Guest Speakers
Professor Julian Paton
Professor Julian Paton is a leading heart researcher and Director of the University of Auckland Heart Research Centre. As well as his commitment to the development of a ground-breaking living heart valve for children with Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), he has a passion for vintage Land Rovers. Julian owns New Zealand’s oldest Land Rover - built in 1948 it was the 20th ever produced. At the time he purchased it the Land Rover it was in Dunedin – the owner, Peter Marr, had owned it since 2014 and had carried out the restoration work. Driving the Land Rover back to Auckland was the obvious choice and so, on 31 January 2025, Julian set off on Drive4Hearts, a journey of 1800km through mountain passes and breathtaking scenery of the South Island high country. His aim was to raise $300,000 to fund the research and development of a new living heart valve from the patient’s own tissue and stem cells. This living valve grows with the patient, thus avoiding the necessity for painful and often risky repeated open-heart surgeries.
As well as showing photos and video clips, Julian told us heart-warming stories of that trip; speaking with people who had been affected by heart disease, including meeting the lady who was NZ’s first successful heart valve recipient – the surgery carried out by Dr Brian Barratt Boyes in the 1960’s.
The funds raised are supporting world leading research. The sad part of this story is the fact that “we are one of only very few developed countries that have rheumatic heart disease that is killing our children. This is a national embarrassment.”
If you wish to donate to Julian’s work, you may do so here: Drive4Hearts
Playshells
Poppies
Jan Alldritt-Miller - NZ Watercolourist
Jan Alldritt-Miller is a prominent New Zealand artist, specialising in watercolour paintings. Her subject matter includes gardens, florals, life studies, old homesteads, and rural memorabilia. She is known for her detailed work and a love of unpretentious familiar images.
Jan’s very entertaining and informative presentation covered her early life and how that morphed into her career as an artist. She brought with her beautiful examples of her paintings together with a wonderful range of greeting cards featuring her works.
Jan explained using her paintings on hand as examples, that she paints in acrylics but uses a watercolour technique, which allows for detailed work while retaining aspects of traditional wet-into-wet watercolour painting. For many years she has conducted painting workshops giving others the opportunity to learn from her techniques.
Jan’s works are exhibited and hung in collections throughout New Zealand and internationally and feature in the beautiful book “New Zealand in watercolour – 30 leading artists paint their country and their people". The recipient of many awards over the years , she has also represented New Zealand as a watercolourist at international exhibitions.
Our club members left the meeting entertained, informed and in awe of the skill and the life journey of a truly unique and wonderful lady.
Robert Tighe – Your story is your legacy
Robert Tighe has been working with words for over 20 years, originally as an award-winning journalist and in recent years as a ghostwriter. His first ghostwritten book on the life of an amazing New Zealand entrepreneur went to number one on the New Zealand non-fiction best sellers list. His latest book is the autobiography of one of New Zealand’s most successful tech entrepreneurs.
Robert’s address covered the key strategies that club members could use to have a go at writing their life stories, for their own satisfaction and for the next generations.
- What stories to put in and what stories to leave out.
- Pick your pillars -Identify the three or four pillars that have been most important in life.
- Divide life into seven to ten year periods.
- Identify the stories that shaped you, the stories that changed you and the stories that define you.
As an exercise at our meeting, each club member shared with their neighbour, the stories that shaped them. This was a worthwhile and enlightening experience.
Club members left the meeting with a strategy and the inspiration to write their own life story should they wish.
Your life – your story – your legacy
Sarah Dann-Hoare and Ben Bettany - Project Employ and Flourish Café
Sarah Dann-Hoare is the Founder and Chief Executive of Takapuna based Project Employ. Its vision is to create a community where neurodiverse young adults are engaged in meaningful, paid employment in the same way as any other member of society.
Currently ,only 21% of intellectually disabled people are in paid work, in comparison to 78% of the general population.
