Blog Archive

Saturday 13 April 2019

Newsletter 325                          19 March 2019 

From the President:  This month another AGM rolls around….isn’t it frightening how the passing of the years seems to accelerate.
Thank you again for allowing me the honour of the Presidency this past year.  I can but continue to marvel at how well each Committee Member does their job, which makes the President’s role very easy.  Thank you also to Kevin Duffy and Clive Williams for deputising, whilst Gillian and I enjoyed our usual annual migration to the northern hemisphere.  I have no doubt everything proceeded much more smoothly whilst I was away!
In closing, I express my deep appreciation  to the Committee for all their hard work, and to all Members for their support of our activities.

                                    Ω      Ω      Ω      Ω                 
                         
Membership Report:  Our membership remains at 56, (34 women and 22 men).

Many Happy Returns of the Day for Your March Birthday:  Kristina T 01. Jeanette F 06, Don B 08, Lis T 18, Fran M 27, Elizabeth S 30.

Found on the Internet by Douglas I:  Members will recall the interesting interview that Clive W did with Olya Roohizadegan.  Her book about Iran is well and truly out of print.  My copy was obtained from abebooks.com.au.  This is an excellent source of hard to find second hand books.  The search goes world wide and my copy came from England in about 10 days.  The postage was only about $10 as well.  An other local supplier is booktopia.com.au.
 Also found on the Internet:  An excellent Falls Prevention booklet.  It can be downloaded from:  http://tinyurl.com/y5wl4a9x.

Guest Speaker:  Today we welcome Dr. Kristine Pezdirc, who will give us a very quick talk on a Monash University drug trial program.  Douglas I will also give a short talk on his recent work in Townsville as a Red Cross Emergency volunteer and in addition hold a brief discussion about the Norfolk Island trip.

Note:  All our Probus meetings are generally held on the third Tuesday of every month at 10:15am.  The next meeting will be held on 16th April 2019.  The committee meetings are conducted in the Northbridge Golf Club at 9:15am on the same day as the meeting.  Members are welcome to attend.

Program of Activities
Probus Walkers:  Tuesday 9th April 2019.  Wheeler Heights to Narrabeen via Lagoon Trail.
This walk is fairly flat all the way.  Starting at Wheeler Heights we walk through a couple of streets until we reach the entrance to the Lagoon Trail path.  The path takes us over bridges, past the Narrabeen Fitness Centre, runs adjacent to the Wakehurst Parkway and continues around the lake through Bilarong Sanctuary, the home of blue wrens, finishing in Pittwater Road.  From there we will catch the B1 bus to Spit Junction and go to the Mosman Hotel for lunch.  Walk classed as easy.  Approx. 5 klms. 
Meet:  Carrington Street, Wynyard Bus Stand 9:00am for next B1 bus.  

Probus Outings:  Tuesday 26th March 2019.  Camelia Gardens, 333 Taren Point Road, Caringbah. The Gardens began as a project under the 1970 Captain Cook Bicentenary program, and the first plantings were made in 1969.  They are named after the late Professor E.G Waterhouse, a leading world authority on camelias.  The garden has grown over the years into its present beauty.  Cost $30.  Bus departs 9:00am.  Lunch TBA. 

Tuesday 23 April:   Ian Savins.  Ian has a range of Interesting Mechanical Music Instruments.  Sing-a-long to roller pianola. Cost $30.  Bus departs at 9:00am.  Lunch Blue Gum Hotel.  

Meet a Member—Oriel T.  I was born in the UK during the war and my earliest memory is of my father, in army uniform, returning from service in North Africa.  We lived in a pretty market town in Somerset which had a population of approximately 5000 and was the main commercial centre for the surrounding villages. 
Whilst working in the local solicitor’s office I met someone that had lived in Australia and after seeing a TV program, a friend and I decided it would be a good idea to go there for a couple of years on a working holiday.  After 3 years I decided to return to the UK which took another six month. First visiting a friend in New Zealand then meeting up with a couple of friends in Acapulco and travelling up through Mexico into the USA and into Canada.  We travelled across Canada to New York, staying a while with cousins in Edmonton on the way, arriving in London after a few days in Bermuda. 
After a particularly cold, snowy UK winter and receiving a job offer from my previous employer in Sydney I returned.  I have accountancy qualifications and am also a Certified SAP Finance Consultant. 
In 1978 I went to China as an Agricultural Scientist to study farming practices.  It was the most fascinating trip I have ever done.  There were no privately owned cars, everyone lived in communes and wore the Mao pyjama outfit.  Mao was lying in State and we were invited to view his body which we declined as there was a queue of Chinese people over a mile long waiting to view him and our Chinese Hosts had permission to take us in straight away as we were ‘foreign friends’.  
Another interesting trip in 1988 was going to Zimbabwe and South Africa (apartheid was still relevant) and into Swaziland where we experienced a couple of incidents. 
Since retiring my time is filled with various activities, belonging to two walking groups, a weekly Tai Chi class, yearly theatre subscriptions, volunteering with 
PWFSG, Red Cross, U3A talks, SMSA talks, luncheons, etc. and, of course, Probus. 

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