Welcome to The Probus Club of North Balwyn Inc. A0016781Z website, you are encouraged to visit the various pages within. Please use our Contact Us page for further information on our Club or on any topic that might be of interest.
We invite prospective new members to visit us on our website or come along with others to our monthly meetings at The Hub, Greythorn Community Centre 2 Centre Way North Balwyn meeting in the Foard Williams room. Ample parking onsite, map, (Melways map 46 ref H2).
We meet on the second Tuesday of each month for a two-hour meeting commencing at 10 am. (Except Months January & December) with an Interesting Guest Speaker after Morning tea break. There is an optional lunch at the Jolly Miller Cafe 315 Doncaster Rd Balwyn North (a short walk from the meeting rooms)
President Stephen Millard inducting new member Bev Ball
As your new president I will commit to any new idea to grow the Club in membership and activities of interest to all. My role as President will be based upon Probus tradition with workable innovation under a combined gender Club.
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Groups) are created from our members interests and opportunities, some of which last the test of time, while others are superseded by technical advances.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.
Visit to Melbourne Town Hall guided visit July 2025
To enlarge the above photo use the ctrl key by pressing it twice
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 President 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 the President Stephen Millard for the discussion topic and provide your attendance.
PLEASE WATCH THIS SPACE – OFTEN!
Special Interest Group of the Month
Walking Group Overview
Exploring the Eastern Region Together
About the Walking Group
The Walking Group meets on the third Friday of every month and is led by convenor Richard Heal. Richard organizes engaging walks throughout the Eastern Region, making use of various scenic walking trails. Each walk concludes at a local café, where members gather to enjoy lunch, coffee, or another beverage while sharing stories and connecting with one another.
Recent Walk Details
Date and Time| – **Date**: Friday, May 16- **Time**: 10:30 AM
Meeting Point-
**Location**: Playground on Wandeen Street, Balwyn North
Trail Details
The group embarked on the Koonung Walking Trail in Balwyn North, a path that offers serene surroundings and a chance to interact with nature and locals. Highlights of the walk included:
A gazebo where walkers took refuge and rested with a local.
Landmarks such as the North East Building Link, Estelle Street pedestrian bridge,
Footings for the new pedestrian bridge footings
View of the extra traffic lanes being developed including the dedicated bus lanes
The walk concluded with a visit to the Jolly Miller Café for lunch and beverages. This provided a wonderful opportunity for camaraderie and relaxation after the trail.
Joining the Walking Group
If you’re looking for a welcoming community and enjoy exploring nature, the Walking Group is a fantastic option. Each walk is designed to be interesting and accessible, making it suitable for individuals of different fitness levels. The walks often highlight local trails, providing participants with a chance to discover hidden gems within the Eastern Region.
At the end of every walk, members gather at a local café, ensuring the event ends on a warm and social note. Whether you’re a seasoned walker or a newcomer, you’re sure to find camaraderie and inspiration here.
Please contact Convenor Richard Heal M: 0415 776 039 for further details:
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 David Jellie topic will be “The Volcanic Plains of Western Australia.” He will be speaking on the 11th of November 2025.
In his presentation David will describe the structure of the earth, explain what volcanoes and maars are, and show some of Victoria’s best-known volcanoes. He grew up in Colac – on the edge of Victoria’s volcanic plain – and travelled widely through the Western District – as far as Port Fairy– playing football for Colac. He saw lots of volcanoes on the way. He also studied geology as part of his engineering studies.
Davis was a bridge engineer at the Country Roads Board and was Resident Engineer on the Hume Highway and the Project Manager of the West Gate Freeway. He was seconded by the Victorian Government – with others – to form an international consulting company to manage a variety of overseas projects in Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and the Middle East. After his retirement in 2001, he became an Adjunct Professor at RMIT, and as a private consultant he worked on international aid projects for clients in Australia, USA and Britain.
He stopped working in 2015 to devote his time to landscape painting, writing and grandchildren.
