The following is a list of the past program in 2022 and first part of 2023

 

 

Date 2020/2023	Description	Attended	Pictures/ Presentation
30th Jun 2023	There was a talk by John Feehan (The Dung Beetle man). Shed member John Feehan is known to everyone as the “Dung Beetle Man” for his lifetime work dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of dung beetles. John was born in Braidwood and initially worked for CSIRO on dung beetles. He has five insects named after him, has an OAM for his services to the agricultural industry and in 2011 reached the final 14 in the highly prestigious Australian of the Year Award. The morning finished with a BBQ.	36
23rd Jun 2023	Margaret Walrod and Alan Clark from the US Embassy gave a talk about what they do in the embassy and their past history and posts	38
16th Jun 2023	Martin van der Hoek gave a talk about The Judean Uprising of 68-72 AD against the Romans. They eventually put down the insurrection by taking the mountain fortress of Masada.	32
9th Jun 2023	Stuart Allen gave a talk on Foiling Sailboats. Stuart gave a brief summary of his sailing career which started in Iron Cove where he used to sail VJ’s. He later sailed 16 foot Skiffs in Drumoyne. Then came to Canberra sailing Lasers. He made the point that to sail a Laser and win, you probably have to be a very fit 21 year old. He was wondering when you get beaten in a race by a 15 year old, is it time to give up? He then went on to highlight the dynamics of the hydrofoil.	38
2nd Jun 2023	Senior Parliamentary Photographer David Foote talked about his career as a photographer initially in Adelaide, then later in Canberra working for the Canberra Times before joining Parliament House. He mentioned that he has in fact visited the Oval Office on 8 separate occasions. One other visit to the US was with PM John Howard during the 911 aircraft bombings of the World Trade Centre.	34
26th May 2023	Boyd Blackwell gave a talk on his trip expedition cruise to Antarctica in December 2022, from the tip of South America to Antarctica and there were 19 Scientists on board to take care of the guests. They sailed from Punta Arenas to The Falklands then to South Georgia (South Sandwich Islands) then Antarctica returning to Punta Arenas. Details see Newsletter #674	33
19th May 2023	BBQ & Frank O’Rourke talked on Bill Taylor who Frank reminded us of the feat of Bill Taylor standing on the strut to drain the oil from the engine with the broken propeller of the Southern Cross. Bill Taylor’s early career had started flying a Sopwith scout during WWI for which he received the Military Cross. After WWII Taylor held many speed records around the world flying Frigate Bird II a Catalina flying boat it is on display at the Powerhouse Museum	32
12th May 2023	Dr David Swanton talked about voluntary assisted dying. David is a prominent author and speaker in support of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD). He is the head of the Canberra Chapter of an international organisation known as Exit. Following the recent repeal of federal legislation that blocked VAD laws in the territories, the ACT is currently developing a framework for legislation on VAD. A consultative process is underway, with public submissions received up until 6 April. Here’s what the ACT Government says on its website: The ACT Government believes all Canberrans should have end of life choices that align with their rights, preferences and values. Canberrans should have access to quality health care, including end of life care, when they need it. However, we know that even with the best end of life care, some Canberrans with an advanced condition, illness or disease experience suffering near the end of their lives. A paper advocating the Human Rights Model for VAD was developed in response to the ACT consultation process.	31	Voluntary Assisted Dying in the ACT 2023
	You can see it through the link on the right		Welcome to Ethical Rights
5th May 2023	Kim Rubenstein gave a talk on the Voice referendum supported by James Blackwell a proud Wiradyuri man & Research Fellow at the ANU’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs.	?	Uluru Statement from The Heart
	Detailed background article from Kim: Power, Control and Citizenship: The Uluru Statement from the Heart as Active Citizenship
28th Apr 2023	BBQ at Lake George (Anderson VC picnic area) Gearys Gap. At the lake we met Dr Douglas Finlayson, a geophysicist who had a long career with Geoscience Australia and its predecessors. Since retiring some years ago, he has been a regular lecturer with U3A.	27	For details refer to Newsletter # 700
21st Apr 2023	Frank O’Rourke gave an Anzac Day related  talk especially the George Cross memorial. Australians are today eligible for the Cross of Valour, instituted under the Australian Honours System on 14 February 1975.	35	For details of the talk refer to Newsletter # 699
14th Apr 2023	Tony Rogers gave a talk entitled ‘From Rhodesia to Zimbabwe on a crocodile’. Tony covered the explosion in human populations and the subsequent competition for land. He also explained how land mines helped the insurgeny in Rhodesia. He also expalined how the Europeans eventually settled South Africa. Tony had arrived in Rhodesia in 1943. He worked in the public service for 20 years as an engineer, but along with many others, he was conscripted during the Liberation War. Part of a large exodus of white Rhodesians, Tony left Zimbabwe two years after Robert Mugabe’s ascension to power.	30
7th Apr 2023	No Shed Meeting – Good Friday
31st Mar 2023	Peter Norton-Baker talked on End of Life Planning. Peter’s presentation related to his experiences in the loss of his wife Janis. Janis had endured a long period of illness for a medical condition which had no the loss of his wife Janis. Janis had endured a long period of illness for a medical condition which had no known cure and no proven reliable treatment. They were fortunate to be able to arrange in-home care and professional health assessments which provided assistance, guidance and structure through a difficult time. Peter agreed that his full presentation could be made available and it can be accessed by clicking on the right column.	41	Click here to view his presentation
