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WE HAVE A NEW CLUB IN THE SOUTH WEST IN BRIDGETOWN

The Combined Probus Club of Bridgetown-Blackwood Valley has been formed.

At a very well attended formation meeting on Tuesday 27th

May, convened by the Rotary Club of

Bridgetown in association with the Manjimup Probus Club, the decision to start a combined

Probus club in Bridgetown was made and 35 signed on and paid up to become foundation

members. Their committee was elected with Barbara Johnson as foundation President. The

decision was made to call it the Probus Club of Bridgetown- Blackwood Valley.

They had their first Formal

club meeting on Wednesday 11th

June and received their certificate of accreditation from Bridge-

town Rotary Secretary Alan Wilson. The inaugural President is Barbara Johnson and her commit-

tee were sworn in. Barbara was presented with her chain of office by Alan Wilson. The club by

now had 42 Foundation members who were presented with foundation member pins and with

more nomination forms to come expects over 50 by next meeting.

Over 60 people attended and enjoyed a wonderful presentation on the finding of the HMAS Syd-

ney wreck by South Bunbury Rotary Past President Glenys McDonald who was personally in-

volved in the search.

The club meets every second Wednesday at Nelsons Hotel.

They already have a calendar of events and outings for the next three months and

The area covered by this dynamic new club takes in Balingup, Boyup Brook and Nannup so if your

members know anyone in that area interested in joining Probus tell them to contact Barbara.

(Mobile 0419927781 and email johnsonk@bigpond.com).

PUBLISHED BY PROBUS ASSOCIATION OF WA FOR MEMBERS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Vol 5 Issue 3 September 2014

Left to right. Bridgetown Rotary secretary Alan Wilson, Guest Speaker

Glenys McDonald, PAWA South West Representative Don Faulks,

Bridgetown Rotary Vice President Richard Whitnoom

President

Barbara Johnson

Don Faulks

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They say variety is the spice of life – well at the Combined Probus Club of Eaton we decided to

test that theory by doing something different for one of our meetings earlier in the year.

We held our meeting at the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury.

As venues go it was less than ideal from a meeting perspective as we had to sit at 3 tables in the

open air and as anyone with a hearing prob-

lem will attest - this is less than desirable –

however this was overcome by our Secretary

posting a copy of the Minutes, Financial

Statement and Agenda to each member well

in advance.

The day was a hot one, but the tables in the

alfresco area were under cover and with a

breeze, made it very pleasant. We had a

short meeting together with a Devonshire

Tea.

Then from 10 am the members

watched the feeding of the aquar-

ium fish. A staff member of the

Dolphin Discovery Centre gave us a

very informative talk on the various

fish in the aquarium and the ecol-

ogy of the wet areas around

Bunbury.

Members then had free time to ex-

plore the Centre. There were quite

a few areas to explore. Such as a 3D

dolphin experience and a theatre

which was showing the birth of a shark and of course dolphins. There were many volunteers on

hand to answer any questions that our members had.

At 11 am 20 members boarded a small boat for an “Eco-Cruise” (The rest of the members were

free to use any of the amenities of the Dolphin Discovery Centre as our entrance fee not only

lasted all day, but for the princely sum of $5, you could visit the centre twice more – bargain!!!)

The cruise took us around Koombana Bay where there are resident dolphins. The driver was

most knowledgeable not only on dolphins but the ecology of the area.

We saw several dolphins, both resting and feeding and learnt a lot about the life cycle of Dol-

phins.

All in all everyone agreed it was a good thing to have our meetings out doors and have requested

another later in the year.

Eaton Combined

Fay Fisher

Listening to the informative talk

Members prior to meeting

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Kingsley

CELEBRATION TIME FOR THE PROBUS CLUB OF KINGSLEY

The official date for the 25th anniversary of the Club was 1st January 2014, so celebrations got

under way early in the year with a lunch on 14th February at the Warwick Bowling Club hosted by

outgoing President Graham Evans. It was a grand occasion of good food, fellowship, and remi-

niscing, together with special guests Fairly Watson, Probus WA President and MLA Andrea

Mitchell. In her address to the members, Andrea congratulated the Club on reaching the mile-

stone and recalled her own special awareness of Probus, in which her parents are and were both

involved.

