Our guest speakers
Every fortnight during term time, we organise for someone to give a presentation to which any of our members can attend. Thanks to Cath Bauman and Pam Griffith for organising. Here are the talks over the past few years.
Aug 092023
Sep 062023
On 6th September, Philomena Holman gave a presentation on the Montmorency Asylum Seekers Support Group (MASSG). MASSG has been advocating for humane treatment of asylum seekers in Australia for the last 20 years. Their membership of around 200 people includes many Nillumbik residents. Philomena discussed: MASSG’s current campaigns and activities to support people still seeking official acceptance of their claims; their personal experiences of supporting individuals; and their experience of communicating with politicians, their successes & failures, with a few tips for others wanting to lobby.
Aug 232023
On 23rd August, Liz Pidgeon gave a presentation on the Yarra Plenty Regional Library, which provides public library service for the municipalities of Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea. This presentation discussed the origins of the library service, where it has come from and its service today, with specific references to the Shire of Nillumbik.
Aug 092023
On 9th August, Geoff Paine discussed various aspects of his working life.
As well as being one of the Eltham Councillors, Geoff currently works at BehaviourWorks at Monash University, helping explain behavioural science. Geoff has spent much of his life as an actor. He began his career on the TV show Neighbours in 1986, and then worked as an actor for decades in the film, theatre, TV and radio industries. He has written for stage and TV, worked as an event producer and facilitator.
Jul 262023
On 26th July, Heather Wearne provided a brief background on the Statement From the Heart, discussed the reasons for the call for constitutional recognition and then talked about the Referendum and how it will work.
Jun 212023
Leading Senior Constable Alison Keppel spoke on Crime Prevention and Safety in the Community. Sergeant Mark Spriggs spoke on Cyber Safety and Scams.
Jun 072023
The Shrine of Remembrance is Victoria’s pre-eminent memorial to the service and sacrifice of Australian servicemen and women in conflicts and peacekeeping. On 7th June, Daryl Bolton discussed the Shrine’s heritage from its conception to the present day and included stories of the brave men and women that served during the conflict that was the First World War.
May 242023
On 24th May, Helen Durham gave a captivating and informative presentation on International Humanitarian Law and its impact on armed conflict. She unpacked the key elements of the laws of war (as found in the Geneva Conventions and other treaties) as well as focusing on the prosecution of sexual violence in war as a crime. She also touched on issues relating to the regulation of weapons, in particular the recent treaties on nuclear weapons.
May 102023
On 10th May, Guy Palmer gave a talk about getting the most out of Google Maps and, in so doing, illustrated some of the sorts of things that you can now do with your phone. Particular aspects that he covered included: controlling your phone by voice; controlling your car’s audiovisual system; searching for types of thing (e.g. nearby cafes that are open now); interacting with businesses (e.g. ringing them); creating multi-stop routes; saving routes; sharing your location with others; using maps whilst offline; creating your own maps; your history and timeline; and streetview.
Mar 292023
On 29th March, Jim Connor explored the history of the Maroondah Aqueduct, why and how it was constructed, some of the technology utilised and how it supported the development of Melbourne.
Mar 012023
On 1st March, Alan Flint talked about his 39 year banking career, initially with the Commonwealth Bank, then with the Reserve Bank of Australia in Melbourne where, inter alia, he supervised the destruction of soiled, mutilated, misprinted notes and postage stamps.
After retiring, he took up a position at a rare coin and banknote company.
Feb 152023
On 15th February, Dianne shared the highlights and photos of her recent trip to South America and Antarctica. Dianne and her husband travelled to Quito and Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Lima (Peru), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Antarctica and Patagonia (southern Chile). Dianne’s main interest is the wide variety of animals and birds seen on the trip.
Nov 302022
On 30th November, Gavin Watson, who is Executive Officer of Diamond Valley Community Support (DVCS) in Greensborough, gave a talk about a Covid-19 pandemic hardship and crisis impact study undertaken by DVCS in 2021 to determine the full impact of the covid lockdowns on the local community.
