2017 Speakers

Tim Kaye introduced David Bishop, representing the Trillium Gift of Life Network, who gave an informative talk on organ and tissue donations.The Trillium Network, Ontario’s central organ and tissue donation agency, was established at the end of 2000 by the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care. The agency’s mandate includes the coordination and planning of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, education and research related to donation. Bishop said...

Dennis Ray Remembrance Day Service: The Remembrance Day Service was organized and led by Andy Redman who offered opening remarks and read “Silence in Remembrance” and the” Story of Remembrance”. Bill Smith read “Act of Remembrance”. John Congram led us in prayer. Dennis Ray played the “Last Post” and, following two minutes of silence, John Senn read “In Flanders Field”. George Park read a list acknowledging current PROBUS...

Our speakers this month, Lynn and Jim Miller, talked about some of the highlights of their trip to Machu Picchu, the 15th century Inca Citadel located in the mountains of Peru. He also mentioned the unnerving experience of flying into the downtown airport at Cusco located between two mountain ranges. Jim also described the amazing workmanship involved in constructing the sacred...

Robert Fahlman’s presentation was titled “Blood Ivory: A Global Law Enforcement Response to Combating Transnational Wildlife Crime.” Fahlman, who retired as Director General of RCMP Criminal Intelligence after 35 years with the RCMP and is now president of R&D Fahlman Consulting, Inc., was chosen to prepare a report, including suggested solutions to the on-going slaughter of African elephants. Fahlman warned that...

Rabbi Gad Romang from Congregation B’nai Israel in St. Catharines spoke to us om the subject of “What it is like to be a Rabbi in today’s world”. Rabbi Romang, who was born in Argentina, moved to Israel when he was five and has been a Rabbi for 30 years and has lived in five countries. Before coming to St....

Our guest speaker for July was Bradley Hammond, the son of club member Peter Hammond who is a Queen’s University graduate and is the senior communications manager for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization. The subject of his presentation was Canada’s Plan for Used Nuclear Fuel. Bradley described the plan, called Adaptive Phased Management and how it evolved during discussions with...

Owl Foundation has been helping birds of prey for more than 40 years Guest speaker Annick Gionet of The Owl Foundation in Vineland, who gave us an interesting and informative description of the work the foundation does. Its main goal is to rehabilitate injured and orphaned owls. She pointed out that founders Larry and Kay McKeever started the work in the...

Our guest speaker for May was Past President Art Currie who spoke in great detail about the Battle of Vimy Ridge and followed his presentation with a video about the 1917 battle. Art pointed out that at the time of the First World War, Canada’s population was approximately eight million and from that number, 620,000 served in the Canadian Expeditionary...

Arden Phair, a volunteer with the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial Task Force. told us the story of Welland Canal’s fallen workers. The task force was established to develop and implement a strategy to finance, design, build and install a suitable memorial to recognize workers who were killed while building the Welland Ship Canal between 1914 and 1932. Arden pointed out that the canal...

The Ides of March visited St Catharines with 12 inches of snow on our scheduled March 14, 2017, regular meeting. WE HAD TO CANCEL! Your club executive have never faced this before in all its history dating back to 1998. Much consultation between management committee members and certain past presidents took place… including with our current President, who took great...

  Tips to create a thriving vegetable garden At our February monthly meeting, Bob Martin, General Manager of Martin Farms Ltd, gave a very informative, illustrated talk entitled, “The Path to a Green Friendly Garden”. Bob, a third-generation greenhouse owner, spoke about the importance of the greenhouse industry in Niagara (the third largest in North America) and in particular the...

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Dennis Ray, a fellow Probus St. Catharines club member, delivered a presentation about his climb up to the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro with his son John in 2008. Mt. Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania, is Africa’s highest peak at 5,895 metres or 19,340 feet and although the altitude makes it a challenge, more than 50,000 people take on...