Speakers 2024

February 2024 Colin Lund - Photo restoration

Colin has had a varied career in aviation, public relations and event organization, starting in the United Kingdom and within New Zealand since 2000.

Photography has long been a major interest for him, but his interest in digital photo and document restoration began when in 2021 Colin was commissioned by the Helensville Museum to create a 2022 calendar from their collection of heritage photographs.

Aided by an investment in state-of-the-art software and equipment, the calendar’s success brought him to the attention of Muriwai college for a further commission.

Now with interest centered around Browns Bay Torbay and Long Bay, Colin’s expertise has extended from the restoration, printing and framing of damaged and faded photographs to the recovery of very delicate valuable drawings, each commission with its own story. His talk will discuss the techniques and some of those stories.
Additional information on web link below:
https://www.clc-photographic.com/photo-restoration.html

March 2024 Commander Larry Robbins OBE FNI JP RNZN (Retired)
The year is 1994 and Larry Robbins Commander of the HMNZS Monowai, a ship whose primary role is Hydrogeography, becomes a participant in searching for and the ultimate rescue of 21 persons from 7 yachts caught in extremely heavy seas.
Born in Southern England, Larry Robbins joined the Merchant Navy straight from school. He gained his Second Mates Certificate and later Emigrated to New Zealand and was commissioned into the Hydrographic Surveying Service of the Royal New Zealand Navy. In a career spanning 26 years, he rose to the rank of Commander and the position of Hydrographer in the RNZN, His presentation includes the account of the largest search and rescue operation ever mounted out of New Zealand and with him receiving the OBE.

April 2024 Dr Graham Cowie

Dr Graham Howie teaches in the School of Clinical Sciences at AUT (Auckland University of Technology).
This presentation brings together two key interests for Graham. Firstly, his maternal grandfather died of
wounds in June 1917, shortly after the Battle of Messines. The Great War had an immediate and lasting impact on his family. That loss is the origin of his interest in World War One.

Secondly, his lifework / career has been with the Ambulance Service – as a front-line on-road paramedic tending the sick and the injured, as a teacher in the National Ambulance School, and currently as a researcher at AUT’s Paramedicine Department.

These two strands came together when Graham came across the letters and diaries of a stretcher-bearer with the NZ Medical Corps in WW1 France and Belgium, a young man called Leo Bestall. (Stretcher-bearers are the early forerunners of today’s paramedics.) Grahams presentation concerns Leo Bestall’s account and experience of army life, of army food, and of his search for friendship and love in war-torn France.

May 2024 Frances Walsh - Tough Men, Delicate Handiwork

Frances Walsh has had a long career in journalism, including writing for Metro magazine where she was also Books & Art Editor. Past books include her 2011 social history Inside Stories:-
A History of the New Zealand Housewife 1890-1975, and Endless Sea:

Stories told through the taonga of the New Zealand Maritime Museum "Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa" published in 2020. She has also worked as a teacher and trade unionist.

Frances is currently the inhouse writer and researcher at the NZ Maritime Museum.
In this talk she discusses the embroideries stitched by merchant seamen in the Victorian era.

June 2024 Graeme Wilson - NATO - 32 Allies = 1 NATO
Col (Retired) ONZM, ED, B.Sc, BE

Graeme joined the NZ Army's Territorial Force while a student at Auckland University. He was selected for Officer training and commissioned as an Officer in the Engineers. In his 35 years of part time service, he served with three different Engineer Squadrons in New Zealand, completed a two year secondment with the Queens Gurkha Engineers to Borneo. He commanded six different units plus two postings at Headquarters.

In his civil career, Graeme is now retired after 43 years flying as a pilot with Air New Zealand. He was a First Officer on three different Aircraft and a Captain on five. At various times he was a member of the Flight Operations Training and Technical teams.

His presentation will start with a quick look at Europe from the immediate World War II era to the modern day, covering the various military, political and commercial alliances, the influence through the Cold War years by the Soviet Union and the eventual breakup of the USSR, and the evolution of the modern-day EU and NATO.

NATO has seen the most dramatic changes in its 75 years existence in the 21st Century. The modern day NATO, its civil and military structure, the contributing nations and its operational capabilities will be discussed.

July 2024 Distinguished Professor Emeritus Paul Spoonley

Paul is one of New Zealand's leading social scientists with an extensive background in research on social and demographic change.

TOPIC: A POST-COVID NEW ZEALAND :
THE POPULATION CHANGES KEEP COMING.

We now have the 2023 census results. They show that the last five years (2018-2023) was boom and bust in terms of population change in New Zealand. But in the year since we filled out our census forms (March 2023),
New Zealand has changed significantly.

The highest ever inward immigration, a big drop in birth rates, and Auckland’s ongoing growth. There is a rapidly ageing population. Paul will explore what is happening and what the next ten years will bring.

August 2024 Wendy Hampton BA.LL.B - How to successfully plan your estate

Wendy has more than 30 years' experience as a lawyer primarily working in the area of property matters including Residential and Commercial Conveyancing, Wills, Estates, Trusts and Relationship Property.

After running her own legal firm for many years, Wendy now travels around New Zealand presenting talks on how to make the administration of your estate more efficient and cost effective.

To assist her clients with their estate planning Wendy created The Estate Planner Booklet. She has recently had the book reprinted and made it available to the public, and she will have copies for purchase with her at the meeting.

Wendy can be contacted through her website www.wendyhampton.com or by phone 021 413 126.

September 2024 Allan Blackman
Chemistry is critical to our everyday lives and yet the vast majority of the population spends no time thinking about it or its vital role in our world.
Professor Allan Blackman wants to correct that oversight through good science communication and chemistry education.
"Chemistry is the reason we live as we do, and it will be chemists who will make the discoveries that will ensure the continuance of life on Earth as we know it. The more that everyone on the planet knows about chemistry, the better our chances of survival will be."
One contribution Professor Blackman has already made to chemistry education is co-authoring Australasia's best-selling first-year chemistry textbook, which is currently in its fourth edition.

October 2024 James Duncan MOTAT Tramway Project Manager
James has been involved with heritage trams at MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) since age 15.
He is a qualified motorman and tram driver trainer.
James's work has earned restoration awards for both Tram 881 and 90-year old Tram 466.
James credits his enthusiasm for trams to his grandfather, who was a conductor in Auckland, and his 43 years of volunteering with MOTAT and time in Wynyard Quarter has kept the family legacy alive.

November 2024 Prof Doctor Denise Taylor
Denise is Director of the Health and Rehabilitation Research Institute and leads a multidisciplinary team of researchers interested in neurological rehabilitation. She is a Co-Lead of the Research Acceleration Programme of the national Te Titoki Mataora (Medtech translator) a member of the Transitional Management Group of the Aotearoa Brain Project.
Denise also has an active role in the Eisdell Moore Centre for Hearing and Balance Research (University of Auckland). Denise retains a clinical interest in balance disorders and is a Co-Director of the New Zealand Dizziness and Balance Centre where she leads research in vestibular and balance disorders.
Available videos: <Link here>

2024 Guest Speakers