Previous Guest Speakers 2018 – 2025
October 2025
Eric Panther
Down Memory Lane
September 2025
Graeme Weber
Nuclear Power – why Australia needs to adopt it
August 2025
Winston Marsh
Lies our Mother Told Us
July 2025
Janet Werkmeister
Melbourne Roaring Twenties
June 2025
Mr. Geoffrey M. Horgan K.C.
The life and times of a Crown Prosecutor
May 2025
Dr Peter Johnston
Preventing Dementia
February 2025
Matthew Etty-Leal
“Barrie Humphries.”
November 2024
Dr David Gilbert Hay
The Battle of Binh Ba
October 2024
Alan Hall
The Four Men and the Walrus
September2024
Peter Tully
Friends of the Cerebrus
August 2024
Sue Corvasce
Discover the World
July 2024
Isabel Simpson
Women Achievers of Melbourne
June 2024
Raylene Schriever
The Aged Care Journey
March 2024
Ross McMullin
Life So Full of Promise – Further Biographies of Australia’s Lost Generation
February 2024
Geoff Chambers
History of Jazz to Australia
November 2023
Denis Davis
The Kokoda Trail
October 2023
Leigh Hay
Henry & Louisa Lawson
September 2023
Pamela O’Brien
Goldfields Presentation
August 2023
Stephanie McCulloch
Neighbour Disputes
July 2023
Bruno Zielke
Astronomy
June 2023
Matthew Etty-Leal
Tibet – Part 2
May 2023
Tony Shaw
AFL Football Coach & Player
March 2023
John Barlow
Will your next car be Electric
February 2022
Matthew Etty-Leal
Tibet
November 2022
Ken Davis
Melbourne Suburban Signalling System
October 2022
Graham O’Rourke
Macpherson Robertson
September 2022
Graham O’Rourke
The State Library of Victoria: The first 60 years 1853-1913″
August 2022
Max Harris
Seniors Stepping Out Safely
July 2022
Hazel Maynard
Volunteering
June 2022
Matthew Etty-Leal
Cobb & Co
May 2022
Ted Baillieu AO
Sir John Monash
February 2022
Andrew Campbell
Could Ageing be a treatable disease
November 2021
Dr Janet Patford
Living – Apart – Together (Lat) Relationships
October 2021
Ross McMullin
Farewell Dear People
August 2021
Rohan Brown
My Story – Personal Stories
July 2021
Megan Goulding
Swanston Street Excavations
June 2021
Tim Roberts
Diabetic and general foot care
May 2021
Bev Moss
Come Fly with Me
April 2021
Elida Brereton
Travel to Antarctica & South Georgia
March 2021
Ken Parker
Electric Vehicles, Renewable Energy
February 2021
Andrew Campbell
Hearing and Brain Health
November 2020
Ross McMullin
Pompey Elliott – in his own words
October 2020
Vikki Petraitis
Crime stories “ Hodsons and Nicola Gobbo ”
September – 2020 August – 2020
Julian Battistella
Andrew Mitchell
Estate Planning
Electric Cars and Clean Energy – Why?
July – 2020
Anthony Caruana
Home Automation
March – 2020
Brian Williams
Scams and Fake Tradies
February – 2020
Radha Raghunath`
Add Years to Your Life
November – 2019
Gary Ferguson
Elder Abuse and Seniors Rights
October – 2019
Fiona Campbell
The Spencer Street Bridge
September 2019
Thorold Merrett
Story of Collingswood Premiership 1958
August 2019
Rodney Richards
Angel Flights
July 2019
Beverley Moss
Buckingham Palace in my underwear
June 2019
Lloyd Phillips
Poetry can be fun
May 2019
Joffa Corfe
My life and Gold Coat
April 2019
No Speaker
Change over lunch
March 2019
Kevin Trask
Myself and the media and the Australian singer Diana Trask
February 2019
Madryn Sanderson & Alex Carter
Personalised In-home care and health
December 2018
No Speaker
Christmas Luncheon
November 2018
U3A Choir
Songs of Screen and Stage
October 2018
Jacqueline Dinan
Racing the Boys
September 2018
Anthony Knight
Beleura House Mornington
August 2018
Cliff Hardy
The London Blitz
July 2018
Natalie Durkovic
Shen Yen Performing Arts and Traditional Chinese Culture
