Newsletter No. 57 - October 2021

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS, THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD BY ZOOM AT 10.30AM ON WEDNESDAY 27th OCTOBER

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President's Report

President’s Report - October

There are a couple of things I would like to draw to your attention this month.

Firstly, we have set down a Covid 19 policy for the club. Essentially we will abide by the NSW health guidelines. This means that until the 1st of December you cannot attend club activities unless you are fully vaccinated. After that time we ask all members to respect the health and wellbeing of their fellow members, and therefore do not attend activities unless they are fully vaccinated. We have no desire to get into a situation where we need to physically check every attendee to determine their vaccination status. We are relying on the integrity of our members and the fact that they are endangering their friends if they do not abide by this policy.

Secondly, we need to start thinking about committee positions for next year. The AGM comes up in March and will be upon us before we know it. We have at least three positions that will need filling. I have completed two years as President and am prohibited from extending, David Antonyuk has served as Vice President for three years and must move on, and Ian Roberts must stand down as treasurer. We need to inject new blood into the Committee on a regular basis. Think about volunteering and contact either Bev Dona or myself if you are interested.

Finally it looks like we are stuck with Zoom again for the October and November meetings. The only opportunity we will have to all get together will be the Christmas party, so get your payments in.

Bob Carritt President

Secretarial

Correspondence In

Emails received from PSPL advising:

1. Applications required for the position of Treasurer on the PSPL Board
2. Probus travel insurance (Allianz Global) is now available to all members through the PSPL website www.probussouthpacific.org/travel insurance
3. Sealink has become a Probus travel partner

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

ASURER’S REPORT                                               For the Month of October 2021

GENERAL ACCOUNT
Opening cash balance 1st October 2021             $3873.45
Interest 0.03
Deposits -
Expenses -         Cupboard hire
Closing cash balance 19th October 2021 $3873.48

ACTIVITIES ACCOUNT
Opening cash balance 1st October 2021 $55071.74
Interest 2.41
Deposits 500.00   Hamilton
Payments 680.00   Bus transport Hamilton
1000.00 Deposit Xmas lunch
Closing cash balance 19th October 2021 $55914.15

There are currently 5 activities open.

During the month, Hamilton was closed with a deficit to the Activities Surplus of $14.20, and a new activity for the Xmas lunch was opened. A deposit of $1000 was paid to The Madison Centre for the lunch. Agreement has also been reached with the Sirculo Restaurant for them to refund the monies we have paid to them so that refunds can be made to the Club participants.

Activity                                              Balance
Kiama 3780.00
Addams Family 814.00
Sirculo restaurant 2537.00
Broken Hill 47061.00
Xmas lunch (1000.00)
  $53192.00
Add:
Interest received
Last year                                               21.01
This year to date 12.03
Activities surplus 689.11
Bank balance $53914.15

TERM DEPOSIT
Interest for the Term Deposit is estimated to be $4.31 since it was reinvested.

INTEREST
For this year, $12.34 has been received as interest – General Account $0.31, Activities Account $12.03.

ACTIVITY SURPLUS
The Activity Surplus currently stands at $389.11.

Ian Roberts
Treasurer 19th October2021

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 October 2021
Well socially we seem to be starting to get back to some form of normality. Catching up with family and friends locally, getting out in the fresh air, picnicking and even getting some exercise!
I know lots of you have been keeping in contact with each other and keeping an eye out for anyone who might be needing help.

Very soon we will be able to travel into our regional areas where we will be further able to see family and friends and plan some local trips.

Being together no matter the format, whether it is for family or friends means we are being able to support, have fun and care for each other.

Hope you are all booking in for the Christmas Party on the 15th December at the Madison as this will be our final club get together for 2021. Thinking back to last year and the number of members who attended, the noise should be deafening!
If you know of anyone who may need some help, support or a phone call, please let either Terry or myself know so we can make contact.

Cathy Turner
Terry Ridge

Cathy Turner & Terry Ridge – Welfare Officers

October Meeting Speaker - Richard De Gris: Australia in the Antarctic: Birth of Antarctic exploration and the story of HMAS Wyatt Earp

The conclusion of World War II hostilities prompted the Commonwealth Government to establish a permanent base in the Australian Antarctic Territory. The Royal Australian Navy therefore commissioned its first and only research vessel, the improbably named H.M.A.S. Wyatt Earp. Plagued by a litany of problems during the 1947–1948 Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition, her 36-strong crew showed commendable resilience, turning a potential disaster-in-the-making into the Navy’s first and only successful polar research expedition.

