Newsletter No. 48  - November 2020
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON ZOOM AT 10.30AM NEXT WEDNESDAY 25th NOVEMBER

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President's Report

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President's Report for November
   
Once again it was a relatively quiet month. The usual outdoor type activities continued, and I would like to thank those activity leaders who have kept arranging outings whenever possible. I personally enjoyed the heritage tour of Parramatta arranged by Helen Games. Parramatta is rapidly developing into a new metropolis, sometimes at the cost of our heritage. It was particularly rewarding to hear our guide mention the fantastic work that Brian Powyer did in saving the Roxy Theatre from the wrecking ball.

We are all looking forward to the Christmas party. We have had 83 people tell us that they plan to attend, and already more than half have paid their money. Remember that we would like all monies to be deposited into the activities account by the 1st of December. This will be a great opportunity to catch up with many of your Probus friends. We will be subject to some restrictions on mingling, so please remain aware of the social distancing requirements.

At this point, the Redgum room at Cherrybrook Community Centre is still restricted to 34 people. However, we have confirmed our bookings for 2021 to ensure that when the restrictions are lifted we can slide smoothly back into our normal monthly meetings.

In the meantime, I will see you on Zoom.

Bob Carritt           


Secretarial

Correspondence In

None.

Correspondence Out

None
Bev Dona

Details of the Probus Member Benefit Scheme are at: www.probussouthpacific.org/pages/members_offers_member_benefits_scheme
(click on link)

Treasurer

TREASURER’S REPORT                                               For the Month of October 2020

 
GENERAL ACCOUNT
Opening cash balance 1st October 2020             $3674.44  
Interest                                                                   0.15
Deposits                                                                    -
Expenses                                                              (19.00)  Hornsby Council for hire hall cupboard
Closing cash balance 31st October 2020       $3655.59
 
 
ACTIVITIES ACCOUNT
Opening cash balance 1st October 2020             $21630.13  
Interest                                                                    2.20
Deposits                                                                400.00   Bright
                                                                           (192.00)  Refunds non-attendance Windsor walk
Payments                                                             (330.00)  Windsor walk guide
Closing cash balance 31st October 2020      $21510.13
 
A further deposit was received for the Bright trip.  The Windsor walk activity has been completed.  Refunds have been made to all those who could not attend.
 
Two activities remain open at the end of the month after Batemans Bay was cancelled:
 
Activity                                              Balance               
Bright                                                 20200.00
Frozen                                                    702.00
                                                       $20902.00
Add:
Interest received                                       18.35
Activities surplus                                     589.98
Bank balance                                  $21510.33
 
TERM DEPOSIT
$5,000 is invested in a Term Deposit with Bendigo Bank at an interest rate of 1.0%.  To date interest is estimated to be $15.98.
 
INTEREST
For the year to date, we have received $19.51 in interest in total from the general and activities accounts. 
 
SURPLUS
The activities surplus stands at $589.98.
 
 
Ian Roberts
Treasurer
7th November 2020

Membership

Just a reminder of our Club policies for attendance at meetings and activities.
  • Members are expected to attend a minimum of 10 functions (meetings and/or activities) per Probus year (April to March).
  • Visitors may only attend a maximum of 3 functions (meetings and/or activities) per Probus year. 

Our membership is currently full, at the agreed maximum of 110.

Jeff Swan – Membership Officer

Welfare

Welfare Report November 2020
 
Having been in contact with some members it is great to report that most people are fairing quite well and are either recuperating or getting better. Luckily the majority of us are doing really well, starting to see a little more of each other, getting out and walking/exercising in this lovely weather.

We had a photography outing into the city last week during the evening. We not only had fun photographing some great areas around the rocks and harbour but it was also nice to see people eating out and socialising in the city.

I know a number of other activities have been busy, gardening, golf and day trips, so we are still making the effort to keep in contact with each other and enjoying each others company.

I am looking forward to seeing a lot of you at our Christmas lunch get together on the 16th December. The noise from our chatter will probably be deafening with all the catching up before a great Christmas to be shared with all our families and friends!

I also wanted to say a big thank you to Terry Ridge for keeping in contact with so many members and also to the people who have contacted me to let me about members who have not been well so we could give them a call and keep in contact with them.

Cathy

Cathy Turner & Terry Ridge – Welfare Officers

September Meeting Speaker - Greg De Moore - “Finding Sanity"

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Greg de Moore
Greg de Moore is a consultant psychiatrist at Sydney's Westmead Hospital. Born in Melbourne of parents who migrated to Australia from Sri Lanka, Greg has lived in Sydney for over 30 years.

Finding Sanity
Associate Professor Greg de Moore is an author, psychiatrist and historian. His latest book is Finding Sanity.

From the jungles of a WW2 prison camp to modern medicine, Finding Sanity is the story of Australia's greatest mental health achievement: the discovery of lithium for the treatment of bipolar disorder.

