The Australian Imperial Forces, NSW Regiment, 4th Battallion, landing at Gallipoli at 8 AM, 25th April,1915. Join us for a special commemorative 100th anniversary ceremony and event in Winnipeg.

Southern YarnThe April 2015

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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APRIL

Our special DUCW ANZAC commemorationSaturday 25th April

Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada958 Ferry Road, WinnipegFormal Ceremony starts promptly at 2:00 pmfollowed by Afternoon Tea Reception and paneldiscussion. DUCW Members attending the eventwill have free access to the Aviation Museumfrom 10:00 am to closing.

RSVPIf you let us know you are coming, RSVP to (Liz)social@downunderclub.mb.ca or 204-487-0067.

Please renew for 2015Individual $20 … Couple/family $30 … Dues for 2015 can be made online with Pay Pal,by cheque or pay in person at the next event.Please call Norm Griffiths at 204-661-3873 toindicate your intentions. Phone Peter Debenhamat 204-955-0393 for assistance, or emailpeter@pdlactg.ca .

It was early in the morning on Sunday,25th April, 1915, with a final off-shoredisembarking and scrambled landing on

the beaches of the hilly and rugged coastalincline of the Gallipoli Peninsula, that theheroic ANZAC story began. This year theDUCW invites you to reflect on this experi-ence as we commemorate one hundred yearssince the Australian and New Zealand ArmyCorps troops sailed into the Aegean Sea,ostensibly battle ready, with orders to claimthe Turkish lands and help secure a routeinto the Black Sea.

Have you ever wondered why Australiansand New Zealanders were sent to Turkey tofight? Did you know they were joined by New-foundlanders? What was the strategy behindthe Gallipoli campaign? What good came outof this battle at the time and what did it con-tribute the war in the long run? We knowsome of the facts, but what does it all meanone century later?

Our ANZAC History Presentation Lest WeForget First World War Mates: ANZACs andNewfoundland Canadians Together at Warfollowing the Anzac Day formal ceremonywill have us reflect on the politics, strategiesand supreme sacrifices made by the troopswho defended our nations. Dr. James Fergus-son and Captain Emmanuel Goffi from theCentre for Defence and Security Studies andWarren Otto from the Military Support Unitat the University of Manitoba and Kelvin

teacher Chris Young will share their knowl-edge and experience and help us relive someof the experiences of the ANZACs and theirmates. See more details throughout thisissue of the Yarn and on our website.

Commonwealth Day celebrationsOn Tuesday March 10, several members ofthe Down Under Club joined members of theCommonwealth Society of Manitoba (CSM)for the annual Commonwealth Day Celebra-tion at the Lieutenant Governor’s House. Ourgenerous hosts, the Honourable Philip Leeand Mrs Anita Lee, welcomed each of us per-sonally and spoke about the importance ofCommonwealth Day. This was followed by areport on the Commonwealth from MurrayBurt, president of the CSM, and a delicioussupper for us all to enjoy. DUCW membersPeter and Joanne Debenham, Murray andBetsy Burt, Gordon Keatch and Jenny Gatesmingled with other guests during the two-hour event. on

line

April 25th: 100 years of ANZAC history

Photo 1: Mrs Anita Lee, Murray Burt, and Lieu-tenant Governor Philip Lee. Photo: Jenny Gates.

100ANZAC1915

2015

Please bring along any memorabilia from NewZealand or Australian military service.

2 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April 2015

G’day – Through my high school years inQueensland I was in the Army Cadet

Corps, so of course ANZAC Day was animportant and proud event for us, includingmarching through Sandgate along with theVets and many other groups – a commonannual scene that repeats in every commu-nity throughout Australia and New Zealand.So it has been interesting to research a bitof the history around the genesis of thecommemoration: that landing at Gallipoli100 years ago. For one thing, I learned thatthere was an Australian sub in the thick ofit, with orders to “run amok” (p. 4)! I alsolearned a bit about the Officer who was putin charge of the “ANZACs”, Lieutenant Gen-eral Sir William Birdwood (Getting toknow…) and the three Divisions that con-verged there for the landing (p. 6). I trustyou too will find it enlightening. For me, themore I read, the more respect I gained forthe courage and sacrifice of those involved.Lest we Forget!

