Congratulations Ian on return to service of Ka6. Nice to see some refreshing
news on this site in regards to aircraft restoration instead of the usual
Blanik/PW5/anything under 40 to1 bashing that wastes so much space at times. I
also returned our clubs Arrow to service yesterday,probably much to the digust
of some who would rather use the wood for a BBQ and insert a new private
(plastic) toy in its hanger space. Would be much the same as sending your MG
to the wreckers because it was old and cant keep up with your commodore. (step
off soapbox)
Keep up the good work. I hope to have 2 more classic aircraft in the air soon,
a M200 and BG12 (GHJ) and i know of a pre war grunau that will be flying soon
from our site.More later
Laurie> From: [email protected]> Subject: Aus-soaring
Digest, Vol 63, Issue 38> To: [email protected]> Date: Sat, 20
Dec 2008 22:28:41 +1030> > Send Aus-soaring mailing list submissions to>
[email protected]> > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World
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edit your Subject line so it is more specific> than "Re: Contents of
Aus-soaring digest..."> > > Today's Topics:> > 1. Another returns (Patching)>
2. Re: Fw: Frohe Weihnacht und ein Gutes Neues Jahr 2008 (DMcD)> > >
----------------------------------------------------------------------> >
Message: 1> Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:43:14 +1100> From: "Patching"
<[email protected]>> Subject: [Aus-soaring] Another returns> To:
"Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia.">
<[email protected]>> Message-ID:
<c06093fb9dc7405cbccb2b331a1f6...@patching>> Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"> > Hi All,> > Today we completed the restoration of the
ASK 6 E, VH-GEA, with its post restoration flight at Bacchus Marsh. It has been
16 years since its unfortunate landing at Muralen. > Many Many thanks to all
the people who have helped return this beautiful glider to service. Geoff Hearn
for helping me find it. Mal Bennett for taking on the job of fixing the wing.
The Australian Gliding Museum for the covering. Pete Raphael for the painting.
Alan Patching for the weighing and to Dennis Hipperson who now owns it, for all
the new trailer fittings and a thousand other jobs. > Without you all this just
wouldn't have happened so soon.> > Thankyou all.> What a nice xmas present. And
yes.....it flies beautifully.> > Cheers> Patch> -------------- next part
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> ------------------------------> > Message: 2> Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2008
22:58:36 +1100> From: DMcD <[email protected]>> Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring]
Fw: Frohe Weihnacht und ein Gutes Neues> Jahr 2008> To: "Discussion of issues
relating to Soaring in Australia."> <[email protected]>>
Message-ID:> <[email protected]>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"> > >> >> > > The complete DG-
and LS-Team is sending you our greetings.> > > We hope all the best for you.>
>> > For anyone who does not understand the meaning of Father Christmas'>
passenger (or instructor) here is the bizarre explanation.> > I saw it in
Holland last year and did not understand. A US friend sent me> this:> > > >
"Six to Eight Black Men" by David Sedaris> >
http://people.cornell.edu/pages/bs16/Christmas/6_to_8_black_men.txt> > A
heartwarming tale of Christmas in a foreign land where, if you've> been
naughty, Saint Nick and his friends give you an ass-whuppin'.> > I've never
been much for guidebooks, so when trying to get my> bearings in a strange
American city, I normally start by asking the> cabdriver or hotel clerk some
silly question regarding the latest> census figures. I say silly because I
don't really care how many> people live in Olympia, Washington, or Columbus,
Ohio. They're> nice enough places, but the numbers mean nothing to me. My
second> question might have to do with average annual rainfall, which,> again,
doesn't tell me anything about the people who have chosen> to call this place
home.> > What really interests me are the local gun laws. Can I carry a>
concealed weapon, and if so, under what circumstances? What's the> waiting
period for a tommy gun? Could I buy a Glock 17 if I were> recently divorced or
fired from my job? I've learned from> experience that it's best to lead into
this subject as delicately> as possible, especially if you and the local
citizen are alone and> enclosed in a relatively small space. Bide your time,
though, and> you can walk away with some excellent stories. I've heard, for>
example, that the blind can legally hunt in both Texas and> Michigan. They must
be accompanied by a sighted companion, but> still, it seems a bit risky. You
wouldn't want a blind person> driving a car or piloting a plane, so why hand
him a rifle? What> sense does that make? I ask about guns not because I want
one of> my own but because the answers vary so widely from state to state.> In
a country that's become so homogenous, I'm reassured by these> last touches of
regionalism.> > Guns aren't really an issue in Europe, so when I'm traveling>
abroad, my first question usually relates to barnyard animals.> "What do your
roosters say?" is a good icebreaker, as every country> has its own unique
interpretation. In Germany, where dogs bark "vow> vow" and both the frog and
the duck say "quack," the rooster greets> the dawn with a hearty "kik-a-ricki."
