Researching the history of St John’s Church

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Our guest speaker on Tuesday, 24 June, is Julian Burgess, author of the recently published history of St John’s  Church, Launceston.

The foundation stone of St John’s Church in Launceston was laid in December 1824, the year the northern headquarters of Van Diemen’s Land was relocated there from George Town.

St John’s is the oldest public building in Launceston and has reflected the city’s progress over the past 200 years.

Julian is a retired journalist and former Associate Editor of the Examiner Newspaper in Launceston, where he held numerous roles over 45 years. He is the author of 12 non-fiction books on Tasmanian history and has written hundreds of articles on local history, contributing to many local historical publications.

Bibliography:

St John’s: Launceston’s First Church 1825-2025

Doing Time: Stories Of Convict Clock And Watchmakers In Van Diemen’s Land

Duck Reach: Launceston’s Electric Light, Marvels Of The Cataract

Holyman’s Of Bass Strait: Shipping And Aviation Pioneers Of Australia​

Cruel Wind: Business Post Naiad And The 1998 Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race Disaster

His Own Man: The Cecil Burgess Story

​Home Of Peace: The Eskleigh Story​

William Gow’s Anzac Diary: Serving With The 3rd Field Ambulance At Gallipoli

The Outcome Of Enterprise: Launceston’s Waverley Woollen Mills

The Tamar Yacht Club: A History Of Sailing In Launceston, Tasmania From 1837

A Woman Of Charity: The Winifred Daphne Booth Story

The Australian Three Peaks Race: The First 20 Years

Walks against racism and supporting multiculturalism

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On Tuesday, 27 May, Peter Gutwien, former Premier of Tasmania, will tell how he decided to conduct two lengthy walks to oppose racism and support multiculturalism.

Peter chairs the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania, which provides services for the Federal Government’s humanitarian settlement program.

He is also a company director and strategic adviser for a range of companies, including Incat, Sea Forest, and TasRex Ltd, which are companies involved in energy transition and low-emission technologies. He also acts as a consultant for various firms regarding leadership and strategic planning.

He loves Australian Rules football and recently took on the role of the President of the Northern Tasmanian Football Association.

Making the right choices in life and parliament

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22 April 2025: Today marked a significant milestone as our new President, Allan Thompson, chaired his first meeting and welcomed our newest member, Dr Daniel Rolf, a former university lecturer, to our club.

Our guest speaker, the Federal member for Bass, Bridget Archer, shared a captivating account of her life.

She spoke of her positive experiences in local government, her election to the Australian Parliament, and her approach to her roles in Launceston and Canberra.

The Q&A session that followed was particularly engaging, with our members actively participating to better understand parliamentary decision-making and the changing pattern of voters and their interests.

 

Springtime in Japan

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In April 2024, Club member Peter Jacobson traveled to Japan to see their famous cherry blossom and other spring offerings. He circumnavigated Japan on a cruise boat with seven port stops, and he saw many parks and gardens in magnificent colour. Peter’s talk features a slide display of the parks and gardens visited by him. This should be a treat for those of us who are keen horticultural gardeners and photographers.

Trump 2.0 and Museum Leaning: Two Club Speakers

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On 28 January 2025, our speakers will be two club members:

Trump’s Second Term

One week after President Donald Trump took office for a second term, historian Dr Tom Dunning will analyse early indications of Trump’s intentions. Will he deliver on his promises and rhetoric?

Among the issues Tom will consider are: Who will he pardon? Who will he attempt to arrest or charge? What immigration policies will he pursue? What actions will he take concerning Panama, Greenland, Canada, Ukraine, and the Middle East? Will he cancel Biden’s environmental policies? What tariffs will he declare, and what taxes will he cut?

Tom will also examine the office of the President. How will Trump change it, and will he be different from previous Presidents or his first term?

 Whispers in the Wind

Our second speaker will be retired nuclear scientist and prolific local author Paul A.C. Richards AM. Paul will focus on two books he published in 2024. He will also outline a significant project to introduce museum learning at Launceston Church Grammar School. The aim is to commission a bespoke natural science specimen cabinet to house collections of bird’s eggs, insects, fossils, shells, and other artifacts, thereby resurrecting the school’s museum.

The story behind the retaining wall

Guest speakers

Our guest speaker on Tuesday, 22 October will be Karen Heathcote, project manager. design and construction for the Launceston City Council.

She will explain why privately owned retaining wall above the Cataract Walkway failed, and the steps the Council took to remove the wall and protect the Walkway.

This was a complex civil engineering project with the potential for environmental and public safety issues. Karen will explain how these problems and the successful solution.

Poop Decks and Stages: Musings on Naval Architecture and the Arts in Launceston

Guest speakers

The guest speaker for our meeting on 23 April 2024 is Dr Stan Gottschalk. Stan was born in the US in 1946. He grew up in Florida and studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before emigrating to Australia in 1970, finishing his PhD in Fluid Mechanics at the University of Melbourne (1973).

He moved to Tasmania in 1975, where he has worked as Head of Mathematics and Science at Oakburn College, and as a Lecturer at the TSIT/UTAS), before joining the Australian Maritime College where he was instrumental in setting up the College’s professional engineering degree programs in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering before his retirement in 2001.

The Arts have always been a part of Stan’s life. Active in the local theatre scene, he has worked as director, actor, production manager, and designer on over 40 productions, and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Theatre Council of Tasmania in 2021.

Stan is also a Life Member of the Launceston Film Society. He was part of a team that revitalised it in the late 1970s, taking it from about a dozen members to the 1,100 members it has today. He is also a respected folk musician both as a solo performer and with his band The New Holland Honey Eaters.

A trip to the Southern Ocean

Guest speakers

Our guest speaker on Tuesday, 27 February will be Dr Scott Bell GP.

In 2007, Scott embarked on a three month trip with Sea Shepherd, on their ship the Steve Irwin to interact with the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.

He says this experience, and the company of the folk onboard the ship helped to fine-tune his views and attitudes towards marine conservation, broaden his understanding of the  global climate emergency, and his future role in the world of activism.

Scott’s 31 year professional life as a medical practitioner encompassed a variety of General Practice work, both as an owner/operator of a private practice, a two year stint with the RAN, 7 years as State Director of the RACGP training program, time on remote Aboriginal communities, and seven years in Tasmania as a locum for all rural practitioners.

In retirement, Scott has focused his energy on a 760 acre property in the northeast , obtained a conservation covenant, developed a close relationship with Save the Tasmanian Devil program, become an owner/builder again, spent much time in a variety of volunteer roles (Wildcare, TFS, Landcare. etc) and developed interests and skills in  the environmental and conservation world.

Gold mining in Mongolia

Guest speakers

Our speaker on Tuesday, 23 January 2024 is mine geologist, Andrew Millen.

Andrew was born in Launceston and went to East Launceston Public School followed by Launceston Church Grammar School where I first discovered my interest in mines. Here is his story:

“I went for a school excursion to Beaconsfield. I walked around and just wanted to go through and look at everything underground. I finished school in 1995 and moved to UTAS where I finished my science degree majoring in Geology.

In 2000, I moved to WA to start my life in the mining industry as an open pit Mine Geologist/Field Geologist.

In 2001 I went for a job as a geologist working in the oil industry which took me to America. It was very interesting, but I knew I always wanted to stay in the mines. I started in Indonesia before coming back to Melbourne with a consultancy followed by backpacking for a year and a half.

At the end of my backpacking journey, I spent an amazing year gold mining in Mongolia, followed by jobs in Turkey, China, and  Argentina.”

Andrew now lives in Launceston, having taken over the family business.