24th Mar 2023	Harry Angel :Trip down the Hijaz Railway from Damascus to Madinah. Harry moved to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia just six weeks before the Gulf War 1 started. Because Saddam was bombing the eastern cities of Saudi Arabia, particularly Riyadh, the families of company Advisors were moved from Riyadh to Jeddah tripling the population of the company compound. Saudi Arabia is not just a big oil well supplying 12% of the world’s requirements (& making a profit of US$ 161 billion last year). That happens in the east of the country. The west of the country contains the two holy mosques which are the centre of Islam for some two billion Muslims. The Kaaba (House of Abraham) in the Grand Mosque at Makkah has been the focus of Islam since 610 AD when Muhammed established Islam. The Hajj is one of the biggest shows on Earth & the logistics behind it are amazing. It was because of this movement of pilgrims that the Hijaz Railway was proposed. Prior to the Hijaz railway in 1900, Pilgrims travelling from Turkey and beyond could catch a train to Damascus but then had to walk or ride camels some 1,700 km to Makkah. This journey taking some 2 months through some inhospitable country. The building of the Hijaz Railway started in 1900 at Damascus & as sections were completed, pilgrims were able to go by train to closer destinations. The railway finally reached Madinah in 1908 & for the next few years carried some 300,000 pilgrims per year to the holy cities. The railway was bombed by Lawrence of Arabia during World War I. But it was repaired & operated until 1924. Now all that is left (in Saudi Arabia) is an embankment 800km long including bridges, tunnels, 40 stations & many rusty railway engines & carriages. It has become a great four-wheel drive adventure for some expats of the area. Harry & his wife Jo were in Jeddah for 9 years spending many weekends camping in the desert, scuba diving in the Red Sea or generally partaking of the excellent shopping and eating available. They both agreed that Saudi Arabia is one of the best kept secrets in the world. The sky is always blue, it hardly ever rains. Just 50 metres off the edge of the Red Sea are coral reefs that rival the Great Barrier Reef. There are mountains over 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) high & ancient rock carvings which add to the mystique of this enchanting country.	45
17th Mar 2023	Short talks and a BBQ. Various members talked on various subjects. Luke proceeded to get us to do a simple test to see whether we might benefit from the exercise classes run by the EmPower Exercise Physiology Group. For most of us, the answer was a clear yes!	35
10th Mar 2023	Excursion to Mount Stromlo, hosted by Dr Brad Tucker. What a great follow-up to the talk Brad gave at the Shed on the 30th of September last year. A record number of members enjoyed the excursion, with perfect weather being a bonus. Once again, Brad was at his highly informative and entertaining best. He is a gifted speaker with an amazing ability to share his enthusiasm and knowledge of incredibly complex scientific research and development. And he has a great sense of humour.	42
3rd Mar 2023	Bob Wagg gave a talk on the History of Tasmania and Phil Laird talked on Artificial Intelligence and the power of ‘ChatGPT.	43	The write up from the Newsletter is also on the website Page “Activities 2022-2027”
24th Feb 2023	Excursion to Tarago Bioreactor. Previously a copper, lead and zinc open-cut mine, since 2005 the site has been used as an in-situ bioreactor. Sydney’s household waste, after being containerised at the Veolia Environmental Services in Clyde, Sydney, is transported by rail from Sydney to the Intermodal transfer terminal site in Tarago. The containers are off-loaded and trucked to the mine site, a distance of less than 10 kms. After a warm welcome and an explanation about what’s happening at the site, we were safely shepherded around by a very hospitable team, including Rowena, Maria, Pearl and Scott.The scale of what’s going on at the ‘Woodlawn Eco Precinct’ is staggering. It receives about 1,000,000 tonnes per year of ‘rubbish’, mostly from Sydney, with some also coming from the local region. It uses the methane created by the resultant waste to generate electricity. The set-up also includes a solar and fish farm using energy harnessed from the operation. Wells sunk by people like our multiskilled bus driver, Scott (a gas field operator), link to a series of pipes and the methane is pumped to a power station on site, where it is burned to produce electricity. Approximately 95% of the methane is captured. The electricity generated is enough for 9,500 homes – is fed into the NSW grid. In addition to the Bioreactor, the Veolia team at Woodlawn operate a Mechanical and Biological Treatment Facility (MBT). The MBT started operation in 2017. It takes a small proportion of the waste stream coming to the site, sorts and recycles it before composting the organics. The resulting compost is being used for rehabilitation of the old mine tailings dam. The sprawling Woodlawn Eco Precinct is also home to 23 wind turbines, 2,500 solar panels, and a fish farm.	31
17th Feb 2023	The Death of X-ray Film by Professor Rob Davidson. X-rays were first discovered in 1895 by German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen. Rob went on to talk about the development of X-Rays and their limitations. Over time, the technology improved, and different types of X-rays were developed. Some of the most common types of X-rays include: • Conventional X-rays: This is the most common type of X-ray, in which a beam of X-rays is passed through the body and the resulting image is captured on a photographic film. • Fluoroscopy: This type of X-ray produces real-time moving images of the body. A continuous beam of X-rays is passed through the body, and the resulting images are captured on a monitor. • Computed Tomography (CT) scans: CT scans use X-rays to produce detailed, cross-sectional images of the body. A rotating X-ray tube and detector create multiple images, which are then reconstructed by a computer into a 3D image. • Mammography: This is a type of X-ray used to image the breasts. It uses low-dose X-rays to create images that can help in the early detection of breast cancer. In traditional radiography, a photographic film is placed behind the body part being examined and the X-rays pass through the body and onto the film, creating an image. The film is then developed using a series of chemical processes to produce the final image. In digital radiography, the X-rays pass through the body and are detected by a digital detector, which converts the X-rays into an electrical signal. The signal is then processed and displayed on a computer screen. Modern methods now enable the digital storage of the image which can be accessed over and over, manipulated and processed without destroying the original, and anybody in the world with formal access can see that image and add to understanding of the image and the tissue.	40
