Durham Central PROBUS Club

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April 18, 2024

Speaker:  Dr. Mike Daley

The Gordon Lightfoot Story

"Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian treasure. His indelible songs - classics like “Sundown,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” and “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” are now part of the national cultural fabric. The Gordon Lightfoot Story is a new lecture-concert featuring Dr. Mike Daley performing some of his most beloved songs and telling the Lightfoot story from his Orillia upbringing to his early years on the Toronto folk scene, his rise to stardom, and his long string of hit records."

"Dr. Mike Daley is a freelance popular music history lecturer around Toronto. He holds a Ph.D in musicology and has published widely on a variety of musical subjects. Mike's well-received lectures on the Beatles, Elvis, jazz, folk music and much more have gained him a strong following in the GTA."




May 16, 2024

Speaker:  Geoff Carpentier

Antarctica - First Journey

Join Geoff as he introduces you to all the exciting and exotic things that Antarctica has to offer. As a seasoned traveler he has been there many times and even wrote a book on the subject. Learn why people go there, what they will see, snippets of history, the challenges of weather and maybe even why you should go. Join Geoff as he presents first-hand knowledge of this wonderful icy place!

Geoff’s interest in nature started when he was 13 when he would wander through the woods and countryside near his home in northern Ontario, learning about nature first hand. Educated at the University of Guelph, Ontario, he studied zoology and biological sciences. Recently retired, he worked for over 33 years with the Canadian Ministry of the Environment. In his spare time, he maintained an active personal life where he taught nature and pesticides courses at community colleges and led nature trips. 

He is a widely published author in nature and science magazines and books, writes a bi-weekly nature column, and worked as an interpretive guide in several national parks. Geoff’s latest triumph is the publication of his second book - “Antarctica– First Journey”, a resource guide for Antarctic travellers, honouring the many times he has visited that exotic continent. He has travelled the world, visiting approximately 90 countries on all seven continents, where he has shared time with Polar Bears, Amazonian snakes and piranhas, observed the private lives of lions, avoided riots in Venezuela, hiked the Andes, camped with Pademelons in Australia, walked with penguins, searched for endemics in Colombia, traversed the Northwest Passage and canoed Ontario’s northern lakes. 

Join Geoff as he shares his knowledge of wild things and places, delivered with caring and thoughtful attention to our Probus Members. 



"Making Friends, Staying Active and Having Fun in Retirement"

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