The Probus Club of Barnes, Sheen and Mortlake meets monthly for lunch, a talk and fellowship at The Roehampton Club, Roehampton Lane, London, SW15 5LX from 12.30pm onwards until 3pm on the first Wednesday of each Month.
Talks are given by members or invited guests and are on subjects of general interest.
In June and December partners are invited to the Ladies Lunch.
Visits to places of interest may be organised from time to time.
History
Founded in 1972, the club has held over 610 lunches in its 52years with the aim of “offering those no longer in full time employment the continued comradeship and social contact of their group.”
Who can join?
You are welcome to become a member of the Probus Club if you are a man who is retired or semi-retired from business or a profession and think that the club is for you. You will be invited to a lunch as a guest to see the club for yourself. If you then decide to seek membership, you will be asked to complete a form, with a proposer and seconder, and your name is put before the Committee for consideration.
At present we have 59 members, and new members are joining monthly, at least half of the members come every time to lunch.
For more information please contact the club secretary:-
Ian Lamb
Transport Links are good to the venue.
Buses passing nearby the Roehampton Club are 33, from Hammersmith Bridge to Fulwell , 265, from Putney Bridge Station to New Malden, 337, from Wandsworth to Richmond, 419 from Richmond to Roehampton and 493, from Tooting to Bus station, Richmond.
Barnes Station is also within a 5 minute walk. The closure of Hammersmith Bridge has seen the 72 no longer running to Roehampton.
Officers & Committee 2026
Chairman: David Keats
Club Secretary: Ian Lamb
House Secretary: Richard Gale
Hon. Treasurer: Nigel Sherwin
Club Visitor: John Hockley
Past Chair Ian Lamb
Hon Auditor: Gordon Williamson.
The current membership subscription is £40 per year, and the lunch costs £37.00 for a set 2 courses. (Starter and Main or Main and Sweet, Coffee and Mint.). Dietary options available.. NB sub for longstanding members is £25.00 for 2025 due to temporary venue change
A small raffle is also held for 2 prizes to raise funds for a nominated charity. The 2025 charity is Park Stables in Teddington who are part of the Riding for the Disabled Association
Payment for lunch is prepaid by BACs to our account as per email details. A note of your car registration number is also required if you are arriving this way. Please inform the House secretary and also the treasurer of Food allergies, and of payment.
Programme of Talks for Jan-Dec 2026 First draft
7th JANUARY 2026
AGM. Meets sharp at 12.30pm so as to conclude business in time for lunch at 1pm. Lunch will be followed by a talk by Natalie O’Rourke from our charity, on her role and the work she is involved with at Riding for the Disabled at the Park Lane Stables in Teddington .
Note if you cannot attend the AGM please vote on the proposals by email.
Feb 2026 Talk.by seasoned rower Malcolm Knight, on the Queen’s Royal Barge
Gloriana
March 2026 our own Richard Bright has kindly agreed to speak,
April 2026 Keith Muras will speak on security and intelligence issues
May 2026 Brigadier John Dean makes his return.
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As to our lunch and meeting arrangements in the coming months, Please note the list of dates and slight alterations from the norm due to Roehampton club celebrations.
The actual dates for our meetings in 2026 are as follows:
January 7th
February 4th
March 4th
April 1st – honestly!
May 6th
June 10th: n b
July 8th: n b
August: no meeting
September 2nd
October 7th
November 4th
December 2nd
THE PROBUS CLUB OF BARNES, SHEEN AND MORTLAKE
HISTORY OF THE CLUB
The inaugural meeting of the Club was held on the evening of 14 March 1972, at which Harry Wade volunteered to act as convenor. Those attending agreed to accept the Probus qualification for membership as men who had retired or semi-retired from professional or business careers. The intention was that the Club would offer them the continuing comradeship and social contact of their peer group.
The second meeting was held on 5 April 1972, when it was realised that evening meetings would not be popular in bad weather conditions. A steering committee was elected under the chairmanship of Ernest Wilson. The first committee included Harry Wade (as Honorary Secretary and Treasurer) and Harold Thomas, Fred Counter and Roy Haase as committee members.
The inaugural lunch was held in The Bull at Shene on 10 May 1972 and was attended by 22 members, including three representing the Rotary Club of Barnes – Don Horne (President), Robert Stinson and Ron Shackleford.