10th Feb 2023	Life and Architecture of Alberto Dias Soares (1830-1909). Roger Amos talked about a little-known 19th century designer who spent about 20 years in Queanbeyan from 1857 to the late 1870s. Alberto Soares was a distinguished Anglican cleric who is famous for designing churches and parsonages throughout the Goulburn Diocese. Alberto was born in London in 1830 and was educated at Stoke Newington Mercantile and London University Schools. There are 25 surviving buildings, mostly ecclesiastical, that have been proved to be designed by Alberto Soares. Roger then introduced a presentation by Ken Charlton, a local architectural historian. Ken is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2001 for his work to save architectural heritage. For 17 years he was the Senior Conservation Officer at the Australian Heritage Commission in Canberra. Ken’s health problems prevented him from being at the Shed. Ken’s presentation covered much of the information that Roger had already provided about Alberto Soares. However, it went into much more detail about the structures and showed photographs of some of the models Alberto had constructed of the various churches etc that he was designing. It also listed some of the many churches etc that Alberto designed.	40
3rd Feb 2023	Excursion to the Canberra Miniature Railway. On Friday morning 24 shedders gathered at the Shed & piled into various cars for an excursion to the Canberra Miniature Railway in Symonston. Our group was welcomed on arrival by the Secretary of the Canberra Society of Model & Experimental Engineers, Craig McGill. The President of the Society, Darryl Webb, outlined the Society’s 1973 origin, their move from Kingston to their current site, members’ activities & how they catered for those who wanted to mess with trains but also those interested in building things, repairing things or just helping out on their twice monthly open days. Darryl explained how they are always looking for new members and he hoped the idea of playing with small trains might appeal to Shed members. The Society has a wonderful set-up in Symonston with access to 15 acres of land and the opportunity to lay a lot more track. After morning tea we were given a tour of the facilities, the workshops and trains being built as well as the many working models. There were trains powered by steam, all electric, diesel-electric and a couple powered by modified car engines. Quite spectacular. They have tracks of various gauges, including 7¼ inch and 5 inch gauge.	24	The write up from the Newsletter is also on the website Page “Activities 2022-2027” with a link to a large Google Photos Album
27th Jan 2023	Last part of Luke Wensing’s Trip around Aust by Public Transport	31
20th Jan 2023	A talk about the ‘lost’ (& ‘found’) city of Petra in Jordan, and a recent cycling trip to Victoria by Bob Mann	37
13th Jan 2023	The Quarantine Station, Sydney by Steve Mawer & Bob Mann told us about his solo cycling trip to Mendoza in Argentina, presented with a combination of photos and music he collected during the trip.	43
6th Jan 2023	First meeting after Xmas was an informal coffee & chat at the Kippax Raiders Club at 10am	20
2023 2022	Christmas/New Year Closedown – No Shed meeting
16th Dec 2022	Christmas Spectacular at the Shed & Harry’s poems, Ken’s sing-along & Christmas trivia. Frank O’Rourke spoke for 20min about some historic buildings designed by NSW Colonial Architect, James Barnet (1826 -1904), who was famous for his iconic Victorian sandstone buildings in Sydney – most of which still stand today – such as the Sydney GPO. He & his staff also designed a number of buildings in the Canberra district, including the Courthouses at Yass, Gunning, Tumut, Boorowa, Goulburn, Young, Kiandra & Cowra.	36
9th Dec 2022	Alastair McKenzie talked about his African experiences. A longer summary of his talk is on the “Activities 2022-2027 Page”	33
2nd Dec 2022	Luke talked about early Canberra and showed a video from 1958. Martin van der Hoek. Martin showed photos & short videos of a motor bike ride around Sri Lanka in 2014. Martin’s also spoke about ‘What’s it like to be a Roman?’	36
25th Nov 2022	Talk by Joel Krewaz on 2CV rally to Cape York & the best of France by Paul McCarthy, & BBQ & sausage sizzle	41
18th Nov 2022	Cancer – Reflections on a ‘silent’ disease. In this talk Fyfe Bygrave drew from his experience as both a cancer researcher & patient commencing 1974 when given one year to live following an operation to remove a malignant melanoma. Fyfe gave an overview of all the common cancers including Skin and Prostrate cancers which effect us a lot of us.	32 + 3 visitors
11th Nov 2022	We commemorated Remembrance Day with Captain Kate Miller, RAN & President Luke Wensing talked about HMAS Sydney being Lost and found. See Activities pages for more details	32 + 3 visitors
4th Nov 2022	Martin talked about Those with the title of ‘The Great’ including Alexander the Great, Pompey the Great, Constantine the Great, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great. The audience came up with one additional person, Alfred the Great. Paul gave an extensive talk about “Living in France – What it’s really like”. See Activities pages for more details	35
28th Oct 2022	We had a series of short talks by Shed members followed by a Sausage Sizzle. Luke & his wife went to Shepparton a couple of weeks ago to the Australian National Piano Award solo recitals. When it came time to leave last Sunday week they found that all the roads out of town were flooded so they were trapped. Des Chapman & his wife visited Bangladesh in 2007 with their daughter, son-in-law & two young grandchildren. son Paul & his family were living in Bangladesh. His job was the Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Bangladesh National Cricket Team. Ray Osmotherly talked about Royal funerals during the 20th & 21st Centuries. John Feehan talked about Millstream, W.A. when he was working for the CSIRO in an area around the Millstream oasis, which covered an area of about 1 square mile & contained about 11 million gallons of water. It is approximately 160kms south-east of Karratha. Hammersley Iron needed large amounts of water for its operations in the Pilbara & built a pipeline from the oasis to its mining area & ultimately to Dampier. It was estimated that 9 million gallons of water would be extracted from the oasis.	39
21st Oct 2022	Moira Daw talked about Accounting which has been around for many years. Its ancient beginnings go back about 7,000 years in Mesopotamia. The connection between accounting and the Sistine Chapel is based on the Mathematics of Phi (1.618), which is often described as the “Golden Number” or “Golden Ratio”. It is derived as (1 + √5)/2 and is closely related to the Fibonacci sequence of numbers.	35
14th Oct 2022	David Kilby gave a talk titled “Hyperbole in Popular Music.” He was a former teacher, Canberra ABC radio personality & music buff, David Kilby is still busy in his ‘retirement’. As well as running a B&B with his wife near Hall see Last Stop Ambledown Brook B&B Vintage Train Accommodation on the right, David enjoys sharing his love of music and still participates in radio shows.	38	Last Stop Ambledown Brook B&B Vintage Train Accommodation
7th Oct 2022	Martin van der Hoek spoke about Captain Cook, the Pacific, and the size of the Universe. See Activities 2022-2027 for details	36
