Probus Club of Warragul - Tarago Inc.

WARRAGUL VICTORIA AUSTRALIA 3820

 Probus club #1006155   incorporation number A0047473C

 

Our Guest Speakers.

 

   OUR GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER IS: Andrew W, 0403 077 977   

For the last half of our monthly meetings we have an invited guest speaker.  They normally speak on their subject for about an hour. 

FORTHCOMING SPEAKERS.

20 Nov 2024- Jon Cavell Warragul Computer Repair SCAMS.

19 March 2025- AGM no speaker.

16 April 2025- Aged Care.

Andrew's Trivia.

 

16 Oct 2024- Peter Dutneall Hot-Air Ballooning in Australia.

The guest speaker, Peter Dutneall, was introduced by our organiser Andrew W. Peter gave an interesting address on his long time passion of hot air ballooning. 

His first experience with ballooning was in England in 1989 where he was also taught to fly them. 

Peter imported his first balloon from England in 1996 and received his licence and became an instructor in 2000. 

A complete balloon package costs around $60,000 and a used one around $20,000. 

His interest has taken him all around the world having flown in places such as Saudi Arabia, India, Vietnam, U.K., U.S.A. New Zealand. 

An interesting slide show on his experiences was also put on followed by an extensive question time.

18 Sep 2024 - Peter Rayson on surviving resuscitation.  

The meeting resumed at 11.00am with our guest speaker organiser Andrew W introducing Peter Rayson, who despite being a keen footballer throughout his life suffered a cardiac arrest in 2023 while on a training camp. 

He showed an excellent video he had produced with commentary by various people who assisted that day and from the treating cardiac physicians. 

It praised the persistence of those administering Cardo-Pulmonary Resuscitation, none of whom was experienced in the technique. 

It is estimated that Peter was unresponsive (clinically ‘dead’) for 26 minutes and were it not for the the collective efforts of his team mates and the paramedics who came in response to the 000 call, he would not have survived. 

He is now back on the footy field and is one of the oldest players. 

Peter emphasised that there is a window of opportunity of 10 minutes before brain damage becomes significant and encouraged us all to get health checks and learn how to do CPR and the location of defibrillators. 

There are a number of psychological barriers which need to be overcome, such as: possibility of being sued (we won’t be); it’s OK to break ribs; the fact that it’s the first time; that mistakes could be made and that Defibrillators are complicated to use. 

Peter demonstrated a Defibrillator that was his personal property and suggested that we needed to know the location of Defib units at the Gold Club where we meet.

  Andrew thanked Peter for his presentation, and the very useful suggestions to get regular cardiac health checkups and to know how to do CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation).

  21 August 2024, Guest speaker organiser Andrew W introduced Russ and Carol Monson, to speak on the art of photography, both being members of the Warragul Camera Club and having won national photographic prizes. Russ and Carol highlighted various techniques and camera usage to provide better and more meaningful photos, including to hold the camera vertically to avoid distortion, don’t get too close, have the subject looking into the frame unless want an offset view but not looking into the light, talk to people before taking a photo, have some fun, avoid reflection of glasses. 

With landscape photos, often the purpose may be to bring back memories of places visited, and need both the foreground and background in focus, but preferably with a focal point to draw the viewer in, possibly using the “panorama” setting on the camera to achieve a wider aspect. 

There were so many helpful suggestions, and a November exhibition of Russ and Carol’s work at the Red Tree Gallery in Jindivick will no doubt highlight many of their comments. 

In response to a question concerning the disposal of old cameras, it was mentioned that Ted’s Camera store provides online valuations (website https://www.teds.com.au) with another option being Camera Exchange in Box Hill (website https://www.cameraexchange.com.au).

Russ and Carol Monson

17 July 2024 Di Potter told us about the life of Henry Kable. 

The meeting resumed at 11.00am with Keith Potter introducing his wife, Dianne P, to speak on the life of transported convict, Henry Kable. 

Kable was born in 1763 in England, and being convicted of burglary at the age of 20, was sentenced to death, but subsequently transported to Australia in the First Fleet along with his wife, Susannah Holmes, and young son. Kable was apparently an enterprising person, being appointed an overseer by Governor Arthur Phillip. 

Three years later he was made a constable and night watchman, later being elevated to chief constable. Henry Kable appears to have been a true entrepreneur, establishing numerous businesses (including whaling and sealing) and acquiring considerable land holdings. 

Henry died in 1846 at the age of 83. 

Dianne’s outline of Kable’s life, illustrated by various slides, gave a fascinating picture of early convict life, and how some managed to prosper in difficult circumstances

 

19 June 2024 Dr Jim Connelly on Calling Gippsland Home.

Andrew Wood introduced Jim Connelly on the topic of “Calling Gippsland Home”. 

Jim commenced with a brief outline of his years living in Gippsland, having grown up in the town of Garfield, and moving to other towns over the years during his time as a teacher and later as an ordained parish priest, and now resides in Warragul. Jim’s writing career commenced in 2014 with the publication of a children’s story book, followed by further books in a series entitled “Tom & Anna”. 

He then turned to the local history of Gippsland, with many anecdotes recounted of his time as a parish priest. 

Subsequent books included “Round and About in Gippsland”, “Growing up in Garfield” and “Stories of old Gippsland”. Jim’s latest book is “Calling Gippsland Home” and details the lives of twelve well known Australians who grew up or lived in Gippsland for part of their lives, three of these being, Grace Jennings Carmichael, Ada Crossley, and Geoffrey Cornish, with a brief outline of their lives being spoken about by Jim. 

Andrew thanked Jim for his very interesting presentation, which was supported by the members.

15 May 2024 Carlie Smith on Healthy Ageing and Wellness (Equip for Life).

The meeting resumed at 11.00am with Andrew W introducing Carly Smith of Equip4Life to discuss healthy ageing. After outlining her background as an accredited practicing dietician, Carly then posed three questions for discussion:

-    Low fat milk is healthier than full cream - true due to lower fat and higher added calcium content.

-    Walking is the best form of exercise - depends on the ability to walk, with alternative strength building just as good for the critical retention of muscle mass.

-    Red wine is good for the heart – this is mainly vested interests with possibly some truth, however fruit would be a better alternative.

Carly then offered four tips for healthy ageing:

1.      Increase dietary fibre intake - benefits being the lowering of cholesterol, weight control due to feeling fuller for longer, and a useful source of fibre being psyllium husks.

2.      Squatting – to utilise muscles and maintain strength in hamstring and gluts.

3.      Increase protein intake to provide greater muscle strength.

4.      Reduce sedentary time, with the average sitting time being 15 hours per day.  

One of the main health issues currently is diabetes, and whilst there are some factors that we all have some degree of control over such as weight, cholesterol, nutrition, inactivity, blood pressure, smoking, stress and sleeping disorders, other factors such as family history, age, ethnicity also play a part.  

Carly then outlined the Life! Program sponsored by the Victorian Health Department, which is a free healthy lifestyle program that helps Victorians improve their eating habits, increase physical activity and manage stress. Run by experienced health professionals, the program offers group courses or a telephone health coaching service. Carly invited members to complete an assessment form in order to participate in the program, which usually comprises a number of group sessions held locally.

Andrew thanked Carly for her very informative presentation, which was supported by the members.

 

17 April 2024 David Ingham on Industrial Revolutions.

Our guest speaker was David Ingram who spoke about the Industrial Revolution. 

Before the industrial revolution there was not much of an incentive to try innovated things. 

The industrial revolution started in England with the enclosure of the lands as people must find a new way to make money. It started in the textile industry with the mechanisation of the spinning and weaving process and other industries followed suit including transport so heavier loads could be carried over distances by building cannels and then railways. 

This process has continued since then and is still going on

20 March 2024,  AGM (Annual Meeting no Speaker).

21 February 2024, This was our first remote presentation, all in all it worked out very well.

The topic was wild life coastal sea birds from a Microlight aircraft Milly Formby.  

This presentation is going to be done remotely from Perth.

The meeting resumed at 11.00am with Keith Potter introducing Milly Formby by computer link from Perth. 

Milly grew up in Warragul, and initially studied art and science at university, before gaining a pilot’s licence. In 2022/23 she took twelve months to fly a microlight aircraft around Australia to study migratory bird habitats and to raise awareness of the plight of these birds through talks at schools and other venues, showing an online video of the journey (also available for viewing on wingthreads.com).

 Milly built and owns a microlight aircraft, having worked for a period with the company manufacturing these craft. It was noted that Milly had received much support from Costa Georgiadis of the ABC Gardening Australia program.

Milly indicated that there are some fifty species of shore birds, many being migratory and coming to Australia each year, and travelling from their breeding grounds in the Arctic, a return journey of some 25,000km. 

The ability of migratory birds to fly long distances was highlighted by details of a Bar-tailed Godwit which flew over 12,000kms in nine days without a break. 

The loss of habitat is an ongoing concern both overseas and in Australia, and Milly encouraged members to voice their objections through supporting action by BirdLife Australia (birdlife.org.au) against such projects as the Toondah Harbour planned development in the Moreton Bay RAMSAR area. 

Members found Millie's talk and video to be extremely interesting, especially in the light of the recent decision to reject the planned Westernport Harbour extension at Hastings.  

INTERESTING LINKS BELOW.

Intro to Australian flying adventure, Wing Threads: Flight Around Oz (youtube.com)

Flying Around Australia LIVE! Flight Leg 35: Georgetown to Normanton QLD (youtube.com)

Flight Leg 36 - Normanton to Mount Isa QLD | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 37 - Mount Isa to Camooweal QLD | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 38 - Camooweal QLD to Barkly Homestead NT | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 39 - Barkly Homestead to Tennant Creek NT | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 40 - Tennant Creek to Elliott NT | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 41 - Elliott to Daly Waters NT | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 42 - Daly Waters to Mataranka NT | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 44 - Emkaytee to Katherine NT | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 45 - Katherine to Timber Creek NT | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 46 - Timber Creek to Kununurra NT | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 51 - Broome to Anna Plains WA | Wing Threads

Flight Leg 52 - Anna Plains to Port Hedland WA | Wing Threads

Milly Formby.

Our members watching the presentation.

The specifications of Milly's aeroplane.

17 January 2024, The Dunny Man” by John Gardener. 

Photo President Mary H, speaker John Gardner, Guest speaker organiser Keith P.

Above John's exciting book.

johngardner@live.com

John Gardener who entered the meeting carrying a toilet pan on his shoulder and dressed in his former work outfit. John then proceeded to refresh our memories of the “pan men” and their regular weekly collection of pans in many of the outer suburbs of Melbourne, not only from homes but also shops, schools, work places etc. The work of pan men was heavy, with the weight of a pan ranging up to 45kg, and some 500 pan collections per day. John had many anecdotes of the work, and also of the rules and regulations relating to the disposal of pan contents at places such as market gardens. His talk was both entertaining and informative.

