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Probus Club of Perth
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This listing is intended to give newer members a sense of the range
of topics covered and older members a nostalgic look back.
Click Here to go to Most Recent Past Speakers on this page
- Rick Tait ~ past Director of Habitat for Humanity Canada's Global Villages Program
- Sandra Oey ~ Project Manager, Builds and Chapters for Habitat for Humanity for Greater Ottawa (Habitat GO)
- Chris Hahn ~ Dean of the Perth Campus of Algonquin College
- Pauline Fitchett, the Executive Director of the Perth Enrichment Program for Older Adults (PEP), will speak about the reasons behind the development of the program, how the program was established, and the benefits of those who are involved in the program. Pauline has been the Executive Director of PEP for over four and a half years. Before this position, she was the General Manager of the Perth and District Chamber of Commerce for more than three years. This position gave Pauline the chance to connect with many different people, non-profit organizations, and the community itself.
- Jamie Doolittle, Probus Canada Treasurer and the Director for Ontario-District #1 visited the club as part of his duties as District Director. He spoke entertainingly about the origins of Probus and about the growth of Probus Clubs both in Canada and internationally.
1996
February Hon. Judge John Matheson Canada as a Nation with or without Quebec
March John J Stewart Restoration and Revitalization of Perth
April Betty and Matt Burpee Sailboat Building and Chartering in England
and the Caribbean
May William Nelson Wax Technology and the Containment of
Radon and Radiation in the Environment
June Susan Code History of Perth
July Frank Houghton CESO Canadian Executive Services Organization
August No Speaker Tour of the Albany Plant in Perth
September No Speaker Thousand Island Boat Cruise, Gananoque
October Robert Leitch Lanark Communications Network
November Bryce Bell Amalgamation of Municipalities in Lanark County
December Brad Marsh His Experiences in the National Hockey League
1997
January Neil Fennell Community Policing and Crime Prevention
February Donald McNaughton Challenges Faced By Canada's Armed Forces
March John Ruggles Arctic Thoughts from Keewatin District, NWT
April Charles Long Living Beyond the Fast Lane and Enjoying It
May Dominic Gallerneault The 3M Company: Perth and Worldwide
June Ken & Elizabeth Murray Insights into Elder Hostel Worldwide
July No Formal Meeting Golf and Lunch at Links of Tay
August Bob Parks Perth and Smith's Falls District Hospital
September Greg Anderson Legal Problems Facing Seniors
October No Formal Meeting Wakefield Steam Train Excursion
November Gus Quattrocchi The Merchants, Professionals and Tradespersons of Perth
December Wendy & Art Briggs-Jude Local Flora and Fauna and Related Stories
1998
January Tom Graham Fitness the Key to a Good Life
February Graeme Crabb Artistic Slide and Sound Presentation
March Kurt Holl Leather - A Day in the Tannery
April Franziska Von Rosen Film - Living with Deer
May Walter Brown Genealogy and the Lanark County Society
June Beverly McCreight How to Deal with Ice Storm Damaged Trees
September Shaun Thompson Amphibians are Worthwhile
October Linda Chaplin Long Term Care, Past, Present and Future
November None Trip to Parliament Hill
December Dave Darling Regional V.P. Royal Bank of Canada
1999
January Lana March Perth, Present and Future
February Judith Knudsen Acoustics Systems for Marine Application
March Olivier Chatillon OMYA Canada Plant and Products
April Ian Miller Ian's and Big Ben's Rise to Fame Stories
May Dave Trick Development of the Perth Soap Company
June Helga & Dave Zimmerly Sailing Half Way Around the World
September John Clement The Perth Courier and Independent Papers
October Victoria Gibb-Carsley The Council of Canadians Issues-Water Export
November Jim Peden The Geographic Information System Project
December Lloyd Morrison Author and Artist of Valley Churches
2000
January Gordon Cowie Perth's Millennium Activities
February Michel Germain Development of a Perfume Business
March Sharon Kraft / Stephen Taylor Organ Transplant-A Personal Story
April Tim Wynne-Jones The Value of Writing for the Writer
May Gus Quattrocchi Some Highlights of Perth History
June David Turner Anthropological Insights of an Australian
Aboriginal Community
September Barry Crampton Update on the Lanark Communication Network
October Don McNaughton The Great War Memorial Foundation
November Joyce Firlotte Powers of Attorney-Health and Property
December Laura MacCuaig Asset Allocation in an Investment Portfolio
2001
January Jaime Waitman The Rideau Carleton Raceway and Casino
February Ann and Gordon Munroe The 2003 International Plowing Match
March John Kruithof Handing Over Hong Kong to China in1997
April Alfred von Mirbach A Run Through the Himalayas Team NOMAD
May Peggy Neilson / Kate Bergin Home Care Services and Long Term Placement
- What We Need to Know
June Dawn Smith Knowledge is the Best Medicine-Senior Drugs
September Pam Tysick / Sheila Weeks Long Stay Vacations - Spain and Portugal
October Peter Code A Virtual Bus Tour of Perth
November John Stewart Neighbourhood Rehabilitation Project-China
December Todd Stepanuik What's New at the Perth and Smith's Falls District Hospital
2002
January Earl Johns Policing Issues-Perth and Carleton Place
February Edmund Patten Restoring the Nieuport 17 - Aviation Museum
March David Ballinger History and Issues - The Rideau Canal
April Robert Fonberg The Role of the Privy Council Office
May Jim Peden / Jeff Dean Development and Use of the Geographic
Information System in Lanark County
June Henry Hengeveldt Climate Change and Global Warming
September Nedege Adam Concerns About Genetically Modified Foods
October Bill Hale The Story of Deregulated Hydro Power
November Dan Black Generations of Remembrance
December Dan Taylor Wine Making in Prince Edward County
2003
January Murray Quattrocchi Life in Perth During the 1920's and 30's
February David Poole The Canada Council Grants Programme
March Carol Dillon The Environmental Bill of Rights / Tay River
April Imam Gamal Solaiman The Islam Religion with a Canadian Context
May Alfred von Mirbach Climate Change and the Projects of ecoPerth
June Walter Prystawski The National Arts Centre Orchestra
September Joellen McHard The Volunteer Hospice Visiting Service
October Ron Miller Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Remembrance
November Mr. Justice Stephen March The Provincial Court System
December Carolee Mason and students The Long Tradition of Performing Arts in Perth
2004
January Jackie Marshall Life in Arctic Bay, Nunavut
February Don MacKay The History of the Rideau Canal
March Capt. Patrick Toomey Taking Tourists to the North Pole
April R. Hicks and B. McInnes The ABCs of Fraud
May Tobi Kiesewalter The History and Ecology of Murphy's Point Park
June Gordon Walton Canadian Forces Life in Afghanistan
September Hans Sinn Peace Brigades International
October Judy Young Teaching ESL in China
November Murray Quattrocchi Landing on Juno Beach (60th anniversary)
December Wynne White Teaching English to language teachers in Laos
2005
January Dr. Herb Helmstaedt The Canadian Diamond Industry
February Joellen McHard The Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral
Service (VCARS) of Lanark County
March Capt. Patrick Toomey Comparing the Antarctic to the Arctic
April Jack Herd Musical Program with the PDCI Band
May John Wilson Powers of Attorney - Property and Personal Care
June Graham Kelly New Zealand's Electoral System
September Mike Poulin Services of Lanark County Mental Health Unit
October Dr. Allen Crawford Bank of Canada and Canada's Monetary Policy
November Murray Quattrocchi VE Day 60th Anniversary Trip to Holland
and
David Zimmerley / Ally Ross Guatamala Stove Project
December Paul Egginton Climate Change
2006
January Rt. Rev. Patrick Lee Six Years in Uganda
February Lisa Morgan Levine Recycling and Trash Disposal
March William Rowe Medications for Heart Disease and Diabetes
April Tugrul Biltekin Turkey - its History and Tourist Charms
May Darinka Morrelli YAK, the Youth Action Kommittee in Perth
June Ian Doig My Magical Years in the Czech Republic
September Catherine Shearon Reaching Fitness Goals and Living Healthier Lives
October Grover Lightford Background, and development of our Probus Club
November Peter Black Fair Vote Canada - “Does your vote count?”