30th Sep 2022	Dr Brad Tucker talked about ” Past, present and future of Space and Australia’s role in Space”. He was very informative about various future missions to the Moon & Mars and various new satellites being launched and options for recovering launch rockets	40
23rd Sep 2022	Martin van der Hoek gave a talk about three large international land deals: 1. swapping Manhattan Island in the USA for Run Island in Indonesia, in 1667; 2. the Louisiana purchase; 3. Deal 3: in 1867 USA bought Alaska from Russia. Also Bob Mann talked about Cycling in Indochina. Bob took us on a virtual cycling tour of 800Km from Bangkok to Saigon, with photos he took during a trip back in 2010. It was a 15 day trip, organised by a Thai company, Indochina Adventures, based in Bangkok.	35
16th Sep 2022	Zac Zaharias, one of Australia’s most successful high-altitude mountaineers spoke about his mountaineering experience, including his three Everest expeditions. In 2001, once again for Zac it was not to be. But as they say, ‘third time lucky’, and he finally made it to the summit in 2010. Fast-forward to the 2020’s: Everest, & the challenge of climbing Everest, has been transformed by the commercialisation of the experience. Now, instead of blazing a trail, people are following a well-trodden, well prepared track. It has made Everest accessible to people who are relatively unprepared, & those with limited climbing experience. Money talks, & has worked to the detriment of the experience of climbing Everest, the mountain itself, & the environment.	46
9th Sep 2022	Tony Jurd talked about volunteering in East Timor and his experiences there	45
2nd Sep 2022	The Shed’s 14th birthday – BBQ and reminiscences – This was celebrated with talks about the Shed’s history with a birthday cake and BBQ	44
26th Aug 2022	Ms Ruchika Jain (High Commission of India) gave a talk about India after 75 years of independence. India now has a population of 1.4B and will soon be larger than China. India has some commitments to reduce carbon emissions by 2030 and is committed to net zero by 2070. A longer overview of her talk is on the “Activities 2022-2027 Page”	46
19th Aug 2022	Fyfe Bygrave talked about the importance of ‘Calcium’ to the human body with emphasis on its extreme value in keeping the heart beating. A longer overview of his talk is on the “Activities 2022-2027 Page”	41	Click here to view his presentation
12th Aug 2022	Bernard Wright had a long and distinguished career in Parliament House and for the last four years there he was Clerk of the House of Representatives. Working in close proximity to the law makers and their staff gave him a unique insight into the goings-on in Parliament, the highs, the lows and amusing incidents. He entertained a very attentive audience with anecdotes re Peter Costello, Gough Whitlam, Sir Robert Menzies, Ian Warden, Bob Hawke, John Button, Jim Killen, Joe Lyons and the list went on. The stories just flowed, all of which were both informative and amusing. Quite a life and what memories. It seemed like there was no end to the anecdotes which most people would not normally be privy to.	40
5th Aug 2022	2022 AGM. Key elements of the meeting were the election of the President, accepting the nominations of four prospective committee members, the President’s Report & the Treasurer’s Report. An election was held between Luke Wensing and Ken Kemp for President, with Luke becoming POTS for the next year. Ken accepted a nomination for Vice-President. Bob Salmond nominated for the Secretary post. At the current time, no-one has nominated for the Treasurer’s position.	36
29 Jul 2022	Brad Tucker was unfortunately unable to attend so we were served by the usual jokes from Roger plus a poem from Harry. We were also entertained by John Feehan, the dung beetle man who told us about his tagging a tree in the Simpson Desert to find out how far it would grow in so many years using a tube from a burnt out trailer and a KB beer can to enscribe his activity onto the pole. He also told us about finding ants living underground on the edge of a dry Lake Eyre. Fyfe Bygrave told us about his early years as a surveyor in Fiji and how he regretted not finding out from his mother why she named him Fyfe. We were also told by Luke Wensing about his visit to Longreach and the Qantas Musuem located there.	39
22 Jul 2022	Martin van der Hoek gave a talk about ‘Pirates, present & past’. Harry Redfern introduced the talk dressed in pirate garb & recited the following poem “I was a pirate once”. Martin emphasisied pirates have been around since there were boats. In Roman times Pompey had to work hard to remove them from the Med. Through the Middle Ages the Barbary pirates of Nth Africa were prominent. The Golden Age of Piracy was(1650-1726) around the Caribbean. More recently the Somali and West African pirates still menace the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Martin talked about the reasons for resorting to piracy and the measures taken to combat piracy.	33
15 Jul 2022	Mark Butz gave a talk about “Where has all the Limestone gone?” Mark is a Canberra historian & author with a particular interest in the natural world & human history. He subtitled his talk “Plumbing the depths of Canberra”. He said that his topic is something he is particularly interested in & that this talk is the world premiere for this topic for him. Canberra is well known for being situated on the Limestone Plains. Mark summarised limestone as being a rock with its own special identity, it can be used as a resource for certain purposes. He showed examples of famous buildings around the world constructed using limestone.	29
8 Jul 2022	Stuart Noyce & Tori Montgomery-Martin attended to provide everyone a chance to discover more about the Group Exercise Physiology program on offer. Martin Van Der Hoek talked about the fate of Julius Caesar’s family after his murder in 44 BC. Owen Cook talked about Pozières, WW1 in 1916. It was a series of battles in which a great many Australians died little outcome. Ray Osmotherly talked about Advertising throughout the ages using numerous slide examples. There was also a BBQ & Sausage Sizzle	30
1 Jul 2022	Wally Bezeruk, who has a Ukrainian background, introduced our guest, Mr Volodymyr Shalkivskyi, the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ukraine. Volodymyr was born and spent his young years in Kyiv. He has more than 20 years of diplomatic experience, including postings to Sweden and the USA before joining the Embassy of Ukraine in Canberra in 2019 as the trade officer. From December 2021 to March 2022 he was Head of the Mission of Ukraine to Australia and has been the Deputy Head since April this year. In 1994, Ukraine agreed to transfer all its nuclear weapons to Russia under an accord known as the “Budapest Agreement”. As part of this agreement, Russia agreed that it would recognise the existing borders between Russia and Ukraine. It has taken less than 30 years for Russia to renege on this agreement. The Shed and its members donated $620 to support Ukrainian refugees. Volodymyr recommended an appropriate Ukrainian charity.	42