Sarah had been a transition teacher at Wairau Special School and saw that many students were falling through the gap between school and employment, just because they had intellectual or learning disabilities. She was determined to find a solution and came across the idea of a Training Café. Project Employ was established in 2021 with the backing of charitable and business organisations who strongly believed in her vision. Flourish Café in Como Street Takapuna opened in 2022. It has a staff of 10 with seventy percent of the team identifying as neurodiverse young adults 18 to 25. It exists to provide work experience and employability skills training. Every task the trainees do in the café is underpinned by essential and transferable work skills such as teamwork, communications skills, self-management and self-confidence.
Project Employ Youth Ambassador, Ben Bettany, spoke to the meeting about his positive journey starting as a trainee at Flourish Café and completing internships with two major Auckland businesses who are committed backers of Sarah's vision. He is loving having a sense of purpose and he loves being paid!
We can all help support this wonderful initiative by visiting the café and spreading the word about Project Employ. https://www.projectemploy.nz/
Keith Gordon - The story of RMS Niagara
Keith Gordon is internationally recognised in underwater shipwreck exploration. As an author, his book “Deep Water Gold” detailed the story of the RMS Niagara, sunk in 1940 with eight tonnes of gold bullion on board. The ship was enroute from Auckland to Vancouver when it struck two mines laid by the German cruiser Orion near Bream Head Northland. Niagara sank quickly but all on board were rescued.
In 1941, a salvage operation was launched to recover the gold which was owned by the UK Treasury and destined for USA to pay for munitions. The bullion room was accessed and most of the 590 ingots were recovered .
The wreck still contains five gold ingots and potentially up to 1400 tonnes of furnace oil. There are significant concerns about a potential environmental disaster. Maritime NZ has recommended that surveying work be undertaken to inform a risk assessment, however successive governments have declined to proceed. Keith Gordon together with numerous organisations, continue to strongly advocate for action to avoid major environmental impact. He says “it isn’t a matter of if it happens, but when".
Distinguished Emeritus Professor Paul Spoonley –
Demographic Transformation in a “new” New Zealand
Professor Paul Spoonley is one of New Zealand’s foremost sociologists and a sought-after media commentator. His specialist area is social change and demography and how this impacts policy decisions at the political level. In an insightful and informative address Paul covered what we and our families can anticipate in this “new” New Zealand: 25% of the population will be over 65 years of age.75% of the population will live in the North Island, 40% in Auckland. The trend of mega schools, particularly in Auckland, will accelerate. (There are 4,100 pupils at Rangitoto College). There will be 6 million of us in New Zealand, including 1.5 million living overseas. Baby Boomers are retiring from the labour market on a massive scale and are being replaced by the relatively small generations of the 1980s onwards. What is urgently required is a long term cross party political accord to provide stability and certainty for future generations of retirees and to encourage sound decision making. We live in hope!
Wendy Hampton - Don't leave a mess - leave a legacy
Wendy has had more than 30 years experience as a lawyer and had her own legal firm on the North Shore. Having recently sold her practice she is now presenting talks on ways to make the administration of an estate more efficient and cost effective.
Over the years Wendy has gained extensive knowledge and experience in legal property matters including Estate Planning and has created The Estate Planner Booklet which is available for sale at presentations. The Booklet will help keep important personal information in one place and assist family and friends when the time comes to administer an estate. Wendy’s thought provoking address covered the headings in the booklet with anecdotal examples of what can go wrong with no or poor planning, including some scenarios that had club members chuckling at the absurdity of some of the unexpected outcomes.
Wendy’s address struck a chord with many of our members and there were numerous questions following the presentation.
Nicola Garland - Empowering young New Zealanders to reach their full potential through the challenge of the sea.
Spirit of Adventure Trust was conceived by founder Lou Fisher in 1972. The concept of a tall ship experience for young people combined his ultimate passions – a love for sailing and the ocean together with a desire to better the lives of others.