The celebrations continued this month when, at a

Civic Reception at the City of Joondalup, the Club

was recognised for achieving its 25 years anniver-

sary. Several members and wives were able to

attend this special occasion which reflected the

wonderful sense of community in this district of the

metropolitan area. We were then fortunate to

have the His Worship the Mayor of Joondalup,

Troy Pickard, visit our August meeting and present

a cheque from Council to acknowledge the anniver-

sary. This was accepted on behalf of the Club by

current President Tim Hodgkins.

The club has seen a resurgence in membership in

2014 with several new members joining and more

visitors attending. We look forward to many more years of FUN, FELLOWSHIP AND GOOD TIMES.

Tim Hodgkins

Port of Albany Ladies has celebrated their 24th

birthday this month. This day not only celebrated the

club’s birthday but also that of Edna Vaux who was a

founding member of this club. Edna was also

presented with a Life Membership of the Club during

morning tea.

Also in attendance was Edna’s family who had

travelled from afar for the occasion.

Graham Kirkwood

Albany Ladies

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The Noranda Combined Probus club recently celebrated its Tenth Birthday at their May meeting

held at the Morley Noranda Recreation Club. The occasion was marked by a photograph of all of

the past Presidents of the Club and the presentation of ten year membership pins by Ian

Bresland, President of Morley Rotary Club. The birthday cake was cut by Kaye Gobby, who as

inaugural president served for the first two years of the club and helped to establish it as the

vibrant active club that it is today. The normal fun and fellowship was continued during the

chicken and salad lunch which the Club provided to celebrate the occasion.

The past presidents of the club from left to right:

Kaye Gobby, Tony Prowse, Val Morgan, Alan Johnson, Brenda

Pullan, Martin Yates, Maureen Prowse,

Alex Dowsett, Gail Basham and

Doug Melville (current President)

Noranda Combined

Inaugural President Kaye Gobby cuts the birthday cake.

Margot White

History

Maths

Gem’s from School homework ! Geography

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Victoria Park Probus Club enjoys many activities during an average month. Fellow Probians have

the opportunity to join in with the smaller groups within the club.

• The Flickers enjoy going to see a movie and a chat afterwards over a “Cuppa”

• The Bookends choose a book to read and review

• The Shutterbugs choose a different location each month to visit and the photos taken

reflect the history or splendor of the occasion.

• An Arts group also meets and artists are encouraged to explore their creativity.

Monday June 9 saw the Footsloggers who walk weekly at different locations around Perth for fun

and fitness embarked the Australind journey to Bunbury for a walk with a difference. The Bun-

bury excursion was certainly a lovely time and all those who participated appeared to have had

an enjoyable and full day. Considering most would have left home by 8am and probably not got

back till 6pm not a single person even mentioned being tired after a 10 hour day. Nor did any one

express boredom with the often heard "are we there yet?'. To some, I think, the trip was an ad-

venture almost, as country train travel was a new and novel experience for them. I overheard a

couple of comments along those lines and others commented about the comfort, spaciousness

and smoothness of the coach we were travelling in.

The scenery along the way was delightful. The towns we travelled through had a really peaceful

and rural look about them and the country side has greened up and looked a treat. The group

had an opportunity to engage with one another and mixed quite freely. Travelling down to Bun-

bury on the Australind is such a pleasant and relaxing experience compared to the freeway tar

and cement one jammed into a car and seeing very little other than the back of the car in front.

Lunch was enjoyed at the Lord Forest Hotel. There was time afterwards to explore Bunbury. Most

of us had a wander about the main street after the meal and returned a little early to the Visitors

Centre to catch the bus to the train station. Fortunately they did as there was a downpour of rain

minutes after the last of our party arrived there and got under cover. Anyone who had been

caught outside would have been drenched.

Being a member of Probus Victoria Park is certainly a friendly experience. Our monthly meetings

with guest speakers are most enjoyable and the friendship of others is really special.

Victoria Park

Jan Teasdale

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Wellard & District

At our May meeting President Lee gave a great talk on being a descendent of a First Fleeter,

something she had not known until recently. Her great, great, great grandfather, a mariner,

Thomas Lucas arrived on the Scarborough, a ship of the First Fleet. After settling, he married

convict Ann Howard and so Lee’s family began. Lee is now a member of the Fellowship of the

First Fleet, Swan River branch and is finding great enjoyment in gathering information about her

forebears.

Correspondence Secretary Maureen has returned from a trip with her husband to France. They

saw the sights of Paris and journeyed by train to Arras in the north to do WW1 battlefields tours,

back to Paris, (to Montmartre) then on to Singapore for three days.

They visited many of the War Cemeteries of all nations with particular interest in paying their re-

spects to the nearly 46,000 Australians who lost their lives on the Western Front.