24 Jun 2022	Boyd Blackwell : Fusion Power – clean energy of the future	43
17 Jun 2022	Excursion to the Cooma  vintage car museum and Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre. Some members stayed at the Shed and were entertained by Ray Osmotherly showing his model HMS Supply from the first fleet & Luke Wensing talking about Jervis Bay with emphasis on Huskisson and Vincentia	15 + 12 Stayed at Shed
10 Jun 2022	Tony Weir gave a thoughtful presentation on the dangers climate change poses to the future of the planet and our grandchildrens futures. He emphasised we need to stop mining coal and move to an emission free solutions for power the world. i.e. clean energy and minimal CO2 emissions	41
3 Jun 2022	Fyfe Bygrave gave a talk titled Hillary & Everest. He talked about his interest in Hillary stirred by discovering a biography of Hillary in a Dunedin bookshop in 2019 – Edmund Hillary, A Biography – by Michael Gill. Mike Gill was a coadventurer with Hillary for many years from 1960. He was a mountaineer, photographer, Chair of the NZ Himalayan Trust and, importantly, a medical doctor with a keen interest in high altitude physiology. He famously claimed that “The story of Everest is also the story of oxygen”. He went on to outlines the early explorers of Everest & all their early attempts.	37
27 May 2022	Short Talks, BBQ & Sausage Sizzle. Talks were: Steve Mawer talking about chemo and his prostate treatment; John Edge talking about Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) & how they can support the electricity by providing power for a short period of time; and Martin Van der Hoek talked on What do General Lew Wallace, William Bonney, Bill Richardson and the novel Ben Hur have in common?? John Feehan also talked about being in Arnhem Land with the CSIRO and they had issues with have to describe tunnels that they thought might be be able to store yellow cake for centuries. Also Luke Wensing talked on Exercise classes that were run before being cancelled by Covid restrictions. He has been going to classes run by EmPower (see https://www.empowerep.com.au/). Luke asked whether anyone would be interested in restarting classes, with one of the EmPower trainers leading them. Several seemed interested. Contact Luke on 0416 249 002, Classes would be 1hr for $10 on Wed mornings	37
20 May 2022	Presentation on the Vendée Globe Ocean Race by Stuart Allan. They now race using small 18.28 m long (60 feet) yachts with wings doing incredible speeds. It is an around the world, solo race now including men & women non-stop, and without assistance.	34
13 May 2022	Martin’s presentation on ‘Spies and Traitors’, focusing on the Cold War era	27
06 May 2022	Visit to the National Film and Sound Archive	15 + 12 stayed at Shed
29 April 2022	Part 2 of Frank O’Rourke’s presentation re a WW2 attack on Broome by Japanese Zeros.	36
22 April 2022	Part 1 of Frank O’Rourke’s presentation re a WW2 attack on Broome by Japanese Zeros. As usual FoR gave an interesting detailed talk getting into details of Zero pilots as well as details on some of the pilots of Allied planes lost	32
15 Apr 2022	No Shed Meeting as it was Easter Friday
8 Apr 2022	Shed President Ken returned after a short stint in hospital. Ray Osmotherly was also back with us complete with a pacemaker. Peter White who leads courses in U3A gave us a talk on ‘The Vikings’. He distiguished between those Vikings who came from Denmark & Norway against those from Sweden. The latter under took raids down rivers of eastern Europe right to Constantinople. The Danish & Norwegian Vikings raided all over western Europe. Some established the French province of Normandy & later invaded England in 1066 lead by William the Conqueror. They also sailed their long boats across the Atlantic & established settlements in Iceland, Greenland & North America	42
1 Apr 2022	Emma Awizen, Manager Advance Care Planning team in Canberra Health Information talked about Advanced Care Planning Services. at Canberra Health aim to educate, inform and assist the local community with their Advance Care Planning (ACP). It relates to health care you would or would not like to receive if you were to become seriously ill or injured and unable to communicate your preferences or make decisions. Emma emphasised the importance of putting in place an enduring power of attorney. In the ACT, a person cannot make decisions for someone unless there is an enduring power of attorney in place. Together with an Advance Care Plan, these documents can be very helpful to medical staff and to families, at a time that can be very difficult and emotional for all concerned.	34	Info about Advance Care Planning & assistance available from Emma’s team
25 Mar 2022	Luke Wensing continued the story of his journey around Australia on public transport. We also heard a short presentation from Martin van der Hoek, about a particularly nasty Roman individual, Marcus Licinius Crassus.	40
18 Mar 2022	We had 14 enthusiastic ‘bowlers’ roll up at the Belconnen Bowling Club for the novices’ tournament. There weren’t too many real bowlers! But it was all good fun. Non-bowling members got together for a chat, some at the Bowling Club and some at the Shed. New member Fife, a retired biochemist gave a short talk on calcium at cellular levels at the Shed	14 Bowled + 8 At Shed
11 Mar 2022	Ravi Sood gave an excellent talk ‘GPS – It is all in the timing’ about GPS. He explained how it works, and was able to take us through the incredibly complex science that enables GPS to exist. Harry, Our Bard told some jokes, and gave us a briefing on the upcoming excursion to the Belconnen Bowls Club.	46
4 Mar 2022	Excursion to ANBG with a guided tour and a coffee & chat session at the Shed hosted by Bob Greeney	10 ANBG + 10 at Shed
25 Feb 2022	10 min talks & Sausage Sizzle & BBQ. Meanwhile Ken & Bob (President & VP) had a good time at the opening of the Batlow Shed. Short talks were given by Steve Mawer, Martin van der Hoek, Ramón Montero, Des Chapman, and Paul McCarthy.	31
18 Feb 2022	Nova video about Cooling the Planet	32
11 Feb 2022	Luke Wensing gave a talk about Touring Muck, Eigg and Rum. Known as the Small Isles, they are accessible only by boat. Luke should work for the Scottish Tourism Board – all his photos showed this ruggedly beautiful part of the world basked in sunshine! Despite some suspicions, there was no Photoshop manipulation, and to emphasise the point, Luke informed us that prior to the lucky timing of his visit, the ferry from the mainland was unable to operate for 10 days due to bad weather. Rum is by far the largest of the three, with its’ impressive Kinloch Castle. Muck is relatively tiny, run as a private farm (which also welcomes tourists). But for Luke, Eigg was the Goldilocks island, where he and Marie stayed at the Kildonnan Guest House.	27