 Photos From October Meeting

Birthday  Celebrations

Happy Birthday
 To all our members
Celebrating a birthday in October
 

Bruce Bartle
DonnaFraser
Greg Holmes
JoanHughes
IreneJohnston
JoanJohnstone
LorettaPolley
RashnaSahukar




PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON ZOOM AT

10.30AM NEXT WEDNESDAY 25th November.

Zoom login details, including Meeting ID & Password have been emailed by Rob Clarke to all members.

If you want help in installing Zoom please let Andrew Little or Rob Clarke know.
Make sure you turn on your video. We ask you not to turn on your audio (ie MUTE AUDIO) as having to many people on audio makes it impossible for anyone to hear anything.

Bright trip - 20 to 28 April 2021

We have 49 confirmed travellers and we may be able to take two more people due to venue capacities. If you would like to be placed on the waiting list please email Rob Clarke.
 
If you have any questions on this trip please do not hesitate to call me or contact me by email.
 
A detailed email will be sent to all travellers shortly to fully update you on the proposed plans.

Rob Clarke

Hand Made – Fully Washable - Triple layer Face Masks

We now have masks in cute Christmas designs available for sale $10.00 each.
 
To our members we are currently selling the non-Christmas stock at a reduced price of $5.00.

As many of you know, Wendy Carritt and Anne Sharpe have been making masks for the Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills & Cherrybrook to sell, with all proceeds going to support their charity projects.  They are all machine washable, three layered (includes a filter layer) in a variety of colours, plain & patterns to suit everyone.

If you wish to purchase any please contact me.

Beverley Davison

Activities & Leaders

As a result of the sign-up sheets at the Foundation Meeting and expressions of interest on application forms we have set up numerous activities and interest groups.

Newsletter Copy Deadline


There will be no newsletter published in December.

A combined December/January newsletter will be published in January 2021.

Please provide your contributions for the combined Newsletter by Friday 15th January.

Please email to Enio Dona or Bev Davison for activities or direct to Andrew Little for other articles.

Alternatively place directly into Dropbox under WPHD Probus Activities / Activity Newsletter Contributions / Contributions – 2021 01

​
Click on activity to go straight there!
Activity Group    Leaders
Book Challenge Sue Calabrese
Book Club Bev Davison
Bridge Rob Clarke
Cards David Turner, Barbara Taylor 
Cycling Bruce Bartle
Day Trips (Bus/Train/Ferry) Helen Games
Dining Out Wendy Carritt
Domestic Travel Max Henderson
Gardening Sue Small, Lorenza Powyer
Golf Terry Ridge
Investment Group David Antonjuk
Mens Club Rene Beutler
Mixed Social Group Kim Nicholls
Movies Sue Small and Lorenza Powyer
Overseas Travel Looking For Leader
Photography Rob Clarke
Ten Pin Bowling Douglas Matthews
Tennis Bob Davison
Theatre and Musicals Bruce Bartle
Walking Group Bob Carritt & Enio Dona
Wine & Cheese Julie Shenstone, Susan Antonjuk
 
For an activity group to start, a member needs to step forward to lead the group
                              
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📚 Here Comes the Sun Challenge📚

This Challenge will run from September to February next year.
Just search Facebook for WPH&D Book Challenge to join us.
Many of this month’s books were read on the recommendations of other members of the group, and they didn’t fail to entertain.
 
A bit of a lean month – too many mini holidays by many of us I think:

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton –   

As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark – took a while to get into this book but the last half was a good read. Always a dilemma – to continue the read or not!

All Dressed in White - another by Mary Higgins Clark - A much better read. Interesting and unpredictable right from the beginning. A bride disappears on the eve of her wedding and it is still a mystery 5 years later. Families can be complicated.

Charles Chaplin – My Autobiography: A bit of a marathon, a lot of ‘name dropping and minute detail of events. Still – an interesting story of a boy from an impoverished childhood who became an icon and multi-millionaire in his own time.
 
Sue Calabrese

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Book Club - November 2020 Report
 
Our next meeting will be on 26th November (via Zoom) and we will discuss Gogo Mama by Sally Sara. The book is a journey of discovery into the lives of twelve African women with very different stories. 
 
Our next book will be The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling.  “Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?” Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising,
 


In the New Year we will get back to meeting in person.  We are all more comfortable getting around now and as we are a small group, meeting in a member’s home hopefully will not be an issue.
 
Happy reading
Bev Davison

Leader - Bev Davison
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Bridge Group










Leaders - Looking For Leader(s)
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Cards Report

A couple of suggestions……

500 Trickster is a great website you can use to play 500.

You can play with friends or you can play against the computer and improve your skills!
Hearts classic card game is another website you can go to. Playing against the computer as a beginner, average player or a Pro all help in honing your card skills.

