Upcoming Speakers
21 APRIL 2026, MICHAEL PYNE
Michael’s PHD was on the ANZAC history and he will be talking to us
about the evolution of the ANZAC legend over the decades.
The legend has gone through several phases from post-war attempt to
justify the terrible losses of WW1 to the reinforcement of the legend in
WW2, virtual extinction in the1960s, the rebirth in the 1970s, Howard’s
jingoism of the 1990s to family remembrance today.
17 March 2026, David Jones
David Jones — Journalist
David is a Walkley Award-winning journalist with a distinguished career spanning more than half a century in print, television and radio journalism, political and corporate affairs and high-level media relations including incident and issues management. He began his career in 1964 as a Saturday copy boy and then cadet shipping reporter at the Sydney Sun newspaper. During his media career, David was The Sun’s North America correspondent based in New York where he covered everything from the death of Elvis Presley in Memphis to the signing of the Middle East peace treaty at the White House in 1978, and later as London correspondent for Australia’s Seven Network. He worked as a political reporter in Canberra and in Macquarie Street before becoming press secretary to NSW Premier Nick Greiner in 1990. Since then, David has specialised in corporate affairs at Austrade, private health insurer Medical Benefits Fund of Australia (MBF), and, most recently, corporate communications manager for 13 years at Australia’s largest cruise organisation, Carnival Australia. He was closely involved in the campaign for the resumption of cruising in Australia in 2022.
David has not retired and now works part time as media and policy manager at Business Sydney, a leading voice for the Sydney business community. He also devotes time as a volunteer on heritage rail excursions with Transport Heritage NSW. David has a keen interest in Australian history including Sydney’s maritime history. He is married to Anne with whom he has three children and two grandchildren.
Past Speakers in 2025
16 September 2025, Dr Anuka Parapuram
Dr Parapuram was born in Malaysia and obtained her Undergraduate Medical degree in University of Wales , UK. She moved to Australia in 1998 and became a Rehabilitation Physician in 2008. She works at both Royal Rehab Private Petersham and Ryde .
Dr Parapuram has a special interest in Rehabilitation for Parkinson's Disease and Oncology Rehab and has been involved in setting up Multidisciplinary Rehab programs at both Hospitals in which she practices in.
She is keen increase awareness of the benefits of multidisciplinary rehabilitation in both these patient groups to improve quality of lives .
In her spare time Dr Parapuram is an active member of the local Community is a member of a Local Award winning Community Choir “ The Mamas” that is involved in fund-raising for charities though their annual Concert .
Dr Parapuram is thrilled to be able to Practice as a Rehabilitation Physician within her local community .
Dr Parapuram and her Team from Royal Rehab Private Petersham ( formerly known as MetroRehab Hospital ) will be giving the Probus Club an overview of both the Inpatient and Outpatient Rehabilitation programs available at Royal Rehab Private Petersham ,a brief update on Healthy Bones and Falls Prevention with some exercises to take home and practice
18th November 2025, Perry Celestino
We welcome Perry back to speak to Abbotsford-Chiswick Probus. Perry came to Australia in 1973 after being recruited in the States as a Social Science teacher. In 2000 Perry began offering music appreciation courses with the WEA. These have covered the soundtrack to most Baby Boomers lives. Course have been offered on Blues, Early Rock, The British Invasion, Soul, Surf Music, and biographical respective on artists such as Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, BB King, Chuck Berry and others. In 2024 he received the Public Service Medal for his contributions to Education and Teaching.
“Be My Surfin’ Baby” Two Sub-Genres of 60s Music.
In this talk, we will sample two of the most interesting musical styles of the 1960s. The Girl Groups appeared in the late 1950s and developed into many popular acts in the early 1960s. They were mostly black teenagers from the east coast urban environments. They were young 13-25 and mostly school friends. They developed into the soul, R&B and disco groups of the 70s and beyond. Typical examples were Martha and the Vandellas, the Shangri-Las, the Supremes, the Marvelettes and the Ronettes. Surf Music started as instrumental music in California in the early 1960S and developed with the help of the Beach Boys in vocal harmony groups that blended Barbershop, rock and jazz into wonderful songs about the teenage experience. We will hear the Beach Boys, the Venture, the Chatays, Dick Dale and other exponents of the Surf Sound. There will be many memories.
February 2026, Peter Thorpe
Peter’s talk “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR SENIORS” unravels the mysteries of AI, and tells how people can enjoy the benefits of AI, regardless of age.
“A lot of older people, who didn’t grow up with computers and the internet, feel anxious about using technology and many believe it’s too late to learn about it. As a senior himself, Peter understands that AI might seem complex and intimidating at first glance. “
“Accessing and using AI is not difficult at all, once you know how. And the benefits it can bring are truly life changing.”