At Villers-Brettoneux Australian War Memorial, Maureen was able to find her great uncle’s name

on the memorial wall for the 11,000 Australians with no known grave after visiting the battlefield

where he died. Pozieres and the Somme was of great interest to John as his father was sent

there at the age of 17, was wounded and suffered the effects of mustard gas. Australian military

of the time are very well regarded throughout the area but sadly the remains of many of the

dead still lie beneath the now farmed fields. They are not forgotten in northern France and

hopefully, never by Australians.

Wellard & District Probus Club is a small combined club but we continue to enjoy fellowship on

meeting days, and friendship and fun on monthly social outings organised by Len, our dedicated

Outings Officer.

Katanning Probus club celebrated their

25th

birthday and celebrations were held

at the Federal Hotel in Katanning.

Kojonup Probus Club made the trip to

Katanning to join in the fellowship, which

is much enjoyed by these two clubs.

Graham Kirkwood

Maureen Wicking

Katanning

Attadale Combined

James Mitchell, aged eight, could be one of the youngest peo-

ple to attend a Probus meeting. He came along to the Probus

Club of Attadale, Perth, with his dad, Glenn Mitchell, who was

guest speaker. Glenn was a top rated sports commentator

with the ABC until his retirement. Where did James get that

t-shirt? Glenn is an avid wild life photographer and had just

returned from the Kruger Park, South Africa.

Glyn Williams

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On a cold, wet windy

morning The Combined

Probus Club of Murray

District were pleased to

warmly welcome nine

members of Mandurah

Island Probus Club, at

our June meeting.

Following a short gen-

eral business meeting

and during refresh-

ments there was time for much interaction between all members.

The guest speakers were two members from the Mandurah Police Force who gave us pertinent

information for our personal safety, also about scams including by computers, phone and writ-

ten. We all agreed this talk was extremely valuable and clearly given. It is worth everyone looking

up www.scamwatch.gov.au.

Thirty-two of us then stayed for a tasty lunch at our meeting venue, the Ravenswood Hotel, with

more fun, fellowship and friendship.

We look forward to a return visit to the Mandurah Island Probus Club later in the year, and other

clubs visiting us at our meetings.

Murray District Combined

Earlier this year the Combined Probus Club of Murray District held the AGM and took time out to

celebrate its 15th birthday.

The group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the well known, picturesque and histori-

cal venue of the Ravenswood Hotel.

Platters of savoury nib-

bles were served and a

birthday cake which

was cut by the outgoing

President Brian Sydney-

Smith and Foundation /

life member Elizabeth

Ford.

Other Foundation

Members Janice Rinaldi,

Betty Delaporte,

Roger Boyd, Gaye and

Roger Lloyd, Shirley Boyd, George Ford and Maureen Hayward.

Christine Norman

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Ian Ross (deceased ) – he will be sadly missed

Thirty-five members and friends of the Probus Club of Booragoon enjoyed a fantastic 4 day get-

away to Denmark on WA’s beautiful south coast. The group travelled by luxury coach and had a

leisurely journey via Nannup where we had a light lunch at the Templemore Tearooms, then vis-

ited the Golden Grape Gallery near Pemberton and arrived in Denmark to settle in to our Motel

in time for dinner. Dinner each night was at the Southern End Restaurant high on the side of Mt

Shadforth and although it was too dark to see the spectacular views we did enjoy the sumptuous

meals and fine local wines.

The next day we travelled to Walpole to take the WOW cruise on the Nornalup Inlet. Skipper

Gary Muir held us spellbound with his stories about the ecology, wild life, history and intrigues of

the Walpole area. It was a performance worthy of the Royal Academy and certainly one of the

highlights of the getaway. Lunch at Thurlby Herb Farm was also memorable and of gourmet stan-

dard. We then travelled back to Denmark stopping at the Elephant Rock Cidery and Toffee Fac-

tory where we further indulged our tastebuds before driving to the coast to view the aptly

named Elephant Rocks near

Green’s Pool.

Day 3 commenced with a

drive to the Mt Shadforth

Lookout with its panoramic

views over the Wilson Inlet

before returning to the Pent-

land Alpaca Farm to feed the

animals and enjoy a Devon-

shire Tea. It was then on to

The Lake House Winery and

Vinofood Gourmet Store

where we enjoyed their im-

pressive offering of wines,

sauces and relishes prior to a delicious tapis

style lunch at the Boston Brewery and

Willoughby Park Winery. Feeling very replete we spent a leisurely afternoon exploring the town

of Denmark partaking of a little retail therapy.