December David Jacklin Meet the Marks Brothers, Canadian Kings of Repertoire
2007
January Bob Sneyd The Real Miracle of the Rideau Canal
February Lynn Ball Life on a Press Pass
March Mike Nickerson Living on Earth as if we want to stay
April Peter Code A Virtual Walking Tour of Perth
May Nancy Wildgoose Volunteers in the Community
June Jim Sands The Hobbies of a Master of Detail
September Brenda Hurle The United Way in Lanark County
October John Kittle Uranium Exploration and Mining Issues in Eastern Ontario
November Dan Black Remembrance and Youth
December John Nikita RCMP International Peace Operations
2008
January Roy MacSkimming “MacDonald”, Roy’s current novel about Sir John A.
February John Clement Heritage Perth Business Improvement Area
March Meeting snowed out!
April Helga and David Zimmerly Touring the Galapagos Islands
May James Bartleman From Port Carling to Perth: “All a Matter of Luck!”
June Ken Watson Exploring the Ancient Rideau
September Nancy Scarth My Travels in Siberia
October Harry Needham A Tale of Six Grandfathers – the United Empire Loyalists
November General Lewis McKenzie Peacekeeping Missions
December The Men of the Tay Seasonal songs
2009
| January | Susan Code | Stories of the area. |
| February | John McKenty | The life and times of the James Brothers and his book "Follow the Crowd". |
| March | Heather Perkins-McVey | The legal issues associated with health care. |
| April | Rudi Lepp | Nuclear energy and its possible role in our future. |
| May | Frank Roy | "Darts to Arrows: a celebration of the 100th anniversary of powered flight". |
| June | Peter Craske | D-Day experiences ~ marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied Invasion of Europe . |
| September | Doug Burt | Presentation on Dignity House of Perth, a palliative care facility. |
| October | Dennis Dwyer | “Will There be a Church for Our Great Grandchildren?”. |
| November | General Clive Addy | Today's Soldier |
| December | Elaine Turner | Presentation on Perth and District Community Foundation, which has provided more than $100,000 in grants for worthwhile projects in our area in recent years. |
2010
| January | Carl Whitehouse | Living conditions for indigenous Mayans of Guatemala and the mobile eye clinic project |
| February | Larry Cotton | The author of "Whiskey and Wickedness" on the early whiskey industry in Perth |
| March | Jorgan Hoeven & Eric Cosens | The Wilson Street Redevelopment and other Perth infrastructure programs. |
| April | Bob Pearson | The Elderhostel travel programs. |
| May | Keith & Graham Lindsey | Heritage Fair Re-enactment of the War of 1812 . |
| June | Jim Gilpin | His experiences in World War II . |
| September | David Batchelor & Carl Whitehouse | The Guatemalan Eye Clinic ~ a post project report. |
| October | Walter Baker | His walking tour from Lands End in Cornwall to John o’Groats in North Eastern Scotland. |
| November | Brigadier General Dabros | His experiences in Afghanistan. |
| December | Roy (Sandy) MacSkimming | His latest book 'Laurier in Love'. |
2011
| January | Dennis Dwyer | A two part presentation “Mediation and Dispute Resolution” and “Small Home Based Businesses for Seniors”. |
| February | n/a | Meeting cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.. |
| March | Simon Lunn | Presentation on nature photography |
| April | Todd Stepaniuk | |
| May | Cliff Bennett | Presentation on Loons. |
| June | John Chattoe | The effect of information technology on our families including seniors, presented at the Timber Run Golf Club in Lanark |
| September | Wynne White | On her experiences living and teaching in Ethiopia. |
| October | Elizabeth Goldman | The new Head Librarian of the Perth and District Union Library talked about her plans and ideas to make the library more community minded and lively |
| November | Major-General(Ret’d) Clive Addy | Presented a powerful documentary entitled “If I Should Fall”. In large part this video presentation was put together by a soldier from General Addy’s regiment and who was killed in Afghanistan. |
| December | Gordon & Linda Craig | The new Proprietors of the Perth Manor Boutique Hotel spoke about why they bought the Manor and their plans for the music series to be held there. |
2012
| January | Bennie Beattie | Bennie Beattie, a long –time summer resident of the Saguenay Lac St. Jean area of Quebec spoke about the Whales of the St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence River Estuary. There are more varieties of whales in this area than any other place in the world. |
| February | Diana Beresford-Kroeger | Diana Beresford-Kroeger, medical biochemist, world-traveler and author and well-known independent academic who describes herself as a “renegade scientist”, discussed the Arboretum Borealis and its relation to climate change. |
| March | Dr. David Turner | Dr. David Turner, a Perthite (his father was Managing Editor of the Perth Courier) who is a recently retired anthropologist from the U of T , spoke about his experiences with aboriginals in Australia. |
| April | Nancy Wildgoose | Nancy Wildgoose on the Renaissance of the Perth & District Food Bank |
| May | Ron Alquist | Ron Alquist, Assistant Chief Economic Analysis at the Bank of Canada, on economic research and the determinants of oil prices. |
| June | Brian Perkin | Brian Perkin, V-P & Program Director of “Lake 88” our very own and popular FM station. |
| September | Sandra Joyce | Sandra Joyce on “UK Home Children” |
| October | John McKenty | All about the history of Christie Lake |
| November | Glenn Tunnock | The War of 1812. Glenn ia an accredited land use planner, with over 30 years of experience. He has an MA (History) and an MPA from Queen's University and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from Waterloo University (read full bio). |
| December | Major-General(Ret’d) Clive Addy | Clive Addy headed up a team including our Chief of Police, Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Preparedness. Their subject: SECURITY & OUR CONTINUED SAFETY. Gen. Addy described the concerns at the international, national, and provincial levels while the rest of the team covered Perth. (read bio). Mindreader video included in presentation. |
2013
| January 2013 |
Chris McGuire Sherwin, with Bonnie Waugh, Terrey Roach and Susan Samila |
Chris and her team talked about Lanark County Community Home Support, which offers an astonishing range and variety of support services to seniors and adults with physical disabilities to enable them to stay in their homes. |
| February 2013 | Amanda Groshinski |
Amanda Groshinski talked about Plasko Energy and their innovative technology garbage can be converted into energy reducing the need for landfills while generating electricity. |
| March 2013 | Cheri Barton  |
Cheri Barton on Organ Donation: Representing the Ontario Trillium Gift of Life Foundation, Cheri is a dairy farmer’s wife from Vankleek Hill, ON who herself will need a liver & kidney transplant. Organ donation is an important facet of state-of-the-art medicine. Several members have subsequently registered for organ donation and say that it is very fast, secure and easy ~ click here to register now, then be sure to tell your family you have done so. |
| April 2013 | Don Drummond |
Don Drummond explained the background to the Drummond Report and the intricacies of government finance. Mr. Drummond is a noted Canadian economist, having served extensively in the federal Department of Finance Canada, as Chief Economist at Toronto-Dominion Bank and as a scholar at Queen's University. He is known for his wide contributions to public policy in Canada and extensive citation on economic issues. |
| May 2013 | James Bissett |
James Bissett, one of Canada’s leading authorities on immigration, spoke on this subject. After 36 years of public service often serving at the highest levels, in 1974 he was appointed head of the Immigration Foreign Services. After serving as Canadian Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Albania in the early 90s he was asked by the Russian government to help in establishing a new immigration agency. |
| June 2013 | Willa Dwyer |
Willa Dwyer told us what it’s like to be a woman in the "man’s world" of long haul trucking. She is a sixth generation Montrealer who grew up in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, graduated from Mount Allison University in Science & Math, then obtained a baccalauréat en design industriel de l’Université de Montréal. Following a series of executive positions in retailing, marketing and manufacturing, she decided to become a long-haul trucker and obtained her Class 1 license. Today she is a driver for Normandin Transit in Napierville, QC and lives in West Brome, Québec. |
| September 2013 | David O’Blenis |
David O’Blenis has spent his whole life flying, now he’s the president of the Smiths Falls Flying Club, but behind that is a distinguished career in the RCAF ending up as a Lt. Gen. and deputy commander of NORAD followed by senior executive positions in a number of well known Canadian companies. He is also an enthusiastic photographer. It is in that role that he will entertain us with a presentation and pictures of an unforgettable safari in Africa. |