Nov 162022
On 16th November, Professor David Ranson, a professor at both Monash Medical School and the La Trobe University Law School, took us behind the doors of the Melbourne mortuary and explained what goes on when a death is reported to the Coroner.
Nov 022022
On 2nd November, Wayne Kinrade, a Nillumbik Council Officer, the convenor of the Friends of the Eltham Copper Butterfly and a co-founder of Nillumbio, gave a talk about the natural and local history of the Eltham Copper Butterfly, including its life cycle, locations where it can be found and threats to the butterfly’s existence. He explained the importance of the butterfly as a flagship species. Efforts to protect the butterfly were be described, as well as the implications for supporting broader biodiversity enhancement.
Oct 192022
On 19th October, Nillumbik U3A member Cathy Guinness gave a talk about being a white woman in an Aboriginal world. For 40 years, Cathy has been the partner of a prominent Yorta Yorta man, Wayne Atkinson, as he has journeyed through the political upheavals of these years as a leader – putting Aboriginal voices into history, reclaiming ownership of Aboriginal heritage, the Native Title court cases, the campaign for joint management of national parks, and now the work to tell the truth about our past. Cathy has learned from Wayne what it is to be an Aboriginal activist, and she has come to understand about being white in an Aboriginal community.
Aug 242022
On 24th August, Nick Szwed gave a talk entitled back to the USSR to a sellout crowd. The talk covered: the origin of Slavic peoples, the Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians; how they live today – where Nick’s parents were born; Nick’s parents’ journey from Belarus to Australia; the breakup of the USSR – a missed opportunity; the dictator of Belarus vs people wanting democracy; Kazakhstan and Ukraine; and Putin’s plan to go back to the USSR.
Aug 102022
On 10th August, Terry Beaton, current Nillumbik U3A member and erstwhile curator at Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum on the Burma Railway, gave a talk on the Burma Railway to a packed audience of our members. He talked about the history and cost of the infamous ‘Burma to Siam Rail Link’ built by multi-national POWs and forced Asian slave labour for the Japanese invasion of India during WW2.
After the talk, Terry presented a spike from the railway to Nancie Marchbank, whose father was on the railway during WW2. In response, Nancie wrote the following: “I recently attended the presentation from Terry Beaton on the Thai/Burma Railway. Not only was this extremely interesting but it meant a lot to me as my father was on the railway during the Second World War. Dad would never talk about the war or his internment at all. I travelled to Hellfire Pass about 12 years ago but listening to Terry I learnt a lot more. In addition, Terry gave me a genuine POW-made dog spike from the Railway. It was made in Japanese workshops between 1942-45. Terry found the spike in 2000 at Wampo Viaduct. I sincerely thank Terry for this gift and hope that he knows how much it will mean to me and my family.”
Jul 272022
On 27th July, Nillumbik U3A member Brenda Fitzpatrick gave a talk to a packed audience about the many unlikely heroes that she has met in unlikely places during her work for an international humanitarian agency, writing and speaking about human rights – especially about women and girls in war – and reporting on humanitarian needs in places of conflict and disasters. Her book, Tactical Rape in War and Conflict (2016) was about the use of rape as a deliberate tactic of war and how this is a serious human rights issue that needs to be addressed as a threat to human and international security. Her more recent novel, Gwennie’s Girl (2019) was her first foray into fiction and used stories that she heard and experienced.
Jun 222022
On Wednesday, 22nd June, Gabby Seymour, who is a physiotherapist based in Eltham, provided an educative and practical session on maintaining bone health as you age. She demonstrated practical balance exercises that you can do at home to maintain bone health, mobility, balance and prevent falls.
May 292022
On Wednesday, 25th May, Guy Palmer gave a talk on social exclusion to a full house at Old Eltham Courthouse.
May 112022
On Wednesday, 11th May, Brian Devenish gave a talk on worldwide scamming. One of his main suggestions was that you shouldn’t buy directly from social media.
May 062022
On Friday, 6th May, newly retired doctor, Greg Papworth, met with some of our members to discuss any concerns, questions or issues that they had about the current situation. One of his main messages was that our members should make sure to get their flu vaccine this Winter: because of all the lockdowns, there have been only minimal numbers of flu cases over the last two years and this will have lowered the average immunity in the population which, in turn, is likely to mean that we will have a bad flu season this year.
