Probus Club of Goderich Plans for the Year Ahead

A snap from the cookie exchange in December. (L-R): Penny Norkett, Bruce Totten, Janet Laws, Barbara Desjardins, Lynda Rotteau, Linda Lindfield and Keith Landell.

Probus Goderich is a not-for-profit, non-political, social club that is part of a worldwide network of Probus clubs, founded by Rotary.

Its membership is retired or semi-retired individuals gathering monthly to hear inspiring speakers or join in interesting activities.

It is an inclusive group with a focus on fun, making new friends, learning, staying active and maintaining important social connections as people age.

Each month the club listens to a guest speaker, followed by a short business meeting.

The Probus Club of Goderich has been quite active over the season since resuming in September.

During a recent meeting the club members discussed the stories that interested its members and upcoming events in town.

Since September, at the club’s meetings members heard from a former Argonaut football player who regaled us with tales of professional sports and some of us got to try on his Grey Cup ring.

The club also heard the story of the Farmerettes, who played quite a part in keeping the farms going here in Ontario when our young men were away fighting in the war. It was fascinating to learn that young ladies could work that hard in the fields.

Starting up a company is not an easy task, but Probus Club members have come to learn that Coastal Coffee is filling a niche in our community.

The Celtic Festival is a cornerstone of the summer activities here in Goderich and we were grateful to have heard about how it all started and the legacy of the beloved music festival in this town.

There are many more stories just waiting to be told and we have some interesting speakers coming over the winter and into the spring.

The Probus Club has more than guest speakers.

We have been part of events such as touring the interactive murals, mostly in Clinton. This led us to discover the Van Egmond House in Seaforth and Everspring Farms Ltd.

The tour through the farm was so informative, especially with such an emphasis on healthy eating now.

In December we decided to bring back something from the past – a cookie exchange. It was a huge success as we all want a variety of cookies and squares but how many can one or two people eat?

We gathered to have a lovely Christmas luncheon at the Legion for our Christmas party.

Probus is a social club, and we are a non-profit organization which does zero fundraising.

The Probus Club of Goderich meets once a month on the first Tuesday of the month at Knox Presbyterian Church at 10 a.m.

Most meetings follow the schedule of listening to our guest speaker for the month, followed by a business meeting. For those wishing to go, we carry on to a local restaurant for lunch.

If you think this is a club you would be interested in, please come out to a meeting.