The founder members were:
Stanley Blackburn Freddy Gilman Alec Pratt
Edgar Bolton John Grieve Alec Roebuck
Ted Cheadle Roy Haase Harold Thomas
Fred Cooper Frank Holding Harry Wade
Fred Counter Frank Howarth Lewis Ward
Don Emery Ernest E. Lamb Sid White
Arthur Fleming H. Leslie Mason Ernest Wilson
In recognition of their outstanding services to the Club, Ernest Wilson (1976) and Harry Wade (1984) were respectively appointed Life President and Life Vice-President. In 1999 Don Horne succeeded Ernest Wilson as President, having been Secretary for eighteen years. He served until 2008 and, after an interregnum, Jack Parker was elected president in 2011.David Wells (Honorary member 2025)
The Club’s minute books indicate that meetings were held at a variety of locations; the following list may not be exhaustive:
1972 – 1985 The Bull at Shene
1985 Christmas Lunch at the Richmond Hill Hotel
1985 – 1987 Watney’s Sports and Social Club
1987 – 1989 Richmond Hill Hotel
1989 – 2003 The Roehampton Club
2003 – 2011 Templeton House
2011 – date The Roehampton Club
The Club has celebrated the major anniversaries of its foundation as follows:
On May 5th 1993 the Club celebrated its 21 st Anniversary with a Ladies’ Lunch at the Roehampton Club. This was attended by the Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hanley MP and the Mayor of Richmond.
The Club celebrated the Millennium Year 2000 on June 7th at the Roehampton Club with a Ladies’ Lunch attended by the Mayor of Richmond.
2002 30th anniversary: Ladies’ Lunch at the Roehampton Club, attended by the Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, Nigel Clark JP DL
2012 40th anniversary and 500th meeting: Ladies’ Lunch at the Roehampton Club, attended by the Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, Col Ewen Cameron TD DL
2022 50th anniversary: Ladies’ Lunch at the Roehampton Club, attended by Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes CH PC relating some of his experiences as the last Governor of Hong Kong.
The Club also marked the millennium with a Ladies’ Lunch in June 2000 attended by the Mayor of Richmond. In the same year a Millennium Archive of members’ memoirs was created.
The Club continues to meet every month for lunch followed by a talk by a member or a visiting speaker. A raffle is held at each meeting to raise funds for an annual donation to charity (often a local organisation).
LIST OF OFFICERS
President
1975 – 1998 Ernest Wilson 2008 – 2010 Post vacant
1999 – 2007 Don Horne 2011 – 2022 Jack Parker
Chairman
1972 – 1975 Ernest Wilson 2002 – 2003 John Holmes
1976 – 1977 Fred Cooper 2004 – 2005 Richard Hastie-
1978 – 1979 T Tomlinson Smith
1980 – 1981 Bill Bingham 2006 – 2007 Jack Parker
1982 – 1983 Wilfred Hewlett 2008 – 2009 James Smith
1984 – 1985 Fred Arthur 2010 – 2011 Alan Mitchell
1986 – 1987 Eric Etherington 2012 – 2013 Andrew McElwee
1988 A Squire 2014 – 2015 John Ray
1989 Eric Etherington 2016 – 2017 Tim Catchpole
1990 – 1991 E Stratford 2018 – 2019 Peter Cowell
1992 – 1993 Ken Coxon 2020 – 2022 Chris Lewis
1994 – 1995 M McSorley 2023 – 2025 Ian Lamb
1996 – 1997 David Catford 2025 – David Keats
1998 – 1999 Edward Jones
2000 – 2001 Jack Parker
Club Secretary
1972 – 1980 Harry Wade 2003 – 2008 Angus Young
1981 – 1998 Don Horne 2009 – 2025 David Wells
1999 – 2002 Mostyn Jones 2025 – Ian Lamb
Treasurer
1972 – 1980 Harry Wade 2008 -2010 Tony Hill
1981 – 1987 Stan Blackburn 2011 – 2020 Derek Senhenn
1988 – 1998 Ernie Ford 2020 – Nigel Sherwin
1999 – 2007 Ronald Benneworth
House Secretary
1999 – 2001 Alan Mitchell
2002 – 2008 Glen Townsend 2017 – 2022 Barry Waining
2009 – 2012 Bill Griffith 2022 – 2024 Shaun Lamplough
2013 – 2016 John Hockley 2024 – Richard Gale
Club Visitor
1982 Fred Arthur 2004 – 2011 John Holmes
1983 – 1987 R Gudgeon 2012 – 2019 Bruce Cryer
1988 – 1993 P Dennis 2020 – John Hockley
1994 – 2003 Geoffrey Gibbins
Recent donations to charity
2017 FiSH
2018 St Giles Trust
2019 Integrated Neurological Services
2020 and 2021 Mencap Richmond
2022 and 2023 SPEAR
2024 Small Steps
2025 /26 Park Lane Stables, Teddington
For more information please contact
Ian Lamb Club secretary
mr.i.lamb@btinternet.com