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club of winnipeg, inc. www.downunderclub.mb.ca |
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club of winnipeg, inc. www.downunderclub.mb.ca |
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.History of the Down Under Club |
History of The Down Under Club of Winnipeg, Inc.
photo courtesy Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon, ManitobaThe genesis of the Down Under Club goes back to World War II, and in particular, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Under that agreement, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand undertook to train aircrews for the war effort. Canada was chosen as the ideal location for the more than 100 training schools that were required for the student fliers.
In all, more than 131,000 air crewmen had graduated by the end of the war, including 9,600 Australians and 7,000 New Zealanders. Most initial courses lasted about nine months, and although training was intense, there was apparently plenty of time to fraternize with the locals (read 'sheilas'). After the war, many who had married Canadian girls emigrated to Manitoba, ultimately leading to the formation of the Club.
One of the earliest to return was Mick Miller who married Betty in Winnipeg in 1946. Other expatriates in the city at that time would regularly get together in Mick's office under the guise of the 'Down Under Club'.
Our first significant function was an ANZAC Day parade in 1949. We borrowed a huge Australian flag from the Free Press and draped it around the Cenotaph. The then Mayor of Winnipeg, Garnet Coulter, placed a wreath on behalf of the city. In response to the media coverage the service received, members of the General Monash Branch, Royal Canadian Legion asked if they could join us at future services, and have done so since 1950. We have also attended many of each other's social events.
By now, the Club was growing in numbers, and held bi-weekly 'meetings' in the beer parlour of the Royal Alexandra Hotel (Main and Higgins). We then moved to the Army, Navy, Air Force Clubrooms on Young Street, south of Portage Ave for a few years before deciding to meet in members' homes. During those early years, Laurie Myers ran a trailer manufacturing business which also produced a lot of scrap lumber. Some of us would get together after hours and make wooden toys for Christmas which we donated to the Salvation Army.
Between 1950 and 1971, social events were held at various night clubs around the city Roseland Dance Gardens, Chan's Cafe, Copacabana, and Club Morocco. Christmas and New Year's parties were usually at someone's home.
For our 25th Anniversary, a social and dance was held at the Sturgeon Creek Masonic Hall on Ness Avenue.
Tickets were $1.50 per person and drinks 40c each! These annual Dinner Dances continued for several years at the Winnipeg Flying Club, the Wildewood Club and Niakwa Country Club. In an attempt to attract a wider membership, we held a reception in 1986 at the Ramada Inn, Pembina Highway. More than 100 people showed up, including the Australian Consul-General from Vancouver. The following January, a showing of Australian and New Zealand films at the Museum of Man and Nature drew close to 200 people.
Though we appeared to have the numbers, lack of a suitable meeting place continued to restrict our activities. During 1992, we were approached by Sue Gel and others to see if the Club could be expanded. In October, we held a very successful social, and the more than $1,300 that was raised allowed us to sponsor the first Folklorama Pavilion the following year. Also in 1993, we became incorporated as the Down Under Club of Winnipeg Inc., adopted bylaws, elected a board, and were well on our way to a new beginning.
Monthly meetings were held at the Fort Rouge Legion and later at the Norwood / St. Boniface Legion. (Meetings are now held at the Scandinavian Club.) A second Folklorama Pavilion in 1994 resulted in even more exposure for the Club. Monthly meetings and social events such as picnics, pool parties, formal dinners, Halloween and Christmas parties, cricket matches, bingo bowling, and special theme nights have provided members with a great variety of entertainment.
Our monthly newsletter, in its current 8-page format, is a first-class publication and very informative for our 120-plus members. Electronic access to both Australian and New Zealand papers, members' contributions, suggestions and reports, and a growing awareness of all things 'down under' have helped make the newsletter one of the best in the country.
From unexpected and uncertain beginnings, the Down Under Club has become an active, long-standing and popular group here in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba. We are proud to have been a part of this city and province for the last 50 years, and have enjoyed fostering Australian, New Zealand and Canadian relations, as well as promoting 'down under' so far from 'home'. The Club is assured of a successful future if the present interest and support of members continue.
Gordon Keatch
May 1997
A Retrospective Update
Since our retrospective of May 1997, the Club has continued to prosper and attract new members.
In reviewing the past five years’ activities, it is obvious the glue that holds the Club together is our monthly newsletter. The diversity of information contained in each issue is truly amazing. Jenny Gates goes the extra mile in rounding up articles from all manner of sources. A few years ago, the name of the newsletter was changed from The Down Under Club News to The Southern Yarn – most descriptive. About the same time, the Club logo was altered to include some Canadian content!