Thanks again to others who have con-tributed to this edition – Murray, Jenny,Laurie, Terry, Peter, Chris, Ed, and Liz.

The birds i view this month are geese.Who knew there are Canada Geese in NZ?And that some tried their luck in Australia(p. 8)!?

Enjoy!

Back in the Age of Dinosaurs,when I was still a young man,pulling an all-nighter for

study purposes, or staying outuntil dawn carousing withyour buddies (or youryoung lady), was not anuncommon occurrence,and most of us dealt withthe sleep deprivation fairlyeasily. In the last week,twice, I was reminded thatI cannot now do easily what was once fairlycommon.

Blame it on the ICC Cricket World Cupfrom Melbourne. With local television out-lets charging ridiculously high subscrip-tions to watch the cricket as a pay per viewevent, I subscribed to an English web-site ata reasonable rate for the semi final and

final game, and streamed it to the TV. Starttime was 10.30pm Winnipeg time, andthe games finished about 6am.Thursday morning after the semi-final vs India was spent tryingto catch up on sleep. PeterDebenham watched the gamewith me, and he went straight towork at 6.30am after the game.Talk about stamina. Saturdaynight was the final vs the Kiwis.Terry Roberts turned up to cheer

for the Kiwis, and Peter and I backed theAussies. It was not as close as most peopleexpected, but a good spectacle from theMCG. Peter had a full morning of volunteerwork to look forward to, me……..….I sleptfor a long time.

See you at the Anzac Day service,Peter

editoriallyyours

Charlie Powell

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Soldiers of 11th Battalion posing on the GreatPyramid of Giza on 10 January 1915, prior to thelanding at Gallipoli.

Congratulations to our own DUCW member, AirCadet Peter Vernon, on his recent promotion. Heis now LAC (Leading Air Cadet) Peter Vernon.

Air, Army, and Sea Cadet Corps and Squad-rans will be represented at our Anzac Day cere-monies on April 25th, as part of their communityservice.

Dignitaries from Canadian and foreign armedforces will also be in attendance at this event,which marks 100 years since the ANZAC landingat Gallipoli.

John Malcolm Fraser, 1930-2015No Australian politician became Prime Minis-ter in more controversial circumstances thanMalcolm Fraser, whose name will forever beassociated with the dismissal of the WhitlamGovernment, and no prime minister’s acces-sion to power has been more hotly debatedever since. Certainly, few political events con-vulsed the nation as that did. Yet, howevershocked and outraged people were at thetime, at the subsequent election, just a fewweeks later, on December 13, 1975, the elec-torate ignored Whitlam’s appeal to maintainthe rage, and confirmed Fraser in office withthe largest majority in Australian history.

From being Leader of the Opposition,Fraser, who died March 20 aged 84, won hisway to The Lodge by blocking Supply and cre-ating a House of Representatives-Senatedeadlock, which Governor-General Sir JohnKerr broke by dismissing the Whitlam Gov-ernment and appointing Fraser as caretakerPrime Minister until an election was held.[More online].

The tie that binds .. There is a move to makework and movement withinthe Commonwealth similarto the way things work inthe European Union. TheCommonwealth Freedom ofMovement Organization has a petition with

nearly 25,000 online signatures. James Skin-ner, who is the Organization’s founder andExecutive Director, says he plans to send thepetition to politicians in New Zealand andAustralia, and then to the Canadian andBritish governments, pending elections ineach respective country. [More online]

Aurora AustralisThe NT News reported March 19 that a rareshow of the Aurora Australis was seen incentral Australia. Some spectacular photoscan be seen online.

It’s all uphill…Baldwin Street, in Dunedin, New Zealand, isconsidered the world’s steepest residentialstreet. It is located in the residential suburb

of North East Valley, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi)northeast of Dunedin’s city centre. [Moreonline.]

Remember Richard Hadlee?Sir Richard Hadlee played in 86 test matchesfor New Zealand over an eighteen year peri-od. When he captured his 374th test wicketon the 12th of November 1988 against Indiain Bangalore, he became the world recordholder. He went on to become one of thegreatest all rounders in the history of thegame, as he captured 431 test wickets &scored over 3000 test runs.