Beware though, they can be addictive and before you know it an hour or 2 has slipped by!!



Leaders - David Turner & Barbara Taylor
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Cycling Group: November 2020
 
On Wednesday 4 November 2020 a group of 4 cycled from Wilson Park Silverwater into Bi-centennial Park taking in the lake, bird life returning via Rhodes including morning coffee and the usual great company!
 
 Our next ride is scheduled for Wednesday 2 December with details to follow shortly, before taking a well-earned break for Christmas, resuming in Spring 2021.
 
This group has been growing steadily and new riders are always welcome, so come along and enjoy our next ride as always mainly on dedicated cycle paths and of course our mandatory coffee break!!

Leaders - Bruce Bartle & Tony Coote
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Day Trip Friday 13th November - Parramatta Tour Modern Changes/Heritage Features

The date was considered by some to be unlucky and as we drove to Parramatta the stormy sky looked ominous. Nevertheless twenty-two of us arrived at The Parramatta Heritage and Visitors Centre and had a great day. The weather cleared and our guides were enthusiastic and knowledgeable. It was quite a shock to see the changes that had taken place around the city in a short space of time. Everywhere was being dug up or built up with such speed. The high rise buildings of Parramatta Square were impressive and we were interested to see the Story Box showing tales from the area through videos. The story of our own much loved historian Brian Powyer, will be added to the Story Box at the end of November.

The development of Parramatta has not been without controversy and we learnt that Brian had worked tirelessly to try and protect heritage buildings. We stood in front of Willow Grove, a former maternity hospital built in 1891. This building is to be demolished/moved to make way for the new Powerhouse Museum.

We had lunch at the new Club Parramatta, built on the site of the old Parramatta RSL, in Macquarie Street. This was a great venue. The food was excellent and there was a wide choice. Next time we have to remember that we can use our Castle Hill RSL Membership Cards as the club is owned and operated by CHRG (formerly referred to as Castle Hill RSL Group).
Email From Joceline

This is Joceline from the Parramatta Heritage & Visitor Information Centre - your tour guide from last Friday.  It was a pleasure to guide your group through Parramatta and meet you all; including Barry who actually helped me learn a little more about St John's clock and the Douglas family.

Helen, The National Trust gave out awards on Thursday.  I found this award on Brian Powyter and thought to pass it on to you. 


National Trust Australia (NSW)
11 November at 23:00 ·

Today we have celebrated remarkable conservation and advocacy efforts to protect our heritage. One of the greatest advocates for protection and appreciation of our heritage was our former President, the late Brian Powyer. Today he would be proud to see the Roxy Theatre Action Group - Parramatta acknowledged for its tenacious campaigning to save this great heritage gem for #Parramatta.

Read more about their efforts here: https://ab.co/38BXGds and watch the National Trust Heritage Awards online ceremony here👉 https://bit.ly/3ep7DMb #heritageawards2020
Leader - Helen Games
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Dining out has been cancelled until further notice
Leader - Wendy Carritt
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Nothing to report at this stage - still getting over the Batemans Bay trip......

Leader - Max Henderson
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Garden Group
A big group of gardeners met at Honeysuckle Nursery in Turramurra to admire all the very healthy plants.  The nursery predominantly carries a wide variety of older style seedlings, shrubs and trees, which most of us could remember from our parents gardens.
Following our browse around the nursery we drove to Pattison’s Patisserie at St Ives, where we enjoyed a nice lunch and most of us had to force ourselves to take home a few delicacies.
For our December group outing we’ll be going to the Sydney Botanical Gardens to see their new exhibition ‘A World of Colour’ on display to the Calyx, as well as taking a meander around the rest of the gardens. 
Leaders -  Sue Small, Lorenza Powyer
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Golf Report November 2020.
Bunker News
by Editor “Open the Face” and the assistant editor “Do not Ground the Club”.

Hello again from the WPH&D Probus Inc Golf Bunker (easy to get into, but sometimes hard to get out off).
Our members played at Gordon this month. The day was a mixture of light showers in the morning followed by a sunny day and clear skys. The course was in good condition with everyone having great time.

The day on the course was followed up by lunch in the club house.
As I have mentioned in a previous edition of this article (now called the Bunker News)
The usual First Friday of the month play has changed so we must take what is available depending on the course we play at and without causing a conflict with other activities on the events calendar.

For December 2020 play we will be golfing at Muirfield on the 27th November thanks to Max Henderson’s organisation skills.
We have bookings for 8 players 18 holes teeing off at 8:00am and 12 players @10:00am for 9 holes. The plan is for 8:00 am starters to link up with the 10:00am players and continue the game. We will then have lunch at the Chinese Restaurant in the Club House.