Booragoon Mens

Members of Booragoon Probus at Mt Shadforth

On Friday 18th July, 21 members from Melville Ladies Probus went to the Araluen Golf Club for a

delightful lunch around an open log

fire, at the same time taking in the

magnificent views across the golf

course to the surrounding hills and

gum trees. We were lucky with the

weather which was a lovely, almost

spring day even though it is still

winter. The photo shows some of

the members gathered on the

patio after the meal.

Melville Ladies

Lorna Green

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Mill Point Ladies

Julie McDowell on the left and Joe Young on

the right with Winston Marsh. Julie and Jo

were awarded Life Membership at our AGM

which celebrated our 26th anniversary last

year. Both Julie and Jo are Foundation Mem-

bers of our Club and have served the Club in

numerous capacities over the years. Julie

was also inducted as Probus Association of

WA State President for one year in

2003. Susan Howe

Threatening skies and the possibility of storms did not deter twenty seven Members, partners

and guests from journeying south to the Yarloop Museum to be treated to a fascinating insight

by the Museum’s tour guide, Dawn

Pitts, into the State’s timber indus-

try from establishment around the

turn of the century until the early

70s. Highlights of the tour included

an inspection of a vast array of

machinery and equipment used in

the early days when broadaxes and

crosscut saws were the norm for

this labour intensive industry. A

home-cooked roast dinner before

boarding the bus to return to the

city made for a most enjoyable day’s outing.

Melville Combined

Fairley Watson

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What would bring representatives from 18 Probus Clubs located in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Aus-

tralia together for a gathering in Goulburn, NSW? Goulburn is situated 200km from Sydney (about Perth to Bunbury)

and 84 km from Canberra (about Perth to Dawesville Cut Bridge) and was the first inland city in Australia. Pastoralists

like Hamilton Hume established a rich woollen industry in the area from the 1820s and the wealth flowed into the

building of substantial homes on their properties. Gold had been found nearby at Bathurst from 1823-1848, but the

news was supressed by the authorities fearing workers would desert their jobs. Because the Californian Gold Rush in

1848 caused a mass exodus of men from Australia, the authorities relented in 1851 when

William Hargraves found gold and the Australian gold rush commenced. As a result of the

wool and gold wealth, many 19 century commercial buildings and houses were erected in

Goulburn and many stone or brick ones still exist today.

Goulburn is close to many scenic locations including the Southern Highlands (home of Donald Bradman Museum),

the Blue Mountains, Canberra and Sydney.

On Sydney Road leading into Goulburn from the new Hume Highway bypass is situated

the Goulburn Heritage Motel. Fronted by beautiful gardens, this four star motel is

owned by Gail, an astute business woman. Hailing from Scotland, the Macquarie based

luxury coach owner/driver Henrik provides informative and humorous commentaries.

Specialist commentators from Information Centres are used for town tours or sites like

Parliament House in Canberra.

To promote her business, Gail invited representatives from the 18 Probus Clubs. Of the total, 9 of them came from

WA. Each representative could invite another person, and there were 35 people present, with one representative

coming by himself. Called a Familiarisation Tour, everything was complimentary, including air fares, accommodation,

entry charges, all meals and a free pre dinner drink each evening. As is normal when Probarians meet, the members

quickly got to know each other and there were informal discussions about each other’s clubs.

The specialty of the Goulburn Heritage Motel is to mutually plan individual itineraries to cater for the specific inter-

est of each group. Whilst they can present a set packaged tour, they prefer to involve the group in the planning.

Their aim in the limited time of our visit was to assist us to know what was available nearby in a wide range of loca-

tions, scenery, landmarks and buildings.

As a result, the itinerary was jammed packed, but very informative. Normal tours are con-

ducted at a more leisurely pace as determined by the group. The first day for the West

Australians was to fly to Sydney and travel from the airport to the motel. Day 2 was a tour of

Goulburn, including the Big Merino, nearby Crookwell with a visit to the Linder Sock Factory,

the Alpaca Product Australia farm and Kingsdale Winery. At the winery, the reason was given

for each process of making wine and in the writer’s opinion it was the best explanation he

had heard. Day 3 was to Canberra where a visit was made to the National Portrait Gallery and

conducted tours of Parliament House, the Royal Australian Mint and finally the Australian

War Memorial. There we witnessed the moving Last Post Ceremony at the conclusion of the

museum’s day. Day 4 was to Sydney including a trip on the ferry to Manley. Despite very

strong winds, the crossing was calm as it was a tail wind. Participants living closer did this tour on Day 1. Day 5 was

the return to Sydney airport via Mittagong and Bowral. Each time we travelled, where possible, alternative routes

were taken to show us the variety of the countryside.

