Newsletter August 2016

A little bit of history.

Kelvin Probus held its first meeting in May 1989, and held its first meeting in Esquire House, before moving to Hughenden, where it continued to meet until 2008. The venue for the Club meetings changed in September 2008 to the Memorial Hall of Jordanhill Parish Church, where the Club meetings have taken place since. The Club’s link with Hughenden is not completely broken however, since Hughenden remains the venue for the Club’s annual Christmas lunch, which this year will be held on Tuesday 13 December. Rev. Stuart McQuarrie, the Chaplain at Glasgow University, will be the guest speaker.

Subscriptions

The subscription for 2016 – 2017 is £25. Payment is now due, and can be made by post to the Honorary Treasurer (contact details are on the enclosed syllabus). Alternatively, subscriptions can be paid at the first meeting, on Tuesday 13 September. Payment should be made by cheque, please, made payable to “Kelvin Probus Club”.

Applications for membership and Club Constitution

Application forms for membership and a copy of the current Club constitution can be obtained on request from the Club Secretary, Stewart Roy, to whom completed forms should be returned. Applications for membership are welcomed, and must be proposed and seconded by Club members.

Membership.

Membership is open to professional and business men who are resident, or had business activities, within an area bounded by the River Clyde to the south, by the River Kelvin to the east, and within the Glasgow boundary, and who are aged 60 or over. The Club has an Ordinary Membership of 100; currently the membership stands at 92, and the Club is actively seeking new members. Applicants should be fully, or partially, retired from their regular profession or business. The contact details for the Secretary are – Stewart Roy, 91 Munro Road, telephone 0141 954 9329, or email at s_roy@sky.com  While membership of Kelvin Probus Club is not open to women, Club members welcome women guests to Club meetings.

Associate Membership.

The Club also has a category of Associate Membership, which is available to members who are no longer able to attend the Tuesday morning meetings on a regular basis. An Associate Member does not pay the annual subscription, but continues to receive the annual syllabus as well as the formal notice of the Club AGM, and details of visits and social events. If an Associate Member’s circumstances change, he can apply to transfer back to full membership, and would then be allocated the first available vacancy. Please inform the Secretary, preferably in writing, if you wish to transfer to Associate Membership.

Membership details and data protection.

Kelvin Probus holds the following information for each of its members:- name; address; email address where applicable; telephone number; date of birth; employment prior to retirement; and other interests.  This information is used in a number of different ways, as follows

  • to retain data on individual members;
  • to communicate with members;
  • to enable the Club to notify members of activities;
  • for administrative and accounting purposes;
  • to help the Club to provide pastoral care.

Website.

A Club website is being launched this summer. If you have Internet access, go to www.kelvinprobus.org  The website aims to keep members informed about Club news generally, including speakers and their topics, as well as Club visits, outings and activities. The website is also intended to provide information about Kelvin Probus to a wider readership, including potential new members.

Ties, Lapel Badges, Membership lists.

Club ties and lapel badges are available from the Club Secretary. The Committee does ask that members wear their clip-on name tags at all meetings, since this assists both the club member who keeps the register, and the general sociability among members. If you need a replacement name tag, please contact the Secretary, who can also supply Club ties, which are available in both plain and striped versions. Ties cost £10.00, and lapel badges £3.00.

Welfare Officer.

The immediate Past President (this year John Walls) is the Club’s Welfare Officer. The Welfare Officer has the task of keeping track of members who are unwell, and keeping in touch with them on behalf of the Club. Members are accordingly encouraged to inform the Welfare Officer of any member who is unwell or has been absent from meetings for a longer period than usual. Enquiries can then be made to ascertain the reason. The Welfare Officer, on behalf of the Club, also sends a birthday card to members as they reach significant milestones; i.e. when they attain the age of 65, 70, 75, and 80. All birthdays beyond 80 are considered significant and birthday cards are accordingly sent each year from 80.

Social contact.

Members can enjoy socialising with fellow members and guests over a cup of tea or coffee, plus scones and biscuits, before the talks, and soup and sandwiches are available afterwards.  A modest charge is made for the catering which is provided by Walter Douglas and Flo.

Charity bottle.

Members are encouraged to unburden themselves of loose change and to fill the very large whisky bottle at the end of the entrance table. When the bottle is almost full, a competition is held to “Guess the Amount” (50p per guess), with half of the sum staked going to the winner, and half being added to the amount in the bottle. When the bottle is full, the contents are donated to a charity of the President’s choice.

Visits, outings and social events.

Various visits and social events are organised in the course of the session. These include an annual Christmas lunch and theatre visits. Recent outings have included visits to the Mitchell Library, BAe Systems, New Lanark to see the Great Tapestry of Scotland, and a guided tour of Glasgow Necropolis. Previous visits have ranged from the Titan Crane in Clydebank to Dumfries House, and the Police Training College in Tulliallan. Suggestions for future visits are always welcome, and should be passed to the Social Convener, Archie Henderson, or to any member of the Club Committee.

Best foot forward….

On alternate Tuesdays between Club meetings, the Club’s Walking Group gets together for something less than a forced march but more than a gentle stroll under the ever enthusiastic and indefatigable eye of Bob Crawford. By some strange miracle of forward planning these walks invariably end in the vicinity of a coffee-bar or similar watering hole. Bob gives details of each walk at Club meetings one week in advance.

Probus Magazine.

The Club subscribes to “Probus Magazine”, which is published four times a year. The magazine reports on the activities of Probus clubs across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and contains a wide range of Probus-related interests.  Copies may be picked up on a “first come, first served” basis. There is also a national Probus website, at www.probus.org.uk

Newsletter August 2016