Newsletter No. 55 - August 2021

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS, THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD BY ZOOM AT 10.30AM ON WEDNESDAY 25th AUGUST

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President's Report

President’s Report - August

Well here we are again in lockdown. And it doesn’t look like ending for several more months. Who would have believed that such a situation would overtake us?

So we have to make the best of it. The Committee has agreed that we will still publish a Newsletter each month and that we will continue with our Zoom meetings. There may not be much to report in the Newsletter, and there may not be a whole lot to discuss on Zoom. However, it is an opportunity to “connect” as a group and perhaps provide some communication and interaction with our many friends in the club. It looks like it may be that way for several more months.

I don’t have much to report as President. I have received the financial results for Probus South Pacific (PSPL). They achieved an after-tax surplus of $51,236 against the loss of $66,570 in the previous year. This result includes significant assistance from the Australian Government’s JobKeeper programs. They revised their business model in line with reduced levels of revenue and were able to reduce their cost base.

So the Probus organisation and its ongoing support remain very strong at year end.
Please remember the point that I made last month. ie Take time out to call some of your Probus friends each week. We all need some interaction with others in these tough times. Good health to all members. Obey the rules. Get vaccinated.

Bob Carritt President

Secretarial

Correspondence In

Received an email from Bill Killinger, PSPL Representative and Director who is reaching out to the Probus community expressing the need to keep connected with members during these difficult times. The theme of this years "Probus Day" on October 1 is Celebrate Probus - Do a Friend a Favour.

How grateful we should all be for the good friends we have made through Probus.

Correspondence Out

None

Bev Dona

Details of the Probus Member Benefit Scheme are at: www.probussouthpacific.org/pages/members_offers_member_benefits_scheme
(click on link)

Treasurer's Report

Note that Ian has "jazzed up " his treasurer's report!

For those that still want the more "boring" version, here it is!

TREASURER’S REPORT                                               For the Month of July 2021

GENERAL ACCOUNT
Opening cash balance       1st July 2021               $3879.35
Interest 0.03
Deposits 54.00   Membership fees
Expenses 20.00   Cupboard hire
Closing cash balance       31st July 2021 $3913.38

ACTIVITIES ACCOUNT
Opening cash balance       1st July 2021 $40720.04
Interest 0.72
Deposits 28.00   Bonville
(111.00) Addams family refund
1260.00   Hamilton
18969.00   Broken Hill
Payments (235.00) Bonville
(337.00) Museum
(51387.00) Broken Hill
Closing cash balance       31st July 2021 $8907.76

There are currently 6 activities open.
Activity                                              Balance
Kiama                                                   3565.00
Addams Family 814.00
Sirculo restaurant 2537.00
Broken Hill 0.00      Trip has been pre-paid
Hamilton 1260.00
  $8176.00
Add:
Interest received
Last year                                               21.01
This year to date 7.44
Activities surplus 703.31
Bank balance $9907.76

TERM DEPOSIT
The Term Deposit has been reinvested at an interest rate of 0.3%. Interest for the last 2 years has increased the amount reinvested to $5092.62.

INTEREST
For this year, $7.65 has been received as interest – General Account $0.21, Activities Account $7.44.

ACTIVITY SURPLUS
The Activity Surplus currently stands at $703.31.

Ian Roberts
Treasurer             6th August 2021

Membership

Just a reminder of our Club policies for attendance at meetings and activities.

Members are expected to attend a minimum of 10 functions (meetings and/or activities) per Probus year (April to March).
Visitors may only attend a maximum of 3 functions (meetings and/or activities) per Probus year.

Our membership is currently full, at the agreed maximum of 110.

Jeff Swan – Membership Officer

Welfare

Welfare Report - August
Still here in lockdown with a few more restrictions since last month. It will be great when we see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel…and we will eventually!

I have spoken to a number of people and we all seem to be keeping our spirits up by either speaking with friends or going for walks and catching up as well as working off those covid kilos!

Luckily the weather has been wonderful so it is great to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Golf and tennis are a few of the sports we can still do and I know those who do, really appreciate it.

Both Terry Ridge and Toni Smith have had their hip operations since last month and are both at the same rehab facility so are keeping each other company. A friendly face makes a difference when you cannot be with or see your family. A number of other members have had their trials and tribulations over the last few weeks so I know you would wish them all the best and speedy recoveries.

You will be pleased to know the house painting has all but finished! Now I will get on to the furniture painting and revitalizing. Well, it does keep me busy and occupied.
Looks like the carpet is going to be delayed so we will have to live in a “semi removalist state” for a bit longer.

Keep in contact, keep occupied and keep an eye out for each other.