RECENT SPEAKERS 2023.

15 November 2023, Lawry Hort on west Victoria volcanos, minerals and gem stones.

Keith Potter introduced Laurie Hort who entered the meeting playing his piano accordion, and proceeded to provide an interesting illustrated talk on volcanoes, with reference to the numerous rock samples and diagrams which he had on display. As a member of the Warragul Lapidary Club, Laurie proceeded to talk about the types of volcanoes, with an extensive collection of photos highlighting the key features. 

18 October 2023, Natalie Thorne speaking about Digital Health.

Dr. Natalie Thorne is a remarkable scientist and leader in the field of genomics. 

She serves as the Scientific Director of GenoVic, a clinical platform used by six medical laboratories for accredited genomic tests. 

Her expertise spans multiple disciplines, including healthcare, bioinformatics, pathology, software development, and data governance12. 

Dr. Thorne has been instrumental in bridging the gap between genomics research and digital health, making genomics accessible and impactful in clinical settings. 

20 September  2023, The meeting resumed at 11.00am with Keith Potter introducing Lisa Senini (and her daughter Emily) from Victorian First Aid, who proceeded to give a very detailed and informative presentation on basic life support including resuscitation techniques, defibrillator use, and the procedure for treatment of snake bite. With assistance from Emily, Lisa demonstrated the necessary steps to commence first aid prior to the arrival of professional help. The information highlighted the need for first aid training and regular updates.

Emily and Lisa Senini.

23 August 2023, Aged Care 2 different Speakers.

1, Amanda Zeldenryk and Stacey Baker, care in the home.

3. Stacey Baker, Retirement Villages and Lifestyle Villages.

Stacey Baker to speak about Retirement and Lifestyle Villages, Keith P our Guest speaker organiser, Amanda Zeleneryk to speak about care in the home.

Amanda Zeldenryk Speaking about the services that her company Gippsland services provide.

Click here to view Amanda's presentation.

Click here to view Stacey's presentation.

19 July 2023, Catriona Ferguson affect of the Industrial revolution on clothing manufacture in Australia.

Keith Potter introduced Catriona Ferguson, who proceeded to give an illustrated talk on innovations in clothing occurring since the Industrial Revolution. Catriona had on display a number of miniature mannequins dressed in period costumes which she had made, and were used as part of her presentation, illustrating among other things the use of crinolines and corsets. During the 19th century there were very significant changes, not least the population growth in the UK growing from around 8.9 million in 1801 to 32.5 million by 1901. The mass production of materials during the Industrial Revolution had a major impact on the clothing industry, along with other important factors such as the invention of the home sewing machine. The emerging middle-class became a major driver of demand and fashion. A most interesting and informative talk.

21 June 2023,  Life and times of Judy Bishop who has been a teacher in Dubai for 13 years.

Guest Speaker Judy Bishop with President Mary.

Keith Potter introduced Judy Bishop, who proceeded to give an illustrated talk on her teaching experience whilst living in Dubai. Judy outlined the very different lifestyle in Dubai, following her move from teaching at Trafalgar Primary School, and commented on the teaching resources so readily available there, in contrast to those normally available in Australian schools. The wealth of the country was very apparent from Judy’s photos of the city buildings, but by contrast the very arid surrounding areas. A very enjoyable and informative talk.

17  May 2023, Our member Dianne P. telling about 1920's music.

Dianne showed us a Power Point presentation and explained explained about each year.

19 April 2023,  Latrobe Valley Authority C E O Chris Buckingham, on coal & renewable energy projects.

  Chris Buckingham, speaking about on coal & renewable energy projects.

TThe meeting resumed at 11.00am with Keith P introducing Chris Buckingham, CEO of the Latrobe Valley Authority. Chris commented on the impacts to the local area economy over a period of time, both past and future, including the closure of the SEC, the Hazelwood power station, further projected power station closures, the planned cessation of native timber logging, milling and paper production. He highlighted the positive renewable energy future for the region, particularly with off-shore wind generation, and the necessity to be value-adding to products of the area through the application of new technologies. Chris noted the importance of a clear vision for the future, and that this requires education and ownership by the community.

A number of questions from members concluded the talk.

 

15 February 2023. C E O West Gippsland Hospital Dan Weeks.

 

 Dann Weeks speaking about our proposed new hospital.

Keiths Intro.

Moving around and he also worked as an accountant but did find that he preferred to work and help people so he came back into the system and they got back into the system doing nursing and so forth, Dan is a father of four children and two grandchildren and he’s lived in Warragul for 11 years and he’s intimated that Warragul the best town Victoria to live.

Would you please welcome Dan.

Dans presentation,

Baw Baw Shire is growing and it’s growing at an extraordinary rate that’s one of the fastest growing local government areas outside of Melbourne that means a lot to lot of people and lots and lots of challenges for infrastructure and obviously the one that I need to talk about today and then close to my heart of course is around the health infrastructure just have to excuse me as to make it work so look a little presentation to go through today primarily want to talk about the new hospital I think that’s probably on most peoples mind happy to have some questions at the end and it’s funny I was just county to 

 Brand new hospital and a brand new residential aged care facility for those residents just amazing for the local community and just keep signing our premier announced up to $675 million to build a 60 bed age care facility along with an additional 19 ED treatment spaces in the new hospital to be completed by 2028. Amazing the new hospital 223 beds 75 more than the old hospital so that was a fantastic announcement on I think was the 3rd of October so at this stage it was still in the run up to the election we obviously had the commitment from Matthew Guy and Liberal Party earlier that that said that they would build a hospital if they got into power.

That was terrific what we really wanted to hear was voice of the major political party so that announcement really came out of the blue I had an inkling it was coming but still you know was a bit of a surprise and it was certainly very welcoming finally after it was the first day on the job for our new public relations person.

Dann told us that they were going to do away with the hill and have a level site for the new buildings and car parks, he also showed us plans of the new building

 Paul Ziebell Detective Active Senior Sergeant speaking about Scams.

Our guest speaker organiser and Paul Ziebell Detective Acting Senior Sergeant.

Keith P introducing Paul Ziebell.

Types of Scams that Paul told us about.

One of Paul' duties, we hope you do not require his help.

RECENT SPEAKERS 2022.

 

16 November 2022, CEO Gippsland Women's Health Kate Graham Family Violence.

Alex Brown helper and Kate Graham Speaker.

President Robert introducing Kate Graham. Kate is CEO of Gippsland Womens Health and has held several senior roles in community groups. Kate gave a very sobering address on violence against women in Australia. Unfortunately Gippsland and the Baw Baw Shire area have some of the highest rates of violence against women in Victoria. The cost to Gippsland community and business is around $300,00,000 per year

Kate spoke very well and made us ashamed of living in Baw Baw the statistics are shocking.

Many hard hitting questions were answered.

19 October 2022, Alan Humphreys Living in the Antarctic.

President Rob S our member Alan H was speaker and presenter with our Guest Speaker Organiser Keith P.

Members paying attention to Alan's presentation.

Speaker organiser Keith P introduced our own member, Alan H, to speak about his experiences working in Antarctica as an electronics engineer. Alan gave a very informative address on his work and the very severe work environment he experienced over a number of years. It was surprising to learn that the Antarctic continent is twice the size of Australia and ice thickness averages around 2 km.  

 

15 September 2022,  Peter Moran Angel Flight.

Peter Moran, a volunteer pilot with the charity Angel Flight, which co-ordinates non-emergency flights for financially and medically needy people at no charge. Peter outlined something of his flying career, learning to initially fly from the Tyabb airfield, acquiring a Cessna 172 four seater plane able to transport two patients, undertaking a mountain flying endorsement in America, and having performed 184 voluntary flights to date. Angel Flight commenced operations in 2003 and relies solely on donations from the public to carry out its work, a large part (85%) of which goes to paying for aircraft fuel. Currently there are 10 pilots in Victoria, 15 in NSW and 6 in Queensland. Other volunteers (Earth Angels) provide road transport to and from airfields.

17 August 2022, Malcolm Dickson Warragul History.

President Rob S, Malcolm Dickson, Guest Speaker Organiser Keith P.

20 July 2022, Leading Senior Constable Paula Fowler Policing in Baw Baw.

Paula told us of her past experiences prior to the Police force and then about her home life. Then she told us about what she does with the Police force. Paula then told us about crimes around Warragul. After her presentation question time was very interesting.

Leading Senior Constable Paula Fowler.

Guest Speaker Organiser Keith and our Speaker Leading Senior Constable Paula Fowler.

Our Speaker Leading Senior Constable Paula Fowler and Guest Speaker Organiser Keith.

15 June 2022, Susan Lampitt, Mental Health

Susan told us about her experience in working with Mental Health in Gippsland.

.

Understanding the Mental Health System

 

Our Guest Speaker, Susanne Lampitt, has spent 15 years in the Mental Health Promotion Office of Latrobe Regional Hospital and she has over 30 years experience as a Registered

Psychiatric Nurse in a variety of roles. Susanne is a Principal Master Instructor in Mental Health Education with a variety of accreditations to her name.

 

She has spent many years conducting training course for Mental Health workers and is a passionate advocate for decreasing mental health and increasing the understanding of the signs and effects of mental health.

 

Her talk covered a range of topics including identifying the early signs of a Mental Health disorder and prevention of the disorder by introducing more social contact. In the past the approach was to pull people out of trouble whereas now the aim is to prevent the mental health issue developing in the first place.

 

Other areas covered were suicide and its number of cases, the Public Mental Health System, Mental Health & Wellbeing System, Lived Experience Perspective and the Bed Based Mental Health Program. 

 

Susanne explained that Latrobe Regional Hospital Mental Health has a number of community mental health services throughout Gippsland. They are located in Warragul, Wonthaggi, Yarram, Sale, Bairnsdale and Orbost, providing varying services to the local communities. 

 

Finally, she espoused the value to the community of the Baw Baw Live4Life Initiative which is a 14 hour Youth Mental Health First Aid course that teaches adults how to provide initial support to adolescents experiencing a mental health crisis.

 

In all Susanne presented a very passionate and informative talk on a subject that is of interest to us all.

 

 

16 May 2022,  Owen Quake Hydrogen.

Hydrogen in the low carbon economy Owen Quake, BP Safety & Operational Risk introduced the topic by giving a brief background on BP and where he fits into the company. He explained that hydrogen is the simplest element and also the most abundant. It is colourless, odourless and tasteless, also flammable, non-toxic and noncorrosive. It is found in water, natural gas and ammonia.