Well, this year Brendon McCullum (pic-tured here) has won the medal named forhim: Brendon McCullum’s galvanising lead-ership and explosive batting has seen himhold off strong challenges to be named theSir Richard Hadlee Medal winner at thisyear’s NZ Cricket Awards. McCullum, 33,was crowned at the New Zealand CricketAwards held in a glitzy ceremony at Auck-land’s Langham hotel tonight.

He led New Zealand to the World Cupfinal in Melbourne last week and althoughthey fell one game short of perfection, hisattacking and instinctive captaincy capturedthe imagination of the public who embracedthis team like never before.

Lost in the World Cup hubbub, perhaps,was the fact that McCullum had a brilliantyear with the bat, becoming the first NewZealander to score 1000 test runs in a calen-dar year. [More online.]

April 2015 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 3

newsfromOzvarious sources, see web links in online edition

Kiwi Installations & saleskiwiinstallations.com

Roll-up Security Shutters,decks, fences and more.

Free in-home/cottage estimates.

Call Terry 204-229-6642 or 204-663-6549

newszealandsource: NZ Herald, unless otherwise noted

Brendon McCullum was named the Sir RichardHadlee Medal winner.

4 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April 2015

Australian sub ordered to “run amok” at GallipoliThe Royal Australian Navy’s new E Class submarine, AE2, arrivingat Portsmouth on 17 February 1914 to prepare for the voyage toAustralia. [AWM P01075.043]

The Australian submarine, the first Allied warship to make itthough the Narrows, was the AE2 commanded by Irishman Lieu-tenant-Commander Henry Stoker.

The date for the great Allied invasion was fast approaching and

the admirals were keen to get the submarines through to causemaximum disruption in the Turkish rear areas. The AE2’s firstattempt on 23 April failed due to faulty machinery. But, on theevening of 24 April, Stoker was again given the go-ahead, beingtold by Admiral de Robeck that if they got through, then ‘there isnothing we will not do for you’. Commodore Keys issued more dra-matic instructions. Stoker was to sink any mine-laying ships hesaw in the Narrows and, as the landings were due at dawn thenext day, to ‘generally run amok’ around Çannakale and causemaximum disruption to the Turks. [More online.]

100ANZAC1915

A p r i l 2 5 w i n n i p e g

2015

Please join us for our special DUCW ANZAC commemorationSaturday 25th April, 2015Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, 958 Ferry Road, Winnipeg• Formal Ceremony 2:00 pm• Afternoon Tea Reception• ANZAC History panel discussion 3:00 pm• Free access to the Aviation Museum• RSVP appreciated - 204-487-0067

April 2015 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 5

Websites and apps: modern takes on anevent 100 years ago Down Under public broadcasters have created impressiveinteractive resources which bring alive the story from 100years ago. Check out the ABC’s new website and downloadtheir dynamic ‘app’ for your tablet integrating details andtimeslines, concentrating on the first day of landing. Checkit out at our event. Many elements come from an award-win-ning online documentary. www.abc.net.au/gallipoli

Radio New Zealandalso has an ANZAC Interactivewebsite titled “Thewar to end all wars” at www.radionz.co.nz/events/anzac-2015

Anzac Cove, 1915

Three divisions converge on Gallipoli for theApril 25th landing. While that ill-fated battleplays out, an Australian submarine getsthrough the Narrows and disrupts some ofthe naval action against the Allies.

1. The 29th Division embarked at Avonmouthon 16-22 March 1915 and went via Malta toAlexandria. On 7 April the first units to havearrived at Egypt bena ro re-embark for themove to Mudros, the deep water harbour atthe island of Imbros that was going to be usedas a forward base for operations at Gallipoli.The Division landed at Cape Helles on Gal-lipoli on 25 April 1915 [More online.]

2. New Zealand and Australian Division: ANew Zealand Expeditionary Force of justunder 8500 men, volunteers for overseasservice drawn from the recently raised Terri-torial Force, sailed from home on 14 October1914. En route they linked up with an Aus-tralian brigade and, original intentions ofgoing to England having been changed,together arrived at Egypt on 3 December1914. 2 February 1915 : engaged in defending

against Tuirkish attack on the Suez Canal. 1April 1915 : Division receives orders to pre-pare to make amphibious assault at Gallipoli.25 April 1915 : Division lands at what was tobecome forever known as ANZAC Beach, Gal-lipoli [More online.]

