GENERAL MEETINGS
We meet for two hours from 10.00am on the second Tuesday of each month at theWhitehorse Civic Centre, in the Willis Room.
This comprises a brief general meeting, outlining important club matters and a summary of the most recent Management Committee meeting.
Morning tea and socialising is followed by a guest speaker.
All are invited to a post meeting lunch at The Coach in Ringwood.
2026 SPEAKERS
August 11 Belinda Berry The Ups and Downs in the Cabin.
Twenty years as a tram driver.
Courtesy: https://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/papers/women.htm (Extract)
The Melbourne tramway system and its attitude to female employees was very much a product of the Victorian era, when there were very definite ideas about what was suitable work for women. This was tied up with the then current beliefs about the delicacy of women, and their need to be protected from the rough and tumble of life.
JULY - no speaker - Christmas in July.
JUNE SPEAKER -
ERIC PANTHER - OAM
Eric was welcomed by Trevor Bravo, who told us Eric is 87 years old and very recently played in the over 85 squash team and won.
The collection of memorabilia was amazing. From kids swap cards, marbles, 1st grade reader, to Bex pills, Lipton tea bird cards, footy cards, old tins e.g. bank money boxes and valuable coins which he kept away in his packets.
Lots of things are collectable but worth nothing in most cases. Just the fun of collecting, trading and swapping with others. Eric says you are born a collector and there is no known cure for this ’ailment’.
Photo: Chris Summers
MAY SPEAKER - ROBIN BOWLES 
“Australia’s True Crime Queen”
APRIL SPEAKER – Dr Janet Werkmeister
Wireless to wallabies. A Life of Norman McCance.
- CHris Summers
What an interesting morning. Janet spoke about her grandfather, Norman McCance.
Photos Courtesy Dr Werkmeister’s presentation.
Norman was a passionate animal lover and had a ‘mini Healesville Sanctuary’ in Avonsleigh near Emerald (Vic) and was ahead of his time for animal welfare. He wrote a nature column in the Weekly Times for 25 years.
He left school at 16 years old but made a great life for himself and his family. He ‘fell into radio’ and did broadcasts of the wrestling from Festival Hall. With the various holds used in wrestling, his catch phrase was ‘he can’t get out of it, he can’t get out of it – he got out’.
While doing the wrestling, he worked full time with the Argus newspaper. He was broadcasting at the opening of the old parliament building in Canberra for its opening and it was said 2 million people listened to him on radio.
He married Dot and they met at a bridge club and they had a house in Manor Grove, Caulfield. He had lots of birds and reptiles in the back yard which was the start of his life at Avonsleigh. He wrote several nature pieces for the paper which proved very popular.
In mid 1930’s, 3UZ wanted Norman to broadcast a news service at 7am which meant starting at 4am and he said ‘No’. So 3UZ organised a phone line to his home so he could report from home. Radio 3UZ owned the Argus paper In 1940, Murdoch got Norman for the Herald and he was there until 1946.
He became a judge for chickens at the Melbourne Show.
In 1946 aged 50 years, he resigned from the Herald, sold his magnificent home in Caulfield and moved to an old cottage at Avonsleigh where he expanded his animal welfare property and was great friends with ‘the boss’ from Healesville Sanctuary.