| October 2013 | George Addy |
George Addy has already had a distinguished career as a lawyer specializing in trade and investment issues. He is a senior partner of Ward Phillips & Vineberg, a former head of the Canadian Competition Bureau, later Executive VP and Chief General Council for TELUS. He is sought after by Canadian and foreign-based clients in relation to mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures as they are impacted by regulations for foreign investment in Canada. With investment in Canada now coming from far away countries like China, India and the Middle East, we are fortunate to have a speaker who can give us an expanded appreciation of this important area. |
| November 2013 | F/O (Ret’d) Jim Sands, RCAF |
Jim Sands told us the fascinating story of how radar helped to win not only the Battle of Britain, but the war at sea and on land. As a specialist in electronics in the RCAF, F/O Jim Sands, “Sandy” to all who know him and served with him, led us though this great story. He knows his stuff and he tells it with sparkle. This gentleman built his first three tube radio when he was only ten! |
| December 2013 | Craig Greenwood |
December 4 ~ Craig Greenwood. a Probian, presented “The Fantastic White Bears of the Ice.” During a 31 year career with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Craig made a years-long study of polar bears in northern Ontario. Mindreader video included in presentation. |
2014
| January 2014 |
Derek Cooke
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Derek Cooke, one of our newer Probus members who gave his personal profile at the November meeting, returned to talk about his eleven years working in Saudi Arabia. |
| February 2014 | Alexis Troubetskoy  |
Alexis Troubetskoy is the son of Russian immigrants and grew up in Montreal. While attending university at Concordia he joined the RCN(R) and served as a Lt. After graduate studies he became a teacher and then headmaster of two private schools. Presently he travels the world as International Liaison Officer for the IOCC. (International Orthodox Christian Charities) He has a passion for Canada’s arctic and his acclaimed book “ Arctic Obsession” was published by MacMillan. |
| March 2014 | Ted Dyke  |
Ted Dyke is a retired electrical contractor whose hobbies over the year have been wood turning and photography. His passion today is nature and he has recently been up in Churchill Falls and has some wonderful pictures of wild life in natural settings. Given that another interest is racing cars - he has competed at Watkins Glen - his presentation to us in March of photo studies of plants and animals, highlights again the eclectic nature of our membership. For a taste of Ted’s photography click here. |
| April 2014 | George Laidlaw  |
George Laidlaw on "For the Love of History" A native of Ottawa, after working for the Canadian government as a biologist for over thirty years, George started another career as a story-teller, historian and author. His publications include stories in children’s magazines and adult historical novels. With the fast-paced skills of a natural story-teller he threads action, emotion, and intellect into riveting presentations. His interests include biology, geology, paleontology and the history of man. You may get a glimpse of George in advance by checking out this video. |
| May 2014 | Gail Read and Ian McDonald |
Gail Read & Ian McDonald have spent several months this year exploring southern South America and Antarctica. They have also visited Chile, Argentina, Peru and the Falklands, in addition to Antarctica. And they have taken pictures everywhere they have gone ~ thousands of them. Gail whittled their treasure trove of pictures down to display a sampling to us. |
| June 2014 | Geoff Hart Al Mcgregor  Lisa Saunders  |
Our speakers were Geoff Hart, Al Mcgregor and Lisa Saunders. Dr. Geoff Hart, a veterinarian who has carefully followed how ticks on dogs can cause Lyme disease in our area and two people, Al McGregor and Lisa Sunders, who have personally wrestled with Lyme disease. It turns out that the Perth area and especially Last Dual Park and Murphy’s Point Provincial Park are considered “hot spots” by some who follow these developments. Information on Ticks and Lyme provided by Al McGregor |
| September 2014 | James Bissett |
James Bissett spoke about lessons learned from the Balkans and present events in the Ukraine and on the effectiveness of NATO. Mr. Bissett is a former Canadian Ambassador with 36 years of service in the government of Canada. He was the Canadian Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Albania and worked in Russia from 1992 to 1997 as Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration. He previously spoke to Probus in May 2013. Mr. Bissett's paper detailing his position on NATO is available by clicking here. |
| October 2014 | Paola de Rose  |
Our speaker was Paola de Rose, Director, Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation, Natural Resources Canada. She spoke about the Canadian approach to remote sensing - observing the Earth with sensors from high above its surface. |
| November 2014 | General Paul Manson |
Our speaker was General Paul Manson on The New Face of War, former Chief of Defence Staff and volunteer chair of the Canadian War Museum’s “Passing the Torch” fundraising campaign, which raised $16.5 million in support of the new museum. General Manson has written numerous articles on defence and national security, and has been a frequent commentator on defence issues on television and radio. |
| December 2014 | Alfred Von Mirbach  |
Our speaker was Alfred Von Mirbach on the El Camino Trail, which has been described as the most famous pilgrimage in the world, tracing the route to the relics of the Apostle James, interred in the grand old Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Alfred Von Mirbach is well known in Perth for his environmental work with ecoPerth and for his participation in local theatre. |
2015
| January 2015 | Dennis Staples  |
Our speaker on was Dennis Staples, the recently retired and long-time mayor of Smiths Falls, who spoke about the collapse of the employment base there and the Town's subsequent efforts to build a new economic base. Dennis is also a long time member of the Perth & Smiths Falls Hospital Board and has provided direction and leadership to the broader community for years. |
| February 2015 | Terrence Dickinson  |
Our speaker was Terrance Dickinson, who gave a “Tour of the Universe”. In this highly illustrated presentation, astronomy author Terence Dickinson revealed the grandeur of the universe as seen in his own celestial photography and in the magnificent images taken by the world’s largest telescopes. The speaker is a member of the Order of Canada, editor of SkyNews, Canada’s national astronomy magazine, the author of 15 astronomy books and is a former staff astronomer at the McLaughlin Planetarium of the Royal Ontario Museum. For a glimpse, check out Nightwatch |
| March 2015 | |
Meeting CANCELLED because of a Hydro failure, which closed the Legion. Our speakers were to have been Helga and David Zimmerly, who were rescheduled. |
| April 2015 | Kate Johnson  |
Our speaker was Kate Johnson who gave a talk entitled "Empathy and Hope". She talked about who in the justice system deserves empathy and how her work training prisoners in victim empathy is bringing hope to prisoners, victims and staff alike. Kate has spent 20 years "in and out of jail" as a Social Worker, chaplain and advocate for victim's issues.? She holds Bachelor's degrees in sociology and Social Work as well as a Master's of Divinity in Restorative Justice. Kate was appointed the Inter-faith chaplain to Queen's University in 2013 but continues to spend her free time advocating for humane responses to crime. |
| May 2015 | Cheryl Cooper |
Our speaker was author Cheryl Cooper speaking about her “Seasons of War” saga, which is set against a backdrop of the naval War of 1812. Cheryl has a degree in English and Education from Queen's University. A former teacher of hearing-impaired children and a volunteer for the Children's Foundation of Muskoka, she lives in Bracebridge, Ontario. |
| June 2015 | James Leake, Toni Pickard & Bill Cooper  |
Our presentation was on the Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) concept. Our three speakers were: 1. Toni Pickard (Co-founder, Kingston Action Group on BIG; retired Professor, Queen’s University Faculty of Law); 2. James Leake (Chair, Social Justice and Outreach Committee, Sydenham United Church; retired Professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry); 3. Bill Cooper (Professor Queen’s School of Business). To read more about this subject, please go to the resource kit on our website, or for a quick primer, go to QJ Politics: A case for basic income. |
| September 2015 | Dwayne Price & Greg Holbrook  |