3. 63rd (Royal Naval) Division: After alengthy period of refit and training (scat-tered in various locations, and still short ofmany of the units that ordinarily made up the

establishment of a Division), the Divisionmoved to Egypt preparatory to the Gallipolicampaign. 25 April: Division carries out feintlanding at Bulair, while British 29th Divisionlands at Cape Helles beaches and Australianand New Zealand forces at beach near GabaTepe / Ari Burnu soon named Anzac cove.Plymouth Battalion makes a landing at “Y”beach in support of 29th Division. [Moreonline.]

Lieutenant General Sir WilliamBirdwood

Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood,[pic in Dropbox] a senior officer in Britain’spre-1914 Indian Army, was appointed inDecember 1914 to the command of the Aus-tralian and New Zealand forces then assem-bling in Egypt. These units were soonformed into a corps, the ‘A and NZ ArmyCorps’, of two divisions – the 1st AustralianDivision AIF (Australian Imperial Force)commanded by Major General Sir WilliamThrosby Bridges and the New Zealand andAustralian Division commanded by MajorGeneral Sir Alexander Godley.

In the corps headquarters at Shepherd’sHotel in Cairo, material addressed to the ‘Aand NZ Army Corps’ piled up and the titleseemed far too cumbersome. Demands weremade for a simpler name and Lieutenant ATWhite, an Englishman, suggested the abbre-viation ANZAC. Birdwood approved and theword ‘Anzac’ was born. On Gallipoli, it wasBirdwood who requested that the positionheld by the Australians and New Zealanders

be known as Anzac and that the place wheremost of them had landed on 25 April beknown as Anzac Cove. Soon those whofought there were themselves being calledAnzacs. In late 1917, an AIF order approved

by Birdwood officially obliged all those whohad taken part in the Gallipoli campaign towear a small brass ‘A’ for Anzac on their unitcolour patches on each shoulder of their uni-forms.

Birdwood has been described as the‘Soul of Anzac’. His Corps headquarters waslocated in the hills just behind Anzac Coveand was open to Turkish shelling. Anxiousmembers of his staff often tried to pile upbales of hay on the exposed parts of hisdugout to protect him, and according to Aus-tralia’s official historian, Charles Bean,‘many a man lost his life within a stone’sthrow of the place’. Birdwood was often to beseen walking around the Anzac position andup along the trenches on the ridges. On mostdays, he could also be observed swimmingoff the beach, sharing the dangers of Turkishshelling with everyone else. Such behaviourmade him, unlike many generals, very visi-ble to his men, and Bean summed up thisaspect of Birdwood: Above all, he possessedthe quality, which went straight to the heartof Australians, of extreme personal courage.[Charles Bean, The Story of Anzac, Vol 1, Syd-ney, 1941, p121] [Read more online.]

6 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April 2015

gettingtoknow…history and members of our club

100yearsagohistory from downunder

Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood

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Alpine beauty in NZ’s NorthIsland grumbles to scientistsMinor volcanic unrest has prompted scien-tists to raise the volcanic alert level for MountNgauruhoe in the central North Island. GNSScience says it is now rated at level 1.

The most likely hazards associated withthe new level include steam eruptions, vol-canic gases and earthquakes near the moun-tain.

The famous volcano, often dubbed MtDoom after featuring in Peter Jackson’s Lordof the Rings film trilogy. Despite the change,Mount Ngauruhoe is still in a normal, non-eruptive state, authorities say. — Source: NZH

Barbados to unlink Queen, electPresidentBarbados, that Caribbean island jewel andmagnet for North American and UK tourism,is about to sever its link with the Queen ashead of state. It has been independent fromthe UK since 1966, but Prime Minister Fre-undel Stuart says the government is makingplans for the change. The head of state there-after will be a president.

According to the Jamaica Observer, Stuarttold supporters of his ruling DemocraticLabour party (DLP) that the island would func-tion as a republic after a draft bill is put beforeparliament and passed. The opposition partyseems to be in accord with the move.

“We respect (the Queen) very highly ashead of the Commonwealth and accept thatshe and all of her successors will continue tobe at the apex of our political understanding.But, in terms of Barbados’s constitutionalstatus, we have to move from a monarchicalsystem to a republican form of governmentin the very near future,” Stuart said.