Cathy Turner
Terry Ridge

Cathy Turner & Terry Ridge – Welfare Officers

August Meeting Speaker - David Antonjuk - The History of Vaccines

David's Biography

Education:

Hurstville Primary School
Sydney Technical High School
Bachelor of Science with Honours in Organic Chemistry – Sydney University
Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Chemistry – Sydney University
Master of Business Administration – Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Macquarie University

Career:

After graduating with my PhD, I joined a company called Analchem and worked as an Applications Chemist supporting the sales team of a scientific supply company called FSE which stood for Fisons Scientific Equipment. After two years I was directly employed by FSE, eventually becoming a senior salesperson. FSE was a British company which made a number of major acquisitions. Follow several of these acquisitions, an instrument division was created within FSE and I took on a national role of selling high end scientific instrumentation. I then moved into selling in SE Asia which required regular travel to Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand which broadened my love of Asian food. Following a reorganisation, I became the General Manager of the renamed instrument division which was now called Fisons Scientific Instruments.

In 1996 the Fisons group of companies were sold off and I was retrenched. Shortly thereafter, I joined a company called Gelman Sciences as their Asia Pacific Regional Manager and my travels to SE Asia returned and this time I travelled regularly to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. Gelman Sciences was acquired by a company call Pall in 1998, and in 2005 I was again retrenched. Subsequently, I joined a Australian private company based in Sydney called ALS as their National Sales Manager and then in 2007 ALS merged with Abacus Scientific to form Abacus ALS with head office in Brisbane. When they closed the Sydney office in 2008, I was again retrenched. Determined not to be retrenched again and at the peak of the GFC I started my own business which is called Bionovus Life Sciences and I have been happily working from home ever since and no longer fear being retrenched.

I am married to Susan and we have a son and a daughter and two absolutely delightful granddaughters.

The title of my presentation will be “The History of Vaccines”.

The concept of vaccination goes back further than one might expect. In the presentation we will look at some of the earliest attempts at vaccination and who were some of the key people in their development. We will look at the development of modern day vaccines and their impact on human health and the control of infectious diseases. We will also look at how vaccines work and what are some of their advantages and what are some of their limitations.

Photos From July Meeting

I apologise for the quality of the photos, but they are screen dumps

Birthday Celebrations

Happy Birthday
To all our members
Celebrating a birthday in August

Bev Davison
Pam Godoy
Mary Mitchell
Kim Nicholls
Ron Peterson
Eric Scheeren
Gerard Sidddle
Ken Smith
Toni Smith
Alan Somerfield
Cathy Turner

2021 Trivia Night - CANCELLED!

The West Pennant Hills & Cherrybrook Rotary Club Trivia Night on Saturday 18th September has unfortunately had to be cancelled due to Covid 19 restrictions

Rotary Club Of Greater Hills - The Great Tea Cosy Competition

For all you knitters or crocheters in the club, here is a worthwhile cause for your efforts!

Please see Joan Cram if you have any queries.

To download the pdf version of the flyer below, please click HERE

JOKES TO KEEP YOU AMUSED DURING LOCKDOWN

Thanks to Hilda , Sue and others for these jokes and cartoons. Whilst some of you may have seen these before, we can always get a laugh out of them the second time around!

Women in three pictures

Men in three pictures

A Nesting Falcon (beautiful)

It is a beautiful sight to see one nesting high up in a majestic Eucalyptus tree!

I've seen many remarkable nature photographs over the years but this photo of a
nesting falcon in an old tree is perhaps the most remarkable nature shot that I've ever seen.

Please send this to your Ausi older friends, since the younger ones probably have never seen such a falcon and wouldn't recognize it.

Click HERE to see the nesting falcon (the link is safe).

How come we didn't see any toilets on our Bright trip labelled as below?

Activities & Leaders

As a result of the sign-up sheets at the Foundation Meeting and expressions of interest on application forms we have set up numerous activities and interest groups.

Newsletter Copy Deadline

Please provide your contributions for the August Newsletter by Friday 17th September.

Please email to Enio Dona or Bev Davison for activities or direct to Andrew Little for other articles.

Alternatively place directly into Dropbox under WPHD Probus Activities / Activity Newsletter Contributions / Contributions – 2021 09

Activities List

To go to the Activities Calendar - click HERE!

Click on activity to go straight there!

Book Challenge

SIT – READ – CHILL!

Another 13!!!! books read in the past month – must be the lockdown!
The ‘SIT – READ – CHILL’ Challenge finishes at the end of August. You can still join up so you can be part of the group. The next challenge will start in September – the ‘COVID-SHMOVID’ challenge – who cares when you’ve got books? Just search Facebook for WPH&D Book Challenge and join us.
This Month:

Dead Man Walking by Kate McClymont: Fascinating background to the really revolting scoundrels that were/are around Sydney. You get mad at the fact that they can get away with stuff, and also mad that they feel they can do whatever they like and b*gger the consequences. How people can just get a mind to being such b@stards😡. Teeth gnashing 😖looking in on it. Of course, crime doesn't pay in the long run as Michael McGurk, Ron Medich and their hangers on (like Lucky!!!!!! Gatelari) found. A bunch of totally self-centred, bumbling greed driven d**kheads. Kate McClymont should however realise that she's a writer, not a reader, and let a professional have a go.