Come on a voyage of Antarctic discovery, from the turn of the 20th century until today, learn about the hardships faced by intrepid explorers in pursuit of geopolitical advantage, and discover why a little Australian Navy ship was named after a gun-toting American sheriff from a landlocked state.

Richard de Grijs is an acclaimed academic and prolific public speaker. Born and raised in the Netherlands, his successful career in astronomy and astrophysics has allowed him to enjoy vibrant research environments at the University of Virginia (USA), the Universities of Cambridge and Sheffield (UK) and Peking University in Beijing, China.

Richard now hails from Sydney. He joined Macquarie University in 2018 as Associate Dean International (2018-2021). He received the 2012 Selby Award for excellence in science from the Australian Academy of Science, a 2017 Erskine Award for interdisciplinary science and student mentorship from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and a 2017 Jan Michalski Award for interdisciplinary science and public engagement from the Michalski Foundation (Switzerland). Richard is a passionate and popular speaker on topics related to astronomy, astrophysics and the history of maritime science and navigation.

History Of Vaccines

For those that would like to download a significantly updated pdf version of David's presentation (including speaker notes) last month on History Of Vaccines, please click HERE.

He has done a lot of work to improve the flow of the presentation and to provide more information about Covid-19 vaccines.

Photos From September Meeting

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

Probus Xmas Lunch 2021

When : Dec 15th 2021. 12pm to 4pm
Where : Madison Function Centre,   632 Old Northern Road, Dural.
What : Two course Xmas Lunch at tables of 10, tables well-spaced apart in the Stella room of the function centre.
                  Special food requirements can be catered for.
Parking : Off street parking for 140 cars,
Includes : Pre reception Drinks & Canapes on arrival, fresh bread rolls, bottles of white & red wine on table,
Two course Xmas meals alternatively served (mains & dessert),
tea & coffee, full linen tablecloths & napkins, Xmas decorations on tables.
Cost       : Probus members, $65 per head, $130 a couple. Bar service available at your own cost,
You can bring your own beer, and it will be kept in the fridge behind the bar for you.

The room can accommodate up to 250 guests. Restrictions after Dec 1st will allow more than 100 members to attend.

We hope that all members would join in, very step will be taken to ensure that it is COVID safe to required practices.
Please contact me (Enio) if you have any questions, by email or on mobile.

Birthday Celebrations

Happy Birthday
To all our members
Celebrating a birthday in October
David Antonjuk
Keith Ball
Robyn Bartle
David Boyd
Helen Games
Jan Hookkee
Lawrence Hookkee
Gordon Johnstone
Colin McGowan
Lorenza Powyer
Ian Roberts
Julie Shenstone
Sue Small

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.

Club Covid 19 Policy

We have set down a Covid 19 policy for the club. Essentially we will abide by the NSW health guidelines. This means that until the 1st of December you cannot attend club activities unless you are fully vaccinated. After that time we ask all members to respect the health and wellbeing of their fellow members, and therefore do not attend activities unless they are fully vaccinated. We have no desire to get into a situation where we need to physically check every attendee to determine their vaccination status. We are relying on the integrity of our members and the fact that they are endangering their friends if they do not abide by this policy.

Newsletter Copy Deadline

Please provide your contributions for the November Newsletter by Friday 19th November.

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 11

Activities List

To go to the Activities Calendar - click HERE!

Click on activity to go straight there!

Book Challenge

COVID SHMOVID – WE’VE GOT BOOKS!

18 BOOKS with a double up! The COVID SHMOVID challenge is well underway. It will run until the end of February. Many are finding inspiration from other members’ reads and that’s what makes it so great.
You can join the challenge at any time. Just search Facebook for WPH&D Book Challenge and join us. Once you’re in, choose the number of books you think you can read (+ 1 more) and get reading.
This past Month:

Leaving Time by Jodi Piqoult: for more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. Jenna regularly searches online and pours over Alice’s old journals, hoping to find a clue into her mother’s whereabouts. In her desperate search for the truth, she enlists the help of Serenity – a psychic famous for finding missing persons, and Virgil, a jaded P.I. who was the original investigator into Alice’s disappearance. A very unexpected finish.

From Strength to Strength by Sara Henderson: An interesting read and quite an incredible story of how the twists and turns in one’s life can make you more resilient and stronger. The story is over 30 years old and tells of Sara’s journey into life on the land. The author of this autobiography only died in 2005, aged 69, from leukemia. The story stands up to time.

