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
November 10 -
Emily Malone - Great niece of Australian Army nurse, Sister Betty Jeffrey, Author of White Coolies. Experiences in World War 2.
October Speaker
Syd Sherrin
The History and Manufacture of AFL footballs
September meeting was also our Footy Meeting and many members donned their club colours. Morning tea included party pies and sausage rolls among other yummy treats.
8 September - Lisa Ricketts 
The Palais Cinema History, Highlights and behind scenes of Palais Balwyn.
Lisa is the PR Manager for Palace Cinemas, with 10 in total. Lisa gave a very interesting talk together with slides of the Palais history. Balwyn is the original and is heritage listed.
Facts re the cinema –
-
Antonio Zeccola founded the Palace Cinema and began screening to small audiences with movies imported from Italy.
-
By late 1970’s Antonio opened a few suburban cinemas, including the Metropolitan in Brunswick, the Roma in Bourke Street Melbourne and the Palace in Bourke Street.
-
His theatres flourished into the 19890’s with the addition of a number theatres including the Dendy Brighton, the Balwyn Cinema plus the Verona and Academy Cinema in Paddington, NSW.
-
Today, Palace Cinemas comprises over 180 screens across 24 locations.
-
Alterations in 2016 and 2017 increased theatres to 11.
-
Terrazzo floors were revealed in 2005 and are now a feature.
-
By 1966, 80-% of Australians owned a TV which slowed attendances at theatres. Drive in theatres were also operating.
-
Colour films started in 1040’s and 50’s. Saturday matinees were full of boisterous kids.
-
A break in in 1947 had a gun shot and police in the theatre – arrested in the stalls.
-
A fire in 1930 which was attended by the Box Hill and Surrey Hills brigades and extinguished the fire before it could spread.
-
Balwyn opened 4 January 1930. It had seating for 852 in the stalls and 626 in the dress circle.
August 11 Belinda Berry The Ups and Downs in the Cabin.
Twenty years as a tram driver.
Chris Summers
Belinda gave a very casual yet informative talk on her 20 years deriving Melbourne trams. Lots of questions were fired at Belinda throughout her talk.
A pre-requisite for being a tram driver was a full and ‘clean’ drivers licence, although there have been a couple of exceptions for people who had never held a car licence. New drivers are given in-room training as well as in a simulator and generally start on E class trams for onroad training.
Belinda was the only female selected from 30 men in her ‘class’. Start of each shift, sign on, prepare your tram – make sure doors work etc and 5 minutes is allowed for this. Collect their route sheet for the day and off they go.
Issues on the roads include accidents with cars or other trams. City protests are a common issue these days, especially in Bourke Street, particularly on Saturdays and during the week. Pedestrians are also a big issue as they walk around with head phones on and not looking for trams. They are easily knocked down when hit by a 60 tonne tram. Interstate drivers are also a problem when doing our famous hook turns. Trams are especially busy when major events occur – AFL Grand Final, Grand Prix, Tennis.
Drivers have to contend with disruptive and abusive passengers – drunk and drug affected. Somew inject on the tram and leave all their rubbish on a seat or floor. Men in suits are generally the rudest passenger. Private school students are the worst. Drivers are not permitted to leave their safe haven in the cabin.
Slippery tracks after rain causes grip issues so sand is deposited in front of wheels by the driver to gain traction. Some leaves ooze an oil which can also cause issues.
If there is a medical emergency, drivers call their base and ambulances, fire and police are deployed. The tram security team attend with aggressive and unruly passengers. Drivers cannot do anything to assist – stay in the cabin, observe and wait for VicPol etc.
If a tram is stopped due to an accident, there is a $100 per minute fine fore that tram and any other routes needing to be altered. There are lots of recording cameras onboard trams today
Drivers work a 7 day rotating shift with 2 days off, 5 weeks annual leave. Double time on Sundays, 1.5 time on Saturdays and 2.5 time on public holidays. Toilet stops are a major issue and water consumption must be monitored. Trams run 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays and the last tram on other nights is approx. 1am. Drivers are randomly drug and alcohol tested.
Thank you Belinda for a very interesting insight to tram life.
TRAM FACTS
Has the world’s largest operational tram network with 250kms of double track.
160+ million trips completed annually.
5000+ services daily
Operating for 140 years (1885 – 2025)
70% of the network is shared with other vehicles
480+ trams
2800 + employees including 1200+ drivers
Approx 1600 tram stops including 450 accessible stops
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.