The Royal Correspondent by Alexandra Joel: Hmm – the reader was a bit whiny so a tiny bit annoying for listening, but a good story anyway. Blaise Hill, raised in one of Sydney's toughest neighbourhoods, realises her dream to become a journalist, but in the ‘60’s proper journalists are male. She gets assigned to the Womens' Pages with no more prospects than reporting on who wore what at the last Society do. When she is dispatched to London to cover the wedding of Princess Margaret to Tony Snowdon, she becomes embroiled in the scandals and political turmoil that were a big part of the '60's scene, Russian spies and the deceit of men.
She is haunted by a past murder though, becoming torn between two men. Who can she trust?

Catherine of Aragon by Alison Prince: Part of the “My Story” series, and it’s quite a thrilling one. In the form of a story/diary it sets out the pomp, plots and political wrangling of the Tudor court.

A Long Way from Paradise by Leah Chishugi: A bit confronting initially with the description of the realities of the genocide in Rwanda. A book of survival, resilience, and triumph of good over evil.

Mary’s Last Dance by Mary Li: The untold story of the wife of the Li Cunzin – Mao’s Last Dancer. It follows her journey from a childhood in Rockhampton, then as a teenager at the Royal Ballet School in London, and eventually to the USA where she met her future husband Li. When their first child is born profoundly deaf, Mary sacrifices her career to help Sophie learn to speak. The book follows the ups and down of their lives as a family, and the emotional roller coaster that their life brought them. Insightful.

The Witch Finder’s Sister by Beth Underdown: based on a true character with changes to make the story work. In 1645 when Alice Hopkins’ husband dies in an accident, she returns to Manningtree in Essex, where her brother Matthew still lives. The town is no longer a safe place. He has changed, and there are rumours spreading: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book in which he is gathering women’s names. Didn’t take much to be tried as a witch in those days.

Infinite Splendours by Sofie Laguna: At times it was difficult to read because of the trauma inflicted on the main character. This trauma changes his life forever, from a young boy to a midle aged man. He is a gifted artist and sees beauty in all things of nature. Interesting but not a particularly uplifting or feel-good story.

The Grand Tour by Olivia Wearne: Well – this was one of those ‘life is too short’ books. It took half the book to get into it, and the rest wasn’t worth reading. Embarking on a Nomads road trip and finding a stowaway in their van, they turn from being unsuspecting tourists into wanted kidnappers. Essentially a story of families – those you have and those you make.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser: a mix of intrigue, romance, ego, betrayal, sexism and the plight of women in Tudor England. Yet another story where we are NOT surprised that Henry is NOT an admirable character!

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley: A murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. A group of ol college frenemies are snowed in at a Scottish mountain hunting lodge over a New Year break. One of them is found dead. One of them is a killer. An innocent break becomes a cauldron of secret resentments too heavy to bear. Something gives and well?? The writing holds the reader’s interest right until the end.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary: Reviewed in a previous newsletter, but it’s a very worthwhile book. Leena, forced into a 2 month sabbatical, swaps places with her newly husbandless grandmother, Eileen. She goes to the country village and Eileen to Leena’s London flat and flatmates. They don’t just swap living arrangement but also take charge of the other’s life. A funny, warm and light-hearted read.

Neighbours by Danielle Steel: After the devastating earthquake, a group of neighbours gather together and temporarily live under one roof until repairs to their houses are complete. The characters evolve in their time together under the one roof. An easy, feel-good story showing that something good can come out of something bad.

Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst: About Sophia, her career-obsessed/control freak daughter, Francesa, and her teenage granddaughter Allegra. Suspecting she is quite ill Sophia decides that they need a holiday together in the country of her birth. As they set out on a tour of Italy, with a tour guide romance, a chance meeting of old souls, and the angst of meeting a young Irishman destined for the priesthood, it becomes a journey through their relationships. I loved the way that it didn't have the predictable happily-ever-after ending. I'd hate to see Hollywood get its hands on this story.

Sue Calabrese

Activity Group	Leaders
Book Challenge	Sue Calabrese
Book Club	Bev Davison
Bridge	Looking For Leader
Cards	David Turner
Cycling	Bruce Bartle
Day Trips (Bus/Train/Ferry)	Helen Games
Dining Out	Wendy Carritt
Domestic Travel	Max Henderson
Gardening	Sue Small, Lorenza Powyer
Golf	Terry Ridge
Investment Group	David Antonjuk
Mens Club	Rene Beutler
Mixed Social Group	Kim Nicholls
Movies	Sue Small and Lorenza Powyer
Overseas Travel	Looking For Leader
Photography	Rob Clarke
Ten Pin Bowling	Douglas Matthews
Tennis	Bob Davison
Theatre and Musicals	Bruce Bartle
Walking Group	Enio Dona
Wine & Cheese	Julie Shenstone, Susan Antonjuk

For an activity group to start, a member needs to step forward to lead the group

Newsletter

Newsletter No. 55 - August 2021PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS, THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD BY ZOOM AT 10.30AM ON WEDNESDAY 25th AUGUST