Our presenters were Dwayne Price, Manager, Field Operations, Information Management, NavCan and Greg Holbrook, a pilot and former Inspector, Transport Canada. The illustrated talk was an overview of controlled airspace in Canada called "From Hand Signals to Satellites". |
| October 2015 | Helga & David Zimmerly  
|
Our speakers were Helga and David Zimmerly, who gave an illustrated talk on the risk-taking inherent in making an extended voyage by cruising sailboat. The risks discussed ranged from the physical to the emotional and the financial, from storms to pirates to unstable political situations. The couple spent ten years cruising half-way around the world, from 1986 to 1995, via the Canadian Arctic, Europe, Africa and Asia before settling down in BurgessWood. They are in the process of writing a memoir about their adventures and Helga will also discuss the risks and rewards associated with that project. For a glimpse of their presentation, please click here for a sample from their e-book “The Voyage of Erasmus Volume 1 - Ottawa to the Arctic”. |
| November 2015 | Barry Crampton  |
Our speaker was Barry Crampton with a presentation on his historical mapping project for the 200th anniversary of the Perth Military Settlement. Barry demonstrated the online prototype of the historical mapping Project, showing the original lot boundaries of land grants to the early settlers, the various types of land grants (military, settler, clergy, crown, etc.), and data about the original grantee, where they were from, how many in the family, etc., as well as links to any interview clips or photos. |
| December 2015 | Jennifer Dickson  |
Our speaker was Jennifer Dickson with a presentation on planning for the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the Perth Military Settlement, which encompasses the current Town of Perth, Tay Valley Township, Drummond North Elmsley Township and Beckwith Township. The member municipalities have established a 200th Anniversary Joint Committee to plan the celebration. Jennifer is a Councillor of Tay Valley Townships and chairs their 200th anniversary committee as well as sitting on the joint committee for the whole area. She talked about why the military were assigned here, why settlers came here rather than elsewhere, what they faced and who established the four municipalities. |
2016
| January 2016 | Kevin Gray
|
Our speaker was Kevin Gray who talked about “The French and Indian War and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham”. The main focus of the talk was on the Battle of the Plains, but he also discussed the French and Indian War in order to provide context. Ken spent 7 years researching and writing a novel about the subject entitled “Where the River Narrows” (copies were available for purchase). A lifelong resident of southern Ontario, the author obtained a science degree at the University of Toronto before embarking on a career as a police officer. |
| February 2016 | Sturla Sigurjónsson 
|
Our speaker was Sturla Sigurjónsson, Iceland’s Ambassador to Canada, who gave an address entitled “Mutual Interests in the North: Iceland and Canada in the 21st Century,” about the shared political and economic interests of Iceland and Canada. Ties between Canada and Iceland go back over a thousand years to Leif Eriksson’s landing on the coast of Newfoundland. Today in Canada, there are almost 100,000 people with some Icelandic heritage. Apart from these historic links, Canada and Iceland share a mutual interest in the development of the North, a key initiative of the federal government of Canada. |
| March 2016 | The CARR Team
|
The presentation was on the Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement or The CARR for short. There were several presenters from the CARR Team who talked about how this project sprang to life in our community, the route it has taken and its success to date. You may want to check out their website www.TheCARR.ca to get a glimpse of the heartwarming local response to the worst refugee crisis since the end of the Second World War. The presenters included: (L - R on picture) Gord Munroe (Vice - Chair), Doug Burt (Family Support Team ), Krista Hearty - M c L e an (Communications), Colin Stephenson (Finance, Website, Family Support Team). Jordan Kennie (Family Support Team), Jennifer Dickson (Communications), Ann Munroe (Chair), Elsie Stresman (Secretary, Volunteer Coordinator), John Shideler (former Co-Chair) |
| April 2016 | Gary Dickson 
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The speaker was Probus Perth member Gary Dickson. His presentation was: “Welcome to the Brave New World of Electronic Health Records.” What rights does an Ontario patient have with respect to their own health information? Are there adequate safeguards to protect your most sensitive records? Do we need to choose between privacy protection and privacy paralysis? The former Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner, Gary Dickson, discussed privacy, confidentiality, access to and correction of health records. You may read more about Gary in the October 2015 Probian (Personal Profile section). |
| May 2016 | Frank Hitchens 
|
Frank Hitchens presented his interesting talk "Canada in Space: A History". Members were invited to "Come and explore Canada’s space program as Frank Hitchens takes us on a journey to the stars." Frank Hitchens is an astronomer who lives in Lombardy and, more than anything else, other than looking at the stars, he enjoys sharing his passion for the Cosmos. |
| June 2016 | Dr. Sandra Taylor 
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Dr. Sandra Taylor, Ph.D., retired Director of the Office of Bioethics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's and Clinical Bioethicist, Kingston General Hospital. She is the coauthor with Dr. Carlos Prado of "Assisted Suicide: theory and practice in elective death" (Humanity Press) and the author of many articles concerning suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia and other areas of health care ethics. Ms. Taylor's address was entitled "In Everything There Is A Season: a discussion of medically assisted dying”. |
| September 2016 | Dr. Manuela Joannou 
|
Dr. Manuela Joannou spoke about the moral injury component of PTSD and why it is so crucial to address it. Dr. Joannou is a family physician and emergency medicine physician practicing in Perth. She is also the Medical Director of Tay River Reflections Medical Spa in Perth. She has a specific interest in the field of PTSD in First Responders and Military Personnel and has been actively researching this field for a number of years. Her research brought her in touch with a novel program in California that would address not only the psychologic and physical symptomatology of PTSD, but also the moral injury component. Together with the team from California, Dr. Joannou offered a 5 1/2 day residential experiental program for 13 military personnel and police officers (all men) in Perth from May 8 to 13, 2016. The program was very successful and almost all the participants stated it was transformational for them. Dr. Joannou has started "Project Trauma Support" a new initiative in Canada and hopes to continue to offer this program on a regular basis in Perth. The long term plan is to teach other facilitators to offer the program across the country. You can check out the website for this project at www.projecttraumasupport.com |
| October 2016 | Habitat for Humanity 
|
A presentation on Habitat for Humanity, including International, National and Local aspects of the organization. The three speakers were: |
| November 2016 | Beverly McFarlane 
|
Beverly McFarlane, President and CEO of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital who spoke about “The Challenges of Building and Maintaining a Strong Community Hospital”. Beverly has a Critical Care and Emergency Nursing background with 25 years of health care leadership experience. She is a graduate of the baccalaureate nursing program at Laurentian University and has a Master’s Degree in Leadership Studies from the University of Guelph. She has also studied Quality Management at McMaster University and completed the Rotman School of Management Advanced Health Leadership program. |
| December 2016 | Dr. Thomas R. J. Todd 
|
Our speaker was Dr. Thomas R. J. Todd, MD. Dr. Todd, along with a team of specialists at Toronto General Hospital, performed the first ever successful lung transplant in 1983. In 1986 they performed the first successful double lung transplant. Dr. Todd has written a book titled Breathless: A Transplant Surgeon's Journal, about his decades-long career as a transplant surgeon. |
| January 2017 | Archibald Ritter  |
Our speaker was Archibald (Arch) Ritter an economics professor at Carleton University, who will be spoke about "Cuba: Economic and Political Prospects?". He is focused on economic interrelations between developing countries and developedmarket economies, development issues in Latin America with particular reference to Cuba and Chile, public policy and the mineral sector, and issues of income distribution, social policy, and development. |
