Upcoming Speaker
17 November 2026 Annie Cherry
Annie is a guide at the Art Gallery as well as being a volunteer, she also teaches other volunteers how to be a guide at the Art Gallery. Her side line is Dickens and art and putting them together.
PAST SPEAKERS
20th October 2026, Perry Celestino
We welcome Perry back to speak to Abbotsford-Chiswick Probus. Perry came to Australia in 1973 after being recruited in the States as a Social Science teacher. In 2000 Perry began offering music appreciation courses with the WEA. These have covered the soundtrack to most Baby Boomers lives. Course have been offered on Blues, Early Rock, The British Invasion, Soul, Surf Music, and biographical respective on artists such as Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, BB King, Chuck Berry and others. In 2024 he received the Public Service Medal for his contributions to Education and Teaching.
15 September
Jim Haynes: Entertainer – Author Speaker – Broadcaster Humourist – Historian - Art Lover
With his band he recorded two albums and had airplay on the ABC radio show Australia All Over. He quit teaching to work on the show full time in 1988. Two songs, Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga and Since Cheryl Went Feral became hits. He invented the country town of Weelabarabak in the 1980's. He wrote verse about the town and its characters, featured in the Australasion Post until its demise in 2004. Jim has written, compiled and edited thirty five books, specializing in factual Australian History. He finds the truth behind the myths and misconceptions the Australians believe about our past. He has worked in Sydney radio for 25 years and was awarded the OAM in 2016 for service to the performing arts as an entertainer, author, broadcaster and historian.
21 August 2026
Search Dogs Sydney 
Our mission is to provide and promote Search & Rescue and Recovery Canines, and Handlers, as a local resource in NSW to law enforcement, emergency management agencies, and the community in the event of an emergency. Search Dogs Sydney Inc. are a dedicated and highly skilled specialist capability that offer Certified and Accredited teams of Canines and Handlers in all disciplines of Canine Search, Rescue and Recovery operations. Be advised that a dog will be present at this talk.
Tuesday 16 June 2026
Carol Mazzella is the owner of Deliciously Yours artisan chocolate. This female led chocolate business is based on Great North Road in Five Dock.
Tuesday 19 May 2026
Paul Kearney
The History Of
Australian Early 1960’s show
Paul will present the history and a selection of great old Aussie Rock & Roll songs and Video clips from the early 1960’s
Featured Artists Include:
| Johnny O’Keefe | Col Joye | The Delltones | Lonnie Lee | |
| Rolf Harris | Jimmy Little | Sandy Scott | Lucky Star | |
| Little Pattie | De Kroo Brothers | Bee Gees | Johnny Farnham | |
| The Seekers | Slim Dusty | Plus some short comedy clips |
21 APRIL 2026, MICHAEL PYNE
Michael’s PHD was on the ANZAC history and he will be talking to us
about the evolution of the ANZAC legend over the decades.
The legend has gone through several phases from post-war attempt to
justify the terrible losses of WW1 to the reinforcement of the legend in
WW2, virtual extinction in the1960s, the rebirth in the 1970s, Howard’s
jingoism of the 1990s to family remembrance today.