THE Pakenham East Probus Club invited the Pakenham and Pakenham Central Probus clubs to Lysterfield Lake for a picnic on 19 January.
Morning tea consisted of tea or coffee and homemade scones with jam and cream.
It was a great opportunity to meet and get to know members of the other two clubs.
At the February meeting of the Probus Club of Pakenham, the guest speaker was Malcolm Nicholson. Malcolm has a Diploma of Primary Teaching and an Arts Degree from Monash University, and has recently done a Masters Degree. Malcolm loves being a student and half of these qualifications have been achieved in the last 10 years.
He teaches Outdooor Environmental Studies, and is passionate about the importance for children to be outdoors in nature. He enjoys teaching and likes to be adventurous and to travel, and shared with us his adventures in rock climbing and has recently climbed Mt Everest.
He brought along his equipment that he takes with him including backpack, sleeping bag, etc. There are special boots that keep his feet warm. These are very rigid, and are designed for climbing above 6000 metres, and for temperatures up to -60. He has reached temperatures of up to –25, with only 30 per cent oxygen.
In his backpack, he is able to carry 20-25kgs, and the weight is absolutely essential. Malcolm has also climbed in Argentina and plans to trek the national park in Nepal. People actually live in the park and some of them have farms, and there are also roads and trails, which is quite different to National Parks in Australia. The cleanliness of the Park is exceptional. You must remove all your rubbish and human waste. You are given a bag, and if you do not fill it, you will be fined. The permit fee is quite expensive. The fees go towards a helicopter service for those who need to be rescued.
Part of the training for mountain climbing is walking. When climbing a really high mountain, eg, 8000 metres, he makes a decision whether to put his life and lives of others at risk.
Coming down a mountain is harder than going up. He has climbed 7000 metres and his ambition is to climb 8000 metres and this will require oxygen.
Malcolm loves to travel, surf and go on adventures with his son. His interest in the outdoors and a purpose for travel is inspiring him to find another mountain to climb.
Speaker convenor, Valma Toogood, thanked Malcolm for a most interesting talk and presented him with a bottle of wine.
The next meeting of the Probus Club of Pakenham will be held at the Pakenham Bowls Club on 4 March at l0am.