| February 2017 | Howard Sapers |
Our speaker was Howard Sapers who spoke on the role Corrections play in making Canada a better, safer, healthier place in which to live. He is currently the Independent Advisor on Corrections Reform to the Ontario provincial government, having previously served as the Correctional Investigator of Canada from 2004-2016, public servant and former provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing Edmonton-Glenora from 1993 until 2001. |
| March 2017 | Rob Rainer, Janet Coward and Mary-Lou Carroll
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| April 2017 | Brock Godfrey |
Our speaker was Brock Godfrey, volunteer with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) who will speak on the subject of Fraud Awareness. Brock has learned a lot about scam and fraud in his years with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC). A former employee of the Ontario Ministry of Education, he joined “PhoneBusters” in 1997 as a volunteer, and since then his mission has been to bring awareness of scams, fakes and frauds to seniors, service groups and businesses across the country. |
| May 2017 | Jayne Munro-Ouimet and Karen Prytula  |
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| June 2017 | Fred Hitchens |
Our speaker was Fred Hitchens with a talk entitled "Eye In The Sky: The Hubble Space Telescope". It was a look back at the history of the greatest of the orbiting observatories and how astronomers have used it to decipher some of the most fundamental mysteries of the cosmos. Fred was born the year the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was launched. Twelve years later as a young boy he watched astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take humanity's first steps on another world, the Moon. He has been hooked on astronomy and space exploration ever since. Currently he spends many a night exploring the dark country skies from his home at Rideau Ferry. Through public peaking, newspaper columns and radio interviews he says that "he feels fortunate to be able to share his fascination with the Cosmos with others". This was a return engagement as Fred previously presented at the May 2016 meeting ~ read the account in the May 2016 edition of the Probian. |
| September 2017 | Lindsay Lambert |
Our speaker was Professor M. Lindsay Lambert who presented his MAGIC LANTERN SHOW, a travel back in time to a century ago before the development of the cinema. Members' attention was riveted by patter, song, sound effects and tricks of action as the Professor’s authentic Magic Lantern displayed images for their entertainment. |
| October 2017 | Bruce Di Labio  |
The October speaker was Bruce Di Labio. He began birding at the age of 8 and has written about, and photographed, birds ever since. He has taught birding, lead many birding tours nationally and internationally, and worked as a naturalist. For more information on Bruce, please see www.dilabiobirding.ca/about.html |
| November 2017 | James Bartleman  |
The November speaker was a resident of Perth, James Bartleman, career diplomat, author, and former Lt. Governor of Ontario. His writings include memoirs of growing up as a First Nations member in Muskoka, memoirs of his professional career, and three social justice novels. |
| December 2017 | David Mulholland  |
The December speaker was David Mulholland author of Chaudière Falls, his sesquicentennial novel of dramatized history, based upon the founding of Canada's National Capital Region and how Ottawa became the nation's capital. He began his writing career as an advertising copywriter in private radio. He went on to work as a researcher, story editor and interviewer for CBC Public Affairs television, a general-assignment reporter and music reviewer for the Ottawa Citizen, a syndicated country-music columnist, a part-time stand-up comic with Yuk Yuk's, and a speech writer for a number of departments in the federal government. During those years, Mulholland wrote fiction when time permitted. In the spring of 2001, he began devoting full-time to writing a novel. The result is McNab , which was published by General Store Publishing House in October 2006. DUEL, his second novel, was published in October 2009. Chaudière Falls, published in November 2016, is his third novel. He is currently working on the next one, (which he hopes will not take eight years to complete). |
| January 2018 | Heather Church  |
The January 3, 2018 speaker was Heather Church with a presentation on Aging Success Stories. Heather runs the Blue Heron Psychotherapy Services clinic in Perth. She has a Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology, focusing in special education and has been working on a PhD in health and rehabilitation sciences. She is a board certified behaviour analyst (BCBA) and registered psychotherapist (RP) through the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. She has specialized training in working with first responders and military personnel. Additionally, she has completed training in trauma, dementia and brain injury and has been working on a PhD. Read more. | ||||
| February 2018 | Panel
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This meeting included a panel of presenters, each sharing new programs to support healthy living among seniors and sustaining independent living in our community. The presenters were: Catherine Ball, Physiotherapist and owner of Perth Physiotherapy, who focused on her expertise in mobility and quality of life; Shannon Baillon, Director of Community Services for the Town of Perth, and Lori Cameron, Acting Pool Manager and Aquatics Instructor from the Perth Indoor Pool, discussing the benefits of aqua fit and joint friendly programs; and Christine Wilson of Sweatergang Companions who discussed the wide ranging services her group provides to support seniors who endeavour to maximize their stay within their own homes.
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| March 2018 | Jordan Sinclair |
Jordan Sinclair, Director of Communications and Media for Canopy Growth Corporation, with a presentation on the status of this company, based in Smiths Falls. According to the company, "Canopy is the world's largest cannabis production business. With the company since the early days, Jordan has played an integral role in the rapid expansion and global reach the company has established. As a member of the founding team at Canopy Rivers, a cannabis streaming company, he is at the forefront of the cannabis industry and brings specific insights into the market dynamics of Canada's fast-growing industry." |
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| April 2018 | Buzz Boles |
Probian Buzz Boles spoke on “Bee Keeping in Uganda.” Buzz is a retired wildlife biologist now living in Portland, on Big Rideau Lake, and enjoying the good life of beekeeping and sailing. His presentation will be a bit of of a travelogue on related anecdotes of beekeeping, people and travel in Uganda, Cuba, the USA and Canada. It will provide some insights into the world of beekeepers, but it will not be a lesson on how to keep bees. Buzz has sent along some additional information relating to his talk that may be of interest to members ~ see Declining Bee Population to Get Helping Hand , as well as Beekeepers refuse to put thousands of colonies in Fraser Valley blueberry fields |
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| May 2018 | Jane Vol  |
Jane Vol spoke on the Outlook from the Bank of Canada. She discussed the role of the central bank in the economy, the recent evolution of economic and credit conditions and the outlook from the Bank of Canada’s perspective. Jane was appointed Regional Director (Economics) at the Bank’s Regional Office for Ontario in September 2008. In this capacity, she directs research and analysis on economic and sectoral developments in the region, including overseeing the Bank’s Business Outlook Survey in that province. She also plays a major role in the Office’s activities in communicating the Bank’s messages to a variety of external audiences and promoting an exchange of views on the economy and monetary policy. More details. |
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| June 2018 | Brian Preston  |
Our presenter was Brian Preston, a travelling Sommelier, who spoke about a wide variety of topics related to wine. There was also an opportunity for wine tasting. Brian has been a certified Sommelier for over 17 years involved in wine, beer and spirits education, conducting private tours of Niagara and Prince Edward County wineries, including several visits to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. He works with individuals conducting private tastings, restaurants, and institutions presenting special food/wine tasting suppers and events. He has traveled extensively to several wine regions of the world, thus being referred to as The Travelling Sommelier. |
