15th July 2026 -  Elizabeth Cozens

The Great Wildebeest Migration

This is a conservation success story. This amazing annual movement of thousands of wildebeest, zebras and antelopes as well as the predators that feed on them is one of the great wildlife spectacles in the world today. The way it has been allowed to continue and grow makes a fascinating story.

Elizabeth Cozens is a retired Science teacher who returned just before the pandemic from several years living and working in Asia.

17th June 2026 - Steve Skinner

Hydraulic Power

The story of the development of hydraulic fluid power is a fascinating one to people interested in industrial history, not just from the point of view of the technology itself but also the myriad of applications for which it has been used.

As a technology, hydraulic fluid power has been around for over 230 years. Largely unnoticed by the general public however, it operates unseen and often unheard in the background of all our lives.

Every time we travel by land, sea or air, in some way or another we make use of its flexible and precise control. It helps build our roads, harvest our crops, organise our warehouses and dispose of our rubbish. It’s involved in the production of our morning paper and our bedtime book not to mention all of the glass, wood, concrete, metals, plastics, and textiles we come across in between.  

This light-hearted presentation explains some of the many applications that the technology has been used for over the years. Whether it’s raising and lowering the 1200ton bascules of London’s Tower Bridge or taking 700 Victorian passengers on a simulated ship voyage, hydraulic fluid power has been the technology of choice - and remains so today.

16th September 2026 - NO MEETING!

21st October 2026 - Robert Pullen

The Secrets of the Human Brain

Dr Bob Pullen shines a spotlight on the human brain, which is so central to what we humans are. He explains how our brains are made up of nerve cells or neurons, which behave rather like batteries producing a small voltage which becomes the language of the nervous system. Our neurons can also behave like computer-chips processing electronic data.

Bob explains how different parts of the human brain perform different tasks, some areas performing movement, others giving us our five senses and then looks at the physical division of the brain into left and right cerebral hemispheres and describes how these differ between men and women - and what happens when the brain goes wrong; how can it be examined? A damaged brain can cause difficulties, illness and disorder.

Remarkable modern methods of examination such as measuring brain waves and magnetic resonance imaging are explained. The brain is more than a normal organ: It governs how we think and makes us self-aware.

18th November 2026 - Nick Ward

Developments in Marine Navigation

[Awaiting details]

9th December 2026 - Jim Flory

Environmental Impacts on Water Quality

[Awaiting details]

19th August 2026 - Field Trip (Booked S&T Members only)

Royal Naval Cordite Factory & Cordite Way

Our pre-booked group will enter the site for a look around at the old buildings (exteriors only) which date back to the time the RNCF existed during and between the wars. Some of the buildings are now in a poor state of repair and others have been repurposed for modern use and yet more are protected buildings.

Following our visit to the RNCF site we will then walk about half a mile to the new Cordite Way footpath which follows the track of the steam railway line from the old Cordite Factory down to Rockley Jetty where the propellant was loaded onto barges.

Unfortunately back in 2022 British Rail removed the bridge which passed over the main line, so the Cordite Way stops here where there are wonderful views over Poole Harbour.