4 Feb 2022	Neil Wareham talked about the Diggings at Vindolanda an old Roman Fort near Hadrians Wall. Neil & his wife volunteered to go there several times & learnt to undertake archaeological digs in a team excavating parts of Vindolanda. He also described how a Roman legion could be based there for decades or even centuries & be supported by ancilliary troops from various other parts of their empire.	30	https://www.vindolanda.com/
28 Jan 2022	Australia Day trivia quiz. Ian Ruthven was the outstanding shedder. Several members gave short talk on various trivia from Mike Dwyer; Luke Wensing; John Feehan; Bob Greeney; Des Chapman & Paul McCarthy. Rick Causebrook put on a short video that showed the highlights of visiting Prague. Finally there was a Sausage Sizzle & BBQ	29
21 Jan 2022	This was out first use of the Shed meeting rooms for over a year. After the usual reports from Cycling & Walks we had various 10Min talks.Ray Osmothery gave us several jokes; Des Chapman epxlained that India had 26 official languages. Tamils with 160million people had their own movie industry; Luke Wensing talked about early pharmaceutical testing in Canberra; Ken Kemp talked about leaving Sydney for Canberra & having the longest pub crawl in history; Ramon talked about taking his car to Civic to get a care wash & the lady in the office was so surpised to find out it was 51 years ago that he had worked there cleaning cars that she gave him his money back. When he worked there he walked from Curtin to Civic & home again for 6 months; John Feehan talked about how he visited many aboriginal sites while he worked for the CSIRO. One cave system in the Nullabor, Koonalda had a large system of lakes & water. The local farmer put a pump down there & caused many aborginal paintings to be covered with diesel dust from the pump. John suggested that many of the paintings were quite amorous.	26
14 Jan 2022	A small crew turned up and we talked about various issues. Kobus de Mayer played a short video advising us that he is moving to Dubbo to be near his kids & grand kids. We also a long video about how us humans have pushed the boundaries of speed in all aspects of our lives from running, cycling, driving and use of optical fibre comms	17
7 Jan 2022	Coffee and Chat at Raiders Kippax Club. Around a dozen members attended	12
31 Dec 2021	Christmas/New Year Closedown – No Shed meeting
24 Dec 2021	Christmas/New Year Closedown – No Shed meeting
17 Dec 2021	Ray Osmotherly shared a beautiful video about the origins of the Christmas carol, ‘Silent Night.” Bob Mann came across an amusing old insurance case. It was a claim for damage under a home & contents policy. The case concerned significant damage to a bathroom, resulting from some plumbing work that went badly wrong. After setting out the details, members were asked to assess whether they would grant the claim. While there was some sympathy for the claim, the overall view was that the claim would not have been paid. So it came as a surprise when Bob revealed that the claim had in fact been paid. A Sausage Sizzle ended the meeting and the year.	40
10 Dec 2021	Dave Southgate gave a great talk about Energy independence. By the end of 2020, Dave & his family had reduced overall energy use, achieved 95% independence from grid electricity, eliminated gas, & greatly reduced their need for petrol. With one EV & one petrol vehicle, cars still account for 56% of the household energy usage. The greater energy efficiency of the EV is very evident, compared to the petrol car, with the EV doing twice as many kilometres, using less than half the energy. Full details are on Web Page “Activities Held 2021”	46
3 Dec 2021	Luke Wensing gave a talk about the remarkable trip undertaken by Marie Wensing and he using public transport to travel clockwise around Oz. This was only part 1 with one or two more parts planned for later	47
26 Nov 2021	Cycling across the Nullarbor – Joel Krewaz. The full title of Joel’s talk is “Against The Wind – Self Supported Bicycle Tour, Canberra to Perth”. In answer to a question, Joel said that he chose “Against The Wind” because the conventional wisdom is that rides across the Nullarbor go from west to east to take advantage of the prevailing wind. Joel and his mates rode in the opposite direction because one of his three riding mates has a goal of riding from Canberra to each of the other capital cities in Australia and this was the Perth stage. In practice, the wind was against them on about the same number of days as it was assisting. The wettest day was the last one, riding into Perth. In total, the ride was 3,868kms and took 42 days (including three rest days) between 18 April 2021 and 29 May 2021. The average ride day was a “Don Bradman” (99.6kms). The bike was 12kgs bare but weighed about 50kgs fully loaded. Full details of the trip are on Web Page “Activities Held 2021” Joel said they met some interesting characters during their trip, both amongst others doing something similar, the truck drivers and locals who went out of their way to look after them, with food, drink and even a ride when one of the cyclists broke a wheel.	36
19 Nov 2021	We had 10 mins talks by Ray Osmotherly & Tony Rogers. We also held the wake for Rod Jory. Rod was a very talented man with many diverse interests. Before Rod died on 14 October at Merimbula, he gave Barry Howe some money to hold a wake at the Shed. Rod was a member of Ginninderra Rotary, whose members were invited to attend the wake. The range of Rod’s interests was revealed by the eulogies delivered. (Bob Greeney apologised for not being able to present a eulogy, given that he had known Rod since the time they were in the RAAF together several decades ago.) Members spoke about Rod: Barry Howe, Bill Wattam (ex-President, Ginninderra Rotary), Bernie Rees (Ginninderra Rotary) , Roger Amos, Harry Redfern, Luke Wensing finished proceedings with a detailed overview of Rod’s history. We then celebrated Rod’s life with nibblies & drinks.	36
12 Nov 2021	The Shed celebrated Remembrance Day with the traditional reading of the Ode of Remembrance, followed by The Last Post, one minute’s silence and the Reveille. Captain Kate Miller, RAN, presented the Ode. After the short ceremony, Kate answered several questions about her life in the Navy and her experiences on HMAS Adelaide while evacuating Mallacoota during the 2019-20 bushfires. Yandoo newsletter (7th field artillery brigade) – Ray Osmotherly Ray has copies of some of the original Yandoo newsletters, which were produced by members of the 7th field artillery brigade during WW1. The wartime newsletters were in three volumes:- Vol 1, on board the troopship in 1916; Vol 2, camp life Salisbury Plain; Vol 3, the trenches on the Western Front. During the 11 week voyage on H.M.A.T. Argyllshire, acting Bombardier S.E. Rohu and Gunner E. Harding came up with the idea of producing a regular Newsletter during the voyage. It was called YANDOO, an aboriginal word. It was not expected to continue once in England but actually was produced for four years, finally finishing in 1920. Lastly Frank O’Rourke presented on relevant local themes:- “The Banjo”, “Bill the Bastard”, “The Padre”	36