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| September 2018 | Douglas Nutall & Matt McCombs |
Our presenters were Douglas Nutall and Matt McCombs on the Tay River Dam Project in Perth. Douglas Nutall is a Senior Civil Engineer with Jp2g Consultants Inc. in Perth who is interested in investigating how to maximize social benefit while minimizing negative ecological impacts for any Technological Development. Matt McCombs is a Water Resources Engineer with Matrix Soluntions Inc. in Guelph, whose field is natural channel design, fish habitat design and restoration. |
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| October 2018 | Major-General Lewis Mackenzie  |
Our October speaker was a very well known Canadian, Major-General Lewis Mackenzie. During a thirty-six year military career he served in Germany with NATO forces and did nine peacekeeping tours of duty in the Gaza Strip, Cyprus, Cairo, Vietnam, Central America and Sarajevo. In 1992 he created and assumed command of Sector Sarajevo and with a small contingent of soldiers from 31 countries opened the Sarajevo airport for the delivery of humanitarian aid during the height of the Bosnian civil war. As a result he became the first Canadian to be awarded a second Meritorious Service Cross. He is a frequent media commentator, newspaper columnist, and lecturer on leadership. As well, he is active in motor racing and in 2017 was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. The topic of his presentation was “Canada’s Peacekeeping Myth.” |
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| November 2018 | Gary Smith  |
Club member Gary Smith spoke on Diplomatic Life in Cold War Moscow and the 1972 Canada-Soviet Summit Hockey Series. Gary is a former career diplomat who served over 30 years, more than 20 of which were served abroad. His postings took Gary and his family on a series of around-the-world adventures of varying cultures, climates, schools and political environments. He served at the UN in New York, the Soviet Union, at NATO HQ, Israel, India, Germany, Indonesia, and Ottawa (as Director of Arms Control and Disarmament, among other positions). After leaving government he served as Vice-President (Advancement) at York University, and as an elected official in Central Frontenac. He is currently a Director on The Board of the Former Ambassadors Association, based in Ottawa. Gary is one of the principle authors of "Declassified", a book containing excerpts from the personal notebooks of former Canadian diplomats, which is available at the Booknook, 60 Gore Street East in Perth. See the video of the Canada-Soviet Summit Hockey Series. |
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| December 2018 | David Mulholland  |
Hugh Chatfield spoke on The Tunnels of Perth. Hugh had a long career as a member of Scientific Staff at Northern Electric's R & D Labs in Ottawa, and at various hi-tech companies and his own consulting and video firm. He has, with his wife Mary, operated a retail store in Perth, and has been fascinated with Perth History for many years. He has produced a number of documentaries, including Daniel's Journal - History Rewritten which deals with Perth's history. Although these videos were not included in his presentation, they provide a sense of his early quest for the tunnels of Perth: |
| January 9, 2019 | Vickie Kaminski  |
Vickie Kaminski, the Acting CEO of the Perth and Sniths Falls Dstrict Hospital, spoke about the successes of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital and the future direction of hospitals. She has had a remarkable career at the centre of the hospital systems of several jurisdictions. A nurse by training, Vickie became the first CEO of the amalgamated hospitals of Greater Sudbury in Ontario, went on to be the executive head of the entire Alberta hospital system, then to a similar position in Newfoundland and Labrador and finally to another deputy minister level position in charge of all the hospitals of South Australia. Upon her retirement back to Canada, Vickie agreed to lead PSFDH on an acting basis. The hospital has been very fortunate to attract Vickie as our acting CEO during the prolonged absence of Bev McFarland. |
| February 6, 2019 | Pauline Fitchett  Jamie Doolittle 
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This month there were two keynote speakers at our meeting including:
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| March 6, 2019 | Robert Dick |
Robert Dick with a presentation on Light Pollution entitled “Blinding
Light – Bring Back the Night”. The presentation will address the proven impact of artificial light at night on the ecology of animals and plants, on our own biology, vision, and our brain, and will consider what we can do to minimize this impact. For over a century, astronomers have known about the impact of artificial light on the night sky, but this knowledge was just the tip of the iceberg. Studies into the effects of light on our biology and mental functions are revealing a more profound physical impact. For more information on Robert Dick click here and for more information on his topic about light pollution click here. |
| April, 3, 2019 | Andrew Hammond
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Andrew Hanlon's presentation was all about Guide Dog Training. Andrew is a qualified Guide Dog Trainer and Guide Dog Mobility Instructor. He first worked with dogs while serving in the Military and later as a Pup Manager in the Royal Marines in the United Kingdom. In 1993 Andrew made the life changing decision to accept a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor apprenticeship in England, where he experienced tremendous professional success and met his wife, Wendy. He worked his way up to District Team Manager in Leeds before emigrating to Canada in 2006. He proudly entered this CNIB trained dog initiative at its outset, a direction that has proven to offer many more opportunities and choices to blind and partially sighted Canadians. As Director of training for the Canadian Guide Dog school, Andrew continues to be impressed by the incredible passion and enthusiasm of everyone involved in this program. |
| May 1, 2019 | John McKenty
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John McKenty, Chair of the Stewart Park Festival, presented a behind the scenes look at the Stewart Park Festival and the volunteer base that keeps it going. The Stewart Park Festival is designated one of the top events in the Province of Ontario. Behind every successful event is a dedicated team of volunteers with an excellent organizational team. John McKenty has tirelessly provided leadership and direction to this group and has created an event that thrives on local volunteerism, partners with local organizations and gives back to the town of Perth. John was awarded the 2018 Perth Medal for contributions to the community, a much deserved honour. |
| June 4, 2019 | Pamela Stagg
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Pamela Stagg with her presentation ~ A walk on the wet side: What makes wetlands valuable? Pamela Stagg took us on a walk through local wetlands – and through the financial benefits that wetlands contribute to our economy and our lives. We saw and heard the creatures of wetlands in this colourful and eye opening presentation. Since her retirement, Pamela has re-focused her creative interest as an amateur field naturalist, she has travelled frequently to the Yukon and northern British Columbia and she has gained an extensive understanding of a wide variety of eco-systems about which she is always happy to share. As an avid birder, she teaches bird identification and has created a wide variety of presentations interest to field naturalist clubs and organizations that support and protect Nature. . |
| September 4, 2019 | Audrey Cole |
September 4, 2019 ~ Probus Perth member Audrey Cole gave a presentation on supported decision-making ~ "Guardianship or Equality? Is there a choice?" In the growing consciousness of human rights of the post WWII era, the inherent discrimination in traditional notions of guardianship surfaced in the then developing disability rights community. Generally speaking, amongst all other citizens, only people with severe intellectual disabilities were subject from the age of majority onwards to the often arbitrary loss of equality and legal status inherent in guardianship law. Unfortunately, beyond their immediate families and supporters, few people cared. Thus, from the earliest days of the family driven Community Living Association, the search for alternatives to traditional guardianship has been on the agenda. Despite those decades of effort, we are not yet there for everyone but the notion of an accountable, world wide, concept of supported decision making is now firmly embedded in Article 12 of the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which Canada and many other countries have now ratified. Ultimately, our still oppressive provincial laws in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada are required to comply.