Folklorama pavilions in 1997, 2000 and 2001 kept our members and other volunteers busy. We are truly indebted to all who helped out. Enthusiastic crowds responded positively to the entertainment provided by Tal-Kin-Jeri, an Aboriginal group from Australia (2000) and Kahurangi Rangatahi, a Maori group from New Zealand (2001).
We have also been active in fund raising for local charities through participation in the Dragon Boat Races (2000) and the 24-Hour Relay (2001, 2002).
Our web site is up and running – www.downunderclub.mb.ca – and our email address is info@downunderclub.mb.ca if you have any questions or suggestions, or want to get in contact with us. Monthly Club events are varied and entertaining with the mainstay being ANZAC Day and Australia/Waitangi Day ceremonies.
Every year sees Australian and New Zealand service personnel at the CFB Winnipeg Air Navigation School and many of them join us at our events.
With a current membership close to 190, the Club is still growing in stature. We appear to be doing something right and the future looks interesting, bright and challenging.
Gordon Keatch
May 2002
A Retrospective Update from 2002 to 2008
The main source for Club information continues to be our monthly newsletter – The Southern Yarn. Editor Jenny Gates and designer Brian Hydesmith do an extraordinary job of producing this outstanding publication.
Chronologically, Club events have as their mainstay Australia Day and Waitangi Day celebrations, Five-Pin Bowling, ANZAC Day Service, the Annual Golf Tournament, Formal Dinner, Annual General Meeting, and the Christmas Party. As well, occasional events such as river boat cruises, Prairie Dog Central rail trips (steam engine), picnics and pool parties are interspersed.
During this period, the Club contributed to the Easter Seals Relay and the Tsunami Disaster Fund. Attendance at our ANZAC Day services was enhanced by Australian and New Zealand Air Force trainees at the Air Navigation School in Winnipeg and members of the Wartime Pilots’ and Observers’ Association (WPOA).
Sadly, the WPOA disbanded in 2008 and no more trainees from down under are coming to the Navigation School, so these long-standing traditions will no long continue.
When the rules governing Australian/Canadian dual citizenship were changed, many of our members also became Canadians. In 2004, we were visited by the Australian High Commissioner Tony Hely and the Senior Trade Commissioner Sally-Ann Watts from Ottawa. Later in the year, the New Zealand High Commissioner Graham Kelly also came, and the newly appointed Australian High Commissioner Bill Fisher visited us in 2006.
In August 2004, we sponsored another successful Folklorama Pavilion, which featured live entertainment by the Australian Aboriginal group Tal-Kin-Jeri and additional performances by Powerage (Tim Debenham and friends) and Up From Down Under (Jenny Gates and Gerry Gordon).
And December 2004 saw our first ever survey mailed out to members. Forty four responses provided valuable info to help move the Club forward.
September 2006 saw the start of a new newsletter series “Getting to Know ...” people in our Club. So far, we have featured 26 families. [Ed: Special thanks to Gordon Keatch for taking up the challenge to showcase our membership in this way.]
At our Formal Dinner in October 2007, Life Memberships were awarded to Ken and Lea Clark, Ken and Marg Coad, Al and Millie Hansen, Terry Ryan and Faith Batt-Ryan, and Peter and Ruth Thomas.
Membership continues at a steady level and the future looks encouraging.
Gordon Keatch, July 2008
Both productions are available directly from the producers on VHS video cassette and DVD, in formats suitable for playback in North America (NTSC) and Australia, New Zealand and the UK (PAL).
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) is being highlighted in a series of documentary productions - Garden of Memories and In A Common Cause.
Garden of Memories complements the overall mission of the Air Force Heritage Park Society Inc. to honour those involved in the Plan by unveiling the “Garden of Memories” Memorial in Air Force Heritage Park, Winnipeg.
In A Common Cause is a one-hour documentary that details the history and impact of the BCATP, which is also known as the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS).
Primarily located in and operated out of Manitoba, the BCATP had a significant impact on the outcome of WWII as well as the lives of all Manitobans and Canadians everywhere. The documentaries include personal interviews and memorabilia, archival footage and stills, and re-enacted events, and identify the continued legacy of the BCATP.
Contributors to the production of these documentaries by way of archival material include:
- Royal Canadian Air Force – Canadian Forces Photographic Unit
- Australian War Memorial
- Imperial War Memorial
- Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum
- Western Canada Aviation Museum
- Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon, MB
- Bob Gray (Australia)
- National Archives of Canada
- Saskatchewan Archives Board
- Glenbow Museum
- Provincial Archives Manitoba
- Department of National Defence, National Archives
Garden of Memories and In A Common Cause have been produced by Skywest Productions in Winnipeg (director: Frank Adamson, producers: Jenny Gates, Delores Seller)
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© 2004-2010 The Down Under Club of Winnipeg, Inc.,
updated:Mon, Mar 15, 2010 text from jennygates.com, design:hydesmith