George Pilgrim, DLP general secretary,said the change will likely coincide with the50th anniversary of Barbados’s independ-ence in 2016.

Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew diesat 91, leaving legacyThe passing of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yewlast month at 91 marked the end of an era ofnational growth and government maturity inSoutheast Asia that has no parallels and isunlikely to be matched. You have to look nofurther than his neighbors:

— Indonesia’s Suharto just next door,advertised himself as a benign father of thenation. His regime collapsed under theweight of its corruption in 1998.

— The Philippines’ Ferdinand Marcos inthe 1980s, faded unceremoniously trying tolegitimize the idea that you can haveprogress without democracy, at least thekind with a robust opposition, critical pressand changes of government.

— And more recently, the modern Com-monwealth nation of Malaysia, formed in1963 (and from which Singapore separatedin 1965) is sturdy but has not faired as bril-liantly as the tiny island party that left it.

Lee Kuan Yew did marvels for his coun-try, transforming an island city from aswampy colonial port to a nation that is aneconomic dynamo in the course of a genera-tion. Mr. Lee headed his city-state for 31straight years, brooking little dissent. Hisson, Lee Hsien Loong, is Prime Ministertoday, and is considered smart and capablein his own right. Their People’s Action Partyhas held power since 1959. He was an incor-ruptible strongman who really did put coun-try above personal gain.

Powerful leaders around the worldapplauded. Gulf State sheiks, Russia’sVladimir Putin, a succession of Chineseleaders heeded his advice. If he could raisehis country to riches without all the fuss andbother of democratic politics, why couldn’tthey? The kind of leader that Mr. Lee person-ified – stern, fatherly, morally upright, far-seeing, a good shepherd to his flock – hasenormous appeal even in a democratic age.His is the legacy of a leader so sadly lost tous. — Sources: GofM; wire services

Vanuatu makes slow recoveryafter Cyclone Pam Three weeks after one of the worst cyclonesin a century battered the population of Van-uatu and left it physically and emotionallybattered and largely homeless, the strugglefor a nation to survive continues.

Efforts to rebuild the tiny South PacificCommonwealth state are gaining speed,however, and relief supplies are starting toreach some of the remote islands. Up to 90%of homes in the main islands of the archipel-ago have been destroyed. When Cyclone Pam

had finished tearing through the country thebodies of 17 victims were found in the firstdays. Sadly the count has not ended.

Most of the population this tiny state(11,400 in July 2013), northeast of Australia,were left bereft of everything. Tuvalu, secondsmallest of the Commonwealth’s 53 nations,was on its knees.

UN Humanitarian Affairs estimatedthere were thousands in evacuation centresand more in need of temporary shelter. Van-uatu’s government, coordinating reliefefforts, is struggling to get basic aid — food,fuel, clean water, shelter, and medical care tomore than 60 inhabited remote islands inthe archipelago.

Prime Minister Joe Natuman said thefood aid, included tinned meat and fish,instant noodles and also more than 1 millioncabbage seeds with gardening tools hadbeen sent out. He has urged people to plantgreen vegetables as soon as possible toreplace destroyed crops.

Food, shelters and hygiene kits donatedby Australia were loaded onto two ships withone headed for the Shepherd Islands and theother to the outer islands around Efate.

“On the good side, the government is doinga fantastic job in assessing what the needsare.” Aerial surveys of the islands are continu-ing with troops from Australia, New Zealandand France all helping in the relief effort.

A NZAF plane flying over Vanuatu’snorthern islands has surveyed the damageand checking on potential water sources.Speaking from the plane, Vanuatu represen-tative Cliff Luke said the situation was dire.“The leftover water in those creeks is whatpeople are using now,” he said. “They arebasically drinking mud. There’s no morerunning water.”

The UN says Vanuatu needed at least$US2 million in financial aid. An RAAFtransport plane has hauled supplies and aidworkers from Brisbane and two AustralianBlackhawk helicopters are already in Vanu-atu together with HMAS Tobruk.

Murray Burt writes this column to raise sensitivi-ties to the Commonwealth’s value and to lift thecurtain on our understanding of a third of the pop-ulation of the world. The Commonwealth nameand significance is rarely mentioned in daily news,he says. It should be. Burt is president of the Man-itoba branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society;past president of the Commonwealth JournalistsAssociation; secretary of the Queen’s OwnCameron Highlanders of Canada advisory board;Hon LCol of the 78th Fraser Highlanders; a sena-tor of the 166th Battery RCA (Kenora) and a direc-tor of The Intrepid Society. He is retired frommore than 50 years of journalism.