Similarly, we seniors, often by the decisions of others, can find ourselves under guardianship with no equal status in society. Some of us may already have unwittingly chosen that future status by means of Powers of Attorney. Why? If we in Canada can be seen as a leader of a world wide movement that now ensures that people with intellectual disabilities cannot lose legal capacity status solely on the basis of cognitive incapacity, surely we should ensure the same for ourselves. |
| October 2, 2019 | Maggie McDougall |
Maggie McDougall from Spectrum Cannabis, the medical division of Canopy Growth, provided an educational presentation on medical cannabis. She discussed cannabis legislation, the uses of medical cannabis, safe and responsible use and accessing medical cannabis. Maggie is local to Smiths Falls and surrounding area with deep roots in the community. As the Community Engagement Specialist, she is excited to combine her passions for Canopy Growth, building community, and cannabis for wellness. She began her career at Canopy Growth in Customer Care, where she gained valuable brand and product experience. She's passionate about education around making informed decisions, whether for wellness or recreational use. |
| November 6, 2019 | Helga and David Zimmerly |
Club members Helga and David Zimmerly talked about their fascinating year in Khartoum in the second year of the reign of Omar al-Bashir, who recently was forced out of power in that country. They spoke about witnessing the effects of his harsh rule. Using David’s photographic images, they gave an illustrated talk on their time there – a mélange of cultures and exotic events – Sufi whirling dervishes, Filipino cockfights, Nuba wrestling – in the midst of starvation , displacement and civil war. David and Helga spent 10 years exploring the world in their 35 ft. cruising sailboat before settling here in Perth. Their adventure in Khartoum was just one the adventures they experienced in their 10-year odyssey. For a glimpse of their adventures, please click here for a sample from their e-book “The Voyage of Erasmus Volume 1 - Ottawa to the Arctic. |
| December 4, 2019 | Mary Dawson
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Mary Dawson gave an interesting overview of the Federal Conflicts of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's Office and the reporting requirements as covered by the act. She followed up with a discussion of some of her cases and addressed questions and comments. She was the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in Ottawa from July 9, 2007 to January 8, 2018. She administered the Conflict of Interest Act for senior public office holders and the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, she had a long and distinguished legal career within the Department of Justice, and was Associate Deputy Minister from 1988 to 2005. She drafted many important Acts of Parliament in the early part of her career and then led the Public Law Sector where she provided legal advice to the Government in public law matters, including aboriginal affairs. She played an important role in relation to constitutional matters, including the drafting of the patriation package (Constitutional Act, 1982) and all subsequent Constitutional amendments and proposals until her departure, including the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlottetown Accord. Ms. Dawson was made a Queen’s Counsel in 1978 and was named to the Order of Canada in 2007. |
| January 8, 2020 | Michele Bellows
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Since Ontario has been revising how Health Care Service is to be delivered, Michele Bellows was invited to come to discuss Ontario Health Care Teams and what is happening locally. She explained some of the Primary Health Care options for health care which include: Nurse Practitioners, Family Physicians and Virtual Care. Michele is the new Chief Executive Officer of Rideau Community Health Services, a multi-site organization providing Primary Health Care in Merrickville, Smiths Falls, Perth, Lanark, Leeds and Greenville. She will explain what Community Health Care Centres are and their Model of health and wellbeing. Originally from St. John's Newfoundland, Michelle has an extensive nursing career, including several senior managerial positions in different facilities, as well as part-time professorial roles. |
| February 5, 2020 | John McKenty
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Local author and historian,
John McKenty, returned to do a presentation on "The Life & Times of Joe Perkins". In his latest book by this title, John has taken a very objective perspective in telling Joe Perkin's story by weaving the many versions that he has uncovered. It is a story full of accolades and acrimony depending on who tells it. Joe was part showman and part salesman, but was he a visionary or an opportunist? The people of Perth could never decide. John retired as a high school principal in 2004 after 30+ years in education. He has partnered with local organizations and over a 100 volunteers as he chaired the Stewart Park Festival for the past 10 years, the subject of his last presentation to Probus in May 2019. In 2018 he was awarded the Perth Medal for his volunteer efforts and his contribution to the Perth community. He has written 6 books of local history and a history of the CCM company. |
| March 4, 2020 | Marlene Pearce
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There were two separate presentations at this meeting. The first presentation was given by Marlene Pearce, President of Probus Canada, accompanied by Jamie Doolittle VP and District Director, with a presentation on Probus in honour of Probus Month. Marlene gave a description of the history of Probus and the phenominal growth that has taken place since its inception. There was also be a related celebration of our Charter Members to mark Probus Month. The second presentation was given by Joellen McHard and Steven Brown who spoke about the 'Lanark County Community Justice' program. The purpose of this extremely successfull initiative is to bring people together to repair the harm from conflict and crime and to promote the use of restorative practices. The high standards of their program was recognized in 2013 when they received the Attorney General of Ontario Award for Excellence. It is a court diversion program for both youth and adult offenders. |
NOTE: From April 2020 to March 2021 ~ All in-person meetings were cancelled due to Covid-19, but.......
~ on June 3, 2020 ~ the second "Speakers in Isolation" video series was provided involving eminent Canadian, Dr Christopher DiCarlo, philosopher and educator, at the University of Toronto. Since neither of these sessions were well attended, meetings were put on hold until we were able to get our ZOOM meetings going on April 7, 2021. MEETINGS VIA ZOOM |
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| April 7, 2021 | Ramsey Hart
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Ramsey Hart, the Executive Director of The Table in Perth, spoke about "How The Table is Surviving the Pandemic: Current and Future Needs". The Table's mission is to foster a healthier and more connected community. They do this by improving access to healthy food, improving food skills and food literacy, advocating for individual well-being, and educating, engaging and advocating social policies to address food insecurity and poverty. This meeting was held virtually via ZOOM and was enjoyed by quite a number of Probus Perth members. |
| May 5, 2021 | Dr. Christopher DiCarlo
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Dr. Christopher DiCarlo, who is an eminent philosopher and educator, was our speaker. He is the Principal and Founder of Critical Thinking Solutions and the Ethics Chair for the Canadian Mental Health Association. He is also an Invited Professor at The Life Institute at Ryerson University in Toronto and a past Visiting Research Scholar at Harvard University. He has authored several books, the latest of which is entitled: "So You Think You Can Think: Tools for Having Intelligent Discussions and Getting Along." And in November of 2021, the 2nd Edition of his best-seller: "How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass", will be released by Rowman and Littlefield. |
| June 2, 2021 | Bruce Vincent Burlton
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Bruce Burlton started work at Telesat, Canada in August 1972 in the Space Systems Department. He was heavily involved in the design, procurement, commissioning and operation of the satellites that comprised Telesat’s space segment, where he worked for 30 years. He was responsible for the pro-operational activates of 12 of Telesat’s first 13 satellites. He was heavily involved in resolving on-orbit anomalies that occasionally occurred. He also participated in Telesat’s world-wide consulting activities, working on some 50 satellite missions to one extent or another. On January 20, 1994, Telesat’s Anik E2 suffered its second major on orbit anomaly. His talk to Probus reviewed what went wrong and how the problem was corrected remotely. Since the satellite was in Geostationary orbit, an “on orbit servicing mission” was not possible. Telesat engineers were able to implement a ground based system, that corrected the anomaly and permitted the satellite to operate successfully for ten plus years. Except for this story, such a space rescue has never been carried out by any organization. <br> |
| July 28, 2021 | OPP Inspector Derek Needham
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How communities collaborate to de-criminalize mental illness and reduce social disorder” ~ meeting by Zoom: Derek Needham, former Lanark County OPP Detachment Commander/Critical Incident Commander, currently Director with the Office of Professionalism, Respect, Inclusion and Leadership. He is now based out of Orillia, Ontario. Derek has been a member of the Ontario Provincial Police for more than 23 years. For ten of those years, he was posted to the Lanark County OPP Detachment and for the last six of those years (2013 to 2019) he was the Detachment Commander. Under Derek's leadership as Detachment Commander a new collaborative approach to policing was initiated which developed over time to be extremely successful by combining municipal social services and policing together to provide a strategic and effective taskforce to resolve community disorder and conflict. Picture courtesy of the Perth Courier |
| September 1, 2021 | Leah den Bok
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Leah den Bok is a magnificent young photographer who has spent her past six years focusing on photographing street people and bringing to light the experiences of folks in many countries who have "Nowhere to Call Home". For the past six years, she has been traveling to cities throughout the world, such as Toronto, New York, Washington D.C., and Brisbane, photographing people experiencing homelessness and recording their stories. To view her website click here. |
| October 6, 2021 | Greg Anderson and Janet Kasun
 
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Both Greg and Janet have many years of experience and expertise in estate law and in knowing what you need to know, and what you should not do. Those who tuned in, were enlightened and entertained. Greg has practiced law in Perth since 1976 and is currently with the firm Anderson Foss. In 2005, Greg was certified as a Specialist in Estates and Trusts Law by the Law Society of Upper Canada. Janet interned and practiced for Borden, Ladner, and Gervais in Ottawa, mostly specializing in tax law. During her career, she also taught part time courses at Algonquin College and later at the University of Ottawa where she taught Trust Law. |
| November 3, 2021 | Jill Heinerth
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Jill Heinerth is an underwater explorer, writer, photographer, speaker, and filmmaker.