The evening meals were innovative and varied with a choice of three dishes in each of the three courses. Lunches

were individually packed salads with meat to have with buns. Cake and tea/coffee followed. The group was con-

stantly reminded that the service and meals provided to us was the same as a group receives.

The general thrust expressed by the Western Australian representatives was that many clubs are having difficulty

getting the minimum numbers for a tour, in this case 30. Some representatives suggested that clubs pooled together

for a combined tour. Outings Officer Keith from Murdoch Combined and the writer held consultations with the Tour

Organisers to ascertain what could be done. Fortunately, the tours commence in Perth and air-fares are included.

Barry Prosser V. Pres. and Bulletin Editor and Norma Prosser, Probus Club of Fremantle WA (Inc).

Goulburn Familiarisation Tour

Gold Diggings Courtesy NSW Govt.

11

Twenty-three Probians from the metropolitan area and two Probians from the

Manjimup club travelled to the southwest for a tour with Villa Carlotta.

The tour commenced with a visit to Edenvale homestead in Pinjarra for morning tea and a look

around. We were taken to the Ravenswood Hotel for a delicious lunch with Christine from the

Murray Districts club. All enjoyed the surroundings on the river. On our way to Bunbury we vis-

ited John Ablett’s wood gallery in Treendale where John entertained us on his Gallipoli display.

We finished day 1 at the Lighthouse Hotel in Bunbury, where we enjoyed breathtaking views of

the town and ocean.

Day 2 took us to the Harvey Probus Club where we attended their meeting and enjoyed the tal-

ented bush poet, who kept us all amused with his clever rhyming stories, particularly the tale on

the rooster. The Harvey club served us morning tea and a wide selection of soups with lunch and

this was appreciated by us all. We thank them for the fun, friendship and fellowship and for mak-

ing us so welcome. We called in to the Cheddar Cheese Company on our way to Abbey Beach

Resort, where we spent two wonderful nights.

We attended the Old Time Music Hall at the Resort and had a hilarious evening with much merri-

ment. We were taken by the talented group presenting the show and felt privileged to have

been at the performance.

Day 3 saw us visit the Adinfern winery where we sampled the wines, and learnt the history of the

winery and of the wine region. We met the Margaret River Probus club for Christmas in July at

the Margaret River Hotel and again we made many new friends, and some of us met up with old

friends. We made our way back to Abbey Beach via an olive oil outlet and Silk Road – both very

interesting.

Day 4 saw us return to Perth after visiting the Dardanup Heritage Park – what a fantastic place to

visit. Mrs Brooks and her team showed us all over the property – the RSL display, model trains,

old mill houses, and machinery of all kinds. We could spend many happy hours there and still

not see everything on display. Lunch was provided there and after again feeling like “Michelin

Men”, we sadly made our way back home.

Thank you to Villa –

especially Darryl and

Nola, for a wonderful

trip.

Trish Floyd

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Edited by Enid Holt

Please send contributions to Enid by e-mail

enidholt1@bigpond.com

Deadline for next issue 8th November 2014

Photographs to be in high definition attached

to emails or any hard copy mailed to Enid Holt

at MIPC, PO Box 256, Mandurah 6210.

Bunbury Ladies

Private and confidential for Probus use only and not to be used for any other purpose.

Bunbury Boat Cruise on “The Lady Sammy”

On Saturday 3 May, 17 members and 6 visitors enjoyed cruising around the sheltered waters of

Koombana Bay, Leschenault Inlet and mouth of the Collie River.

Our skipper Mike and hostess Sue welcomed us aboard their comfortable boat and gave us a

splendid 2 hour fun afternoon.

Dolphin watching was the highlight and we

were able to see them close-up perform-

ing all sorts of tricks while viewing from

the outside deck. Sightings of them were

plentiful all around the bays while we

were cruising along, and they created

many photo opportunities.

Memories to last a life time! Thanks for

supporting this outing ladies.

Joan, Outings Officer

Most of the happy travellers

Three of the dolphins up close and personal

Happy 30th

Birthday to PAWA

To all Members

attending—enjoy the

celebration on the

11 September.