 As hydrogen is very flammable and can explode under certain conditions it must be handled under very strict guidelines. 

There are three types of hydrogen produced from different processes. 

These are: Grey Hydrogen – Produced from fossil fuels via carbon intensive processes. 

Blue Hydrogen – Produced from fossil fuels however the carbon dioxide is sequestered using carbon capture and storage. 

Green Hydrogen – Low or zero emissions by using clean energy sources with oxygen as a coproduct. As the availability of renewable energy is increased for the production of hydrogen, it would be possible to increase the production of Blue and Green Hydrogen thus phasing out Grey Hydrogen. A net zero emissions target for transport will require a radical change in how we fuel our transport vehicles, be they planes, ships, trucks, cars, etc. The use of hydrogen fuel cells to power electric cars is one means of reducing emissions. In this case oxygen (air) and hydrogen is supplied to a fuel cell where, by way of a chemical reaction, electricity is produced to charge a battery to drive an electric motor. The coproduct is water. Hydrogen can also be introduced into the running of heavy vehicles using fuel cells or internal combustion engines. With both of these methods of powering a vehicle the exhaust product is water rather than a carbon emission. Homes may also, in the future, be heated and powered by hydrogen. In the short term hydrogen blended with natural gas could be used to heat homes. Hydrogen powered gas turbines can also be used to smooth out the power supply from other renewable sources of electricity. 

There are many hydrogen projects underway around the world including in Australia. 

At the end of Owen’s talk he fielded quite a number of questions and provided some references if people were interested in pursuing the topic.

 These were: Quarterly Essay: Getting to Zero by Alan Finkel, March 2021 Bp Energy Outlook – www.bp.com The Economist – Hydrogen: The Fuel for the Future? August 2021

20 April 2022, Alan Male, SES.

Alan Male from the SES Warragul and our President Rob S.

KKeith P introduced Alan Male, the Commander of the Warragul State Emergency Service (SES). Alan outlined something of the history and formation of the SES, which went back to the Civil Defence Organization established in the 1950’s.  Since then the SES has grown to a permanent staff of 200, with 6,100 volunteers. In Warragul the organization comprises 47 volunteers, being 38 emergency responders and 9 support sstaff, and is responsible for an area covering 4,092 sq km. The SES is the official body charged with issuing warnings and advice of all types, and is the largest provider of road rescue response. Community education is an important part of their work, with the Driver Reviver program being an example. Alan concluded his talk with photographs illustrating recent incidents of the SES in action.

AA variety of questions from members concluded the talk.

 

16 February 2022,  John Parker Place names.

Guest Speaker Organiser Keith P and John Parker.

Our guest speaker for the February meeting was Prof. John Parker and his topic was ‘Place Names’. John was the Surveyor General of Victoria from 1989 to 1997. As Survey General he was responsible for administering the Geographic Place Names Act. 

In scientific terms a place name is called a toponym and the study of place names is consequently toponymy. John explained the importance of geographic names to identify exactly where a place is in the world. For example the name of a town in Australia may include the state it is in and, possibly the municipality, to avoid confusion with other towns with a similar name. He explained that this is important if you are directing emergency vehicles.

During his time as Surveyor General John attended meetings of the United

Nations Group of Experts on Geographic Names (UNGEGN) in Geneva. John explained that the UNGEGN deals with the problems of domestic and international standardization of geographical names, and to offer suggestions and recommendations for standardisation. For instance, one of the issues they dealt with was the naming of villages in Indonesia where one place could have several different tribal names. Another matter the UNGEGN is dealing with is the naming of waters around Japan and bordering countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, etc.

Closer to home John talked about the Committee for Geographical Names of Australasia (CGNA) which was formed in 1984 to coordinate place naming activities across Australia and New Zealand. Leading on from his talk he discussed the origins of some of the names of towns in Gippsland.

At the end of his talk questions came thick and fast indicating a strong interest in the topic. Thanks to Keith for arranging, with seven days notice, another very interesting speaker.  

 

  19 January 2022. Friends of Drouin Trees. Henry Corcoran, gave us a wonderful explanation of what they do and why, it appears that it is quite often they do not agree with our Shire and its developers. Our guest speaker for the January meeting was Henry Corcoran talking about Friends of Drouin Trees. Henry’s talk covered subjects ‘from protection of trees to planning’. Friends of Drouin Trees was formed in 2015 by a group of people who care about the urban trees of the Drouin township. It was formed following the preparation and completion of a 'Significant Tree Register' by the members. The group have monthly working bees where they do tree planting, weeding, etc. Friends of Drouin Trees have a number of walks that are accompanied by bird and tree experts. They also provide walks for school groups and supply educational material on the trees and birds of the area. The group have produced three booklets titled “Drouin Tree Walks”, “Birds of Drouin” and Birds of Drouin and District” which are available, at a cost of $2 each, from a number of outlets such as Baw Baw Shire Drouin Library and Town & Country Gallery in Yarragon.

Signage at various reserves and for the giant trees is another service undertaken by the group. One of their signs is at the Alex Goudie Reserve where the group has carried out extensive tree planting and labelling. A summary of some of the other activities is : • Bird surveys twice per year • 3BBR radio presentations • Facebook page • National tree planting day • Ficifolia Festival stall Henry’s talk created a number of questions particularly in respect to Council town planning strategies and local bylaws. A very informative and well presented talk. Signage at Alex Goudie Reserve Bonjour Messieurs & Mesdames Probus Club of Warragul-Tarago invites you to.

   

Henry Corcoran and our organiser Keith P.

17 November 2021, Assistant Professor Morag Young, Heart Disease and Research. Senior Researcher of the Baker Institute www.baker.edu.au

Morag gave us a very friendly and easy to understand informative talk about her life and what she does and of course fund raising.

Our Guest speaker organiser Keith Potter and our guest Assistant Professor Morag Young.

15 September 2021, CANCELLED COVID

18 August 2021, CANCELLED COVID 

21 July 2021, CANCELLED COVID

16 June 2021, CANCELLED COVID

19 May 2021, Chris Nash, President of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA). and Rick Molloy; Electric Vehicles. They will brought along 2 electric cars a1 Nissan Leaf and a Hyundai Kona nd parked near the front entrance to the Country Club entrance. We will listened to the Presentation and asked questions at 12 Noon we went outside and were shown the cars.  For those that went out to view the cars, then went inside for a late lunch.

Chris was born and bred in Melbourne.  He completed one year of University but then went overseas to play top class cricket as a fast bowler in the U.K.

Chris resided in the U.K. for six years and as well as playing cricket, was involved in business there.  He came back to Australia and is now President of Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA).

In his spare time, Chris is still involved with cricket, being the

Vice-President of Ringwood Cricket Club.  He is a family man,

with five children.    

Technology Association (ATA), now Renew, for 30 years and was recently voted onto its Board.  Rick was convenor of the Renew Melbourne Electric Vehicle Branch for two years and helped organise two EV Expos.  He was appointed Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association last September.  Rick drives a Hyundai Kona fully electric car and charges it from the solar panels on his house.

 

 

Chris started the presentation with a brief  history of the EV. The first production EV was made by the English inventor Thomas Parker in 1884. He was interested in making fuel efficient transportation. The same incentive is driving the current development of EVs and the batteries. There have been many variations of the EV over the decades leading to present time where we have an ever increasing number of EVs being introduced to the market.

 

Chris also explained the many advantages of the present day EV, some of which are:

-        Battery can be charged by solar panels at home or work

-        Zero carbon dioxide emissions from the vehicle

-        In some models the car battery can be used to power the house

-        An EV has approximately 3,000 moving parts whereas the internal combustion powered car has approximately 22,000 parts making the EV cheaper to service

-        The EV will regenerate the battery when the car is braking thus improving efficiency

  Rick’s presentation addressed some of the features of his EV including the charging cables which are not supplied with a new vehicle and the various plugs that are used around the world. As more EVs are designed and built the plugs are becoming more standardised. 

  Rick pointed out that planning a trip with an EV is very similar to that of a combustion engine vehicle. You need to be sure that you have charging/petrol stations along the route and that they are within range considering the charge/fuel you have. 

  These sheets are some of the tools that Rick uses when planning a trip. A mobile phone application is also available that allows you to find the charge stations that are available along your route. Victoria is still working on increasing the charge stations.

  Following the talk members were invited to go out into the car park and view the two EVs that Chris and Rick had driven up from Melbourne. Some of our members were able to take a short drive in an EV.

                                                         

Our Organiser Keith P,  Presenters Rick Molloy, Chris Nash

The new way of checking the Fuel Gauge for an EV Car.

21 April 2021, John Sunderland Outer Space.

John gave us a very interesting talk about outer space.

John Sunderland.

19 March 2021, Our AGM no Guest Speaker.

17 February 2021, No Meeting Covid Lockdown.

20 January 2021, Lois Adaway speaking to us about Al-Anon.  

Al-Anon is a personal program of recovery, based on the Twelve Steps adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous. 

It helps members recover from the effects of living with someone whose drinking is a problem. 

AL-ANON'S PURPOSE:

To help families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with someone whose drinking is a problem.

Similarly, Alateen is our recovery program for young people. Alateen groups are sponsored by Al-Anon members. Alateen provides support for teenagers affected by the problem drinking of a parent or other family member.

Our program of recovery is adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous and is based on the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions, and the Twelve Concepts of Service.

The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend.     Al-Anon/Alateen is not affiliated with any other organisation or outside entity.

 

18 March 2020, Our Annual General Meeting.

19 February 2020, Virginia Rowley "The Floating Brothel"

Virginia, gave us a very informative talk derived from the books by Sian Rees called  "The Floating Brothel".

Our Guest Spealer Organise Keith P and Virginia Rowley and our President John S.

Guest Speaker at our February meeting was Virginia Rowley

 

Virginia’s talk was based on the book ‘The Floating Brothel’, which deals with the early British settlement period in Australia and the first ship bringing female prisoners to the colony.

At the time of the First Fleet the ships brought mainly male prisoners. The British government soon realised that they could clear the prisons of women prisoners as well and address the imbalance of males in the colony, by transporting women murderers and forgers.

The women were collected from Shire and County jails and sent to the hulks in London, before 235 of them were loaded into the Lady Juliana for transportation to New South Wales. Master Aitken was in charge of the prisoners on the ship. He determined their rations, time on deck, washing water etc. Fortunately he did not skim off the rations for his own profit, but disease went with them in the foul conditions in the holds, and many died along the way.

