The June 2024 newsletter is packed with engaging stories and updates. As always, the guest speaker from the previous monthly meeting (May 2024) takes centre stage. This time, we had the pleasure of hearing from Giuseppe Gallina, an Italian native, who shared the compelling story of Benito Mussolini, the Italian Read more…
In our May 2024 Newsletter, we delve into an enlightening talk by our club treasurer, Charles Nicholls, on The Alhambra in Spain—a stunning monument to Islamic architecture. Charles took us on a historical journey, starting with the Moors’ invasion of Spain and their subsequent advance into France before their eventual Read more…
In March, we had the pleasure of hosting Bryan Leyland, a distinguished Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers, New Zealand. With extensive experience in wind, solar, tidal, and wave power, Bryan shared his insights on achieving net zero by 2050. Key Points from Bryan’s Talk: Challenges of Renewable Energy: Read more…
Noel Rose consistently brings in outstanding guest speakers, and Mark Beale, featured in the March 2024 Newsletter, is no exception. Mark’s talk covered a tour he led to Israel and Palestine in 2010. He made a point of venturing out alone at night to see the places as they truly Read more…
The February 2024 Newsletter captures the engaging talks given by three of our Club’s members: Trevor Pollard, Vince Middeldorp, and Neil Castle—during the 11:00 am to 12:00 pm slot, typically reserved for guest speakers. Trevor Pollard narrated his journey from being a self-employed plumber to joining the Paterson Trading Company. Read more…
Our December 2023 meeting was a blast – literally! We enjoyed listening to local historian Lisa Truttman, who shared with us the story of the H.&W. Fowler factory explosion in 1966. This was one of the most dramatic events in Auckland’s industrial history, as the metalworks factory in Rosebank erupted Read more…
The December newsletter has an account of Nina Kitson’s talk on being New Zealand’s first female undercover officer. It is a gripping tale of deception, intrigue and nerve-wracking incidents where she came perilously close to being uncovered as a police plant. The newsletter has reports on the coffee morning at Read more…
During 2023, we have had an incredible run of outstanding speakers for our meetings in the New Lynn Friendship Hall. Probably the most highly credential of those speakers was Dr Paul Buchanan, who spoke at the October meeting. Dr Paul Buchanan served in the Clinton Administration as a Regional Policy Read more…
Back in August 2022, Senior Sergeant Bob Barrett (retired) gave a riveting presentation on his early years in the New Zealand Police. There were tales about notorious criminal Puru Anderson and Colin James Lucas who had a long history of offending. In September 2023, Bob Barrett returned to talk about Read more…
Charles Nicholls wife Helen made two nice cakes which Charles brought along to the August Meeting. One was a birthday cake for Bill Mutch and the other a birthday cake for Neil Castle. We had a number of women at the meeting because the guest speaker, Elin Noyer from Harbour Read more…