Topic: “When the Psychic Speaks, Start Walking.” She is the best-selling memoirist of The Pelee Project; What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim; Incontinent on the Continent. Her most recent book And Then There Were Nuns, was a finalist for the 2014 Leacock Medal for Humour, and the Word Awards. She has also co-authored A Journey [...]
Our Youth Speaker for January, 2019 is Mustfah Madlol. He is a driven and passionate grade 12 student at Oakridge secondary School, who plans on attending Western University to pursue a career in health care. He is the humble recipient of the Pillar Community Leadership Award, Thames Valley District School Board Award of Distinction, and [...]
Topic: “Lyme Disease in Canada.” Jennifer Kravis is a retired lawyer and former Bank executive with a B.A. in Political Science from Western University and a law degree from University of British Columbia. Sue Faber is a registered nurse (BScN) with a background in ER nursing as well as case management in the community. Jennifer [...]
Meriel Reed is a 17 year-old student at H.B. Beal Secondary School in London. She suffers from a severe medical phobia and has had to learn how to cope with the debilitating fear that she undergoes with every medical experience. Meriel loves to sing and act and has performed on stage for productions at the Palace Theatre [...]
Topic: “A Life Behind the Curtain” For Nora Polley, 2019 marks 55 seasons with the Stratford Festival. Her father, grandfather and four siblings have all worked at the theatre over the years. A stage manager from 1969 to 2009, Nora now works part-time in the Stratford Festival Archives. She has an insider’s view of how [...]
Amal is a grade 12 student at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School. She is passionate about reducing elderly suffering and has won awards for coming up with various solutions that she presented at regional and national competitions. Recently, she has received awards from the Thames Valley Science and Engineering Fair, the Sanofi Biogenius Competition and [...]
Topic: “Life as Vice Regal Consort.” Sharon Johnston began her working career in Kingston, Ontario, as a psychiatric occupational therapist with young adults. In 1966, Mrs. Johnston completed her studies in physical and occupational therapy at the University of Toronto. Later, she completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Ontario, a Master [...]
Topic: “Extraordinary Women, Extraordinary Times” The road to uncovering the life and death of an uncle she never knew, killed when his ship was torpedoed off the coast of France in 1944, led Sherry to write her first non-fiction book, “All the Ship’s Men: HMCS Athabaskan’s Untold Stories”. After interviewing veterans and their families, she [...]
Sydney Wakelin, 17 years old, attends Oakridge S.S. She has been a member of the Byron Believers for 9 years and recently fulfilled a surgical co-op placement at Victoria Hospital. She also worked as a literary facilitator working one on one with 20 children who struggled to read and she assisted in running community programs [...]
Topic: “A Life At Sea” Lillian Kluka grew up on a farm near Blenheim, Ontario. With no marine background, she never expected to spend her working life at sea. A week after finishing high school, she boarded her first cargo vessel and it was love at first sight. She attended Georgian College of Applied Arts [...]