Seven months of supplies for the colony were loaded on another ship, the Justinian, which followed the Lady Juliana and arrived a week later.

The sailors had a right to a female mate for the duration of the voyage, which meant a little extra food and comfort for the women. They were spared some of the theft and fighting amongst the women. Quite a few of the women were pregnant and 20 babies were born by the time they reached Rio de Janeiro.

The ship took on fresh water and supplies in the Canary Islands, then Rio de Janeiro, and Cape Town was the last port before Sydney. Their supplies ran low as they battled mountainous seas, gales, the cold and the water seeping into the holds. Dysentery, fevers and smallpox were rife.

They arrived with 222 women and children. The women had no more farming skills than the men sent before them, and were set to work making clothes. They were soon partnered off with officers, soldiers and convicts as they had been brought out to be of ‘comfort’ to the men. However the babies and children were well looked after as they were needed for the growth of the colony

The second fleet arrived soon after with prisoners in very poor condition.

Virginia concluded that morals were very flexible while the colony was mainly male, but the women were a civilising influence once they became wives, shop and business owners, and needing schools for the children.

A horrendous tale of early British settlement of New South Wales!

 

15 January 2020. Rev Ian Whitehall and Helper David Greer.

Rev. Ian Whitehill and David Greer spoke about prison visiting, and the hope and joy prisoners experience by hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed for the first time in their often wretched lives.  

https.www.prisonfellowship.org.au

20 November – Ian C – Real estate in Baw Baw  

 

Our Member Ian C telling us his life history and real estate in Warragul.

 

16 October 2019, Kel Glare X Victorian Police Commissioner Speaking about Policing.  

 

Guest Speaker at October meeting – Kelvin Glare. 

 

Kelvin, came and gave us a very hard hitting talk about his life and experiences with the Victorian police and the problems now with law and order at the moment.

Kelvin is very keen for us to check out his website at http://caainc.org.au/

 

 

Kelvin Glare with his book.

 

 

Lunch with the X Cheif Commissioner.

 

18 September 2019, Deirdre Howard Schnoz Assistant dogs. 

 

Guest Speaker at September meeting – Deidre Howard

 

Deidre established Schnoz Dogs Canine Services to provide a range of dog related services to benefit both people and dogs. Dee grew up with family labradors, gaining a lifelong love of dogs and she observed the incredibly positive effect of the dogs on her WW2 veteran father. She trained as a physiotherapist and combines this clinical knowledge with her dog training abilities to provide a unique range of canine – human support services.

Dee explained about the different kinds of ‘Animal assisted therapy’ including interventions, activities, education and learning assistance. She explained that they are not ‘service dogs’ as they are owned by the trainers and not involved in life-saving functions or facilitating their handlers inclusion in society. They are not eligible for the right to public access.

The dogs gain certification with ‘Lead the way’ through the Australian Companion Animal Council which sets out certain requirements for the dogs. Eg they have to be hydrobathed before working to ensure cleanliness and flea control.

Deidre currently has four dogs – all rescue dogs, but only three are fully trained as one of her dogs is not suitable, just kept as a pet.

Our doggy visitor today is Oscar, a woolly coated wire haired German Pointer - a very shaggy gentle dog, who was happy to wander up the aisles and stop for a chat and a pat on his way.

Deidre spoke about the role of pets in families, explaining that they have a significant role in child and adolescent development and influence on the development of empathy and caregiving skills and attachment. She expanded on that to explain how the various models of animal therapy work with different groups of clients. Having the dog present for difficult situations or stressed clients helps to break the tension and reduce stress hormones. The client is more likely to come to treatment and return visits if the dog is there and the therapist appears more friendly and approachable, with the dog providing a neutral topic to start the conversation.

 

 

Lorraine our relieving Guest Speaker organser with the Dog Oscar. a Wire haired Geerman Pointer.

 

 

Deirdre Howard with her dog Oscar and her display table.

 

 

Deirdre showing how well Oscar is trained to only eat its treats on the command "EAT".

 

 

Deirdre's dog Oscar paying attention.

 

 

Frank H, and Oscar.

 

21 August 2019, Angela Greenall (West Gippsland Health Group Promotions Officer) spoke about lifestyle, obesity and diet.  

Angela Greenall | Health Promotion Officer | P: 03 562 43545 | E: angela.greenall@wghg.com.au

West Gippsland Healthcare Group | 41 Landsborough Street | Warragul Vic 3820 | www.wghg.com.au

 

‘’WGHG strives to attract and retain a highly talented learning workforce that engages with a level of pride and passion in improving the health and wellbeing of its community”

WGHG is committed to achieving culturally safe health practices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which our services are located, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.

 Please consider the environment before printing this email

DISCLAIMER: If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, or distribution of this message, or any action or omission taken by you in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. Please immediately contact the sender if you have received this message in error. Thank you.

 

17 July 2019,

Our speaker, Emma Conway is a CFA Operations Officer based in Warragul. The CFA District extends from Bunyip to the Orbost River. She had experience with the 2009 fires around Morwell and the 2014 Morwell mine fires, and is now involved in incident management, recruiting and training volunteers, and working with other organisations and local communities. (Incidents include flood, storm and drought as well as fires.)

 

Emma went on to talk about the Bunyip and Yinnar complex fires of March this year. She explained how the topography, fuel load and weather can increase or slow a fire. Drought increases fire risks and intensity. Fuel reduction via planned burning takes out the undergrowth to reduce the risk of fires travelling and crowning.

These fires were fairly late in the season (March), mainly started from lightning strikes. On Black Saturday over 700 fires were started, with most contained, but seven became major fires.

 

CFA recognise that they cannot always stop a fire and put great emphasis on getting people out of way of the fire. Message broadcasting was strong and messages to mobile phones worked well. The community heeded their warnings and fortunately no lives were lost.

 

It is a constant battle for Operations officers to track where a fire is going. The command centre need constant updates on fire action and weather effects to be able to plan where to place their firefighters. Helicopters now have infrared technology to help track fires and find spot fires.

 

With the dryness of the atmosphere, CFA are finding that fires are continuing to run at night where previously the cooler conditions would have slowed the fire. They now have firefighting aircraft working at night to try to slow fires down. To everyone’s relief the fire was stopped at the edge of the Bunyip State Forest with only spot fires to deal with around Labertouche this year.

 

Emma gave credit to the volunteer firefighters who were dealing with fires from early January around Rosedale through to March at Bunyip and Yinnar. The crews were exhausted and many had used up all their leave and had to go back to work. The CFA works alongside the MFB, Parks Vic, Vic Forests, Forest Fire Management Vic (FFMV) and HVP – plantation operators.

 

After the fires the Councils and charitable groups operated Relief centres, and Blaze Aid has worked for months helping to clear fence lines and replace fences so that farmers can contain their livestock.

 

Members had many questions for Emma, showing great interest in the topic. Geoff Hewson told of his experience on a ‘big fill’ water truck based at Labertouche. The high capacity tanker provides water supply to smaller tankers which can more easily negotiate farm and bush tracks.

Speakers organiser, Keith Potter, thanked Emma on our behalf and made a presentation to her.

 

19 June 2019, Baw Baw Shire Mayor Mikaela Power speaking about Baw Baw shire for about half an hour and then took questions from the floor. assistant Dominique also came to record questions that need to be  followed up.  

Following is a copy of the reply from Mikaela


Thank you for inviting me to speak to the Probus Club of Warragul Tarago.

I appreciated the variety and range of questions asked by the Probus members. Listed below
are responses to questions I was unable to answer fully on the day.

There were several questions in relation to the establishment of a Visitor Centre in Warragul. lt
was suggested that a Visitor Centre could be established at the Old Town Hall in Warragul as
buses could pull in there quite easily. Another suggestion was the carpark near the Railway
Station, or at the former fire brigade training track on Burke Street, as there would also be room
for an RV dump point and caravans at this location.
Currently, Council doesn't provide a dedicated staffed Visitor Centre, however, the Economic
Development team are currently looking for ways to improve the provision of visitor information
throughout Baw Baw Shire. Examples include upgrading signage at key locations,investigating
digital information kiosks, producing printed brochures and website information.
Visitors are welcome to access tourist information at Council's customer service centres in
Warragul and Drouin, and the West Gippsland Arts Centre. The Economic Development team
are also always happy to respond to any visitor enquires.

The Economic Development team greatly appreciated the suggestions in relation for potential
sites for a Visitor Centre. They would be happy to discuss tourism in the area in more detail with
the Probus Club. .

The lines at Gallaghers Crossing need to be marked, this is dangerous road needs to be
addressed quickly.
VicRoads are the governing body for this location, and all works in this area must be completed
by VicRoads or their contractors. Council has forworded a request to VicRoads requesting that
the works be carried out urgently. The relevant request number for the line marking is REQ
100565. lf a member of the Club is concerned about the completion of these works, please feel
welcome to contact Council, and an Officer will contact VicRoads on their behalf.

Disabled parking - there is on acute shortage at the Warragul Leisure Centre. Improving the
shelter to access the Leisure Centre could also be helpful.
As per the Australion Standards and the Building Code of Australia, there is considered to be
adequate accessible parking bays at the Warragul Leisure Centre. Council has however
recently reviewed the need for additional accessible bays. Due to the growth of the township,
Council resolved to provide two additional accessible bays close to the footpath in the rear car
park to meet the community's parking needs. The works will be completed as part of the FY
2019/20 budget.

At the point where Albert Road becomes Copelands Road there is a very sharp turn, so it is risky
for pedestrians to walk here - are there any plans for a footpath to go in? -
The FY 2019 / 20 budget includes a 1.5m wide pathway project that will connect from Lowe Place
(off Dawson Drive) to Albert Road. From Albert Road, a 1.5m wide path will fill in the missing
sections to North Road.

Warragul's Precinct Structure Plan indicates that Copelands Road will connect through to
Queen Street, with a roundabout at the intersection at Albert Road. These upgrade works would
typically include connecting footpaths. Timing of these works will depend on the rate of
development of the adjacent land in the area.

There were trees planted in Edinburgh Street in Warragul 50 years or so ago. The trees initially
planted were all Eucalyptus, then every second one was replaced with a lower growing species
a few years later. The resident was told by Council at the time that they would come back and
replace the remaining trees with other species. This is some 40 years ago. As removing the trees
now would be extremely costly, could regular street sweeping be arranged to manage gumnut
falls?
The urban operations team inspected the area in the days following the Probus Club Meeting
and arranged for an out of cycle street sweeping to clean up the area. This street is swept as
part of a schedule, but if a request is made, Council can arrange for additional street sweeping
to occur as needed.

I trust thct this satisfactorily answers all questions that where raised at the meeting.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.

