Kenthurst Combined Probus Club marked Probus Month with a relaxed brunch at Vanilla Cream on 27 October, bringing members together for good food, conversation and plenty of camaraderie.
The celebration set the tone for the club’s final meeting of the year on 17 November, where members welcomed guest speaker Graeme Sims. His talk, intriguingly titled “Of An Aunt, A Tiger Snake and Batman,” unfolded as a three-part journey through history, tragedy and schoolyard lore.
Sims began with the story of his aunt and uncle, passionate bushwalkers who helped establish the Sydney Bushwalkers’ Club in the 1930s—an organisation that remains active nearly a century later.
He then shifted to the sobering tale of Dot “Taffy” Townson, who died from a tiger snake bite while walking in Cradle Mountain, commemorated today by a plaque near Cowan.
The talk concluded with Sims’ early teaching days at Sydney Boys’ High School, where the headmaster’s flowing black academic gown earned him the nickname “Batman.”