5 Nov 2021	Members met up at Raiders Kippax for a coffee & chat session as the first meeting since reopening	34
6 Aug 2021	AGM Reports and election of new committee, short talks on Paddle steamers by Ray Osmotherly who is a keen modeller and has built many models, and Lost medallions by John Feehan whose father In the 1940s bought an old, run-down house near Braidwood. John was able to track down descendants in recent years & handed over the disks to these people at a ceremony at the War Memorial. Pizza was served at the real shed to finish the day	39
30 Jul 2021	Frank O’Rourke – General MacArthur, Aust Major-General George Wootten & 85-year Old Ron Rees (Part 2)	49
23 Jul 2021	Frank O’Rourke – General MacArthur, (Part 1). Frank gave an amazing overview of the life and military history of MacArthur	46
16 Jul 2021	Talk on the reason for the Rise and Decline of the Roman Empire by Martin van der Hoek	45
9 Jul 2021	Visit to the National Capital Exhibition, Regatta Point	19
2 Jul 2021	Martin van der Hoek gave a well researched talk about Bushrangers. He focussed on three gangs of local bushrangers, the White Ribbon and the Frank Gardiner/ Ben Hall gangs	41	Martins Bushrangers Talk
25 Jun 2021	10 min talks & BBQ & Sausage Sizzle. Talks by Frank O’Rourke on Italian POWs in Australia; Mules in the Roman Army by Martin van der Hoek; The right to repair by Steve Mawer	40
18 Jun 2021	‘Under Full Sail’ – Fascinating tail of The Clippers sailing ships story in colonial Australia by Stuart Allan, Hearing tests with Anna from Hearing Aust. Plus short video	47
11 Jun 2021	The Shed visited the National Archives of Australia (NAA) to hear a presentation by the Director-General, Mr David Fricker on the Archives’ work & to explore the extensive collection of documents & articles associated with Australia’s history. With more than 40 million items, the collection includes records about military service, immigration, First Australians & more. David spoke about the digitising of WWI (completed) & WWII (nearly completed) military records which can be obtained free of charge from the NAA website.	25
4 Jun 2021	Gavin Smith Professor Sociology ANU & Alex Borg, forensic scientist, both specialising in the capture & tracking of snakes, talked to us about their experiences in the Canberra area as well as their work in the tracking of snakes movements	46
28 May 2021	Short Talks & Pizzas	42
21 May 2021	Prof Will Steffen, Emeritus Professor, ANU, Councillor, Climate Council of Australia & Senior Fellow, Stockholm Resilience Centre talked on Climate Change	43
14 May 2021	Due to a funeral held in the Church Hall the originally planned talk will occur on 4th June. Some members met informally at the Raiders Club	20
7 May 2021	Peter McArdle talked about Brazil. Peter & wife Collette were members of a Rotary Friendship Exchange to Brasil in March 2020. Peter is a member of the Shed & the Ginninderra Rotary Club which was instrumental in getting our Shed established & supported since 2008. The story of the trip began some years ago during a “Recreational Vehicles Fellowship of Rotarians” caravan trip to Nelligen. These guys get involved in all sorts of community support & aid projects including Blaze Aid & flood relief assistance so a Rotary Friendship trip to Brazil in 2020 seemed like a good idea. There were four on the trip – Peter & Collette plus a couple from Brisbane.	45
30 Apr 2021	Ken Kemp organised an opportunity for members to have three minutes to talk on one of six subjects. Everyone was encouraged to have a say. The six subjects were: Life is much harder for young people especially finding work when we were young; Electric cars, yes or no; Sporting people are paid too much money; Marriage, the good and the bad; Covid injections, the dangers; The future of Canberra. After Geoff Grimmett & Paul Taylor organised a Sausage Sizzle.	34
23 Apr 2021	Frank O’Rourke will present on the coastal war of the NSW coast during WW1 & WWII. Harry Redfern Harry will present a poem by Jim Brown: ‘Anzac on the wall’	38
16 Apr 2021	Coffee and Chat Session at Raiders Kippax	29
9 Apr 2021	Alex Marriott Mob 0420 204 329 talked to us about maintaining strength & flexibility as we grow older. He works with EmPower Exercise Physiology who provide hands on courses in strength building for us oldies. They are starting a new session the week starting 19th Apr. Each session is 1hr & costs $18.50 at the ESSA clinic at Scullin, 5 Ross Smith Crescent. Janet Werner from the Stroke Foundation gave a good talk on strokes, how to recognise them and respond & how to reduce your chances of having one. Remember FAST – stands for Face Arms, Speech, Time.	36
2 Apr 2021	No Meeting – Good Friday
26 Mar 2021	Visit to the Belconnen Bowling Club to play bowls & have a BBQ lunch	17
19 Mar 2021	Peter White gave the Shed a talk about “Contact on the Frontier” where he told stories about the meetings & experiences of Europeans & Aboriginal people as European settlers moved into different parts of Australia in the late eighteenth century & through the nineteenth & early twentieth centuries, particularly the conflicts that arose on these “frontiers”.	43
12 Mar 2021	The Shed enjoyed an interesting presentation by Trevor Lee, Architect & Secretary of the Canberra Chapter of the Walter Burley Griffin Society. Trevor’s talk was titled ‘Mystical Marion Mahony Griffin’, the wife of Walter Burley Griffin, the designer of the plan for Canberra	38
5 Mar 2021	A PowerPoint presentation by Roger Amos on the Shed’s visit to the National Gallery’s Outdoor Sculpture Garden on 19 February. Videos shown by Ray Osmotherly on Macquarie Lighthouse on South Head, & another “Telling the Time” by Dave Allen & background of Douglas Jardine the English cricket captain during the notorious bodyline series in 1932-1933.	34
26 Feb 2021	Bruce McAslan (Chief Training Officer for the Bermagui Surf Life Saving Club & the Senior Examiner for the Royal Life Saving Society ACT) gave a demonstration on how to administer CPR & use a defibrillator followed by BBQ & Sausage Sizzle	46
19 Feb 2021	Luke Wensing organised a guided tour of the ANG’s outdoors sculpture gardens. The Shed members split into two groups, led by our very knowledgeable guides Carol & Keith. The grounds between the National Gallery of Australia & Lake Burley Griffin display the Gallery’s extensive collection of sculpture.	23