April 2015 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn 7

commonwealth place by Murray Burt

Geese: good for a ganderSpring is definitely sprung – many of ourfeathered friends have returned from theirsouthern sojourns. Robins are back, listeningin the grass for the early worm in the quietdawn; Dark-eyed Juncos are foraging andcompeting at the feeders with the residentSparrows, Chickadees and Nuthatches;“snow-birds” are showing up at RichardsonInternational Airport. One of the best signshowever, is the overhead honking and unmis-takeable V formations of the Canada Geese.

Branta canadensis returns each yearfrom southern States and Mexico to breed

and add nutrients toparks and golf

courses – except, that is,the flock that brought

down US Air-ways Flight

1549 into theHudson River in 2009. They arenative to the arctic and temper-ate regions of North America.While their habits may tend to

upset some of our recreational activities,they do have a calming effect on traffic andyou have to admire the way they have accom-modated our intrusion into their space – con-tinuing year after year to return and raisetheir young as they have for millennia.

They were introduced to New Zealandearly last century as a game bird, the nativespecies having succumbed to extinction inthe 1500s. In late December 2007, 4 of theseapparently tried the migration thing andwere spotted in New South Wales; they haddisappeared by the end of January 2008.Hmm …

Australia is home to a couple of distantrelatives. In the south is the Cape Barrengoose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) and in thenorth, the Magpie Goose (Anseranas semi-palmata). Both groups are year-round resi-dents in their habitat. While working inDarwin in the early 70s, I sometimes headeddown “the track” (Stuart Highway) on mydays off. A couple of times I tried to get toKakadu, but was stopped on one occasion bya flooded river crossing and on another by astubborn water buffalo (this was pre-Croco-dile Dundee, so I didn’t know about the fist-turning trick). However I did get to witnessnoisy flocks of Magpie Geese.

I think the superheroes of the family hasto be the Bar-headed geese: they migrate overthe Himalayas! It is believed that their physi-ology slowly adapted to the extreme low oxy-gen and temperature as the migrationcontinued millennia after millennia whilethe mountains pushed up higher.

Alison Cassidy penned this thoughtfultribute and advice: “Wild Geese”.

You do not have to be good.You do not have to walk on your kneesfor a hundred miles through the desert repenting.You only have to let the soft animal of your bodylove what it loves.Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.Meanwhile the world goes on.Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rainare moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-over and over announcing your placeIn the family of things.

Board of DirectorsPresident: Peter MunnVice President: Catherine BoweringSecretary: Margaret MunnNewsletter Editor:Charlie PowellTreasurer: Peter DebenhamSocial Coordinator: Liz HydesmithMembership:Norm GriffithsPast President: Terry Roberts

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!

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8 The Southern Yarn • www.downunderclub.mb.ca April 2015

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birdsiview…by Charlie Powell

Retiring Namibia presidentawarded $5-million leadershipprize Outgoing Namibian president HifikepunyePohamba, who left office last month, collects$5-million he has been awarded as winner ofthe Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement inAfrican Leadership. Commonwealth Secre-tary-General Kamalesh Sharma warmly con-gratulated him, the third Commonwealthleader to be so honored.

“The Commonwealth is once again proudthat the winner of this prestigious prize is an

outstanding leader from one of our membercountries,” said Mr Sharma. “I am proud thatNamibia, along with six other Common-wealth member states, ranked in the top tenon the 2014 Mo Ibrahim Index of AfricanGovernance. “

The award is for democratically electedAfrican leaders who excel in governance andwho step down from office at the end of theirterms. Hage Geingob, was inaugurated lastmonth as Namibian president.

epagesfor news that just would not fit in the print issue

June 2011 www.downunderclub.mb.ca • The Southern Yarn • e-page 9

commonwealth place by Murray Burt

Soldiers of 11th Battalion posing on the Great Pyramid of Giza on 10 January 1915, prior to the landing at Gallipoli. (We ran this on page 2, but it is such agreat photo that we wanted to make it bigger for you. It is hard to say how many of these soldiers survived Gallipoli.)