Yours sincerely,
Councillor Mikaela Power
Mayor
Baw Baw Shire Council



 

 

 

15  May 2019, History of the Home by Virginia Rowley.

 

Photo left right: President John, our Guest Speaker Virginia and our Guest Speaker organiser Keith.

 

Virginia told us about the history of homes going way back almost to the stoneages and explained to us about how and why things have changed. 

 

Virginia explained to us about many commonly used sayings like "Shreshhold" and "Day Light Robbery"ETC.

 

Veronica certainly kept us entertained and answered our questions very well

 

 

 17. April 2019, History of Gippsland by Professor Erick Eklund. 

 

Our Keith P and Professor Erik Ecklund

Proffessor  Erik Ecklund.

Proffessor Erik, gave us a detailed lesson life in the early days during the 2 world wars in Gippsland.

20  March 2019, AGM. [No speaker]. Ross Dawson the President of Warragul Rotary chaired the change over of Office bearers.

Ross Dawson Warragul Rotary President Ron Cawley and outgoing President Probus Warragul Tarago.

Ron Cawley outgoing President Probus Warragul Tarago,welcomes our new President John Soutar.

 

20  February. 2019 - Waste Management and Disposal by Rebecca McKeown and Janice Mowkery.

Rebecca was our speaker from Solo Waste Disposal and Janice and her friend were present as observers were from Baw Baw Shire.

Rebecca spoke mostly about recycling, what we can and cant put in our recycle bin, she explained the details very well.

After her talk, she had question time and answered all of our questions very well.

 

 

16  January. 2019 - About being a Chief Magistrate in Morwell  Clive Alsop.

Clive had to retire when he reached the age vof seventy years, A note in the Latrobe Valley Express.

Clive spoke to us telling us of his experiences over the years and was very interesting, he appeared to have everyones attention. After his talk he answered many of our questions.

 

21 November 2018 To mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, Lt. Col. Bernard Mulholland will speak about Sir John Monash.

Bernard spoke to our audience of 113 people in an extremely proffesional manner and showed us an excellent powerpoint presentation.

Sir John Monash
John Monash 1.jpg
Sir John Monash c.1920s
Born 27 June 1865
Melbourne, Victoria
Died 8 October 1931 (aged 66)
Melbourne, Victoria
Allegiance Australia
Service/ branch Australian Army
Years of service 1884–1920
Rank General
Commands held Australian Corps (1918)
3rd Division (1916–18)
4th Infantry Brigade (1914–16)
13th Infantry Brigade (1913–14)
Battles/wars First World War
Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Volunteer Decoration[1]
Mentioned in Despatches (6)
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France)
Croix de Guerre (France)
Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Croix de Guerre (Belgium)
Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
Other work Manager State Electricity Commission of Victoria (1920–31)
Vice-Chancellor University of Melbourne (1923–31)

General Sir John Monash, GCMG, KCB, VD  27 June 1865 – 8 October 1931) was a civil engineer and an Australian military commander of the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the war and then, shortly after its outbreak, became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt, with whom he took part in the Gallipoli campaign. In July 1916 he took charge of the newly raised 3rd Division in northwestern France and in May 1918 became commander of the Australian Corps, at the time the largest corps on the Western Front. The successful Allied attack at the Battle of Amiens on 8 August 1918, which expedited the end of the war, was planned by Monash and spearheaded by British forces including the Australian and Canadian Corps under Monash and Arthur Currie. Monash is considered one of the best Allied generals of the First World War and the most famous commander in Australian history.

After the war.

 

Soon after the conclusion of hostilities Monash was appointed Director-General of Repatriation and Demobilisation, heading a newly created department to carry out the repatriation of the Australian troops from Europe. In August 1919, while in London, he wrote a book titled The Australian Victories in France in 1918, although it was not published until April 1920.[46] He returned to Australia on 26 December 1919 to an enthusiastic welcome.[3] Shortly after his return, on 27 February 1920, Monash's wife, Vic, died of cervical cancer.[47] Later, Monash worked in prominent civilian positions, the most notable being head of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) from October 1920. He was also vice-chancellor of the University of Melbourne from 1923 until his death eight years later.[3]

Monash was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne, Australia's first Rotary Club, and served as its second president (1922–23). In 1927, he became president of the newly founded Zionist Federation of Australia and New Zealand.[48]

He was called upon by the Victorian Government of Harry Lawson in 1923 to organise "special constables" to restore order during the 1923 Victorian Police strike.[49] He was one of the principal organisers of the annual observance of ANZAC Day, and oversaw the planning for Melbourne's monumental war memorial, the Shrine of Remembrance. Monash was honoured with numerous awards and decorations from universities and foreign governments.[3] According to his biographer Geoffrey Serle: "[i]n the 1920s Monash was broadly accepted, not just in Victoria, as the greatest living Australian".[3]

Sir John Monash died in Melbourne on 8 October 1931 from a heart attack, and he was given a state funeral. An estimated 300,000 mourners, the nation's largest funeral crowd to that time, came to pay their respects. After a Jewish service, and a 17-gun salute, he was buried in Brighton General Cemetery.[50] In a final sign of humility, despite his achievements, honours and titles, he instructed that his tombstone simply bear the words "John Monash".[51] He was survived by his daughter, Bertha (1893–1979).[52]

Statue of Sir John Monash in King's Domain, Melbourne.

17 October 2018.  Allan Clark once again entertained us with his swing combo.  Alan and friends entertained us with music, and a running commentary on many diverse subjects.

 

20 September 2018 Lorraine Smith presented "Journey of a Lost Manuscript".  This was an amazing story of a document discovered in a second hand book, which she discovered was a land transfer document from Yorkshire in 1578.  She traced the provenance right back to 1578, and discovered how it came to be in Australia. Lorraine spoke about the discovery of an ancient manuscript hidden in a children’s book in her used books shop. This led to a long path of tracing the item, determining it’s origin and how it came to be in Warrnambool. The item was a deed written on vellum, from 1583, relating to a sale of land in West Yorkshire in Tudor England. Lorraine sought help to have the document translated and authenticated. She and husband Neil travelled back to Morley in Yorkshire to trace the families linked to the document and found that descendants had migrated to Australia, with links in Korumburra, Nhill, and Adelaide as well as Warrnambool. Her beautifully produced book (through Neil’s printing service) tells the full story of the document’s travels! 

Lorraine Smith (centre) shows the manuscript and discusses her  research with Probus members Beryl G, Lyn J,  Colin S and Chris O’B. 

16 August 2018 Terry Barridge speaking about Ocean Sailing Adventures.  He said the most important aspect of sailing is being prepared for whatever problems might arise. As Keith said, it was informative and very entertaining, and generated many questions from the audience.

   

18 July 2018  Matt Williamson, who is the Senior Project Engineer working on the Level Crossing Removal Authority in Melbourne.  He gave a great talk on the project, and difficulties encountered.

Matt Williamson and president Ron C

20 June 2018 - Rob Robson, Baw Baw Shire Arts, Culture & Events Manager.  He gave a very interesting talk on the redevelopment of the West Gippsland Arts Centre and the problems they have encountered.

Keith P and Rob Robson

16 May 2018

  Our guest speaker for May was Editor, Carolyn Turner of the Warragul, Drouin Gazette who gave an excellent talk on the history of the Gazette and its operations. Via many questions from the floor, Carolyn was skilfully able to explain many facets of our important local newspaper that provides coverage on local news, issues and sport. 

Keith Potter and Carolyn Turner

 

18 April 2018  – Bill Westhead, Population Movement throughout the world.

Guest speaker for our April meeting was Bill Westhead a former Police officer and former Army officer.

Bill’s topic was population movement and immigration. He gave a very interesting talk on the world immigration crisis and the potential effects on Australia. He covered immigration history, around the world and in Australia; immigration issues in the 21st century; and in the Australian context covered some of the push/pull issues that affect immigration. He emphasised that these are whole of government issues requiring a range of services to work together.

Bill Westhead and Ron Cawley.

 

 

 


2015-2018

       GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Dick B.

 

 FEBRUARY 2018 — As it is February and next month is our AGM Dick is retiring after 3 years of hard work organising our guest speakers; we all thank you Dick job well done.

Our speakers were Anthea Dacy and Dianne Carson – They spoke about the Rotary Club of Warragul, Project to help the people of Vanuatu.

A more detailed story is being written and when available will be put here.

Photo left to right, Speaker Anthea Dacy, Prospective replacement Guest speaker organiser Keith Potter, other speaker, Dianne Carson and our retiring Guest Speaker organiser Dick Bunting.

JANUARY 2018 Eleanor Hatswell—“Laughter and Tears, Down Through the Years”  

Eleanor very happily spoke to us about her childhood. She started by saying that she came from a family with 17 Children 10 brothers 5 older and 5 younger than her. Living in rental houses.

Eleanor Hatswell and Dick Bunting.

NOVEMBER 2017,

Jan Davidson, assistant from BBC Food Relief came and spoke to us as Ann Pascoe (Manager,  Food bank Warragul), had another appointment on the day.

Jan did an exceptional and interesting job of explaining the benefits of volunteering of how it makes you happy and well. She then went on to explain how the Food relief originated and then how it is run by many very keen volunteers. 

12 Churches in our area are involved with Baw Baw Combined Churches Food Relief.

They receive deliveries by truck sometimes a truck load of frozen food.

BBC also have their own Opp shop at 6/11 Pearse St, Warragul.

 

OCTOBER 2017,

Dr Jim Connelly  "Growing up in Gippsland adolescent to aged pensioner!"

Dr Jim came along to speak to us and joined us during the Tea break, it was amazing to see that he knew a lot of people present at our meeting.

He told us about his family, education and wagging school with his brother and his many travels and then his education.

Dr Jim could relate us about many of our local teachers, that was very interesting.

He spoke about Community Spirit and leadership and the books that he has written.

SEPTEMBER 2017,

Mr Paul Magyar, manager at Woolworths in Warragul, speaking on the retail industry.  

Paul came and spoke to us about the Woolworths store that he manages here in Warragul.

Paul is a local boy who started with Woolworths as a teenager, and has now been with them for 22 years. He has moved around several stores to gain experience, and is pleased to be back in Warragul as Manager.

Paul gave us a review of the history of Woolworths stores, including their expansion into petrol retailing and the hotel industry including poker machines.

He went through a range of changes likely in the stores as online ordering and home delivery or fast pickup increase with updated technology.

Paul discussed the links between changes in eating habits and shopping habits – fewer people grow their own fruit and veg, people eat out more or want quick & easy or ready-made meals. As stores are upgraded numbers of self-serve checkouts will increase, and marketing will be directed to social media.