Nichola Garland is Head of Philanthropy and Fundraising for the Trust and described how learning to sail a tall ship provides a pathway to developing valuable life skills. The focus of learning is on team work and developing individual skills of communication, self-confidence, resilience, self-reliance and self-discipline. It is one of the most fulfilling adventures any young person can have.
Sailing 300 days a year, the current ship is the three-masted barquentine Spirit of New Zealand, which was commissioned in 1986. To date, more than 81,000 young New Zealanders have benefited from this unique sailing programme. The kindness and generosity of individuals and organisations across New Zealand make this possible.
There are many ways to become involved , all of which help young people from all parts of New Zealand and all backgrounds reach their full potential.
Norman Lodge - In appreciation of the wine label
Norman Lodge has been involved with food research for 40 years. He served as Head of Food Processing Research for the DSIR and the Crown Research Institute and was Chief Judge for the New Zealand Food Awards. Norman has been closely involved in Wine Research and Technology which was evident in his informative and entertaining address. Wine labels have a considerable amount of information on them and Norman led us on a journey of discovering that what we thought this information meant was not always the case. We learnt why Australia puzzlingly calls the syrah grape shiraz because they believed the grape had a Persian link - it’s the name of the capital of the Fars province in Iran.
Standard drinks are related to alcohol content and not the number of glasses per bottle which was a revelation to many. Norman related the passage of New Zealand’s wine culture from the 1960s with its limited brands and variable quality to today's much higher quality wines in a plethora of brands and styles.
Club members left the meeting well informed for their next journey to the “wine aisles” .
Laurence Wesley - Straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Laurence Wesley, a Geotechnical Engineer, spoke to our members about the history of the Pisa Tower and the unique decade-long solution to stabilise it. For over 800 years from 1178 to 1990, the tower had an ever-increasing lean. In spite of this, tourists visited and were permitted to climb to the viewing platform at the top of the tower. However, in March 1989 the Civic Tower in the Italian city of Pavia collapsed, killing four people. In January 1990 the Italian government closed the Pisa Tower to the public for fear that it might also collapse. It was agreed that urgent action was required! Laurence explained the process, including the structural strengthening work carried out and eventual method used of extracting soil from the high side of the tower using 'flight augurs' - each like a giant cork screw encased by a cylinder. A four month trial was carried out and as this proved successful, the gradual removal of soil using 41 'flight augurs' continued until 2000 which achieved the objective. Pisa, however, lost its place in the Guinness Book of Records as it was no longer the tower with the greatest lean. This record is now held by a church tower in Suurchusen, Germany.
Built in 1852, 'Lady Jocelyn' was the biggest immigrant ship trading to NZ up until 1878.
Edward Bennett - Ticket to the furthest place on earth
Edward Bennett is a Historian and presented a fascinating insight into what it was like to travel as an immigrant from Britain to New Zealand, from sailing ship days to the introduction of flying boats and engine powered ships.
In the mid 1840s the long and hazardous journey to New Zealand was via Cape of Good Hope and took 100 days. By the 1850s steamers which also had sails were being used, cutting the journey to 70 days. In 1874 the first full-powered steam ship arrived in just 51 days. The 1914 opening of the Panama Canal was a “game changer”. By the late 1920s diesel replaced steam engines on the New Zealand run, ships were well appointed and the journey took five weeks. Air travel shortened the travel time in the 1950s, although the initial journey by flying boat took up to 15 days with many stops. Air travel continued to advance rapidly and in 1966 Auckland International Airport opened in Mangere to meet demand. The rest is history !
HomeGround, the Auckland City Mission's hub offering a wide range of services and facilities for people in greatest need.
Carol Herbert - Auckland City Mission
Every year the Auckland City Mission helps tens of thousands of Aucklanders in greatest need. They work to address the issues they face including unaffordable housing, high debt, poverty, addiction and poor health. The Mission relies on the generosity of the community in order to provide their services to the people who need them most.
