Our Probus members enjoy Guest Speakers which we offer at each of or monthly meetings.
Please contact Duncan McLaren for speaker suggestions or, if interested in speaking.
Past Speakers
Hugh Fraser
Speaker unveils hidden features of swing beam barns Bob Halfyard introduced guest speaker Hugh Fraser, the author and publisher of a book entitled “Swing Beam Barns of Niagara – stories of 50 barns built in Ontario between 1819 and 1884.” Hugh was raised on a farm and has been connected to far...
January 10 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amBev Foster, Executive Director, Room 217 Foundation
Bev Foster will present on “The power of music to make meaningful changes in health and well-being” Room 217 promotes music use in health care Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Bev Foster, the Executive Director of Room 217 Foundation, who was appearing via Zoom from her home in Po...
December 13, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amChris Leworthy – Battle of Britain
Chris Leworthy presented the “Battle of Britain – 80+ years on” Speaker unveils story behind the Battle of Britain Andy Redman introduced guest speaker Chris Leworthy who appeared via Zoom from the UK. Chris is a former pilot who became a World War II historian and qualified as a...
November 8, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amJames Treadwell – Treadwell Restaurant
James Treadwell, Sommelier and Owner at Treadwell Farm-to-Table Cuisine in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Restauranteur describes challenges posed by Covid Tom van Loenen introduced guest speaker James Treadwell, co-founder with his father Stephen, and sommelier of Treadwell Farm to Table Cuisine in Niagara-o...
October 11, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amDavid Sharron, Brock Special collections
David Sharron, Brock Special collections – Head, Archives and Special Collections Topic: “Plate Spinning and Ball Juggling: All in a day’s work at the Brock Archives”. This would be a look at the various roles and responsibilities that we have at Brock and how our collections connect...
September 13, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amCapt. Michael Robson Marine Seaway Pilot
Capt. Michael Robson Marine Seaway Pilot at Great Lakes Pilotage Authority on ‘Marine Pilotage’ Marine pilot talks about his life on the seaway Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Capt. Michael Robson, a marine seaway pilot with the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority. Michael, now semi-retired,...
August 9, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amSue and Dave Williams – Sail across the Atlantic in a tiny sailboat.
An Adventure on the High Seas and the Journey Within… Dave & Sue Williams Peter Jennings introduced guest speakers Sue and Dave Williams who jointly related stories of their amazing adventure in crossing the Atlantic in a 37-foot sailboat named Inia. Sue admitted she had no interest in sai...
July 12, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amBarry Wright – CEO of the 2022 Canada Summer Games
Barry Wright CEO of the Canada Summer Games in Niagara Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Barry Wright, the CEO of the 28th Canada Summer Games scheduled to be held at various sites across Niagara from August 6 to 21. Barry, an associate professor at the Goodman School at Brock University, has ...
June 14, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amAlexandra Hall, Cyber-Seniors
Cyber-Seniors is a non-profit organization providing senior citizens with tech-training using an intergenerational, volunteer model.
May 10, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amAdam Shoalts, (professional explorer and best-selling author)
Adam Shoalts tries to uncover mystery of Labrador creature Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Adam Shoalts, the Westaway explorer-in-residence with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The Fenwick native described some of his earlier explorations including following the route taken by map-m...
April 12, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amTim Burrows, (Electric Vehicle Society)
Tim Burrows champions the switch to an electric car Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Tim Burrows whose presentation asked the question “Should your next car be electric”. Tim, a retired vice president of Forty Creek Distillery, is a member of the Electric Vehicle Society which is a non-pr...
March 8, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amPeter Meyler, (Author)
Peter Meyler Author of Richard Pierpoint and Lemuel Brown: “Fight for Freedom” in honour of Black History Month Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Peter Meyler who joined our meeting via Zoom. Peter, who has researched Black history since 1985, is the author of “Richard Pierpoint and Lemu...
February 8, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amPeter Weltman (Financial)
Peter Weltman – Ontario Financial Accountability Officer Topic: The role of the The Ontario Financial Accountability Office Art Currie introduced our guest speaker Peter Weltman a Financial Accountability Officer with the Ontario Government Peter gave a very informative and detailed presentati...
January 11, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amMarc Nantel (Niagara College VP)
Marc Nantel – Niagara College’s Vice-President, Research & External Relations Topic:“Niagara College in the Niagara Community” Niagara College programs play important role in our community Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Marc Nantel, Vice President of Research and External Re...
December 14, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amNancy Speck, (Crime Analyst)
Nancy Speck, Retired crime analyst from the Niagara Regional Police talking on the subject of criminal analysis Crime analyst helps police track down criminals John Sallman introduced guest speaker Nancy Speck who retired in 2019 after a career with the Niagara Regional Police as a civilian crime an...
November 9, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amMichael Jacques, (Author)
Michael is a public speaker and activist, who in 2018 wrote and self-published Can't Read, Can't Write, Here's My Book using speech-to-text technology.
