On 24 March, our Club will hold its 44th Annual General Meeting and induct our new President, Dr Noel Sowter.

After that, we turn the clock back 60 years by presenting the 1966 documentary film Launceston: Life in Australia, produced by Eric Thompson for the Commonwealth Film Unit. John Edwards and Peter Young directed it as part of a series designed to showcase Australian cities to prospective European immigrants.

Highlights of the film include rare footage of textile mills (Patons & Baldwins, Kelsall & Kemp, and Waverley Mills), plus Tas Board Mills, Launceston Railway Workshop, Showgrounds, Launceston Technical College, Repco Bearing Company, Brooks High School, Launceston High, restaurants, shops, and Launceston nightlife.

Nearly all the buildings shown in the film have survived, but many factories, businesses, social events, and lifestyles have changed dramatically in such a short time.

On Tuesday, our guest speaker will be local entrepreneur and travel expert Mark Brown.

Mark was born in Cygnet, Tasmania, in 1949 and spent his early years at Bothwell before moving to Trevallyn in 1956.

He was educated at Launceston Church Grammar School before joining the well-known Launceston law firm, Ritchie & Parker, in 1966.

In 1969, Mark was conscripted for National Service, and he served with the Australian Army in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971.

In 1972, he joined Ansett Airlines in Launceston and worked for them until 1989, when he opened his own highly successful local travel agency, which he ran for the next 30 years.

Our guest speaker on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, will be Professor George Razay MP.

George says, “During my 40-year career, I have spent 28 years working as a General Physician and Geriatrician in a busy medical ward at the Launceston General Hospital. I have also served as a Councillor for the City of Launceston and am now proud to represent the people of Bass as an Independent member of parliament, committed to building a healthy, happy, and active community. My topic will be Health and Ageing Well, including a discussion about the prevention of Dementia

The guest speaker for our meeting on Tuesday, 25 November, is Ken Gourley OAM. Ken is an experienced sailor who has raced and cruised most of his sailing life.

In 1998, he sailed around the South Pacific with his wife and daughter. In 2000, he and his wife sailed from Australia to South Africa. In 2008, he was named Tasmanian Australian of the Year after sailing solo around the world in record time. The citation for this award said:

“Ken Gourlay dreamed of being the first Tasmanian and the fastest Australian to sail alone, non-stop and unassisted, around the world. With more than 70,000 nautical miles of sailing already behind him, including several Sydney to Hobart races and line honours in a Melbourne to Launceston race, Ken set out in his 42 ft yacht Spirit Silver Edition in November 2006 on his solo quest of circumnavigation. He returned to Launceston in the record time of less than 180 days, just pipping the previous best time set in 2001, and officially became only the sixth Australian to complete the journey under the stringent rules that apply to these feats of courage and perseverance. This makes him the fastest and oldest Australian to circumnavigate the globe.  Along the way, he raised more than $100,000 for medical research into eyesight disorders and diseases in children. Ken truly does live his dreams to the full.”

In 2010, he and his wife sailed from Slovenia to Australia, and in 2025, Ken completed his third Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and his first Melbourne to Osaka, Japan Race.”

Ken is a Life Member of the Tamar Yacht Club, was Commodore from 2004 to 2006, and is currently Vice Commodore. He and his wife founded the Tasmanian Outdoor Life and Caravan Show in 2013. Thirteen years later, they are still running it and have raised over $500,000 for the Club’s junior sailing and youth programs.

In addition to his Australian of the Year award, he was granted a Key to the City of Launceston and awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia in 2024. (Photo 2024: Her Excellency, Governor of Tasmania Barbara Baker AC and Ken Gourley OAM)

The guest speaker for our meeting on 23 September 2025 is cyber security expert Dr Marcus Thompson AM

Marcus is a retired Major General who served 34 years in the Australian Army.

After he graduated from the Royal Military College, Marcus was allocated to the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. He served in a variety of command, regimental, and Special Operations appointments, including:

• Command of the 3rd Combat Signal Regiment;
• secondment to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as the Senior Advisor Defence Policy and Operations;
• Director General Special Operations Capability; Commander 6th Brigade;
• and deployments to East Timor, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

His final appointment was as the inaugural Head of Information Warfare for the Australian Defence Force.

Marcus holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with honours from the University of New South Wales, a Bachelor of Business from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, a Master of Defence Studies from the University of Canberra, a Master of Strategic Studies from Deakin University, and a PhD in Cyber Security from the University of New South Wales. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

On 26 August, club member Wayne Riley will address this issue in detail. Wayne brings direct experience to the discussion from his tenure as the senior engineering planning manager at Australian Paper Manufacturers’ mill at Burnie before becoming the mine manager at APM’s clay mine at Tonganah.

Company operations: APM operated major paper mills at Burnie and Wesley Vale, both located in northwest Tasmania. In addition, the company ran a mine and mineral processing facility at Tonganah, in the northeast of the state. The primary focus at Tonganah was extracting and processing Kaolin clay, used as a filler in producing fine writing paper. This clay provided opacity and improved the surface quality of the paper for writing and printing.

Industry image and fallout: After facing negative publicity regarding establishing a pulp mill at Wesley Vale, the company tried to enhance the public image of Tasmania’s paper industry. However, the poisoning of the Great Forrester River, the resulting death of thousands of fish, and its impact on a local hop farm triggered a strong emotional response from the community. Weeks after the event, a remark made during a phone conversation between the farmer and staff at Tonganah reignited tensions. It threatened to undo much of the progress made in improving the industry’s reputation.

The guest speaker for our meeting on Tuesday, 22 July, will be Hugh McKenzie, Deputy Mayor and Alderman of the City of Launceston. (Image: Mercury Newspaper)

Hugh is a Chartered Accountant by profession, having been a partner in the advisory firm KPMG for 24 years until his retirement in 2011. Since then, he has been involved in governance roles, emphasising those that give back to the local community.

On Tuesday, Hugh will recount stories from his life before retirement and the values that drive him post-retirement.

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

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.