Speakers
We get a wide range of speakers for our monthly meeting, which includes:
Thursday 11 June - 10.00am
Our speaker will be a representative of The Automobile Association in the UK. Speaking about the history of the Automobile Association of the UK and their nearly 40 year career with the AA in the UK.
Thursday 14 May 2026 - 10.00 a.m.
John Reynolds a New Zealand born academic and freelance writer of screenplays, novels and musicals. He qualified as a teacher and spent a number of years teaching overseas.
Thursday 9 April 2026 - 10.00 a.m.
Meeting cancelled do to hall maintenance activities.
Thursday 12 March 2026 - 10.00 a.m.
Dorothy Butcher gave us a fascinating presentation about Friedensreich Hundertwasser an Autrian artist, architect and environmentalist.who adopted New Zealand as his home. Her presentation included a slide show and video. His life and work are commemorated at the Hundertwasser Art Centre, Whanagrei.
Thursday 12 February 2026 - 10.00 a.m.
Robin Brand gave us a humorous talk about the "Perils of Public Speaking."
Thursday 13 November 2025 - 10.00 a.m.
Michael Hallows and Francis Mountjoy will be our November guests. Both Michael and Francis are renowned New Zealand actors. With over 50 years of experience in film, television, theatre and improv between them they offer a behind the curtain look into the life and rigours of a ‘working’ actor in a creative art form. There will be a very gentle and fun chance to participate in a few games and techniques to evoke your inner creative performer! (Please be aware that we will also be taking some video footage for our own internal archival purposes).
Thursday 9 October 2025
John Clark - Who served three years as a trooper in the Mounted Squadron of the Lifeguards Regiment, Household Cavalry in Britain in the mid-fifties. This involved some basic training as an ordinary guardsman soldier, learning how to march and handle firearms to a high standard at the Cavalry Training Cadre at Windsor. The next stage of training, still at Windsor, involved learning how to ride, manage and look after horses. On later transfer to Knightsbridge in London, he assumed the role of a regular trooper, wearing full regalia while taking part in the daily twenty-four guard mount at Whitehall. Other duties included being part of the mounted Sovereign’s Escort at the annual State Opening of Parliament and at in-coming State visits by overseas dignitaries, and also at the Trooping the Colour pageantry in summer each year.
Thursday 11 September 2025
Graeme Thom - A former Fire Commander in Australia, who is writing his first book, Forged by Fire. A multi-award-winning Toastmaster with more than four decades on the fire ground he has translated hard-won lessons from tragedy and triumph into practical strategies for leadership, resilience and safety. As he says, “Understanding fire’s history teaches us not just about survival, but about leadership, responsibility and progress.”
Thursday 14 August 2025
Liz Yeats - President Torbay Friendship Club. Was our mystery speaker and she gave a very interesting talk on the History of Psychology, backed up by her training in the field and her many years as a school counselor.
Thursday 10 July 2025
Allison Mooney - The people interpreter. Are you being driven nuts by someone who can’t make up their mind? Or exasperated by someone’s need to get it perfect, every time? Perhaps you have a “Show Pony” in your life, that keeps horsing around, even before they talk! Or are you feeling short-changed when the most “outspoken” person gets what they want every time? Allison will be giving us tips on handling these tricky situations.
Her website is -
https://www.allisonmooney.co.nz/
Thursday 12 June 2025
Chantal Milner - The urban soil doctor. Chantal Milner is a distinguished soil scientist whose expertise and passion are rooted deeply in the field of urban soil science, and she is an invaluable asset to all stages of a landscape project, providing technical advice from concept design to validation, offering tailored solutions and technical advice to meet the unique needs of each landscape project. She has actively contributed to iconic projects in the world.
Her website is -