Carol Herbert is the Community Fundraising Specialist. Her thought provoking presentation covered the whole spectrum of the work of the Mission including Home Ground , the purpose built building in Central Auckland . Whilst it was wonderful to learn of the range of services the Mission can offer, it was very concerning to hear of the projected large gap between funding and need in the year ahead . In 2013 the Mission distributed 10,000 food parcels a year. In the last year it distributed more than 50,000 . More than ever the Mission needs the support of the Auckland community.
At the end of the meeting, Carol was grateful to receive boxes of food items donated by our Members. left with boxes of food items donated by Probus embers
Dr Stephen Hoadley - A Clash of Narratives
On a daily basis, we are confronted by the destruction and suffering in the Middle East. We watch from afar, are appalled at the suffering and often do not fully understand why the opposing sides seem unable to work towards a “two-state solution” (which seems to be the favoured solution in this part of the world). But, the grievances are deeply entrenched and in a recent talk to our Club, Dr Stephen Hoadley presented an in-depth, thought-provoking analysis of “the opposing narratives of Israel and Hamas”. In Dr Hoadley’s words: “it is evident that the two narratives are contradictory, indeed mutually incompatible. Finding common ground on which to base a negotiation process has proved nearly impossible.” His commentary on the conflict in the Middle East can be accessed online should you like a recap. Israel-Palestinian conflict
Dr Stephen Hoadley is a veteran academic, media commentator and public speaker recently retired from the University of Auckland.
Anna Crane - Macular Degeneration
As General Manager of Macular Degeneration New Zealand (MDNZ) Anna Crane shared with us information about her work to increase and to promote early detection of the eye disease. MDNZ is a Charity and has been operating for 12 years. They receive no government funding and rely on donations and funding bodies in order to to deliver their services. “Macular degeneration” is the progressive loss of central vision of the eye, resulting in the inability to drive, read, watch television, undertake many hobbies, and recognise faces. 1 in 7 people over 50 years of age and 4 over 80 years are likely to be affected by this condition. It is important for family members to have their eyes checked regularly as macular degeneration can be hereditary, with a 50% chance of family members inheriting the genetic predisposition. Most of us will visit a Dentist or Doctor regularly and also have our cars serviced regularly, but how many of us wait until we begin to find it difficult to read or see things in the distance before we visit an optometrist? Anna stressed the importance of regular eye checks to create a baseline so changes can be identified early to prevent vision loss. Thank you Anna, not only for your time with us but also for the continuing work you do educating the community about Macular Degeneration and the importance of eye health.
Jodi Pretscherer - Sustainable Coastlines
As “Sustainable Coastlines’” Event and Educational Manager, Jodi Pretscherer brings a refreshing story of the impact of Coastal and Freshwater Pollution which is at the heart and vision of this NZ registered Charity. Having a passionate role in the development of the Group over the last eight years, Jodi was able to trace its history and invite us to understand the devastating effects of plastic pollution and the steps we can take to identify and help reduce this problem. Taking part in arranged “clean ups” on beaches and river banks, the realisation that we can all make a difference, reflecting on the purchases we make in terms of how they are wrapped and marketed, supporting the “Dump no waste” philosophy, encouraging the reduction, and indeed the elimination of plastic products used in wrapping, and defining the beneficial concepts of “circularity” in terms of recycling rubbish was eye opening. Thank you Jodi, not only for your time spent with Club Members, but also for the continuing work you do in the care of our planet.
Professor Denise Taylor - The Art of Not Falling Over
Professor Denise Taylor is Director of the Health and Rehabilitation Research Institute, part of Auckland University of Technology (AUT). One of her many passions within the field of neurological rehabilitation is the study of Dizziness and Balance. Recognising that these topics are substantial in the lives of people as they age, our Club members were treated to an update on the “Art of not Falling Over”. By regular and specific exercises, and an understanding of the nature of the changes occurring, Denise shared with us what her team of researchers are finding. Through attention given to our vestibula system (inner ear), our vision and the sense of our feet on the ground, we were treated to the way in which a better, stronger and healthier body (including an active and more responsive brain) can be achieved. Denise further described to us what we can do, as individuals, to challenge our body and its functions to create substantial improvements for better health outcomes. We appreciated her knowledge, and the substantial role she plays in developing good health for older people.Indeed an “Art” worth following for our greater good.
