Welcome to The Probus Club of North Balwyn Inc. A0016781Z website. We invite you to explore the various sections for comprehensive information. For any inquiries regarding the Club or related topics, please utilise our Contact Us page on the website.
Invitation to Prospective Members
We warmly welcome prospective retirees and semi-retired to connect with us through our website or by attending our monthly gatherings. These meetings take place in the Foard Williams Room at The Hub, Greythorn Community Centre, located at 2 Centre Way, North Balwyn. Convenient onsite parking is available, and you can find directions using Melways map 46, reference H2.
Monthly Meetings Details
The Club convenes on the second Tuesday of each month for a two-hour session commencing at 10 am. Please note that meetings do not occur in January or December. Each meeting features a guest speaker following a morning tea break, providing an excellent opportunity for learning and networking among members promoting camaraderie & purpose.
President’s Commitment
As the newly appointed president, I am committed to considering innovative ideas that will support membership growth and enrich club activities for all. My leadership will uphold the valued traditions of Probus while embracing practical enhancements tailored to our mixed-gender club.
Join Us for Fellowship and Fun
We warmly invite you to attend and to introduce friends to our community. Experience the friendly atmosphere, camaraderie, and enjoyment that our meetings are known for. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing this special time together.
We also extend a warm welcome to attend any of our SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS, (SIG’s), which are for example, Investment, Walking Group, Computer, Photography/Travel to name a few. Further information regarding all SIG’s can be explored on the newsletter & website and convenors can be contacted for further information.
Our SIG’s (Special Interest Groups) are created from our members interests and opportunities, some of which last the test of time, while others are superseded by technical advances. If members have any ideas to improve our existing interest groups or create new ones now is the time to come forward with suggestions.
Our attendance at SIG’s is paramount and we encourage all members to share ideas and assist our hardworking convenors. SIG’s provide a wonderful opportunity for new members to become acquainted with the activities and benefits of becoming a member of our Club.
We are always keen to attract new members to maintain the Club’s ongoing strength and vitality going forward into the future.
Our commitment, – “You will be a stranger but once”.
Our Club has an established new SIG “A Current Affair from Here and There” which will be led by our Past President Stephen Millard allowing the members to meet on third Monday at 10am in the breakout room at the Greythorn Community Hub. Adjourning to the Jolley Miller Cafe for further fellowship and light refreshments after the discussion. Please contact Stephen Millard for the discussion topic and provide your attendance.
PLEASE WATCH THIS SPACE – OFTEN!
Special Interest Group of the Month
Photography/Travel
About the Photography/Travel SIG
The Photography/Travel SIG meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the North Balwyn Uniting Church Duggan St., North Balwyn,starting at 10.00am
This group is designed to bring like minded members who enjoy photography and sharing their knowledge with the aim of improving their photographic skills. No “sophisticated” equipment is required, iPhones, iPad or Tablets are sufficient.
The Travel part of the SIG has regular excursions to Museums, Art Galleries and historical sites and an annual trip of between 4-5 days within a 2 hour drive from our base.
Whether it be Photography meetings or excursions, the spirit of Probus : Fellowship, Friendship and Fun Is always at the forefront of our activities.
Agenda for year 2026: –
July: 21st. Cartier Jewelry Exhibition @ NGV Victoria Police Museum July: 28th. Combined Computer & Photo/Travel SIGs August: 18th. ROME exhibition: at Melbourne Museum August: 25th. Combined Computer & Photo/Travel SIGs September: Healesville Trip 14/9 – 18/9/2026 October: 28th. Point Nepean National Park
Our Guest Speakers have traditionally been of extremely high quality covering many topics of particular interest to our members.
Guest Speaker for our General Meeting:
Our next Guest Speaker will be Sean Galea, topic will be “Forensic Services (FS):” He will be speaking on the 8th of September 2026.
Sean’s Work History:
Sean Galea has been a Forensic Officer with Victoria Police Forensic Services Centre for two-and-a-half years. He started his career in the biology department on a short contract, before securing an ongoing position in a unit called FISU, or Forensic Integrated Sampling Unit. During his time in FISU he was trained in Biological and Fingerprint evidence recovery techniques for items in the lab out at Macleod. His standard day includes examining a variety of items, from firearms, tools and weapons, drug packaging, and really any item that could be involved in, or recovered from the scenes of serious crime. In April this year he moved over to Fingerprints Department to further develop his Fingerprint understanding and skills.
The Subject:
Victoria Police Forensic Services (VPFS) are primarily based at the Victoria Police Forensic Services Centre (VPFSC) in Macleod.
Statement of strategic intent for Forensic Services is to ‘deliver an excellent, integrated forensic service to Victoria Police, the Judicial system and the community.’, and its role is to examine scenes and exhibits, to support police investigations and provide evidence to the Courts. Forensic staff attend and examine many serious crime scenes including homicides, suspicious fires, clandestine drug laboratories, cannabis crops, and recovery of bodies after a disaster. They also examine more than 55,000 exhibits per year. Exhibits are collected from scenes and from persons (suspects, complainants, deceased and convicted persons). Their results provide assistance to the justice process and the courts. The Court may accept their written report or sometimes the experts are required to present their evidence in Court. Their aim is to provide impartial evidence to assist the Court to understand what occurred. It is up to the jury to decide if the evidence is understandable, reliable and how much weight the evidence has