Greek roosters crow "kiri-a-> kee," and in France they scream "coco-rico,"
which sounds like one> of those horrible premixed cocktails with a pirate on
the label.> When told that an American rooster says "cock-a-doodle-doo," my>
hosts look at me with disbelief and pity.> > "When do you open your Christmas
presents?" is another good> conversation starter as it explains a lot about
national character.> People who traditionally open gifts on Christmas Eve seem
a bit> more pious and family oriented than those who wait until Christmas>
morning. They go to mass, open presents, eat a late meal, return> to church the
following morning, and devote the rest of the day to> eating another big meal.
Gifts are generally reserved for> children, and the parents tend not to go
overboard. It's nothing> I'd want for myself, but I suppose it's fine for those
who prefer> food and family to things of real value.> > In France and Germany,
gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve, while> in Holland the children receive
presents on December 5, in> celebration of Saint Nicholas Day. It sounded sort
of quaint until> I spoke to a man named Oscar, who filled me in on a few of
the> details as we walked from my hotel to the Amsterdam train station.> >
Unlike the jolly, obese American Santa, Saint Nicholas is painfully> thin and
dresses not unlike the pope, topping his robes with a tall> hat resembling an
embroidered tea cozy. The outfit, I was told, is> a carryover from his former
career, when he served as a bishop in> Turkey.> > One doesn't want to be too
much of a cultural chauvinist, but this> seemed completely wrong to me. For
starters, Santa didn't use to> do anything. He's not retired, and, more
important, he has> nothing to do with Turkey. The climate's all wrong, and
people> wouldn't appreciate him. When asked how he got from Turkey to the>
North Pole, Oscar told me with complete conviction that Saint> Nicholas
currently resides in Spain, which again is simply not> true. While he could
probably live wherever he wanted, Santa chose> the North Pole specifically
because it is harsh and isolated. No> one can spy on him, and he doesn't have
to worry about people> coming to the door. Anyone can come to the door in
Spain, and in> that outfit, he'd most certainly be recognized. On top of that,>
aside from a few pleasantries, Santa doesn't speak Spanish. He> knows enough to
get by, but he's not fluent, and he certainly> doesn't eat tapas.> > While our
Santa flies on a sled, Saint Nicholas arrives by boat> and then transfers to a
white horse. The event is televised, and> great crowds gather at the waterfront
to greet him. I'm not sure> if there's a set date, but he generally docks in
late November and> spends a few weeks hanging out and asking people what they
want.> > "Is it just him alone?" I asked. "Or does he come with backup?"> >
Oscar's English was close to perfect, but he seemed thrown by a> term normally
reserved for police reinforcement.> > "Helpers," I said. "Does he have any
elves?"> > Maybe I'm just overly sensitive, but I couldn't help but feel>
personally insulted when Oscar denounced the very idea as grotesque> and
unrealistic. "Elves," he said. "They're just so silly."> > The words silly and
unrealistic were redefined when I learned that> Saint Nicholas travels with
what was consistently described as "six> to eight black men." I asked several
Dutch people to narrow it> down, but none of them could give me an exact
number. It was always> "six to eight," which seems strange, seeing as they've
had hundreds> of years to get a decent count.> > The six to eight black men
were characterized as personal slaves> until the mid-fifties, when the
political climate changed and it> was decided that instead of being slaves they
were just good> friends. I think history has proven that something usually
comes> between slavery and friendship, a period of time marked not by> cookies
and quiet times beside the fire but by bloodshed and> mutual hostility. They
have such violence in Holland, but rather> than duking it out among themselves,
Santa and his former slaves> decided to take it out on the public. In the early
years, if a> child was naughty, Saint Nicholas and the six to eight black men>
would beat him with what Oscar described as "the small branch of> a tree."> >
"A switch?"> > "Yes," he said. "That's it. They'd kick him and beat him with a>
switch. Then, if the youngster was really bad, they'd put him in> a sack and