Woolworths strive to provide customer service not provided by discount stores, to stay relevant in the market place.

Paul answered many questions from members at the end of a very interesting presentation.

 

AUGUST 2017,

The speaker was Sharryn Marshall Past President Drouin Rotary Club, speaking about her trips to the Arctic and Antarctic continent. Her impressive assortment of photographs and personal reflections were very well received by the meeting.

JULY 2017,   

 Dr John Carson (Vice President for Probus Victoria and Tasmania) from the Stroke Foundation in Melbourne accompanied by stroke survivor Alex Wright. He spoke about the prevention of stroke and dealing with it. 

He stressed the importance of the algorithm FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) 

He encouraged the group to visit the Foundation’s web pages.

JUNE 2017, was Peter Dell who told us about the amazing heritage of Victoria’s surveyors, particularly in relation to the exploration and development of Gippsland

MAY 2017,  was Dianne Cramer presenting further stories from her life as recounted  in her book “City Girl Goes Bush”. The book was available for purchase.

Diane told of  incidents from her time as governess on  remote cattle stations in outback South Australia. 

She recalled many tales of the isolation, hardship, scandals and romance. She married a station motor contractor and they worked as contractors and then managers on several other stations.

APRIL 2017, Mr Neil Stuckey "Apiarist from Flynn". Neil told us about how he harvests the honey from the bees. He then went on to tell us about marketing and quality of different brand of honeys.

MARCH 2017, Our Annual General Meeting, Richard Habgood (Warragul Rotary) gave us a short history of Probus Clubs and also handled the Committee change over . 

FEBRUARY 2017, Justice Department Dispute Settlement Centre Neighbourhood disputes. Helen Skinner could not come Adam Dinelli  came in her place. He gave us a most informative presentation, covering fences,noise, trees, access, boundaries etc. There were many questions put to mim.

JANUARY 2017, Our Kath and Peter, telling stories about some of their overseas trip to Scandinavia this year.

DECEMBER 2016, "Christmas Function". Black Tie 7th December, Christmas Lunch at the Black Tie.  

89 Happy members arrived early and were all chatting to each other very well.

Most people had there photos taken when they were welcomed into the foyer.

We eventually all sat down at our tables which were extremely well decorated.

Our President Chris O'B MC'ed the meal. 

On the big TV we had showing quietly a DVD of some of the activities that our club has done over the years.

Jim B said a very moving Grace prior to the meal.

At about 12:30 the meals started to be served by Andrew and staff, the dishes were Ham, Roast Turkey and Roast Pork. 

We all brought a gift with us. These gifts were collected by Captain Waller from the Salvos. The Salvos will distribute these gifts to the needy.  Captain Waller thanked us all and informed us that this would be the last time that he would be attending our function , as he is moving on.

Ron V, amused us with some very funny jokes.

Desert was Christmas pudding with Ice cream. I only heard very good reports on the meals.

Every one had a good chat and sounded happy.    

To view a YouTube Slideshow of the Photos taken at the Black Tie. Go to the following link on the Internet
https://youtu.be/JYwlu2WKQ6k.

NOVEMBER 2016.

DCSI WARRAGUL PRESENTATION on NBN-National Broadband Network

At our November meeting Paul Carey and Jackie Inches, from DCSI spoke to us on the NBN - Australia’s new internet network.  Some of the NBN issues and answers to members questions during their presentation included-

-          NBN is a Federal Government Program to give all Australians access to new internet technology that will give better, faster and more reliable access to communication services.

-          NBN will over the next few years replace the copper phone network and ADSL internet services we use today. These services in the future will be delivered by a mix of fibre optic, copper and wireless.

-          Moving over to NBN is not automatic. Connection to NBN is arranged by a service provider.

-          Connections to the NBN has already commenced in the Warragul area, and the  current land line telephone services through the copper wire will be switched off in early 2018

-          The services to be disconnected will include, landline telephone services all ADSL, ADSL2, ADSL2+ internet services from all providers.

-          After the copper system is turned off, all future land line telephone services will run through an internet NBN system. The necessary equipment will be provided by such companies as DCSI

-          Landline telephones will use VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. Making and receiving telephone calls will be via NBN fibre optic to node connection.

-          You should check if your current telephone will work with the new NBN system. A new telephone number will be provided. However, you can keep your current telephone number. For this to happen, speak to your service provider, such as DCSI, as some cabling work and other protocol may be required, and this will be at your expense.

-          DCSI does not provide a telephone service only, on the fibre to node network.

-          Multiple telephone connections and cordless telephones should work with the new service.  Additional cabling and connections may be required and these would be provided by a certified cabler at your expense.

-          During a power outage NBN would not function. If communication must be maintained a backup system would be required, such as a charged mobile phone.

-          Where back-to base, security, medical and other alarms are used, their suitability should be checked with the supplier.

-          Equipment such as, computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, should all work with the NBN. For other equipment you should check with your internet supplier.

-          Where internal wiring may be necessary, this will have to be provided by a certified cabler. Speak to your internet suppler, such as DCSI.

-          Paul and Jackie concluded their  talk advising us, if we have any further queries,  including selecting the right plan, then contact a  member of the DCSI team. They will answer your questions and arrange  for NBN to be connected to your home

-           

-          It was an excellent presentation, covering a highly technical subject.  

 

OCTOBER 2016.

Our guest speaker was Grant Philip's from the Victoria Police, He has been in the Police force for 15 years, the last 5 years has been a member of the highway patrol.

He spoke to us in a friendly and understanding way about matters that effect us all., like prescription drugs that they may effect different people in different ways, indicators, roundabouts, mobility scooters are NOT to be used on the roads.

He also said that we should all notify Vic Roads of all changes in our health or physical circumstances.

If we do not it could effect our insurance claims.

There were many questions which were very helpful to us all.

A very big thank you to Grant.

SEPTEMBER 2016.  Don Horsburgh, came from Puffing Billy to speak to us. Don gave us a very interesting talk about the history of Puffing Billy and the way it is run. After his interesting talk he answered many questions. 

 

AUGUST 2016. Justice department, Sharon Kearns, "Scams and you". Sharon with her assistant Peter, gave us a very informative talk about many scams that are about and warned us that people are always dreaming new ideas for scams. She kept quoting the saying "If it seems too good to be true it is most likely not true".

The scams that she told us about were not only Computer related, they were also done by Telephone and door to door sales people.

Question time was also very interesting, our members told us about many problems that they have had, and Sharon and Peter commented on them.

JULY 2016. Dianne Cramer, "City Girl Goes Bush". Lives in Allendale.

Diane, started her presentation with the ringing of a Condamine Horse Bell (We would call it a Cow bell). The bell was put on the drovers lead horse at night whilst in camp. 

Diane went on to say that in the 60's she was a City Secretary and she wanted to go bush, much to the disappointment of her mother. So she applied for a job as a governess on Cattle station out from Oodnadatta she flew up in a DC3 aircraft a 5 hour flight. 

She went on on telling us lots of very interesting things like going to a ball one night 85 miles away. 

If you missed that meeting you really missed some very interesting stories.

But don't be too disappointed as Dick has invited Dianne back to talk to us again.

Also Dianne has written a book called "11 Year Odyssey City Girl Goes Bush" it hopefully will soon be published and has had its first reading.

JUNE 2016, Chris B's Movie Premiere. The Saga of Jock McDougal. Starring 38 Tarago Members.

Due to the very sad passing of Chris prior to the viewing date, it was Chrises death wish that the show must go on. 

Chris said that Peter T, was to do the introduction of this movie and Chris said that no sadness was to be at the showing.

Peter started his introduction, saying that Chris was up in heaven watching us, and wanting us all to be happy during the showing. 

Peter went on to say that Chris is making heavenly productions assisted by another Peter : St Peter.

The movie went very well with lots of laughs and cheering.

Many people purchased the DVD of this movie, if you missed out  please order one from Peter T.

MAY 2016. Michelle Foster

At our May Meeting Michelle Foster a Facilitator from Alzheimers Australia gave us a very interesting thought provoking talk. Any one that thinks they or a friend requires help please ring 1800 100 500.

APRIL 2016. Des Morris, The past and future of Country Newspapers.

Des came and gave us a very interesting talk about his experiences working with country Newspapers.

Des started work in the Mildura region and worked his way right up to the top. 

MARCH 2016,  Our AGM. Richard Habgood from Warragul Rotary attended .and chaired the meeting for the change over of office bearers. 

To see a picture of the new committee click here.

Richard also gave us a very interesting talk.

After the AGM Joan L gave us a very interesting 10 minute talk about her happy times whilst working at Myer Emporiumin the Perfumery and she was the head of Cosmetics at 17 years old at the  in 1971.

FEBRUARY 2016, Rob Gaulton  came and spoke to us and showed us a PowerPoint presentation  about Chaplaincy work in at the Fulham  Correctional Centre. Rob gave us a very hard hitting friendly talk about mainly his concerns and ideas for over coming problems that exist there.

JANUARY 2016, Heather Q from GMobility Warragul, Health aides came to tell us and demonstrate many aides for the physically challenged. Heather is our Kevin's niece by marriage

Heather told us about the beginning of the company in Warragul 8 years ago.

Heather then told us about her life's work experiences, she the explained about many very useful looking small aides and passed them around the room. They were very interesting and would be very useful to people that required them and would make excellent gifts.

DECEMBER 2015, "Christmas Function". Black Tie Christmas Party. This was an excellent party read all about it on our Dine outs page.

NOVEMBER 2015, Dr Andrea Bunting  showed a Power Point presentation and I think she convinced all of us that Climate change is real and we should all play our part in reducing pollution and convincing the authority's.

OCTOBER 2015 , Our John  Curnow spoke about living in a foreign land. John showed us a PowerPoint presentation made from the photographic slides that he took whilst working in Alberta Canada in 1978. John told us about his teaching and living experiences during the year he and his young family was in Canada, after his talk he answered many questions.

SEPTEMBER 2015 , Sunny Bhatt and Natham (Pharmacists). Spoke about control and management of our medications. This was very explanatory and helpful to most of us. Question time was also very interesting.

AUGUST 2015, Ron Lowe retired insurance loss assessor among a myriad of other related insurance jobs spoke about “INSURANCE, THE WHITE MAN”S BURDEN” Rob told us about good and bad Insurance claims.

JULY 2015, Kaye Woolfe with 2 of her assistants Lyn and Darlene told us about the history and the running and the courses on offer for the  Community House .