The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy by B. M. Carroll: Sophie determined, ambitious, and brilliant at her work – she is tough, but only because she wants the best out of people. Aidan is strong, honourable and a family man – he’s tough too - the army requires it. They are brought together in a devastating accident, and Sophie’s life is left in ruins. Her family want Aidan to pay for what he die, and he is prepared to sacrifice everything to fix the mess he’s made. But some things can’t be fixed, and Sophie is not at all what she first appeared.

The Last Days of John Lennon by James Patterson (collaboration): reviewed in the September newsletter. Very enjoyable and very interesting.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty: reviewed in a past newsletter as a Book Club read. Most of us found it a bit disappointing.

The Unmumsy Mum Diary by Sarah Turner: a book for mums with babes and toddlers, but enjoyable anyway. Sarah Turner became a blogger when she became dissatisfied with all the baby raising books that seemed to only have happy mus with lovely children. This is her second book, compiled from her blogs, and she tells is like it is – at times more than graphically – but with humour and a sense that like everything in life, you need to be kind to yourself.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: well written whodunnit. Rachel thinks she knows about the loving couple she spies regularly from her train as is passes their house. She imagines their perfect life, one she wished for herself, but things turn out to be very different – not all you see is what it is.

Judas Horse by Lynda La Plante: the second book featuring Detective Jack Warr. Violent burglars have been terrorising residents across the English countryside for months. When a mutilated body is discovered in a Cotswold house, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary group of opportunistic thieves.

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow: historical, romantic fiction. Presents life after the death of Mr Bennet and its effect on the plainest, and seemingly dullest, third born daughter. A delicious, lovely sequel totally in the style of Jane Austen – superb reader. All the fluff and drama of pride, as Mary gradually realises her true worth.

Private Moscow by James Patterson & Adam Hamdy: just like a Bruce Willis film! If you like that sort of thing. Jack Morgan has started a private investigation unit called Private. Jack’s friend is very publicly murdered - killer (Russian of course) escapes - Jack pursues – big punch up – killer escapes – Jack returns to the murder scene – bystanders accuse him of being the murderer – cops arrest him – taken into custody – ‘Don’t you know who I am’ (read tough guy fighting evil) – police let him go. Another seemingly unrelated person is then murdered – repeat the above except that this time, Jack goes up to dying man, grips him by his lapels and says ‘Give me a name!!!’ – proceed to Jack’s arrest etc. Repeat this many times, then go to Russia, meet the love interest running his Moscow branch – lots of Russian/Jack violent interaction, chases, punch ups etc, double crossing, and so on and on and on…….

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis: Beth is sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, and discovers two ways to excape her surroundings: playing chess, and taking the little green pills given to the children to keep them subdued. Her chess abilities show real talent, and as she progresses to the top of the US and World chess rankings, she makes a new life for herself. Despite this, she can never quite overcome the urge to self-destruct.

Letters from Berlin by Tania Blanchard: Ingrid had migrated to Australia from Germany with her adoptive parents. She had been trying to find her birth mother for some time, and has received a parcel of Letters from Berlin, which were found among her birth mother’s – Susanna – family documents after she passed away at the age of 91. Ingrid then starts to read these letters to her own daughter. Susanna’s life story unfolds from when she was orphaned as a young child, through her early life up to and during WWII, and the rebuilding of life after the war. A very interesting read.

Everybody has Something to Hide by Deborah Moggach: Many threads in this book, eventually linked together. Petra falls in love with Jeremy – her best friend’s husband. Just as they were to live together, he mysteriously dies. Lorrie is a Texan housewife who loses all her money in an internet scam. She is too fearful to tell her husband, so she emarks on the biggest deception of her life to put things right. In China, Li Jing wonders why her businessman husband spends so much time in Africa.

The Dressmaker’s Secret by Rosalie Ham: Reviewed last month.

Shearwater by Andrea Mayes: Cassie drives to the town of Shearwater to escape her old life, her husband, and his pregnant lover. The descriptive and flowery writing detracts from any real story. The blurb says: A place where anything might happen. Anything at all. However, expectations of interesting characters and plots never happen. The reader found this very disappointing – would have served better as a travel destination for the migrations of the shearwaters.

Becoming Michelle Obama: reviewed in past newsletter – an interesting read, fluently written. However, the ending was a bit too deeply embedded in politics.

Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst: reviewed in August newsletter – predictable but sweet – in these days of Covid, it brings back great memories of Italian holidays in past years.

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. 57 - October 2021PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS, THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD BY ZOOM AT 10.30AM ON WEDNESDAY 27th OCTOBER