Suzanne Brooks-Pincevic - Telling the Truth through Art and Authorship
An exceptional insight into the life of Artist and Author, Suzanne Brooks-Pincevic gave us all, in our Probus Club, a history lesson and an appreciation of describing significant historical events in various media. Be it Art, Authorship or Poetry, Suzanne conveyed the life in Croatia during the years after WW2 and in the 1990’s, successfully challenging what really happened during those years under a communist regime. In an excellent learning environment, her passion for painting in all forms of media started early in her life, wherein nature and still life were prominent themes. This led to expressions of current historical events, particularly “telling the true stories ”From “Gumdiggers and Grape Growing” in West Auckland to the tragic events in Croatia during which her husband featured, their love and personal impressions of “the truth” together with considerable research, offered the material for paintings, poetry and prose. Our Club members were privileged to be introduced to the substantial work achieved by her paintings, non-fiction books and recent novel. Her brush marks on the canvas, the writings which border on poetry and the passion of her stories give all of us a history lesson we will not forget. Further material may be found in the following website – care of Booklovers NZ:
https://www.nzbooklovers.co.nz/post/interview-suzanne-brooks-pincevic-talks-about-dubrovnik-my-love
Chris Orr - A Man and his Dog Creating a Better World for People Who are Blind or have Low Vision
At our first Probus Meeting of 2021, we were privileged to welcome Chris Orr, who works for Blind and Low Vision NZ, and his very able canine companion Noble his fifth guide dog. Chris has been blind since he turned 21 and over the past 40 or so years has been training and developing his own substantial skills in the broad issues of the environment in which he lives,as well as supporting others on their journey. He is well-known as an advocate for the Blind and has instigated many environmental solutions and changes needed for both himself and his blind colleagues to enjoy and be safe in their communities. Today Chris gave us a quick review of the Institution in the early 20th Century, being male dominated and heavily controlling the environment in which blind people were living. The latter part of that century had management listening to the service users and saw the development of more practical rehab plus better funding and more effective communication. Much of this work came within the bubble of Chris who ensured better solutions were found for the needs of all people with sight issues. Being aware of the simplicity of some solutions and using the huge developments of technology, Chris brought us right up-to-date with his environment. A lively Q & A session rounded up the delivery. If anyone reading this has an opportunity to engage with Chris, then make sure you attend for an exceptional delivery of past versus present and the substantial skills Chris has in creating a better world for people who are blind or have low vision.
Nicola McCloy - My Journey My Story - So Far
At the November meeting of the Milford Combined Probus Club it was a thrill to listen to local North Shore Editor, writer and researcher, Nicola McCloy. Having grown up in Southland she obtained University qualifications in politics and Russian studies. Following that with a broad learning curve in Wellington (Corporate Communications) and London (Advertising), she returned to NZ to take up positions with book publishing firms. In the meantime and, parallel to her love of books since Primary School, she developed a strong passion for authorship, for NZ Social History and, in ghost written memoirs – expressly telling stories of events and people’s lives.
Her skill in “dealing with her own story” ensured she captivated her audience by sharing milestones, opportunities gained, of exceeding academic norms and providing the “punch” required to create a great story for her clients.
Thank you Nicola for both your time and sharing your fascinating career and passion in such an interesting way. Club members enjoyed your journey and look forward to finding some of your work in bookshops on the North Shore (Christmas present anyone?).
Malcolm Evans - Professional Cartoonist
At the first meeting of the Club since the Covid 2020 social shutdowns, the Club was privileged to
have Malcolm speak to us. Malcolm has been a professional cartoonist for some 40 years and has a
considerable record of providing his cartoons for English (for a short time) and New Zealand
newspapers and magazines through some disturbing times.
