Probus North Sydney

Newsletter 368 16 May 2023

President’s report: The Good News: What a wonderful celebration we had for our Club’s 40th Anniversary on Tuesday 18 April 2023 at The View Hotel in North Sydney. So many members and a good sprinkling of visitors from family, friends, other Probus Clubs and North Sydney Rotary Club. The venue, the food and the company were simply first class!

It was good to see Richard and Shelagh and we recognised many of our long standing members with over 12 years of membership. It is to the Club’s credit that we have so many long time members. It tells us that people enjoy being members of our club. I note also that we have over 26 members who have joined over the past five years. So things are looking good for the future too!

I can’t leave the Anniversary Lunch without recognising the efforts of our 40th Committee, Mary Ann, Oriel and dear departed Clive. It was a very big task and without the ongoing support, especially on the day from so many of our willing member helpers, it wouldn’t have happened without you. Thank you everyone, your efforts contributed to a happy, successful and fun day.

Just one more big thank you to Mary Ann for the outstanding production of our 40th Anniversary Booklet. This is a great piece of work and I urge everyone to read it from cover to cover. It is a wonderful piece of history and records the activities of our club and all the members who have contributed over the past years. Much, much work and a valuable job well done indeed.

The raffle proved to be a big success and made a pretty good profit to be added to our funds to help deal with ever rising costs. It might be a good idea to have another raffle at Christmas time perhaps.

The Not So Good News: It is with sadness that I advise that our dear Polly is retiring from editorship of our monthly newsletter. The skills, the quality and reliability Polly has shown over all these years is unequalled and so very much appreciated. Thank you Polly. You will be leaving big shoes to fill, but fill them we must!

More sadness to advise that our one and only Ian S will also be retiring this year as our Public Officer and attendance keeper. Again what a wonderful, sterling and reliable job Ian has quietly done for many years behind the scenes. Thank you Ian, you too will be leaving big shoes to fill! I am assuming he will continue as quiz master extraordinaire (I haven’t asked in case he says no)!

If you are interested in learning more about these roles, please speak with a committee member soon.

Unfortunately, we have encountered a few problems with the hire of the Community Connect Bus Transport we use for outings. Noreen and Peter, together with other members, are putting their heads together to seek a solution. In the meantime our outings adventures will need to stay close to home for a while.

Stay warm and safe now that winter has begun sneaking up on us!

Note: All our Probus meetings are generally held on the third Tuesday of every month at 10:15am. The next meeting will be held on the 20th June at the Northbridge Golf Club. The committee meetings are conducted at 10:00am on the first Tuesday of every month at the Golf Club. Members are welcome to attend.

Membership report: Our membership stands at 53 (34 women and 19 men).

Many happy returns for your May birthday: Jocelyn M 01, Maureen T01, Jackie M 05, and Kevin D 16.

Guest speakers: Today we welcome Ros Barnes who will tell us about “Sign Language”. Next month our very own Jocelyn M will share with us her experiences of life in Papua New Guinea.

Probus Events: 5th Tuesday of the month movie Tuesday the 31st May. We shall be going to see a movie called “A Good Person,” starring Morgan Freeman and Florence Pugh. As we never know session times until they are released on Wednesday for the coming week, an email will be send out then, stating the time and a place we can share either a light lunch or just coffee. For now please put this date in your diary.

Probus Outing: Tuesday 23rd May to the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability. We will meet at 9:30am at Balls Head Reserve, at the far parking area (see map). This is a good place to stop for morning tea, with a harbour view and public amenities are available. Please bring your mug and a thermos of hot water, or a drink. Morning tea will be provided at a cost of $10.

We will drive on closer to the centre and join a guided tour starting at 10:30am. We will learn about the history of the coal loader, the mysterious tunnels, and the community battle to save the land for public use. You may be interested to read the poem by Henry Lawson written in 1916, still a topic for today. www.poetrynook.com/poem/sacrifice-balls-head. The tour ends at midday when we make our way to our luncheon venue (to be advised).

We have not been able to arrive at a satisfactory arrangement regarding the rules and regulations of the Community Bus so please arrange car-pooling. Anyone needing a lift contact us pxbyrne@hotmail.com or phone Peter on 0403 811 642. Morning tea location, “Balls Head Reserve”, is noted on the map. A detailed map will be sent by email.

Arrangements for payment of $10 for morning tea: Cash at the meeting on Tuesday the 16th May in an envelope with your name, or Direct Debit: Probus Bank account BSB 032099 account number 255375. Please type ‘Coal Loader’ as a description.

Probus Walkers: Tuesday 14th June to Clifton Gardens. We will meet at Café Chaos at Spit Junction (Mosman Townhall

Building) at 10:00am. We will catch the bus to Taronga Zoo top gate. We will walk down the hill, past Athol Hall to the harbour walk and walk to Clifton Gardens. The walk is 5 klm. It is downhill to the harbour walk. The harbour walk is an easy walk. It is a mix of board walk and gravel. The gravel has some uneven ground but it is a pretty good level walk. There are some steps and stairs as we get closer to Clifton Gardens. From Clifton Gardens we will have to climb some stairs past some of the buildings there to Drift Café at the Chowder Bay bus stop. We will have lunch at Drift. After lunch we will catch the 111 bus to Mosman Junction where we will have to change buses to Spit Junction. Anyone going into the city can stay on the bus and catch the ferry at Mosman South wharf in Musgrave Street.

I won’t be able to do the walk as I have a specialist appointment on that day. (It was booked last year and no other times are available.) Douglas and Mary Ann Irvin are going to take the walk. I do hope to join you for lunch though. Lindsay K

Reminders:

1. Please ensure your Social Membership of Northbridge Golf Club is up to date. (This is a condition of our club’s use of the premises that all our club members are also Golf Club Social Members.)

2. Apologies: Our Club is required to keep records of attendance at all meetings, outings and functions. Probus provides insurance (limited and subject to terms and conditions) for members and visitors attending approved activities. It is essential that accurate records are kept and apologies recorded. Please remember to apologise if you are unable to attend. This is never a problem until there is a problem!

3. Committee Meetings: For a trial period, the Committee will meet at 10:00am on the first Tuesday of each month at the Golf Club. The meeting time/date will be reviewed in November, 2023.

I LIKE TO MAKE LISTS. I ALSO LIKE TO LEAVE THEM LAYING ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER AND THEN GUESS WHAT’S ON THE LIST WHILE AT THE STORE. FUN GAME.

Some photos from our 40th Celebration, including Valerie W receiving her Life Membership, our Life Members cutting the cake, and the "nest ruby dressed lady and gentleman"!