Full Year Speaker Program 2024
Our Speakers Meeting Dates, Speakers and Topics for 2024 will be as follows:
January 3rd. Ron Hutchinson "Global Challenges"
A variety of anecdotes from fundraising adventures in places such as Borneo, Everest, Kilimanjaro, Grand Canyon, Brazil and South Africa, to name a few.
February 7th. Paul Atherton "Billy's War"
I talk about what my father did during and after the Second World War, and particularly his presence in Palestine in 1945/6 - the final years of the British Mandate. I describe British and International politics, notably UN and American involvement during this period, which saw the beginnings of the Arab-Israeli conflict. There are eye witness accounts of D Day, the liberation of Belsen and the 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. We get to see post war time circumstances of Palestine and the view points of both Zionist and Arab in that period.
March 6th. Roger Browne "New Orleans to New York"
How Jazz influenced musical theatre and how musical theatre influenced jazz musicians. Live samples of the results. Two genres with different roots, producing between them music that has remained popular for 100 years.
April 3rd. Steve Williams "Italian Reflections"
I first visited Italy in 1994, visiting Milan and Bergamo. Since then I have visited Venice, Sardinia, Sicily, the Italian Lakes, the Dolomites, Naples and 'The Eternal City' Rome.
May 1st. Susan Holden "Bringing Law to Life with Laughter"
If you have seen the film 'Oliver', then you will know what Mr Bumble thinks of the law. Have you ever wondered why certain laws exist, or how did they originate or develop? Well, there is always a story, whether it be interesting, sad or funny. Let me take you on a journey of those legal moments important in our lives, punctuated with humour and application to today's world.
June 5th. Babs Hennessy "Mary O'Shaughnessey"
This is the story of a disabled woman who was born in Ashton in Makerfield in 1898, saved the lives of RAF aircrew in occupied France, survived Ravensbruck Concentration Camp and was acclaimed as a World War II heroine.
July 3rd. Ian Trumble "Annie's Trip to Egypt"
Exotic travel was a Victorian gentleman's pastime, but what about women? This talk follows the journey of one young Victorian woman from Bolton, Miss Annie Barlow, as she journey's through Egypt in the 1880's, in her own words. It travels with her and illustrates the sites she explores using plans and objects excavated by the Egypt Exploration Society.
August 7th. Kevin and Joy Siddall "The DNA of British Musicals"
This features some of the greatest songs from musical theatre of the 20th centuryand stories about thir creation, their context and their continued popularity.
September 4th. To be Confirmed.
October 2nd. Eric Curless "Pandemics Through the Ages"
Our own Eric Curless returns to share a new entertaining and educational talk, provisionally Pandemics Through History but not yet confirmed.
November 6th. Judy Popley "My Life at Granada TV"
I joined Granada in 1974, perhaps at its heyday, with huge dramas being produced such as 'Brideshead Revisited', 'The Jewel in the Crown', 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', the Wordsworth documentaries, 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' and of course, 'Coronation Street'. Funny, sad and evocative memories of my time there.
December 4th. Jean Finney "Adventures of a Cruise-ship Speaker"