12 Feb 2021	Short Talks. Mike Dwyer referred to the honours handed out on Australia Day. He noted that many had been awarded to people who were simply doing their paid job. Peter Herbert spoke about his recent heart problems. He said that he had always been fit, never smoked, is a non-drinker. His symptoms were not severe, just a feeling of not being spot on and very high blood pressure. Harry Redfern gave an impromptu rendition of Banjo Patterson’s 1896 poem “Mulga Bill’s Bicycle”. Two videos were shown; the first was about the impact of the drought in outback Qld (titled “Running on Empty”) while the second showed some of Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions & described how some of them still have an impact today.	36
5 Feb 2021	Cheryl McCarthy talked about the Far south coast bushfires and aftermath. Cheryl is the Director of Lifesaving for Far South Coast of Surf Life Saving NSW which takes in 7 surf clubs between Batemans Bay and the Victorian border	40
29 Jan 2021	Shed stalwarts Ken Kemp, Ray Osmotherly and Harry Redfern provided a well received Australian history background presentation, some iconic Aussie music, a quiz & a poem. Following the presentations we enjoyed a Sausage Sizzle courtesy of Geoff Grimmett, Paul Taylor & Ron Thomson	29
22 Jan 2021	Drew McDonald provided a DVD about Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu an Indigenous Australian musician	36
15 Jan 2021	Peter Davis Air Attack Supervisor with the NSW RFS gave a talk about his role and his experience with the fires from 2019/20 plus other occasions. He lives and is based near Cooma.	43
8 Jan 2021	Social coffee & Chat at Raiders Club Kippax	26
1 Jan 2021	Christmas/New Year Closedown – No Shed meeting
25 Dec 2020	Christmas/New Year Closedown – No Shed meeting
18 Dec 2020	Ken Kemp organised Christmas Celebrations with Ray Osmotherly presenting ‘Our Christmas celebrations and how they developed from pre-Christian beliefs’. Ray told how our celebration of Christmas is based on the combination of pagan celebrations with the Christian celebrations in the early days of Christianity. Ken also ran the Christmas Quiz which focussed on religious questions, which, since we were meeting in a church, was quite appropriate. Ray then screened an amusing Christmas video “Charlie Brown’s Christmas”. Finally a BBQ and Sausage sizzle was held.	38	Pictures of the Event
11 Dec 2020	Ian Irwin on the history of vintage vehicles. Ian was introduced by Bob Greeney. Ian was the president of the Charnwood /Dunlop Probus Club, but was speaking today on the beginning of motoring in New South Wales. Ian has previously spoken to the Shed about the restoration of a very early Rolls Royce.	40	(Read the previous report here)
4 Dec 2020	Martin van der Hoek gave a talk on Marcus Agrippa, one of the least known heroes of the 80 tumultuous years between the roman legions becoming a professional, full time army and Octavian becoming the first emperor of Rome	37
27 Nov 2020	Graham Waite of TADACT which is Technology for Ageing and Disability (ACT). It is a not for profit organisation which specialises in creating or modifying equipment for people with a disability or for the elderly. TADACT has about 50 volunteers (including Brian Wells from our Shed) who undertake the design and manufacture of aids in their own home workshops	37
20 Nov 2020	AGM Reports. The President and Treasurer presented their annual reports. A motion was passed not vote on a new committee until things return closer to normal (i.e. when we can move back into the Shed’s meeting room). Roger went on to say that he thought it would be appropriate to nominate Phil Laird & Paul McCarthy as Joint Shedders of the Year for the work they had done in producing the newsletter each week during the Shed’s shutdown. The meeting agreed to this proposal. Following the AGM, there were some member’s short presentations. Ray Osmotherly gave a presentation on the early years of photography, focussing particularly on Australian photographer H. Walter Barnett (1862-1934). Tony Rogers is a keen amateur pilot & provided some interesting insights into the controls on an aircraft & how they affect flight, including the frightening spins & stalls that can be hard to recover from.	38
13 Nov 2020	John Feehan, the dung beetle man, was our guest speaker. He talked to us previously in August 2016, and it was a fascinating topic. John gave us a presentation on dung beetles that he also gave to parliamentarians as well as educating us on the meaning of “sustainable”. He recently succeded in getting the Feds to allocate $23M for dung beetle research through a CSU project to put dung beetles to work	40	More Information
6 Nov 2020	The church was unavailable so 34 Shedders met in the area outside the Shed’s usual meeting room. Fortunately, it was a lovely day, unlike the wind and rain we experienced the previous day. The first BBQ since the Shed reopened in October after the lengthy Covid-19 shutdown was welcomed by all who were there. It was an ideal opportunity to catch up in person and have a chat.	34
30 Oct 2020	Luke Wensing gave a talk about Gothic Church Design and “How to Read a Church”.	46	Luke’s presentation
23 Oct 2020	The Shed reopened with Rob Greeney leading members talking about their experiences during the pandemic. John Arundel made a request for any members with small or medium plant pots to donate unused items to him so he can grow some more native plants for his voluntary body	51	Picture of the Meeting
	Shed Closed Due to COVID-19 Corona Virus
20 Mar 2020	Paul Fennell gave a talk with pictures and audio sounds about Birds of Canberra	29
13 Mar 2020	David Headon gave a talk about Canberra as a Canberra Day Presentation, BBQ & Sausage Sizzle	51
6 Mar 2020	Bruno Forronato from the Ginninderra Catchment Group gave a Water Watch Presentation	44
28 Feb 2020	Jeff Brown talked about the construction of the Pyramids of Egypt and explained why he believed they were made from ancient cement	56
21 Feb 2020	Jeff Brown talked about his Ancient Oil Lamps as well as other collectable items, Pam & Stan Bennet displayed their Tesla Electric car & BBQ & Sausage Sizzle was held	52
14 Feb 2020	Alison Ware played some of her harps and her Husband talked on Harp Construction	43
7 Feb 2020	Geoff Cameron talked about the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon, the world’s greatest road race	52
31 Jan 2020	The Shed went on an excursion to the National Archives to view the Spy Espionage in Australia display	32
24 Jan 2020	We had an Australia Day Quiz managed by Ken Kemp with poems, singing plus the quizz	56
17 Jan 2020	Frank O’Rourke talked about German and Luftwaffe POWs in Australia during WWII	56
10 Jan 2020	Farewell to Tim Jensen, video of HMS Queen Elizabeth, (no BBQ & Sausage Sizzle but selection of cheese, cakes and cheesecake)	52
3 Jan 2020	Christmas/New Year Closedown – No Shed meeting