Mar 302022
On 30th March, Fiona Malcolm, who is the Librarian at Melbourne Athenaeum Library, provided a look back at some of the classic (and not so classic) children’s books of the 20th century.
Here is Fiona’s suggested reading list for children’s books of the 20th century.
Mar 162022
On 16th March, Jim Connor gave a talk on the recent restoration of Old Eltham Courthouse, which was originally constructed in 1860 but needed extensive repairs.
Mar 022022
On 2nd March, Gillian Essex and Janine Laurence, from the Jagajaga branch of Grandmothers for Refugees (G4R), discussed the history of the movement, the issues facing refugees in Australia today, and the role of G4R in advocating for them.
(G4R) is a grassroots movement that has evolved from Grandmothers Against Detention of Refugee Children. With a large membership base across both the suburbs of Melbourne and in regional Victoria, G4R’s focus is the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum. Being a grandmother is not a pre-requisite for becoming involved, as G4R also welcomes the support of ‘friends of grandmothers’, affectionally known as FROGS. G4R also collaborates at times with other like-minded groups. In addition to their advocacy role, many grandmothers – either individually or collectively at branch level – provide direct support to refugees and people seeking asylum.
Feb 162022
On 16th February, Graham Parslow, who is the president of the Historical Radio Society of Australia, gave around 20 of us a presentation on 150 years of radio, from scientific curiosity to mature technology.
Radios from the 20th century were illustrated by examples from Graham’s collection of 600 radios. It is likely that you grew up at a time when radio was a major home entertainment and fondly recollect that radio and the times your family spent by it in the kitchen or lounge. Radios are now highly collectable for their beauty and their technology, with the cabinets reflecting the tastes of society spanning art-deco to modern minimalist.
Dec 012021
On 1st December, Catherine Blakey discussed communication and hearing tactics for hearing impaired people and their family, friends and colleagues.
As a person with a lifelong hearing loss, and as a hearing aid user for 60 years, Catherine has developed many hearing tactics. Hearing tactics are assertive approaches towards communication that you can actively use to improve your social interaction and communication in the environment. You can take charge of some situations to best suit your needs. This helps family and friends to send, receive and understand the message.
Nov 172021
On 17th November, a full house at Eltham Central Pavilion voted on the best painting of the last 150 years.
The eventual winner was Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s The luncheon of the boating party (1881).
The runner up was Frederick McCubbin’s The pioneer (1904).
The following painters were represented in the competition: Bazille, Bouguereau, Braque, Caillebotte, Cezanne, Chagall, Church, Dali, De Chirico, De Kooning, Degas, Derain, Dobell, Ernst, Gauguin, Gorky, Gris, Hamilton, Harris, Heysen, Hockney, Hopper, Johns, Kahlo, 
Kandinsky, Kinkade, Kirchner, Klee, Klimt, Leger, Lichtenstein, Lowry, Magritte, Manet, Marc, Matisse, McCubbin, Miro, Modigliani, Mondrian, Monet, Munch, Namatjira, Newman, Nolan, Nolde, O’Keefe, Palmer, Picasso, Pissarro, Pollock, Rauschenberg, Renoir, Richter, Robinson, Rockwell, Rothko, Rousseau, Schiele, Seurat, Shishkin, Sisley, Smart, Tanguy, Thiebaud, Toulouse-Lautrec, Turton, Van Gogh, Vlaminck, Warhol, Waterhouse, Whiteley and Wood.
Nov 032021
Mercy Ships is a global organisation which brings hope and healing to communities who need it most. It uses floating hospitals to provide medical care to those in desperate need of surgery and medical treatment.
This talk was given by Tammy Shepherd. Tammy is a hospital-based physiotherapist whose good education and economic stability has allowed her to volunteer extensively with Mercy Ships and elsewhere. Her husband and adult children are supportive of her service to the African people via both Mercy Ships and mentoring local physios in a hospital in Congo.
Oct 202021
On 20th October, Louis Roller, from Monash University, gave a talk on Zoom about the placebo-nocebo conundrum.
