Land O’Lakes Speakers series kicks off this month with Terry Fallis

Jeff Green | Apr 03, 2024

The second year of a joint venture between the Cloyne and District Historical Society and the Lions Club of Land O’Lakes, is all set to go. The series features an eclectic group of speakers who will be covering a very broad range of topics.

The series runs on the 4th Wednesday of the month between April and September. The events start at 7pm, and with time for questions, the speakers will wrap up by 8:45, and there are very light refreshments available.

The first speaker night is April 24, and it features author Terry Fallis. Terry has had several careers, as a political staffer in the 1980s, a communications consultant starting in the 1990s, and a novelist and humorist for the last 20 years. His books have won numerous awards, including the Stephen Leacock award (2008) and Canada Reads (2011) for Best Laid Plans.

He will speak about his career, and about the publishing industry.

On May 29th, Rand Simon, a hockey agent since 1993 who specialises in contract negotiations and financial planning will deliver a talk on the life of a hockey agent.

On June 26, Rita di Ghent will deliver a talk called “Creating from a Neurodivergent Brain”. Di Ghent is a renowned Jazz singer and musician, and a faculty member at York University. She has a condition known as “aphantasia” which is characterised by an inability to form mental images, and she will discuss how that has informed her own creative process, and that of her students as well.

On July 24, Dr. John Cranfield, who holds a doctorate in agricultural economics and is currently serving as the Acting Dean of the Agricultural College at Guelph University, will speak about “agriculture and food in a post-pandemic world: challenges & opportunities for Canadian agriculture.”

On August 28, the scheduled speaker is Alana Free, the Senior Vice President at GoodLife Fitness, who will talk about fitness and the fitness industry.

Finally, on September 25, Cr. Roelf Makken, an Economics Professor at Brock who teaches international finance and portfolio management courses, will provide insights into how financial markets operate.

All in all, the series promises to provide a very lively mix of topics and personalities for people to enjoy on cool spring nights and warm summer evenings.

For further information, look to the Lions Club of Land O’Lakes Facebook page.