PROBUS CLUB OF SOUTH LONDON

President's Message: May, 2023

I hope everyone is enjoying these wonderful spring days. The garden needs lots of attention, the peonies are almost ready to bloom. Seems like we are moving quickly into our always too short summer season.

Thank you to our member Hilda Smeltzer for her moving and informative presentation on her memories on WWII in the Netherlands. Living in Canada, it is possible to take democracy and our personal freedoms for granted. I’m grateful for the reminder of the sacrifices of many in the past and today.

As we move towards the summer break I want to remind you to contact our club’s Goodwill convenor, Connie Maab, if you know of a club member who would appreciate a cheerful note from the club over the spring and summer.

The membership year for the club comes to an end over the summer. You can expect to receive a membership renewal reminder around the beginning of August. Your membership renewal of $45 per member is due by September 1, 2023. You may pay by e-transfer to Probus Club of South London at the following email address: slptreasure@gmail.com  . Please include the name(s) of renewing members in the Message (Optional) area. You may also pay by cheque.

Your Nominating Committee is still recruiting an Events Coordinator. We have an experienced group of members ready to help a new person take on this role. Think of all the great events over the past year. These events are possible because a group of members plan them. Please consider if you might enjoy this role. We need a member to step forward so these special activities can happen next year.

Birthdays:

July: Liz, Barbara M., Nancy H., Sandy, Sheila L., Julie, Lynda S., Tom, Nancy F., Karen, Doris M., John, Sue W., Judith, Ralph

August: Mike H., Linda V., Grant, Mike S., Cheryl, Marg D., Sheila J., Dinie, Diane W.

Social Events

Sign-up for our Social Events online:  

Click on one of the event links below, then hit the register button to sign up for that event and bring your cheque to the meeting! If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Nancy.

Our trip to Walters will take place June 13. Attendees will car pool and meet at the Charles Dickens Pub in Woodstock at 11:45. Following lunch we will travel to the theatre. Directions and info re the car pools has been emailed out.

Our Spring Lunch will take place at the Highland Golf Club on June 22. Cash bar at 11:30 followed by lunch and entertainment. There is a choice of entrees and the cost is $42. Money must be received no later than June 12. Cheques only please. For more information please contact Nancy Fazackerley

We are still in need of someone to lead the Event team in the coming year. If you have good organizational skills and some literacy with the computer you can do this job. There is a very good team who will work with the leader to select and organize venues for the coming year. Please step forward to keep these events and activities happening.

The North London Club is planning the following:

Rum Runner Tour to Windsor September 11 - includes the bus,  a tour of some famous rum running spots and lunch at the Speakeasy Restaurant . Cost is $140. 

Trip to Toronto to see Hamilton - August 9. Bus is $50 and you purchase your own ticket for the show

On  July  27 there is a cruise on the Duc d'Orleans out of Sarnia plus a tour of the Bones Museum

Trip to Toronto to see three musicals on Oct 11. Bus cost is $50 and purchase your own ticket for the show

If interested contact Ed Blackmore at eblackmore@rogers.com, 519 672 3451

Dine Out:

Dine out for June will be on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. at the Hillside Restaurant, 26 Kilworth Park Drive, Komoka, 519-641-6733. Please contact Susan Kubik by June 2nd by email: joesusan@sympatico.ca.

See the event on our calendar. 

Coffee Mornings:

Men's Coffee:

2nd and 4th Monday of the month at 10:00 a.m. except 4th Monday in December.  We meet in Westmount Mall across from Tim Horton's.

Women's Coffee:

2nd and 4th Monday of the month at 10:00 a.m., except 4th Monday in December.  See the photos from our  coffee meet ups, in the photo section at the end of the newsletter! Convenor: Shirley .   We meet in Westmount Mall across from Tim Horton's.

Women's  Coffee: Click here to see more coffee photos.

Men's Coffee: Click here to see more coffee photos.

Investment Club:

Contact Don.  Meetings held at Riverbend, 2nd Wednesday of the month.

Euchre: 

4th Thursday of the month (except December) at 1 pm in a member’s home. 8 players maximum plus spares. Usually over in about 3 hours.  If interested in being a spare, call Convenor: Gail.

Support:

If you know someone who is feeling under the weather or needs cheering up,  please contact Connnie.

Book Club:

The book club met on May 30th to discuss Lessons in Chemistry  by Bonnie Garmus, we loved the book and had a great discussion!

Book Club meets the 4th Tuesday of the month at 2:00 p.m. except December, July & August in a member’s home. Our book club membership is now at capacity. If interested in joining, please call Susan or Liz,  to be added to the waiting list. If the waiting list grows to 4-5 members, we will help prospective members form a second book club. 

Who Am I? Speaker Hilda Smelzer -

20,000 tulips are sent to Canada from The Netherlands every year. They are the gift of a grateful nation; however, they are also a reminder of a very dark period in history. The Netherlands was invaded by the Germans in May, 1940 and occupied the country for five years. Each successive year became more dire under German occupation culminating in the Hunger Winter of 1944-45 when thousands died of starvation mostly in the northern and western regions. There was no food and no fuel.

Hilda Smeltzer shared her family's experiences during that very difficult time. Hilda was born in Friesland and immigrated to Canada with her family in 1947.

Slice of Life Speakers-

in  May were John and Susan Wolnik

John and Susan Wolnik where our “Slice of Life” presenters.John built Susan a 34 LEVER harp. The Lever harp has levers, which are adjusted manually by hand rather than with the feet as in a petal harp.  The harp is basically triangular in shape and there are 3 main parts to the harp.  The neck which anchors one end of the strings, the soundboard which holds he other end of the strings, and the pillar or column which holds the strings apart. The soundboard picks up the vibrations from the strings and amplifies and radiates the sounds.

In order to tune the harp, the strings have to be tensioned and the collective tension on all the strings is about 12-1500 lbs.  The weight of the harp is about 40 pounds.  Wood moves with both the temperature and the humidity in the air, so the harp must be tuned on a regular basis.

The majority of the harp is made from cherry wood, one of John’s favorite woods to work with because it is grown locally; it is a closed pore wood and finishes nicely; it is also photosensitive and darkens over time.

Following John’s presentation, Susan played the harp for us, and for those of you who missed this, you missed a wonderful treat!!

District Management Meeting:  Your "Team" hard at work!!

Seeking Participants for a Research Study - Western University 

The Exercise, Mobility, and Brain Health Lab at Western University invites you to participate in a research study about exercise and the brain! We are seeking older adults aged 60-80 who do not currently exercise regularly but are interested in doing so. Participants receive exercise classes for 6 months.  

If you are interested in participating, please contact Olivia by phone: 

  (647) 460 6516 or e-mail: oghoshsw@uwo.ca. Thank you! 

  Western postal code: N6A 3K7  

As the convenors of an event or group please  submit pictures to me to include in the newsletter,  as well as a brief description of what has been discussed ie. book club - the book and author and how it was received; dine out - where it was, how many attended and brief description of the food; investment club - some snip of interest etc.

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter to ensure our newsletter is more interesting to our members.