| Date | Speaker | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-11 | Roger Ellison | Photography | |
| Feb-8 | Pete Webb | Earthquakes - how earthquakes happen | |
| Mar-14 | Tony Bostock | Review of Vale Royal Abbey | |
| Apr-11 | Jeff Smith | Mining in Kazakhstan | |
| May-9 | General discussion on the future of Kelsall Probus | ||
| Jun-13 | Alastair Kerr | History of Vietnam | AGM |
| The talk gave an overview of the history of Vietnam, from its early formation around 1000BC, its 1200-year subjection to Chinese rule, its expansion southwards in mediaeval times, its war-torn 20th century, to its economic miracle in the 21st century. Heroic emperors and rebels were remembered as well as the revolutionary heroes of more recent times. The whole was illustrated by maps and pictures which in many ways linked the past to the present. | |||
| Jul-11 | David Hearn | Sir William Brown, the Man Who Made Liverpool | |
| David Hearn gave a fascinating account of the life of Sir William Brown. Born to a wealthy Irish family which emigrated to USA in the late 18th century, he came to Liverpool in 1810. Brown Brothers became one of the largest ship’s agents and bankers through trading with and in the USA. In Liverpool, Sir William, an entrepreneur and hard-nosed businessman, was also a major philanthropist and founded many buildings, and an Artillery Company. David refuted more recent claims about his businesses’ dependence on slavery, but his grave now lies derelict. A very informative and interesting talk. | |||
| Aug-8 | Ordinance Survey maps. | ||
| The scheduled talk was about the use of Ordnance Survey Maps, but the speaker was at short notice unable to come. Speaker secretary Don Owen produced a quiz which required each table to study three different OS maps in order to answer several questions, anagrams and measurements. Members were kept fully engaged for ¾ hour which served to remind us all how much information there is on an OS map, and how close study can reveal so much about previously unknown locations. | |||
| Sept-12 | Bryan Hughes | Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). History of the service. | |
| Bryan Hughes, an experienced and now retired RNLI volunteer, gave a short history of its foundation in March 1824, and its workings today. Introducing a personal list of his RNLI heroes, he reported that more than 120,000 lives have been saved up to 2010. In 2023 lifeboats made 9,192 launches and saved 269 lives, whilst lifeguards (on beaches) attended 14,213 incidents and saved 86 lives. He finished by reminding us that the cost of RNLI is met by donations, two thirds of which come from legacies – and that RNLI's mission is to save lives at sea, irrespective of how the victims came to be in peril. | |||
| Oct-10 | Ros Charlesworth | NW Air Ambulance. How the organisation operates. | |
| Volunteer Ros Charlesworth told us that North West Air Ambulance – a charity not supported by either the government or the NHS – covers the area from Audlem to Cumbria, population 8 million. Its purpose is to fly the most advanced medical crew and equipment to patients. It has 3 helicopters and two cars, all fully equipped, to reach anywhere in any weather and at night. They flew over 3100 missions in 2023 to accidents, sports injuries and medical emergencies. A fascinating insight into a service we see occasionally which costs over £4500 for each mission, all supported by voluntary contributions. | |||
| Nov-14 | Kelsall Probus's 25th Birthday Celebration | ||
| The club marked it's 25th Anniversary with a special lunch at Willington Hall. We started the occasion with a photo shoot on the south terrace. Following a photo of our remaining founder members, group shots were taken of past and present club officials and of all those at the lunch. Following a fine lunch we were entertained by "Romany the Diva of Magic". She is a professional magician and one of the few women to be accepted into the Inner Magic Circle. She provided excellent entertainment and was warmly applauded. All in all it was a really successful day to mark our 25th anniversary. Click here for photos of the event. | |||
| Dec-12 | Ray Owens | Music and songs through the years | Christmas Lunch |
| Ray Owens, who runs a group named the Chicago Teddy Bears at Grappenhall, entertained the 64 members and guests assembled for Christmas lunch. Ray is a gifted guitar and banjo player, who laces his playing with a large dose of Liverpudlian humour. His extended repertoire concentrated on songs from the 1950s and 1960s, together with some well-known songs sung in the style of a different artist. Everyone enjoyed a professional but laid-back and humorous hour. | |||
Lunches will be held at Willington Hall and will commence at 12.45 following any Club business which is discussed between 12.30 and 12.45. We aim to finish the meeting at 15:00.