take him back to Spain."> > "Saint Nicholas would kick you?"> > "Well, not
anymore," Oscar said. "Now he just pretends to kick> you."> > "And the six to
eight black men?"> > "Them, too."> > He considered this to be progressive, but
in a way I think it's> almost more perverse than the original punishment. "I'm
going to> hurt you, but not really." How many times have we fallen for that>
line? The fake slap invariably makes contact, adding the elements> of shock and
betrayal to what had previously been plain, old-> fashioned fear. What kind of
Santa spends his time pretending to> kick people before stuffing them into a
canvas sack? Then, of> course, you've got the six to eight former slaves who
could> potentially go off at any moment. This, I think, is the greatest>
difference between us and the Dutch. While a certain segment of> our population
might be perfectly happy with the arrangement, if> you told the average white
American that six to eight nameless> black men would be sneaking into his house
in the middle of the> night, he would barricade the doors and arm himself with
whatever> he could get his hands on.> > "Six to eight, did you say?"> > In the
years before central heating, Dutch children would leave> their shoes by the
fireplace, the promise being that unless they> planned to beat you, kick you,
or stuff you into a sack, Saint> Nicholas and the six to eight black men would
fill your clogs> with presents. Aside from the threats of violence and
kidnapping,> it's not much different from hanging your stockings from the>
mantel. Now that so few people have a working fireplace, Dutch> children are
instructed to leave their shoes beside the radiator,> furnace, or space heater.
Saint Nicholas and the six to eight black> men arrive on horses, which jump
from the yard onto the roof. At> this point, I guess, they either jump back
down and use the door,> or they stay put and vaporize through the pipes and
electrical> wires. Oscar wasn't too clear about the particulars, but, really,>
who can blame him? We have the same problem with our Santa. He's> supposed to
use the chimney, but if you don't have one, he still> manages to come through.
It's best not to think about it too hard.> > While eight flying reindeer are a
hard pill to swallow, our> Christmas story remains relatively simple. Santa
lives with his> wife in a remote polar village and spends one night a year>
traveling around the world. If you're bad, he leaves you coal. If> you're good
and live in America, he'll give you just about anything> you want. We tell our
children to be good and send them off to bed,> where they lie awake,
anticipating their great bounty. A Dutch> parent has a decidedly hairier story
to relate, telling his> children, "Listen, you might want to pack a few of your
things> together before you go to bed. The former bishop from Turkey will> be
coming along with six to eight black men. They might put some> candy in your
shoes, they might stuff you in a sack and take you> to Spain, or they might
just pretend to kick you. We don't know> for sure, but we want you to be
prepared."> > This is the reward for living in Holland. As a child you get to>
hear this story, and as an adult you get to turn around and repeat> it. As an
added bonus, the government has thrown in legalized drugs> and prostitution-so
what's not to love about being Dutch?> > Oscar finished his story just as we
arrived at the station. He was> a polite and interesting guy-very good
company-but when he offered> to wait until my train arrived, I begged off,
saying I had some> calls to make. Sitting alone in the vast terminal,
surrounded by> other polite, seemingly interesting Dutch people, I couldn't
help> but feel second-rate. Yes, it was a small country, but it had six> to
eight black men and a really good bedtime story. Being a fairly> competitive
person, I felt jealous, then bitter, and was edging> toward hostile when I
remembered the blind hunter tramping off> into the Michigan forest. He might
bag a deer, or he might happily> shoot his sighted companion in the stomach. He
may find his way> back to the car, or he may wander around for a week or two
before> stumbling through your front door. We don't know for sure, but in>
pinning that license to his chest, he inspires the sort of> narrative that
ultimately makes me proud to be an American.> -------------- next part
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Aus-soaring Digest, Vol 63, Issue 38>
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