The placebo-nocebo conundrum is about the effect that inactive substances can have on individuals. The term ‘placebo’ comes from the Latin placare, meaning to please, while the term ‘nocebo’, or nocere, means the opposite. This talk discussed the implications of the placebo/nocebo effect in medicines, how they work and their use in clinical trials. It also looked at evidence of the actual existence of the placebo and the mindset required for its effects.
Sep 152021
On 15th September, Guy Palmer talked about 10 animals who, for genetic or other reasons, make for interesting life stories.
Aug 252021
On 25th August, Fiona Malcolm, who is the Librarian at Melbourne Athenaeum Library, discussed mysteries set on and around trains. The event was held on Zoom and attracted getting on for 40 participants.
Here is Fiona’s suggested reading list for mysteries set on and around trains (all 140 of them!).
Jul 282021
On 28th July, Louis Roller, from Monash University, gave a talk on Zoom about human smiles, their function and the various meanings given to different types of smiles.
Among humans, a smile expresses delight, sociability, happiness, joy or amusement. It is distinct from a similar, but usually involuntary, expression of anxiety known as a grimace.
Although cross-cultural studies have shown that smiling is a means of communication throughout the world, there are large differences among different cultures, religions and societies, with some using smiles to convey confusion or embarrassment.
Click here to view/download Louis’ slides (all 120 of them!).
May 112021
On 11th May, U3A member June Rushton gave a talk about what it was like being the daughter of a lighthouse keeper, living variously at Bruny Island, Swan Island, Cape Sorrell, Wilsons Promontory, Cape Otway and Cape Nelson. Everyone who attended found it very interesting.
May 052021
On 5th May, Louis Roller, from Monash University, gave a talk on music and well-being, investigating the effects of music on all sorts of conditions.
Mar 312021
On 31st March, U3A members Kelvin and Beverly Spiller gave a presentation on understanding your own and others’ personal preferences for how information is taken in and decisions are made, and how to think about how others interact with you, you with them and they with one another.
Mar 172021
On 17th March, Jim Connor, from the Eltham Historical Society, gave a talk on some of the notable Eltham ‘pioneers’, both during the early days and in later times. One dictionary definition of a pioneer is a colonist, explorer or settler of a new land or region, an innovator or developer of something new. Many people in many ways contributed to the establishment of the area we know as Eltham and their pioneering activities helped develop the town and the region.
Mar 032021
On 3rd March, Louis Roller, from Monash University, gave a talk on Zoom about hair, specifically human hair, its structure, functions and hair problems.
Feb 172021
On 17th February, Fiona Malcolm, who works for Melbourne Athenaeum Library, discussed the best (and rest) of the exciting sub-genre of Australian rural crime fiction. Participants discovered new authors, new towns and some amazing scenery as they travelled around outback Australia between the pages of the books.
Here is Fiona’s suggested reading list for Australian rural crime fiction.
Nov 302020
Melinda Clarke, who is driving force behind The Melbourne Map website, which includes illustrated maps of Melbourne in both 1991 and 2019, discussed how the illustrated maps were produced. She explained the project, beginning with the idea’s conception and publication of the first illustrated map back in 1991. She shared the trials and tribulations of bringing the project to fruition from research, design, crowd funding, publishing and product development.
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| 2019 map of Melbourne | 1991 map of Melbourne |
Nov 112020
On 10th November, Guy Palmer, who is our tutor on genetics, gave a talk via Zoom on why ants work together in colonies. The key word is ‘haplodiploid’.
Oct 272020
On 27th October, Fiona Malcolm, who works for Melbourne Athenaeum Library, ran a session on what crime novel would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island. She kicked things off with some of her ‘must take’ and most re-read crime novels before asking the audience for their suggestions.
