s headquarters.”

To say he’s hard-headed is true but mis-leading. While frank and of a stature to dis-courage more than oral conflict, the big,bluff-speaking Kiwi farmer (3,500 niceacres), is a former NZ deputy prime ministerand former foreign minister who has beenaround the block, as they say. And is about asauthoritative as you could wish when facedwith the niceties of Buckingham Palace andMarlborough House and international gov-ernment protocol.

However, it’s his frankness that makesthe newsies and scholars of the subject sali-vate.

As reviewer Philip Murphy points out,those charged with communicating the Com-monwealth’s message sometimes fail toappreciate how quickly the public tires ofplatitudes.

“What they really want to know iswhether the organization actually does any-thing useful. Here McKinnon delivers. Draw-ing on his personal and official papers, hegives a blow-by-blow account of protractednegotiations over Zimbabwe, Pakistan,Bangladesh and Fiji, to mention just four ofhis more difficult cases.

“As those examples suggest, this is by nomeans a simple success story. Given thescale of the problems faced by these coun-tries, this is almost inevitable; and whereprogress is achieved it can all too easily bethrown into reverse. But McKinnon makes astrong case for the value of keeping commu-nications open and keeping talking. “

In the Ring is also candid about the Com-monwealth’s sources of weakness. Principalamong these is a lack of buy-in by some ofthe organization’s most powerful andwealthy members, including the UK, Canada,Australia and India.

Murray Burt writes this Commonwealth column tolift the curtain on our understanding of a third ofthe population of the world. Enjoy.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 both the RoyalMilitary Institute (Manitoba) and The Intrepid Socie-ty. He is retired from more than 50 years of jour-nalism

April 2013 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 5

commonwealth place by Murray Burt

Balachandran Parabhakaran

Board of DirectorsPresident: Terry Roberts Vice President: Peter MunnSecretary: Margaret MunnNewsletter Editor:Charlie PowellTreasurer: Peter DebenhamSocial Coordinator: VACANTMembership:Norm GriffithsPast President: Lynley Davidson

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

The Southern Yarn is published by the DownUnder Club of Winnipeg, Inc. (DUCW). Theviews and opinions expressed bycontributors to this publication are notendorsed by, nor do they necessarily reflectthose of, the members of the DUCW. TheDUCW and the Editor of The Southern Yarndo not accept any responsibility for thecontent or accuracy of information orwebsites contained in this publication.Articles may be republished withpermission 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!

6 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April 2013

New Zealand Two Years Later

New Zealand, Aotearoa the land of the longwhite cloud. Population 4 and a half millionpeople. Where the sky is blue and nature isvery green and there are 31 million sheep.Home of the best rugby team in the world,the All Blacks. Christchurch, known as theGarden City, was struck by a 7.1 earthquakeon 4 September 2010, and a devastatingafter-shock of 6.3 on 22 February 2011, andthen another 6.3 on 13 June 2011. Pre-earth-quake population of 380,000 but, today, only348,000. With estimated damage of 30 Bil-lion. There have been more than 10,000after-shocks recorded.

So where do you start? Some would arguewith homes for those who have been home-less for 2 years, some would argue schools, ormaybe a library, or a university, a swimmingpool, or how about a new downtown?

The downtown, also known as the cbd(central business district) where there is noshortage of parking, is still closed off. Where,for the most part, they are still in the tear-down phase, and the rebuild is not really evi-dent, although tourists are everywhere to befound. Christchurch, the garden city, is nowknown as the container city. In true kiwistyle they just find new ways to do things.Finding real estate for your business doesn’texist, so they take shipping containers andturn them into shops and cafés and restau-rants. Containers are also being used to pro-tect houses from falling debris from futureearthquakes. To beautify these containers,people will paint art on them or, if artistic tal-ent is not your “thing”, maybe you just knit orcrochet - all in an effort to beautify the city.

Most of us don’t think too much abouthow or where we keep our cereal, or jam fortoast in the morning - it is normally at arm’sreach. However, after three devastatingearthquakes, they are now stored at groundlevel, for they are some of the worst things to

clean up every timethere is a large quake.You and I just put up our Christmas treewithout hesitating as to where it goes. Wewill often just put it where we have put itevery year. Not so for Cantabrians; it goes ina corner of a room so you can anchor it to thewalls on two sides from different angles, soyou won’t lose precious ornaments that areof a sentimental value. After having toreplace your TV three times, the set is nowanchored to the wall from two differentangles. The same goes for your computerscreen.

Some of the hardest hit are places thatrely on tourists, like Orana Park andChristchurch Museum, as the numbers oftourists heading to Christchurch are downand those that do go only want to visit thedowntown area.

Residents who have chosen to stay are byfar the most resilient, good humoured, opti-mistic and hard-working people that you canfind.

Most locals will not talk to you about theearthquake unless you have lived through it,as they feel you just could not understand it,or understand the new way of life. It just is.

If you are interested in making a dona-tion to help rebuild Christchurch you can doit at Christchurch Earthquake Appeal“Tomorrow Starts Here” by visitingwww.christchurchappealtrust.org.nz whereyou can select what you would like to helpwith - whether it be museums or soccerfields for kids, the choice is yours. It is theNew Zealand government site, the officialglobal fundraiser for the recovery effort forChristchurch and the Canterbury region.Putting a city back together, puts its commu-nities back together too.

Thank you all for your support two yearsago when we ran our fundraiser “Hands upfor NZ”.

Lynley DavidsonProudly printed in Winnipeg byKendrick Quality Printing Ltd.