October 12, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amPeter Greco, Canon Greco Management Limited
Condo managers tasked with many responsibilities Art Currie introduced guest speaker, Peter R. Greco, a graduate of Brock University, who is President of Cannon Greco Management Limited, a St. Catharines firm which specializes in condominium and residential rental management. Peter provided a compre...
September 14, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amMarcella Haanstra, Library Services
Librarian reveals vast array of services now available Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Marcella Haanstra, the training librarian at the St. Catharines Public Library who has also worked in Collections, Programming and Reference. She is a graduate of the MLIS Master’s Program from the U...
August 10, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amChristine Allum, Financial Scams
Christine Allum, a senior advisor, investment engagement and stakeholder partnerships in the Investor Office at the Ontario Securities Commission presented to us at this month’s meeting. Christine, a graduate of Ryerson University, previously worked at the Ontario Stock Exchange. Her online pres...
July 13, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amMarieke E. Schmidt, Rover Explorers
Marieke E. Schmidt, Professor of Earth Sciences at Brock University. Marieke has been involved in the study of Mars since 2005 and has been selected by NASA to be a participating scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory working with the rover exploration missions. Marieke said that the big question ...
June 8, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amAdrian Petry, First Welland Canal
Adrian Petry, visitor coordinator at the St. Catharines Museum, presented to us on the topic: “Open for business – the Welland Canal in 1830”. Adrian explained that in the history of the Welland Canal the first canal is often overlooked. It was built between 1824 and 1829 prior to photography ...
May 11, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amStewart Campbell, English Channel Tunnel
Stewart Campbell, who lives in Helensburgh on the west coast of Scotland, is our first international speaker joining us through the technology provided by Zoom. Stewart was in charge of Health and Safety during construction of the English Channel Tunnel which was officially opened in 1994. He pointe...
April 13, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amWendy Sturgeon, Indigenous History
Wendy Sturgeon, the Executive Director of the Niagara Chapter, Native Women Inc., based in Fort Erie presented to us this month. Wendy, who was born in Toronto, is of Anishinaabe (Ojibway-Chippewa of the Thames or Muncee) and Welsh decent. She explained that her father came from a residential school...
March 9, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amSuzanne Soto-Davies, WISH Book
Guest speaker Suzanne Soto-Davies, publisher of Silver and Gold Magazine for Boomers Plus, has also developed a WISH (What If Something Happens) workbook. Suzanne, who was born in Peru and came to Canada when she was 15, said that her grandparents gave her the idea for the magazine which is publishe...
February 9, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Past Speakers
Hugh Fraser
Speaker unveils hidden features of swing beam barns Bob Halfyard introduced guest speaker Hugh Fraser, the author and publisher of a book entitled “Swing Beam Barns of Niagara – stories of 50 barns built in Ontario between 1819 and 1884.” Hugh was raised on a farm and has been connected to far...
January 10 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amBev Foster, Executive Director, Room 217 Foundation
Bev Foster will present on “The power of music to make meaningful changes in health and well-being” Room 217 promotes music use in health care Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Bev Foster, the Executive Director of Room 217 Foundation, who was appearing via Zoom from her home in Po...
December 13, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amChris Leworthy – Battle of Britain
Chris Leworthy presented the “Battle of Britain – 80+ years on” Speaker unveils story behind the Battle of Britain Andy Redman introduced guest speaker Chris Leworthy who appeared via Zoom from the UK. Chris is a former pilot who became a World War II historian and qualified as a...
November 8, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amJames Treadwell – Treadwell Restaurant
James Treadwell, Sommelier and Owner at Treadwell Farm-to-Table Cuisine in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Restauranteur describes challenges posed by Covid Tom van Loenen introduced guest speaker James Treadwell, co-founder with his father Stephen, and sommelier of Treadwell Farm to Table Cuisine in Niagara-o...
October 11, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amDavid Sharron, Brock Special collections
David Sharron, Brock Special collections – Head, Archives and Special Collections Topic: “Plate Spinning and Ball Juggling: All in a day’s work at the Brock Archives”. This would be a look at the various roles and responsibilities that we have at Brock and how our collections connect...
September 13, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amCapt. Michael Robson Marine Seaway Pilot
Capt. Michael Robson Marine Seaway Pilot at Great Lakes Pilotage Authority on ‘Marine Pilotage’ Marine pilot talks about his life on the seaway Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Capt. Michael Robson, a marine seaway pilot with the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority. Michael, now semi-retired,...
August 9, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amSue and Dave Williams – Sail across the Atlantic in a tiny sailboat.
An Adventure on the High Seas and the Journey Within… Dave & Sue Williams Peter Jennings introduced guest speakers Sue and Dave Williams who jointly related stories of their amazing adventure in crossing the Atlantic in a 37-foot sailboat named Inia. Sue admitted she had no interest in sai...
