Community
9 May, 2024
Milestone celebration
THE Terang and District Probus Club celebrated it’s 20-year milestone this week, with past and present members joining together to celebrate the strong social bonds built among members.
Formed in 2004 under inaugural president Alan Gilchrist, the Terang and District Probus Club has endured and enjoyed the changes of the world under the simple creed of connecting the community through social unity.
Whether enjoying tea and coffee at the monthly meetings or partaking in the group’s regularly scheduled outings, the Terang and District Probus Club has provided a place for all in the community to connect and build friendships.
The milestone was celebrated during the Probus Club meeting on Monday, which saw former and current members join together over morning at the Rose Room in the Terang Civic Hall.
Terang and District Probus Club president Anne Gready said there had been a “fantastic” turnout with more than 60 people in attendance.
“We have even had people travelling from as far as Newcastle in New South Wales to be here,” she said.
“We really appreciate the number of former members who have joined us for this celebration; to have so many people here shows the impact the club has had.
“We’ve had a craft club, choir, garden group and many more groups formed in Terang which started up within the Probus club.”
Founding member Wayne Reicha shared his recollection of the club’s inception, and the surprise with which the community rallied behind the it.
“We discussed how we could get people to connect with each other – particularly the aging population we had,” he said.
“We did that over a course of two or three months and ended up organising a meeting - to our big surprise, nearly 150 people turned up.
“With the club being so big, the biggest in Australia, we had to somehow squeeze in about 120 people to the first meeting and put a waiting list on top of that.”
Mr Reicha said it was an exciting time to see how quickly the aims of the club was met, and his pride to see it still going strong today.
“Everyone came in connecting with each other, getting people out of their homes and catching up with people they hadn’t seen for months or maybe even years,” he said.
“It was wonderful to see people connected again, so it was a great thing for the town.
“I congratulate you all, and I hope this club will continue on.”
Among those in attendance was former joint-presidents Helen and Gordon Watkins, who made the trip back to Terang from their new home in New South Wales to share the milestone with friends and family.
Mrs Watkins said the couple have moved from Melbourne to retire in Terang in around 2010, and found the Terang and District Probus Club to be a great way of making new friends.
“We left in about 2019 because our daughter lives up there and we wanted to be close to our only grandchild,” she said.
“But we had made so many connections.
“Bev Fleming and I discovered we’re from the same family tree, our ancestors were first fleeters, so we did a trip to Norfolk Island.”
Mr Watkins said he would not have missed such an important milestone for the club which made their new community so quickly feel like home.
“We have such find memories of our 10 years in Terang,” he said.
“In our apartment in Newcastle we’ve got so many different photos, plaques and certificates of all our memories in Terang.
“I still have a couple of annual golf trips with Terang people too”
Mrs Gready said Terang and District Probus Club was always happy to welcome new members with open arms.
“We encourage others to come along and join Probus,” she said.
“We like to mix and communicate, and I love it because I’m meeting so many new people in the club.
“I’m sure anyone else who may not have been living here very long would love it too.
“It is such a tremendous way to meet people and to make friends.”
Mrs Gready said she believed the future for the club would be bright, citing an upcoming meeting to explore a potential collaboration with other Probus Clubs.
“We try and do something each month to keep things moving along, and we’re also starting to work with others clubs in the hopes of getting some bigger trips going,” she said.
“We’re all in the same position, so if we combine we may be able to get some more options available and more people attending.”