A pioneer of technical rebreather diving, she has led expeditions into icebergs in Antarctica, volcanic lava tubes, and submerged caves worldwide. Jill is the first
Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Her memoir,
INTO THE PLANET, has been lauded by
the Wall Street Journal, Oprah Magazine, and the New York Times. Her children’s book
THE AQUANAUT is a Blue Ribbon Selection for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Jill is a Fellow of
the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, Underwater Academy of Arts and Sciences, Women Divers Hall of Fame and the Explorers Club, which awarded her with the William Beebe Award
for ocean exploration. At our November meeting, Jill shared her amazing experiences as a team leader in the dangerous world of extreme cave diving. Drawing on decades of planning cutting-edge underwater life support missions, she presents basic principles and practices for ensuring success in challenging circumstances. Sharing stories from enthralling National Geographic projects and difficult expeditions to unseen places, she passes on her hard-won lessons about leadership, strategy and problem solving. To read a Maclean's article about this speaker ~ click here |
| December 1, 2021 | Chris Vaughan
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Chis Vaughan is a Senior Astronomer and Earth Science Educator at AstroGeo.ca . AstroGeo specializes in education and public outreach in the Greater Toronto Area, with an emphasis on Astronomy and Earth Science. Chris – aka “AstroGeoGuy” – is also an award-winning astronomer with a talent for explaining the cosmos to anyone – during his dynamic and fascinating presentations, or touring guests out under the stars. A professional Geophysicist and Astronomer (graduate of University of Toronto, 1982), his passion for education and public outreach won him the 2014 Bertram Topham Award for Observing and the 2013 and 2014 Andrew Elvins Awards for Promotion of Astronomy from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Toronto Centre. He is the author of a weekly astronomy news bulletin for non-astronomers, called Astronomy Skylights, which is received by subscribers worldwide. Since 1996, Chris has been visiting classrooms, hosting science-themed assemblies, running science clubs, and holding Star Parties for schools and private groups around the GTA. Articles: 1. Late Winter Stars Shine and 2. A Full Worm Moon, Uranus Veers to Venus, and Jupiter’s Moons Mingle! |
| January 5, 2022 | Tim Burrows
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Tim Burrows is a retired Vice President of Forty Creek Distillery and a graduate of the University of Toronto where he earned an honours degree in psychology. Tim has owned and driven batteryelectric cars for the past 9 years and has logged over 300,000 kilometres without the need for gasoline or diesel fuel. He now enjoys sharing his EV experience with others and breaks down many myths and misconceptions about electric vehicle ownership. His talk is entitled “Should Your Next Car be Electric?” and in it, he explains why we've reached a 'tipping point' where electric cars are replacing those powered by gasoline. Tim also touches on the state of self driving technology and what autonomous cars could mean for the future. Tim is a member of the Electric Vehicle Society, a non-profit organization which works to promote the understanding and adoption of electric mobility in Canada. In his role there, he produces a monthly webinar called "Canada Talks Electric Cars". |
| February 2, 2022 | ~ Andrew Major
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Andrew Major, Wildlife Technician speaking on the earth and the back yard bird count. Andrew was born in Frobisher Bay, NWT and grew up in the countryside of Meaford. He currently lives in Clearview Township (near Collingwood) and brings a wealth of knowledge as a Wildlife Technician who studied at Sir Sandford Fleming College. Over the past 10 years he has run educational wildlife tours through georgianbaywildlife.com. Andrew has also been contracted throughout Canada to conduct bird, aquatic invert, fish, and herpetile environmental impact surveys. He is also the Birds Canada ambassador for Simcoe County. In addition to his love and passion for wildlife, Andrew holds an Honours degree in Classical History for Queen’s University and a Master’s degree in Roman Late Antiquity Studies from University of Ottawa. Major will be doing weekly spots on the peak FM each Friday, in partnership with Clearview Township. |
| March 2, 2022 | Shelagh Stevens
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Shelagh Stevens is a member of Probus Perth. Her topic was: A Brief Introduction to UN peacekeeping with a focus on the challenges and successes of women in peacekeeping. Shelagh has had significant Canadian Peacekeeping experience. Shelagh will give us an overview of her military experience with an emphasis on the role women have played in these longstanding United Nations peacekeeping missions. Click here for Shelagh's Bio |
| April 6, 2022 | Panel Discussion on the War In Ukraine Panel chaired by Probus member and former Canadian diplomat to Russia, Gary Smith. Also included on the panel were fellow Probians Clive Addy, Shelagh Stevens and Elsie Stresman, as well as former federal Deputy Minister (International Trade, Agriculture, Foreign Affairs) Len Edwards. Please CLICK HERE for more details on this panel discussion. | |
Gary Smith......................Clive Addy.....................Shelagh Stevens......... 
 Elsie Stresman...............Len Edwards |
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| May 4, 2022 | Clive Addy
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Retired General Clive Addy made an impassioned presentation on the situation in Afghanistan and the dilemma faced by former Afghan allies with the return to rule of the Taliban. With a wealth of knowledge and direct hands on experience Clive brings a unique perspective to the situation where Honour and Politics clash. Additional information provided by Clive Addy for anyone wishing to follow up on his excellent presentation: |
| June 1, 2022 | Alex Souchen  |
Alex Souchen spoke on "How Canadians Reduced, Reused, and Recycled War Junk after the Second World War."
Alex is the author of War Junk: Munitions Disposal and Postwar Reconstruction in Canada (UBC Press, 2020). His research mainly focuses on the Second World War, Canadian society, munitions production and disposal, and the history of waste and pollution. He received his PhD from the University of Western Ontario in 2016 and is currently a Humanities Instructor at Northern Lakes College and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Royal Military College of Canada.
During the Second World War, Canadian factories produced an astonishing array of munitions and supplies. However, after the war ended, a major disposal crisis emerged when much of this materiel became surplus to requirements. These assets – which ranged from thousands of ships, aircraft, and vehicles, to millions of uniforms, firearms, and bullets – had all been acquired with public funds, which forced the government to enact a disposal strategy for divesting its surpluses to the best advantage of the Canadian state. So, what happened to Canada’s leftover arsenals? Dr. Alex Souchen's presentation explores how the Canadian government and military disposed of the remnants of war and the ways in which military technologies were diffused into peaceful purposes. With shortages of new goods running rampant in 1945 and 1946, the assets accumulated to fight were often the only things available for reconstruction and rehabilitation. Therefore, Canadians had little choice but to get thrifty. This talk (and the book it’s based on) will explain how Canadians reduced, reused, and recycled war junk to improve their postwar lives. Links for the book War Junk: UBC Press and Amazon . |