JUNE 2015, Steve Walsh will spoke on “ Sustainability” Steve is part of the Baw Baw Shires BBSN Baw Baw Sustainability Steve gave us lots of ideas about making our houses more efficient. He also suggested that we go to My Power Planner  website to calculate which power company can do the best deal for our circumstances.

MAY 2015, We celebrated our club’s 10th anniversary. We must all thank the Brown family especially Chris, for organising and running the party. This party had an Island theme and many members dressed very colourfully. Chris also had played short movies of all our groups plus a movie of a committee meeting. Many other people also worked quietly behind the scenes to make this party happen. A BIG THANK YOU to all of those that did. For those that dressed up to make this party so colourful another BIG THANK YOU. For those that could not make it to the party, you missed a wonderful show it was well done. To get some feeling of what happened at the party may I suggest that you order a DVD set . Order it from Peter. $12.00

APRIL 2015, Many of us had the best free hour entertainment for a long time, when Alan Clark and his Combo Jazz Band, assisted by Bill, Ian, and Jack played at our April Meeting. Alan told us a little of his life story, moving from Melbourne to live in “ Traff”, and his love for Jazz music .During his talk the band played some of the old time jazz favourites - all played low key, bringing back memories of our younger days. His gags which had us in fits of laughter were all very clean and good for body and soul. The general comment after the meeting was “ We must have more of this”.


  GUEST SPEAKER's ORGANISER's were 

Ross D, Gyles B.

MARCH 2015, Our AGM, Elections of many new members of the Committee. Paul How President of Warragul Rotary came and chaired the meeting.

FEBRUARY 2015, Snr Sgt John Brookes Officer in charge of Warragul, spoke about, His experiences whilst on a  peace keeping team with the Australia Federal Police in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

JANUARY 2015, Natalia Jones & Mellissa Coffey, spoke about "A day in the life of a Paramedic". These 2 young ladies gave us a very interesting talk, and after the talk answered our questions. CPR & First Aid. Courses & Accreditation. Natalia Jones 0400 911 831 natalia@gmail.com Perform CPR - HLTAID001 our members $25.00 pp

DECEMBER 2014, "Christmas Function"

NOVEMBER 2014, As Noeline Marchwichi of Master-Chef has a had a fall and injured her knee she will not be speaking to us at the meeting. Thankfully Jim Black filled in the time and gave us.an interesting talk about his early life in Scotland

OCTOBER 2014, Peter Saunders came and gave us a talk and answered our questions about Wills and powers of Attorney.

SEPTEMBER 2014, Sally & Tony Knight Their Company is "This is my Life" Came and explained what they do, and how we could do it for ourselves. They feel that we should  make a movie of ourselves whilst we can, talking about what we have done and achieved in our lives. This can all be put a DVD and along with photos and stories can be put into a folder like a Wedding album to present to our grand children. If you would like you could pay Sally and Tony to do it for you.

AUGUST 2014, Merrin Strickland President  of Friends of Mt Worth. Came along to our meeting and showed us and told us about some photos on the big screen and told us what the these friends do  do and how they raise funds. Question time was also very informative, we used the roving mike, and many of our members told us of their memories and experiences with Mt Worth

 JULY 2014, Chris Brown with her presentation “SHOWTIME”. The "Showtime" production took place at our Probus meeting on Wednesday the 16th of July. And was well attended. WELL DONE Chris!

JUNE 2014, Fiona Nobel of Ambulance Victoria and was Assisted by our Les Campbell. “Four steps for life Plus”

Fiona came and gave a very interesting and informative presentation, I think we all learned a lot from her

We will did some training for CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation). (This is something that everyone should know how to do). It was a light-hearted but serious discussion of the use of CPR and use of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). All who  participated in a short training session during the morning, brought  a pillow from home,  to use as a training aid.

MAY 2014, Alain Young Alain gave us all a very interesting education talk about exercise and diet. Mainly to help control the onset of Diabetes. He is also organising us to attend an in depth seminar going further into it.

APRIL 2014, Malcom Dickson came and showed us old and new pictures of Warragul plus an interesting talk.

MARCH 2014, Bob Lewis from Rotary. Came to Chair our AGM.

FEBRUARY 2014, Sue Worland, from SCOPE. Sue came and gave us a very interesting talk about SCOPE and what they do. She also brought along Ron Morey a stroke survivor, he could not speak but he had an electronic talking machine that spoke for him in an American accent.


GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Ross D.

JANUARY 2014,  Peter Armour from  Centrelink spoke to us about services that they provide. Peter also answered many questions that we had.

DECEMBER 2013, "Christmas Function". Our Christmas Party at the Black Tie.

NOVEMBER 2013, Anne Pascoe Spoke to us about Food Bank. Explaining what and how and why they do it.

OCTOBER 2013, Peter King from the CFA spoke to us about Fire Safety. Peter did a marvellous job of enlightening us to how to prepare our properties for the summer and what we can do in case we become involved with a  fire.

SEPTEMBER 2013, Peter Cooke Author. came and gave us a very interesting talk about his book named Martin Wiberg. Check the preceding link to Trove, Trove is a very interesting newspaper search engine.

AUGUST 2013, Sally Jones Gave us a very interesting talk about the changes that have happened over the last 3 decades. She went on to tell us about changes in terminology of parts of houses like a Pantry is now called a Scullery, a Verandah is now called Al Fresco etc etc. She went on to tell us of the expenses that a real estate agent have to pay. She also showed us how with the help of software you can get instantly obtain comparisons of houses that are similar to yours.

 JULY 2013, Jo & Malcolm Dixon gave us a very interesting talk about early Warragul.

 JUNE 2013, An  ex-Navy person Kylie Sage. Kylie was sick and could not come. John Hughes filled in for her. John showed us a DVD that he had made about the Nuremberg raid 30 March 1944 by the RAF Bomber Command.

 MAY 2013. A Speaker from Habitat for Humanity, This month our guest speaker was Dr Bruce Barry from Habitat for Humanity West Gippsland. Habitat for Humanity is a Christian based humanitarian non for profit worldwide organization represented in ninety five countries. Their mission is building homes, building community and building hope. Bruce spoke of the current and completed housing projects in both Warragul and Drouin. The selection criteria process of disadvantaged families and their partnering with Habitat for Humanity West Gippsland. The many volunteers who donate their time and experience along with the goods and services that are donated to the organization. With 105,000 estimated people in Australia homeless and the numbers growing; this is truly a worthwhile cause.

APRIL 2013, Sue Worland from the Red Cross. Came and told us about the history of the Red Cross and what they are doing. 


  GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Barry R.

MARCH 2013. Our AGM. Bob Lewis from Warragul Rotary came to supervise the meeting

FEBRUARY 2013. David Hayes spoke about Blackwood Annexe. we were very impressed with Davids talk, we feel that he is doing a wonderful job training our kids that have a few problems.

JANUARY 2013, 16th. Speaker from the RACV Brian Grist. Brian presented a wonderful Power Point Presentation targeting older drivers, and  the latest road rules and common mistakes that we all seem to be making.

DECEMBER 2012, "Christmas Function". Our Christmas Party.

NOVEMBER 2012, 15th. Doug Haig spoke about his "seafaring life as a marine engineer" a sea dogs tail. Doug gave us a very interesting talk accompanied by a Powerpoint presentation that was made by his wife Pam. His talk mainly centred around his ship the Aurora Australus travelling to the Antartica. It is VERY VERY interesting to look at the Webcams.

OCTOBER 2012, 17th. Gerald Quigley from 3AW came to our General meeting and gave us a very informative and interesting talk about living with Arthritis. Gerald is a Pharmacist and told us a lot about do's and dont's about medication. It appears that many of us will be changing our ways.

SEPTEMBER 2012, 19th. Members performing "SHOWTIME" or "SPELL BOUND" Our Chris author general director etc etc.

AUGUST 2012, 18th. Paul Davine Lawyer. Spoke about Wills & Powers of Attorney.

JULY 2012, 20th. June & Bill Burrows spoke and demonstrated model aircraft. This was a very interesting presentation even to people that have no interest in Model aircraft.

JUNE 2012, 20th. Brett Godden spoke to us about living safely. He had a PowerPoint presentation from which he elaborated on. This was very educational and most members had questions for him. Really we need to get him back another time as the allocated hour was not enough.

MAY 2012, 16th. Karin Koeppan proprietor of the Cuckoo Restaurant , Olinda. 

Cuckoo Restaurant entertainment came to Warragul just for us. 3 very clever members came to entertain us after our May General meeting. We had Karen Kopen the leader, Michelle the amazing singer and Valenta Varetsa playing the Accordion, he also told us some very amusing stories about his experiences driving tourist coaches.

APRIL 2012, 17th Mary Aldred, from the Committee of Gippsland. 

Gave us a very interesting talk (a very good speaker). She spoke to us about what her Committee is aiming to achieve in Gippsland. Various items were extremely interesting to us such as car parking at our local hospital. Question time was very interesting as well.


GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Faye V.

MARCH 2012, 21st, Our Annual General Meeting. Bob Lewis from Rotary came to supervise our meeting and many of our members of the Committee were replaced as their 3 year term was up.

FEBRUARY 2012, 15th, John Castle, a Warragul Business Man. Showed a very interesting PowerPoint presentation, he backed that up with a frank explanation about his life. It reminded the old time residents of Warragul about his version of what has happened about town.

JANUARY 2012, 18th, Adrian Tilling a ploughing champion from Poowong showed us a very interesting PowerPoint presentation, he also told us about his ploughing experiences around the world.

Adrian Tilling, a local Gippslander from Poowong, has competed in the recent World Ploughing Contests in New Zealand and Sweden. Adrian shared his experiences with us here at the meeting.

An interview on ABC radio with Adrian prior to the 2010 championships in NZ can be found on the following link.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2010/04/14/2872833.htm

The 2012 World ploughing Contest is to be held in Croatia on the 14th and 15th September 2012.

http://www.worldploughing.org/  

DECEMBER 2011,   "Christmas Function"

NOVEMBER 2011, Dr Bill Straffon a retired Urologist. Gave us a very hard hitting interesting talk about men's secret business.

OCTOBER 2011,  19th Angela Betheras Rural Woman of the year. Gave a very interesting talk about her experiences winning the award, and then she told us about her job at Coles Myer working as their supply chain manager and then establishing her property at Darnum called Nickelby at Darnum that she has Alpacas, a Cafe retail store Photographic studio  and Olive an Grove.

SEPTEMBER 2011, 21st, John Hughes gave us a very educational presentation about the RMS Titanic. Click here to see a picture of Shirley, Kath, Peter and John on the steps of the Titanic.

AUGUST 2011,  17th Mel Dougherty, gave us a very interesting presentation about Parkinson's disease.