July 12, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amBarry Wright – CEO of the 2022 Canada Summer Games
Barry Wright CEO of the Canada Summer Games in Niagara Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Barry Wright, the CEO of the 28th Canada Summer Games scheduled to be held at various sites across Niagara from August 6 to 21. Barry, an associate professor at the Goodman School at Brock University, has ...
June 14, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amAlexandra Hall, Cyber-Seniors
Cyber-Seniors is a non-profit organization providing senior citizens with tech-training using an intergenerational, volunteer model.
May 10, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amAdam Shoalts, (professional explorer and best-selling author)
Adam Shoalts tries to uncover mystery of Labrador creature Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Adam Shoalts, the Westaway explorer-in-residence with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The Fenwick native described some of his earlier explorations including following the route taken by map-m...
April 12, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amTim Burrows, (Electric Vehicle Society)
Tim Burrows champions the switch to an electric car Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Tim Burrows whose presentation asked the question “Should your next car be electric”. Tim, a retired vice president of Forty Creek Distillery, is a member of the Electric Vehicle Society which is a non-pr...
March 8, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amPeter Meyler, (Author)
Peter Meyler Author of Richard Pierpoint and Lemuel Brown: “Fight for Freedom” in honour of Black History Month Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Peter Meyler who joined our meeting via Zoom. Peter, who has researched Black history since 1985, is the author of “Richard Pierpoint and Lemu...
February 8, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amPeter Weltman (Financial)
Peter Weltman – Ontario Financial Accountability Officer Topic: The role of the The Ontario Financial Accountability Office Art Currie introduced our guest speaker Peter Weltman a Financial Accountability Officer with the Ontario Government Peter gave a very informative and detailed presentati...
January 11, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amMarc Nantel (Niagara College VP)
Marc Nantel – Niagara College’s Vice-President, Research & External Relations Topic:“Niagara College in the Niagara Community” Niagara College programs play important role in our community Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Marc Nantel, Vice President of Research and External Re...
December 14, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amNancy Speck, (Crime Analyst)
Nancy Speck, Retired crime analyst from the Niagara Regional Police talking on the subject of criminal analysis Crime analyst helps police track down criminals John Sallman introduced guest speaker Nancy Speck who retired in 2019 after a career with the Niagara Regional Police as a civilian crime an...
November 9, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amMichael Jacques, (Author)
Michael is a public speaker and activist, who in 2018 wrote and self-published Can't Read, Can't Write, Here's My Book using speech-to-text technology.
October 12, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amPeter Greco, Canon Greco Management Limited
Condo managers tasked with many responsibilities Art Currie introduced guest speaker, Peter R. Greco, a graduate of Brock University, who is President of Cannon Greco Management Limited, a St. Catharines firm which specializes in condominium and residential rental management. Peter provided a compre...
September 14, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amMarcella Haanstra, Library Services
Librarian reveals vast array of services now available Duncan McLaren introduced guest speaker Marcella Haanstra, the training librarian at the St. Catharines Public Library who has also worked in Collections, Programming and Reference. She is a graduate of the MLIS Master’s Program from the U...
August 10, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amChristine Allum, Financial Scams
Christine Allum, a senior advisor, investment engagement and stakeholder partnerships in the Investor Office at the Ontario Securities Commission presented to us at this month’s meeting. Christine, a graduate of Ryerson University, previously worked at the Ontario Stock Exchange. Her online pres...
July 13, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amMarieke E. Schmidt, Rover Explorers
Marieke E. Schmidt, Professor of Earth Sciences at Brock University. Marieke has been involved in the study of Mars since 2005 and has been selected by NASA to be a participating scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory working with the rover exploration missions. Marieke said that the big question ...
June 8, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amAdrian Petry, First Welland Canal
Adrian Petry, visitor coordinator at the St. Catharines Museum, presented to us on the topic: “Open for business – the Welland Canal in 1830”. Adrian explained that in the history of the Welland Canal the first canal is often overlooked. It was built between 1824 and 1829 prior to photography ...
May 11, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amStewart Campbell, English Channel Tunnel
Stewart Campbell, who lives in Helensburgh on the west coast of Scotland, is our first international speaker joining us through the technology provided by Zoom. Stewart was in charge of Health and Safety during construction of the English Channel Tunnel which was officially opened in 1994. He pointe...
April 13, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amWendy Sturgeon, Indigenous History
Wendy Sturgeon, the Executive Director of the Niagara Chapter, Native Women Inc., based in Fort Erie presented to us this month. Wendy, who was born in Toronto, is of Anishinaabe (Ojibway-Chippewa of the Thames or Muncee) and Welsh decent. She explained that her father came from a residential school...
March 9, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 amSuzanne Soto-Davies, WISH Book
Guest speaker Suzanne Soto-Davies, publisher of Silver and Gold Magazine for Boomers Plus, has also developed a WISH (What If Something Happens) workbook. Suzanne, who was born in Peru and came to Canada when she was 15, said that her grandparents gave her the idea for the magazine which is publishe...
February 9, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am