His run-in with authorities is legendary and is peppered with dismissals as he regularly criticised the
country’s media and politicians of the day. Moreover, his insistence in focussing on what we are
NOT being told in local and national news is far more important than the “vague commentary” and
“fake news” which crosses our newspapers and is often presented on our radio and television.
Passing round a file of his political cartoons and using vivid examples of his experiences Malcolm
exercised our grey matter and asked us to “think beyond” whatever is presented to us and to make
our own mind up about what is right or wrong.
On a more general note his Edna cartoons, illustration of books and his “sidelines” of sculpturing in
bronze, resin and polystyrene, and painting landscapes, suggest that there is more that he could
share about his professional career.
James Duncan - Trams
For the first face to face meeting with Club members since the lockdown, we were privileged to have James Duncan visit us. James’ is currently responsible for managing the infrastructure of the MOTAT Tramway and has held a strong passion since the mid 1970’s for historical electric transport systems and particularly tramways in Auckland through the 54 years of their development and subsequent demise.
With considerable knowledge and skill James gave us a narrative supported by iconic historical photographs. These gave us an amazing journey of times gone by, of horse-drawn carriages to “modern” carriages driven by overhead electricity. The photos showed familiar buildings (still standing), the style of clothes of the passengers over 50 years and development of suburban Auckland as the population increased
Thank you James for both your time and sharing your knowledge and passion in such an interesting way. The digital images were special to see. It certainly brought back many memories for Club members
Phil Sai-Louie - Flags of the World, NZ Place Names
Phil Sai-Louie has presented two very interesting talks at our Club meetings. The first, Flags of the World, enlightened members on the origins of flags and how their designs and colours reflect each country’s history and culture. More recently he spoke to us about New Zealand Place Names, revealing many fascinating snippets about Auckland’s and New Zealand’s evolution and cultural heritage. The meanings of some place names were intriguing and humorous - and some raised a few eyebrows. It was not surprising that many of the European place names were bestowed by Capt Cook or named after early settlers – e.g. governors, traders. Others signify events which occurred in a particular location. Maori place names tend to reflect the physical characteristics of the local environment. His subject has suddenly become very topical, with a number of New Zealand’s place names coming under scrutiny and being the subject for debate because of their origins.
Richard Margesson - Towards wellness
Former major in British Army’s Coldstream Guards, Richard Margesson spoke at our October 2019 meeting, giving us a insight into the profound effects of being in a war zone and the road to recovery from post-traumatic stress injury. During 1993-1994 he spent seven months in Central Bosnia in command of a peace keeping force, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to trapped civilians. This entailed meeting and negotiating with military leaders (with the knowledge that they were guilty of war crimes) supporting aid agencies and protecting supply routes in a dangerous environment.
On his return, he developed post-traumatic stress injury and embarked on the long road to recovery. Along with therapy he explored the beneficial effects of being in the outdoors and walked the length of New Zealand. Richard lives on Waiheke Island and is a dedicated community volunteer. There he initiated the Walk Off War project which aims to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for those on the front lines of public service.
Barry Watkin - Working as a paramedic with Westpac Rescue
Barry Watkin was the guest speaker at our June 2019 meeting. His life has been one of dedication to helping people in all sorts of terrible life-threatening and distressing situations. He was the Chief Paramedic at Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust - Westpac Rescue – Auckland. The stories of rescues he has been involved in were, quite frankly, mind-blowing. He also outlined the infrastructure of the organisation, the development work carried out to provide improved services and the fund raising involved in keeping the service operating effectively. One significant advancement was the capability of the Rescue Helicopters and the land-based rapid response vehicle, to carry blood for pre-hospital emergency transfusions to the site of an accident. "Critically injured Auckland patients have a better chance of survival on their way to the hospital with rescue helicopters now carrying blood for emergency transfusions." He acknowledged that without the generosity of sponsors, donors and volunteers the Rescue Helicopter service would be unable to deliver their amazing life-saving work.
© Copyright Milford Combined Probus Club