JULY 2011, 20th Robert Radford, of Radfords Butchery, gave an extremely interesting presentation about the history of his business and the meat industry in Australia. 

JUNE 2011, 16th, Stephanie Cohen from Gamblers Help Gippsland. conducted a very hard hitting presentation about Gambling. Any one requiring help for themselves or friends or family can ring 1800 242 696 Working hours, or 1800 858 858 24 hour emergency number.

MAY 2011, 18th  Peter Philip, was a radio announcer at radio station 3TR and others (his wife Naime was at 3UL),  he spoke on radio back in the fifties. His talk was amazing he brought back a lot of good memories to all of us, he had us ALL silent. We have had some really good speakers in the past but this guy takes the cake.


  GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Julia H.

APRIL 2011, 20th Terry Synan, he was the head of the Catholic Education Centre in Warragul. Spoke about the second world war mainly around Wilsons Promontory


GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Geoff H.

MARCH 2011, Our AGM.

FEBRUARY 2011, 16th  Ian & Dee Christensen spoke to us about their experiences working in the outback as teachers.

JANUARY  2011, 19th Clive Walkinshaw spoke about his experiences as stock agent in Warragul.

DECEMBER 2010, "Christmas Function". Our Christmas Party.

NOVEMBER  2010, 17th Alan Clark and his Jazz Combo came to play for us. Alan played his Keyboard and was a very entertaining host. Ian Christensen played the Clarinet, Dave Drummond played the Cornet, Jack Pretty played the Double Bass and Pete Barker was on Drums. If you wish to see a Youtube video of some of the performance click on this text.  Remember if you have a slow connection or computer the videos will be jumpy and keep pausing. This is called "buffering" if you have this problem. I suggest that you click on the pause button in the bottom left hand of the picture (a square with 2 vertical lines). Then go and do something for about 8 minutes. When you come back click on the arrow at he bottom left of the picture, the video should now play smoothly. Click here to see some Photos.

IMPORTANT Please do not forget to bring a long to the Christmas Dinner at the Elizabethan one of your CD's that you do not play any more. These are to help with Alan's fund raising.  

OCTOBER 2010, 20th Vivian Helps told us about her life experiences and did a presentation for us on recruiting International students for Universities.

SEPTEMBER 2010, 15th This was Chris Brown's production of a farmer wants a wife, most of the entertainers were our members. This was very good and  very entertaining. If you missed the performance, you can still see it by purchasing a DVD of it from Graeme Fricke.

AUGUST 2010, 18th our Helen & Peter Snape, spoke to us and showed us a PowerPoint presentation about their recent trip to Europe.

JULY 2010, 21th Peggy Lacey spoke about the the Baw Baw District Police Senior Citizens Register

JUNE 2010, 16th  Twain Bagut from West Gippsland Hospital gave a very educational talk about palliative care

MAY 2010, 19th  Mark Cockerell the CEO of Lardner Park Events spoke about Farm World

APRIL 2010, 21st Barry Butler spoke about the Kokoda Trail. It was an extremely good lesson in the history of Kokoda it made we wonder how come we are not speaking Japanese now.

 


  GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Julia H.

 

MARCH 2010, Our General Meeting. With a Free Lunch after the Meeting.

FEBRUARY 2010, 17th  Barbara Watts gave us a very interesting talk about Nursing in the Outback.

JANUARY 2010, 20th Trevor Steer an ex-Collingwood Footballer spoke to us about his life experiences.

DECEMBER 2009, "Christmas Function"

NOVEMBER 2009, 18th Ormond Pearson spoke about West Gippsland Hospital  now and into the future. 

OCTOBER 2009,  21st Ted Tyrell spoke about gardening and what to do. Everyone was very interested in what Ted spoke about, and question time could have gone on for hours.

SEPTEMBER 2009, 16th  we had a problem so two of our members came forward and spoke to us. The first speaker was Jim Black who spoke to us about his recent holiday in Perth and Broome, Noosa and Goulburn. He was followed by Jan Mildenhall speaking about her recent holiday in Italy. Thank you to both of you, you saved the day.

AUGUST 2009,  19th Gavan Arden spoke about life as a Country & Western Singer and performed for us as well. His talk was very interesting, his singing must have been our thing because everyone listened very intently. All in all a great guest entertainer.

JULY 2009, 15th John Farmer gave an extremely interesting talk about aging eyes. Several members had their eyes tested after the talk.

JUNE 2009, 17th  John Parker formerly Victoria's  surveyor general. Spoke about his experiences surveying overseas. Many questions were asked after his talk.

MAY 2009, 20th  Karin  Jones, (Margaret Rohr's daughter) spoke and showed us a Powerpoint presentation about the organising of the Jayco Herald-Sun Tour.  

APRIL 2009, Pam Dyson gave a very interesting talk on Nursing in Indonesia.


  GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Chris B.

MARCH 2009, Our General Meeting.

FEBRUARY 2009, Geoff Collins gave a very entertaining talk on Ground Nuts to Peanuts.

JANUARY 2009, Anne Burton spoke on being a civil Celebrant.

DECEMBER 2008, "Christmas Function". Christmas Celebrations.

NOVEMBER 2008, Sharryn Marshall spoke about her travels and teaching around the world.

OCTOBER 2008, Caroline and Oliver Raymond gave a very interesting talk about their trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

SEPTEMBER 2008, Anne Tweddle gave a very interesting talk about Multiple Sclerosis.

AUGUST 2008, Mark Knight gave a delightful talk on cartooning, which he illustrated as he spoke.

JULY 2008, Laurie Armstrong was to give us a talk to his flight around Australia to raise money for the Timorese people.  He was unable to do so due to work commitments, so his co-pilot Mel Dougherty stepped in at the last minute and gave a very informative talk.  Many thanks to him for doing so.

JUNE 2008, Annette Martin was guest speaker, and gave a very informative talk on the BATS program at Chairo Christian School for students who have difficulties in the mainstream classes.

MAY 2008, Greg Lewis gave a very informative talk on financial planning with relation to social security issues.

APRIL 2008, Mal Doherty Oil Rigs.

 


  GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Graeme F.

MARCH 2008, Our AGM. There was no Guest Speaker due to holding the AGM, but Jim Black gave us an interesting insight into the Rottnest Island swim.

FEBRUARY 2008, Don Horsburgh from the Puffing Billy Railway gave an account of its history and operations.

JANUARY 2008, Helen McAdam from Consumer Affairs, spoke on the laws controlling retail trading and answered members’ questions.

DECEMBER 2007, "Christmas Function". Our Christmas Celebrations.

NOVEMBER 2007,  Phil Higgins gave an account of his work as the ‘Flying Scientist’ sponsored by Australia Post and working with the ‘School of the Air’ organization.

OCTOBER 2007, Margaret Simmons who spoke about her thesis for a PhD on the evacuation of British children during world war 2.

SEPTEMBER 2007, Mark James (Jones) gave a presentation of the role and structure of the CFA in the community both past and present.

AUGUST 2007, Brian Grist of the RACV gave us an interesting talk about road safety for older drivers, road rules, choosing a safe vehicle accessing ones driving ability examining alternative transport options, and planning future transport options.

JULY 2007,   Julia Hurst gave an account of her trip to China and her experiences walking the Kokoda Track.

JUNE 2007,  Jean Marler spoke about food rationing and some of her experiences in England during the 2nd World War.

MAY 2007,  Kath & Peter Trewern gave an account of their recent holiday in New Zealand and showed a power point display of photographs taken on their tour.

Bruce Jones spoke on the subject of nuclear power generation and its advantages in reducing global warming.

APRIL 2007,  Shane Hewson from the SES spoke about the work of the Service, particularly around the East Gippsland area.

 


  GUEST SPEAKER ORGANISER was Joan S.

MARCH 2007, Following the AGM at 1135am Jim Black spoke about his and Wendy’s trip to the Tamworth Music Festival this year and finished with a recital on his harmonica.

FEBRUARY 2007, Wally Christie spoke of the Rotary house-swapping scheme, his experience of participating in it and his resulting.

JANUARY 2007, Julie Wood cancer care nurse at Traralgon

NOVEMBER 2006, Barrie & Barbara Baker spoke of their three months spent on Deal Island as lighthouse caretakers for the National Trust.

OCTOBER 2006, Roy Hammond gave an account of a trip he made to Antarctica on board an ice breaker last year.

SEPTEMBER 2006,  Ronda Hunt from Anglicare spoke on the work of the on the Neighbourhood Disputes.

AUGUST 2006, John Wells gave an entertaining speech on his experiences as a National Serviceman serving in Vietnam in the late sixties.

JULY 2006, Matt Draisma, a local veterinarian, gave an account of his visits to Mongolia for the Wildlife Conservation Society, to manage the conservation of gazelles in that country.

JUNE 2006, David Innes Ambulance officer talked us of his experiences with an Australian Army team sent to offer assistance to the devastated country of Sumatra soon after the Tsunami struck there. His account was made more vivid by his digital photography.

MAY 2006, Bernie Rouwell & Gary Blackwood spoke about the wartime fighting on the Kakoda Trail, and their experiences taking groups trekking along the trail.

APRIL 2006,  Lionel Mussell who writes for Caravan World magazine and Author of the book ‘Australia Calling’ spoke of his experiences while touring around Australia.

MARCH 2006,  Lyn Hills spoke about her book "Jacksons Track". Our AGM

FEBRUARY 2006, Jacquey Turner from Gippsland Travel.

JANUARY 2006, Arthur Tomkin spoke on Paddle Steamers on the Murray River.

DECEMBER 2005,  "Christmas Function".   "This is your Life Kevin Quirk". ShowTime:     Christmas entertainment produced by Chris Brown and performed by some of the members was enjoyed by all those present, including it seemed those who took part!

NOVEMBER 2005, Acting Sergeant Peter Milne spoke of his experiences during his 25 years in various sections of the Victorian Police. Peter then answered many questions about policing.  

OCTOBER 2005. Ann Skinner speaking about Riding for the Disabled. Ann gave a very enlightening talk on the challenges which faced her after an horrific car accident where she was rendered a paraplegic. She also spoke about her involvement in several Paraplegic games.

SEPTEMBER 2005, Pam Haigh and seeing eye dog Earl speaking about vision impairment.

AUGUST 2005, John Davine Solicitor.

JULY 2005, Optometrist John Farmer who has spent a great deal of time in New Guinea using his skills.

JUNE 2005, Rev Jan St James Anglican Minister for Neerim South, interested the meeting as she spoke of her experiences as a Prison Chaplain in the prison system.

THE BEGINNING OF OUR CLUB.

Joan S was our foundation speaker organiser.