Probus celebrates 25 years of fellowship, friendship and fun

Mavis King and Juliet Walshe have enjoyed not only the fellowship, but also the chance to learn from different guest speakers over the years. Photo / Leanne Warr

Mavis King and Juliet Walshe like the fact that even after 25 years they still have somewhere to go where they can meet up with friends.

Both women have been part of the Dannevirke Probus Club since the beginning.

"Jim Scott asked us to join," said King.

"He was the first president," Walshe said.

Back in October 1996, the local Rotary called a meeting to discuss forming a Probus club in Dannevirke.

That meeting was held at the Services and Citizens Club which was the venue for the club's 25th anniversary luncheon last week.

In talking about the history of the club, Jim Worboys said there was a unanimous opinion among members that Probus, an acronym for professional and business, was all about friendship, fellowship and having a good time.

The club started with 26 members and grew to around 270 at one time.

It now has around 200, making it one of the largest clubs in New Zealand.

Both King and Walshe say they joined for more than friendship.

"When you retire, it's good to be able to extend your mind," King said. "I like the fact that you have good speakers."

Walshe said: "I think the biggest plus is we've been able to get speakers from a distance."

She said smaller clubs probably wouldn't have got the same calibre of speakers.

They have certainly learnt a lot through the variety of guest speakers there have been over the years, such as former meteorologist Augie Auer and broadcaster Ian Johnstone.

"We've had all sorts of people you wouldn't get to talk to normally," King said.

Another aspect of the club had been the interest groups such as embroidery, gardening, cards, mah-jong and genealogy.

"It's been wonderful to have all of that interest," Walshe said.

"People that come to Dannevirke are happy to join," she said.

"It's a great way for people to meet," King added.

Margaret Drake presents the certificate to President Jinny Kean. Photo / Leanne Warr

Guest speaker Margaret Drake, who was a former director of Probus South Pacific, said a successful club had two components – good leadership and lots of activities.

She said a lot had changed in the clubs due to technology, where people no longer wrote letters or had long conversations with members over the phone.

She presented the certificate for 25 years to current Dannevirke president Jinny Kean.