Our next game after Muirfield 27/11/20 will be in February 2021.
I will advise the members in late January 2021 as were and when.
I will forward the start sheet for Muirfield 27/11/20 in the days prior to play.

From the sandy hollow (Bunker).
 
Yours in Fun, Fellowship & Friendship
Terry Ridge.
Leader - Terry Ridge
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Investment Group
 
Given the unprecedented (most overused word of the year?) and highly fluid situation with the spread of the coronavirus throughout the community, we have for the foreseeable future, suspended the Investment Group meetings.






Leader - David Antonjuk
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MEN'S CLUB

Men's Club activities will recommence when the weather warms up in a few months time.



Renee

Leader - Rene Beutler
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Please note that the mixed social group meetings have been cancelled until further notice.
 

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Leaders- Kim Nicholls & Sue Cordukes
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Movie Group November
There’s great news for our movie goers, as Events Cinemas has finally started screening morning sessions again.
 
Movie options for our next movie day (ie 1 December) are not yet available.  An email will be sent out to the Movie Group members closer to the day.
 
The email will also include details on morning tea or lunch venue (depending on movie session times).
 
If you’d like to receive details on the Movie Group days, please contact Sue Small.
Leaders – Lorenza Powyer & Sue Small
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Probus Photography Group
The photography group has been highly active and now has 25 members. The photos that we are seeing from everyone in the group are of an extremely high standard and many of the photos are taken with an I-Phone or android.
The photography group is now starting to meet face to face ensuring that we are compliant with the Covid-19 requirements. At our meetings we talk about one aspect of photography, over the next month we will be talking about colour and how this impacts photos.

Photographic Exercise Between Meetings
Between each meeting we have a photographic project that attempts to build the skills in what we have discussed.
Bain organised a city tour photographic exercise that replaced one of our meetings.

The group votes on the best photo at our meetings which becomes the banner for the Facebook site until the next meeting. Some of the images that were taken on the city tour are below and will be discussed at the next meeting.
There are also some images taken from the trip to Batemans Bay.

Facebook Site
Our Facebook site shows members images and there are references to a wide variety of learning videos and articles that can be looked back on for reference.
The Facebook site is located at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/254025278937219/?ref=group_header

If you would like to see the Facebook site, please put a request in from your Facebook page to join the group. If you are a member of our Probus club you will be granted access, you don’t need to join the photography meetings. There are currently 25 members who access the Facebook site which is about a quarter of the club’s membership.

Next Meetings
  • Next Meeting: December 2 at 7:00pm at the Clarke’s residence.

Rob Clarke

Leaders - Rob Clarke & Bain Shenstone

November Photography Group Photos

Possible Photography Competition Comments.......

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Tin Pin Bowling - November

Ten Pin Bowling did not take place again this month due to ongoing Covid 19 concerns.

In the meantime stay safe.

Doug Mathews
Leader - Doug Matthews
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Tennis Group Report- November 2020
 
Our new location is working out well. We now play at Hasting Park Tennis Complex, 44 Belltree Crescent, Castle Hill.
 
We play on Monday and Wednesday at 8.30am weather permitting. 
 
We are a group of four but have one person injured at the moment, so if anyone would like to join in please give me a call.

 
 
Cheers
Bob Davison

Leader - Bob Davison
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Live Theatre November 2020
 
Disney’s Frozen:
 
Our theatre party has now been rescheduled for the Australian premiere season of Disney’s Frozen at the Capitol Theatre to Wednesday 17 February 2021 at 7:00 PM.
 
Adapted from the Oscar-winning film, Frozen the Musical is expertly brought to the stage by acclaimed Director Michael Grandage, giving life to this beloved story in an all new, unforgettable theatrical experience.
 
Frozen opened on Broadway on March 22, 2018 and has since set (and subsequently broken!) four St. James Theatre house records.

Leader - Bruce Bartle
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WALKING REPORT for NOVEMBER     
      
Members of the walking group are now familiar with the walk along the Parramatta River. Last month we walked from Rydalmere to Meadowbank along the North side of the river. This month on Tuesday 17th November we walked from Rydalmere to Olympic Park on the South side of the river. On both occasions we were impressed by the healthy state of the waterway, and how much better it is today compared to days gone by. The foreshores are well maintained and the water quality appears almost good enough to swim in.

The walks have been well supported during the Covid months. However, as we are now entering the hot Summer months we will suspend the walking activity until around February/March next year.

Bob & Enio
Leaders - Bob Carritt & Enio Dona
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Wine and Cheese

All W&C evenings have been cancelled until further notice.



 Leader  Julie Shenstone
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PLEASE NOTE
The Club Newsletter is for the private and confidential use of Club members and is not to be used for any other purpose.  Approval for any form of advertising or promotion not directly related to club activities or general club information must be granted by the club committee.
Newsletter Editor: Andrew Little
Apprentice Editor: Enio Dona