GENERAL MEETINGS  

                            

We meet for two hours from 10.00am on the second Tuesday of each month at theWhitehorse Civic Centre, in the Willis Room.

This comprises a brief general meeting, outlining important club matters and a summary of the most recent Management Committee meeting.

Morning tea and socialising is followed by a guest speaker.

All are invited to a post meeting lunch at The Coach in Ringwood.

 

2025 Guest Speakers/ Entertainment. - The Australian Open.

 

DECEMBER 2025 - CHRISTMAS FUNCTION - Canterbury International Hotel.

Most members enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch. Turkey and veggies were slightly  varied including a tiny corn, a tiny carrot, broccolini and asparagus, plus cranberry gravy.  Dessert was traditional plum pud, ice-cream, strawberries and custard. The bar ‘ran dry’ at 3.30pm.

We welcomed six guests to our celebrations.

And from Gerry –

This event at the Canterbury International Hotel, Forest Hill, was a great success with a very convivial atmosphere.

The quiz posed some dramas for some and yet others revelled in the challenge. I had a Senior’s moment and forgot to get the Scratchies to present to the winning table of intellects. They have promised to hold me to the IOU that I committed to and they are here on my desk as I write.

Numbers commented that the Canterbury was a very pleasant venue and we could do well to celebrate there again next year. 

Photos: Chris Summers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOVEMBER 2025 - Chris (Photos: Chris Summers)

Paul Perrottot

Paul's presentation  was excellent and stacked with facts and figures.

First played 1904.

Moved to Melbourne Park 1988

Home of the AO until 2046.

Three roofed courts.

Rod Laver seats 14,820

John Cain seats 10,500

Margaret Court seats 7,500.

Kia Arena seats 5,000.

Has a permanent tennis HQ onsite

Players facilities 

National Tennis Centre

It is Australia's largest sporting event run over 3 weeks.

1,102,303 visitors in 2025.  1,218,831 over the 3 weeks. 97,132 on one day (Friday)

Media - 16 tv stations, 2 Australia, 3 US and 3 China plus other countries.

.Singles champ won $3.5 million. 

More than 14,000 people work at the AO.

400 drivers of Kia vehicles, 6 airport staff, 5 hotel based transport attendants.

Drivers operate from 6.30am until up to 3 hours after play stops.

In 2025 more than 50,000 people were transported.

27,000 trips booked through the transport app.

We saw a pair of Rafa's shoes. Only slightly worn. Her always carries more than one pair in case something goes amiss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OCTOBER 2025 - Chris

 – Alex Maisey - Lyrebirds 

Courtesy: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/amaisey

Alex Maisey is a Research Fellow with the Research Centre for Future Landscapes and Department of Ecological, Plant and Animal Sciences.

In 2021 Alex completed a PhD focused on the role of the Superb Lyrebird as an ecosystem engineer in south-east Australia’s temperate forests. Building on this foundation, he later undertook a postdoctoral research project in collaboration with BirdLife Australia and WWF Australia to investigate the impacts of the 2019–2020 megafires on Superb Lyrebird populations and their habitat. This work contributed to broader efforts to understand post-fire recovery across Australia’s forest ecosystems div.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOOTY DRESS-UP DAY AT SEPTEMBER MEETING – Chris

There was a great roll-call of footy teams decked out in footy gear. Well done everyone!!

Photos Courtesy: Chris Summers and Glenn Ewing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEPTEMBER SPEAKER - Shane Varcoe. Marijuana as a Medicine 

SPEAKER – Shane Varcoe - Cannabis

Courtesy: https://worldresiliencyday.com.au/team/shane-varcoe/

Shane Varcoe has been the Executive Director for the Dalgarno Institute (Coalition Of Alcohol & Drug Educators) since 2009. The Institute is long standing Alcohol & Other Drugs (AOD), community based, not-for-profit, public interest coalition, that achieved ECOSOC (Economic &  Social consultant) consultative status with the United Nations in 2022.

Courtesy: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shane-varcoe-a5263828_cannabisindustry-cannabisculture-activity-7337997214511747072-pNH4

The Cannabis Con: How Australia’s Industry Became a Profit-Driven Prescription Mill #cannabisindustry and #cannabisculture dictate not only what is 'medicine' but how it is to be deployed, and the TGA have given them the 'pass' they needed. A System Built on Sentiment, Not Science: What began as a compassionate response to desperate families seeking relief for children with epilepsy has morphed into what critics aptly describe as “a commercial monster” – a barely regulated medicinal cannabis industry where doctors write cannabis prescriptions every four minutes and patients receive “Chernobyl-strength” products after brief phone consultations with non-medical staff.

The numbers are staggering and speak to a system utterly divorced from proper medical oversight. One doctor issued 17,000 scripts in six months – mathematically impossible to provide adequate patient care. Eight practitioners each churned out over 10,000 prescriptions for the highest-strength THC products in just half a year. A single pharmacist dispensed nearly one million cannabis products annually – that’s 2,600 products every single day for an entire year without a break. These aren’t the statistics of a carefully managed medical programme. They’re the hallmarks of a prescription mill operating under the thin veneer of healthcare legitimacy.

The “Vote for Medicine” Deception: The rot began with what the Dalgarno Institute correctly identifies as the “vote for medicine” protocol – a deliberate strategy to bypass rigorous clinical trials and scientific evidence in favour of emotional manipulation and political pressure. The Victorian Law Reform Commission’s 2014 consultation was a masterclass in manufactured consent, drawing from a mere 99 submissions and poorly attended public hearings dominated by cannabis advocates. Policymakers staged political theatre, disguising the legitimisation of a recreational drug as compassion and medical necessity, abandoning evidence-based policymaking. The consultation process heavily favoured bias, systematically marginalising and silencing the Dalgarno Institute’s representative when they presented evidence-based research on cannabis harms.

Meanwhile, cannabis advocates freely made unsubstantiated claims such as “Many, many people have been cured – from just about anything and everything” – statements now debunked by a decade of disappointing clinical outcomes. Doctors as Drug Dealers: The transformation of medical practitioners into what one doctor described as “glorified cannabis dealers” represents a fundamental corruption of the medical profession. Dr Claire Noonan’s experience exposes the insidious pressure applied to healthcare providers: “There was a bit of pressure to be, perhaps more of a dealer… it’s more being used for my signature on a script.”

(For complete article https://lnkd.in/gC56UDUf)