President: Colin Baker
Chairman: Arnold Mawson
Club contact: Secretary: Gwyn Murfet
email: tefrumg@yahoo.co.uk
FURNESS PROBUS CLUB
YES, FURNESS PROBUS CLUB IS BACK AND UP AND RUNNING!
The Furness Probus Club, for retired Professional and Businessmen over the age of 55 in Barrow-in-Furness and the Furness Peninsular, meets on the first and third Mondays of each month, moving back a week in May to avoid bank-holidays. With the retirement of our host and fellow member, John Cook, at the Lisdoonie Hotel, from MARCH 2022 meetings are held at “The Fairfield”, Fairfield Lane, off Abbey Road, Barrow in Furness, LA13 9AH, and start at 10.30am. Free Coffee and biscuits are served from 9.45am giving members the opportunity for social chat, and meetings are always finished by 12 noon. There is always a £2 raffle to help pay towards hire of room, refreshments etc.
Speakers are usually booked for the second Monday (depending upon their availability, or to avoid Bank Holidays) with a wide range of subjects on local or national interest. The Committee meets before Open meetings to plan future events and policy. These meetings may also include a Quiz; discussion on important topics of the day; scripted sketches from popular TV shows; etc. Popular additions to the program have been “Room 101” where we can rid the world of our pet hates regarding modern life, “Have I got News for You”, Any Questions, and “Call my Bluff”!
We organise two day trips out per year; a Ladies’ Lunch for wives and widows; and a Christmas Lunch for members.
We hope that at every meeting, members will have felt at ease, had food for thought and a chuckle or two!
We currently have a number of vacancies, and would love to see you. For further details contact the Hon. Secretary Gwyn Murfet, “The Wheels”, 75, Portsmouth Street, Walney, Barrow in Furness, LA14 3AJ, or telephone 01229 471157.
Program for 2024/5
September 2nd AGM & Open Meeting
9th Breakfast at Holiday Inn
16th Ruth Sutton “Closure of Millom Iron Works”
October 7th Ladies’ Lunch
1th Breakfast at Holiday Inn
21st Neil Honeyman “Old Mardale”
November 4th Open Meeting, Committee 9.30am
11th Breakfast at Holiday Inn
18th Capt. Sarah Griffiths “Salvation Army work in Barrow”
December 2nd Christmas Lunch
9th Breakfast at Holiday Inn
16th Christmas Meeting “Barrow Island Singers”
2025
January 6th Open Meeting, committee at 9.30am
13th Breakfast at Holiday Inn
20th Mike & Lynda Garforth “Vietnam & Cambodia”
February 3rd Open Meeting
10th Breakfast at Holiday Inn
17th Geoff Holme “Extraordinary & Everyday”
Dates March 2025 – August 2025
March 3rd Open
17th Speaker
31st Open (NB 3 meetings this month)
April 14th Speaker
May 12th Speaker (NB only 1 meeting this month)
June 2nd Open
16th Speaker
July 7th Open
21st Speaker
August 4th Open
18th Speaker
SUBJECT TO REVIEW and Government Restrictions
SECRETARY’S AGM REPORT September 2023 – August 2024
Over this year only 2 Speakers gave backword with only 48 hours notice!
But at Open meetings over the year, we have managed a total of exactly 196 attendances (up 6 on last year), and with 10 such meetings gives an exact average of 19.6 per meeting. Attendances at Speaker meetings is interesting with 219 attendances which is up on the previous year, but with 2 more meetings, the average attendance is down from 19.2 to 18.25. If you don’t find this interesting, I can quite understand why!
To fill in for the 2 speakers in question, The Food Bank and “Age UK”, I ran “Have I got News for You” and 2 quizzes on The Lake District.
