Month: October 2023

Desert Island Books

On Wednesday 8th October the club met in Omagh Golf Club to talk about the books which members would bring with them if marooned on a desert Island. As in the BBC Radio Programme,” Desert Island Discs” it was presumed that the castaways would also have with them a copy of the Bible and a copy of the Complete Works of Shakespeare.

Four club members came prepared and spoke about their reasons for choosing the following books:
Oliver Loughran: “The Day of the Jackel” by Frederick Forsythe
Harman Scott: The Snow Goose” by Paul Gallico
Hugh Ward: Palgrove’s Golden Treasury”, an anthology of poetry and verse
Jim McBain: “Mission Praise” A book of 1250 hymns and songs of Christian Worship

Despite the fact that only 8 members were present it was an interesting and entertaining meeting on a theme that could be repeated at some point in the future.

Event: Wednesday 4 October 2023

Omagh Men’s Probus Club resumed activities after the summer recess with an open meeting in the Silverbirch Hotel on Wednesday 4th October. The guest speaker was Mr Roger Johnston, CEO of AXIAL 3D (and, as it happens, nephew of club member Mr Brian Duncan). Mr Johnston’s topic was the art of creating 3D models from two-dimensional images such as X-rays, CT and MRI scans. This is achieved using state-of-the-art computer processing and AI (Artificial Intelligence). Mr. Johnson illustrated his talk with 3D models of a human heart, a child’s kidney, a brain tumour and blocked arteries. He reported that surgeons in some 500 hospitals in 35 countries are using the technology to enable pre-surgical planning, leading to tailor-made procedures and improved patient outcomes.

Among the impressive statistics quoted during his lecture was the fact that an X-ray or CT scan can be emailed to his company, processed and returned as a 3D image in as little as 2 minutes. AXIAL 3D operates from a recently opened 3D printing centre in Belfast and is a world leader in this field.

The meeting was attended by over 40 members and guests from other Probus Clubs and the wider community. After a lively Question and Answer session which showed that there had been great interest in the topic, a vote of thanks was proposed by Dr Dominic Pinto MBE, and heartily endorsed by all present.