Here are Fiona’s own suggestions.
| They ‘select themselves’ | Connelly, Michael | The Poet |
| Christie, Agatha | And Then There Were None OR Murder On The Orient Express | |
| Tracy, P.J. | Want to Play? (apa Monkeewrench) | |
| Locke, Attica | Bluebird, Bluebird | |
| Dostoevsky, Fyodor | Crime And Punishment | |
| Almost made it | Barton, Fiona | The Widow |
| Berna, Paul | A Hundred Million Francs | |
| Blyton, Enid | Five Go To Billycock Hill | |
| Bolton, Sharon | Little Black lies | |
| Clark, Douglas | The Gimmel Flask OR Golden Rain | |
| Flynn, Gillian | Sharp Objects | |
| French, Tana | In The Woods | |
| Griffiths, Elly | The Stranger Diaries | |
| Lippman, Laura | Sunburn | |
| McGown, Jill | Murders Of Mrs Austin & Mrs Beale | |
| McIlvanney, William | Laidlaw | |
| Neel, Janet | Death’s Bright Angel OR Death On Site | |
| Sayers, Dorothy L. | Gaudy Night OR Nine Tailors | |
| The series | Grafton, Sue | The Alphabet series |
| Muller, Marcia | Sharon McCone series | |
| Rankin, Ian | Rebus series | |
| The Aussies | Cleary, Jon | Scobie Malone series |
| Disher, Garry | Dragon Man | |
| Downes, Anna | No Safe Place | |
| Kovacic, Katherine | Portrait Of Molly Dean | |
| Maloney, Shane | Stiff |
Oct 132020
On 13th October, Louis Roller discussed his journey from hunted untermensch to successful academic. Louis was born in Paris of Jewish parents three months before the fall of Paris to the Nazis. Despite life-threatening events and many near-misses, Louis survived the holocaust and arrived in Australia in 1947. He was the first refugee seen at the primary school he went to, had no English and was highly traumatised. Despite all this, Louis has managed to have a successful academic career in pharmacy and medicine.
Sep 152020
On 15th September, Guy Palmer gave a talk via Zoom on the history of modern art, from the mid 19th Century to today, covering the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, Fauvists, Expressionists, Cubists, Surrealists, Abstract Expressionists and Pop Artists. Around 30 of our members attended.
Sep 012020
On 1st September, Louis Roller, from Monash University, gave a talk via Zoom on some common laboratory tests in terms of their clinical uses, how they relate to disease pathophysiology, and how to correctly interpret test results. Around 20 of our members attended.
Aug 242020
On 18th August, Jim Connor, from the Eltham Historical Society, gave a talk via Zoom on the history of using earth to create various types of structures, extending from early days up to the more recent use of mud bricks for housing in Eltham and the surrounding area. Around 30 of our members attended.
Aug 042020
On 4th August, Zara Thompson, who is a registered Music Therapist working with children and adults with disabilities and people seeking asylum, gave a talk about music therapy and ageing. It started with an overview of how and why music can be useful to health and wellbeing and finished with some experiential music activities to demonstrate how music can impact mood and physical health.
Jun 252020
On 25th June, Louis Roller gave a online talk about disease and medicines in Shakespeare’s plays.
Mar 252020
On 25th March, Victorian Energy Compare discussed how to: understand your electricity bill; use the Victorian Energy Compare website to find a better energy offer; claim a $50 Power Saving Bonus; and ensure that government energy concessions are applied to your bill.
Mar 242020
Dianne Parslow was planning to run a few training sessions on Powerpoint but the coronavirus got in the way. So she has turned her session into a little online course. Just follow these instructions. When you have completed Part I of the instructions, you should have something that looks like this powerpoint presentation.
For some further tips, read this powerpoint presentation, remembering to select 'slide show' to show all aspects of this demonstration. Dianne is happy to give individual help via email (dianneparslow@gmail.com) or phone (0434 986 424).
Mar 162020
On 16th March, Louis Roller gave a talk about what we need to ask our doctor and pharmacist about the medicines that have been prescribed for us.
Feb 102020
On 10th February, Guy Palmer gave a talk about first world poverty, including underlying philosophical issues and major policy challenges.
Nov 282019
On 28th November, Alan Cuthbertson gave a talk on climate change and Extinction Rebellion.
Nov 212019
On 21st November, Jim Connor gave a talk on the history of Old Eltham Courthouse.
Thanks to Cath Baumann and Pam Griffith for organising these talks.