This year, Speakers have informed us about: The Life & Times of John Barrow; More deaths than one – the Coniston connection; Unesco World Heritage sites in the UK; Life & Crimes of Jack the Ripper; The British Empire; Victorian Architecture in Barrow; Cando FM Radio; Harper Gaythorpe; and enjoyed the Barrow Island Singers. The July slot was filled with a most enjoyable social and Coffee Morning to mark the Club’s Golden Anniversary. I thank Probians Harry Turner and Mike and his wife Lynda for their contributions to the Speaker [program
Open Meetings have included Jim telling us about his experience of National Service; Hilary with a quiz on anagrams of Yorkshire town names; John Cook a quiz on Prime Ministers; Ron a quiz on Famous faces; Harry addressed the Cumberland Sausage, new member Rob a quiz on TV Sport’s themes; Harry and I relived 3 Long John Election sketches from the 1997era; and I did quizzes on Dad’s Army, Remembering 2023, a second “Have I got news for you”, Call my Bluff and read a sermon I had preached some years ago supporting the abolition of reading of Banns of Marriage at church service. I hope these sessions have been been thought provoking, stimulating, and if nothing else entertaining. If someone else would like to organise these sessions, I would be more than happy to hand over.
I say a big THANK YOU to all who have helped me make fools of ourselves on your behalf. New ideas for Speakers and Open Meetings are always welcome.
Again, I know I said this last year (it is still on the computer),since lockdown, I receive frequent e-mails from prospective Speakers willing to do talks on “Zoom”, as only £50 a time (some want £70!!!), we currently pay £25, which seems to be the going rate when I go out and speak!
Don’t forget if you lose your program, or want one for a prospective new member, always ask for one, and you can always find us on the internet, just google in “Furness Probus Club”.
Since our last AGM, Roger has organised another Winter warmer coach trip, where a full coach enjoyed a trip to the Yorkshire Dales – a coach version of “The Pennine Way” and an excellent meal at Country Harvest. July a coach trip to Carlisle and Lockerbie – not good weather and ran at a loss. Thanks also go to Roger for organising our trips and for his tireless work as our Almoner.
Thanks go to Doug for his work as Treasurer and organising Lunches, and to Ron for taking on “Long Service” and Constitution records. Also thanks to Brian Greenwood for taking on the job of Auditor. The Chairman and Committee thank Roger, Doug, Jim and all others who contribute their time organising so much for us, and we mustn’t forget Jack Gaffney for preparing and printing our Lunch Menus. Last but no means least to retiring Chairman John Quiggin, not only for chairing meetings, but also making the room ready for us on a Monday morning, especially after the venue has held weekend parties.
Once a month 7 of us have enjoyed Breakfast at Brewer’s Fayre, although on occasions the food could have been hotter! Unfortunately, our booking in June was rejected and members turned away. A letter of complaint to the Manager has received no reply, apology or even ex-planation, and in July we transferred to “Holiday Inn”. In August 8 of us enjoyed hot food, as much as you can eat for only £8 per head. Consensus was that I should book again!
I think the Committee will be discussing the possibility of making the July Coffee Morning an annual event but perhaps with different funding.
Membership fluctuates slightly, Mike Ashton was made an Honorary Member, but is no longer with us, as are neither Fred Drew and Peter Danahay
In Apriul we welcomed one new member, Rob Dandy, and hope he enjoys the fellowship and friendship he has found here. We really could do with about 6 new members…………..
Our current membership to date stands at
24 Active members (as last AGM)
Life Membership now abolished
2 Honorary members down 4 since last AGM)
The list of widows currently stands at 17 (6 no longer wish to be considered for lunches)
We extend sympathy to all those who have lost loved ones, and wish a speedy recovery and good health to all our members, wives and partners who are or have been unwell.
I end this 47th Report by thanking all who have helped me over the past year, especially John Quiggin our Chairman; Bill Glassey as President, Jim Rhodes as Raffle Master, Doug as Treasurer and all those who have been press-ganged, especially at Open Meetings, into doing things “up-front”, and to Committee members who continue to take my ideas and give them a good shaking in order to make them workable! As I said earlier, NEW IDEAS ALWAYS WELCOME!!
Thank You!
Gwyn Murfet
Hon. Secretary