The Probus Club of East Grinstead & District
The Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month except December when it is the second Tuesday. The venue for meetings is the upstairs room at the East Grinstead Spoprts Club, Saint Hill Road, East Grinstead RH19 4JU, where members gather at 10.00am for conversation and coffee, conduct routine Club business, listen to a guest speaker and questions. At around midday members can opt to return to the bar for a drink and lunch.
A programme of visits to varied and fascinating places are arranged during the year. The Club organises a short holiday each year, usually in the UK but also to mainland Europe. All holidays aim to have a sense of fun, to visit new places of interest and represent a tremendous opportunity for members and partners to socialise over a longer period of around severn days.. Travel is normally by coach, but train and air transport have been used in the past. Holidays are planned such that people with restricted mobility can participate as much as possible.
A Spring and Autumn lunch takes place with members and wives / partners and at Christmas time a lunch takes place to celebrate the season and recall the year's achievements.
A talk about the history of Superguns and Gerald Bull, the designer of the ultimate Supergun for Saddam Hussein and Iraq.
I spent some time in the arms industry and became unwittingly involved in the Supergun project. This eventually led to me giving evidence to the Government enquiry into ‘Arms to Iraq’, as well as several other enquiries including ‘Arms exports to Iran’. During this interesting period in my career I worked closely with Jonathan Aitkin, the disgraced MP and Minister, and gained unwelcome first-hand knowledge of the intrusive power of the UK press.
I describe what it was like starting out as a young reporter in troubled Johannesburg and Durban during apartheid in the Seventies and Eighties and how that experience forged my skills and still informs what I do today.
I take you through the highlights of my career: the dangers of being a frontline reporter; walking around the pits at Formula One Grand Prix and rubbing shoulders with Ayrton Senna and Nikki Lauda; drinking tequilas with Freddie Mercury; interviewing Roald Dahl when he had just written Mathilda; meeting senators and Monika Lewinsky in Washington; the vast number of "ordinary" people I have encountered doing extraordinary things.
I will also talk to you about how technology has completely transformed newspaper production, for better or worse, and my feelings now, as I look back over nearly 45 years.
Between 1918 and 1930 Major George Herbert Scott CBE, AFC was the pre-eminent airship pilot and engineer of his generation. After commanding the first two way transatlantic airship flight in HMA R34 he went on to become Assistant Director of Airship Development (Flying and Training). He designed the mooring masts for the R100 and R101 and was appointed Officer in Charge of what was to become the last flight of the R101, which sounded the death knell for the crew, the passengers and the airship industry.
Click here: The R101 on the day of launch
Click here:The R101 on the mooring mast at Cardington and many more shots
Scott displayed a tendency to "press on" in the face of adversity and lead from the front. However was it bad planning or political imperatives that led to that final journey of no return?
Most people will not get the chance to spend hours, or even days watching an animal - studying its behaviour and its interaction with their fellow species and/or other species. Accompanied by photographic images and slideshows this talk takes a closer look at daily life on the African plains. Beyond wildlife, this presentation will explore parts of the African landscape and the amazing skies from sunrise to sunset.
About Gillian Lloyd
Gillian Lloyd has been an experienced photographer and speaker for over 10 years. After being presented with her first camera and a trip to South Africa, Gillian fell in love with both photography and wildlife. Over the years her love for travel and photographing wildlife hasn’t dwindled; in fact, it’s grown stronger.
Ever since Justus D Barnes drew his revolver in ‘The Great Train Robbery’ in 1903, Hollywood and the Western have been inseparable. For over 70 years it made stars of actors like Marion Morrison, Eldred Peck and Yuliy Borisovich Briner (Yul Brynner).This Talk forges a trail west to celebrate the men AND women who helped make The Western the most important genre in cinema history and in doing so helped create the legends of Hollywood and America.
Pete is the Director of The RC Sherriff Trust, an arts charity established through terms set down in the will of the playwright and author RC Sherriff. He spent six years as Assistant Head Flyman at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane before training as a theatre director at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama and undertaking a master’s degree in Film and Television Studies at the University of Westminster. Prior to his work with The RC Sherriff Trust he was The Arts Development Officer for Elmbridge Borough Council where he was responsible for The Royston Pike Lecture Series. He was co-founder and artistic director of WhirlygigArts which ran CRYPT (Cranleigh Young People’s Theatre), CMYT (Chequer Mead Youth Theatre) and The Big Picture Young People’s Film Workshop. He also co-founded Storm the Stage Young People’s Theatre for Mole Valley District Council and was the Director of The Together in Waddon Community Project. He works extensively as a professional theatre director and film-maker.
Simon grew up in Tunbridge Wells. A chartered surveyor by trade, Simon has turned his favourite past time, that being a fascination with one of Britains biggest entertainers, into a wonderful audio visual presentation that has seen him touring all over the South East of England. Simon has experience presenting to U3As, WIs, rotary and business. Simon's talk has featured in the Wealden Times and Sunday Express newspaper. The by-line to his Talk is: "The inside story of one Britain's greatest entertainers".
Designed to drop a nuclear payload deep within Russia, this delta-winged aircraft together with the Victor and Valiant made up the UK V-Force. Used by the RAF between 1956 - 1984 the Vulcan held the record for the longest bombing mission in history when the RAF, flying from Ascension Island, bombed the strategically important Argentinian-captured runway at Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands. This presentation will explore all aspects of the aircraft. For example, why did each Vulcan carry a RAT?
I'm an aviation historian and UAV pilot. I am also an experienced public speaker whose presentations are guaranteed to add extra sparkle to your club meeting or event. I use archive film footage, technology, music, humour and a genuine enthusiasm for the topics to provide a fascinating insight into mainly aviation-related subjects.
This talk looks at the extent of personal fraud, how it’s been increasing in recent years, the many different and sophisticated types of fraud, and what we should ALL do to protect ourselves.
Roger Tristram
An overview of Crime and Smuggling in the area from C13th through the ages - talk in three periods with appropriate costumes from Medieval, Victorian and early 20th Century
ABOUT ROBERT SLATER
Local author and walk guide - published some 13 books ranging from local ghost - East Sussex, West Sussex, Northamptonshire also Various other local history books and guidebooks. Running Guided Walks in Pevensey, Lewes, Alfriston and Rye for the past 30 years (ghost Walks and also Crime and Smuggling) TV, Radio etc Public Speaking
