After getting through the biggest challenging period, the Covid pandemic, the Healesville Probus Club is now trying to boost once again by giving a space for people to connect, learn and enjoy.
Healesville Probus Club secretary Barry Twist said probus club is all about three Fs: fun, friendship and fellowship.
“Probus club was an offshoot from rotary club. It was meant to give rotarians a means of enjoying but continuing with the camaraderie and knowledge of each other,” he said.
Many local community groups found it extremely difficult to operate during the Covid-19, and some of them were forced to disband and ultimately close.
The Healesville Probus Club also one of them who dealt with the difficult situation.
There used to be two women’s probus clubs and a men’s probus club in Healesville but the two women’s clubs were disbanded during the pandemic.
The three clubs were merged into the sole club, knocking down the gender barrier last September to revive.
The Healesville Probus Club has currently about 40 memberships, and many women have joined the club over the past 12 months, forming a third of the club’s current membership.
Not only breaking the gender barrier, but the club has also tried different ways to overcome the adversity.
It has looked for collaboration with other community groups and launched different programs.
One of the examples is a collaboration with the Healesville Arthritis Self-Help Group (HASH).
The two local organisations have shared joint activities for more than 12 months with great success.
While both Hash and the probus club operate separately with their own priorities and activities, both organisations regularly invite each other to share a range of social activities.
Healesville Probus Club tours and outings coordinator Barb Hegarty, who is also the HASH coordinator, said HASH has enjoyed working with the probus club.
“It builds up our numbers because sometimes we don’t have the numbers to do a bus trip,” she said.
“One of the bus trips we did was to a boathouse in Kew and took the ferry around Melbourne. We didn’t have enough people to fill a bus, and that was quite costly, so we had the probus join us with that.
“I noticed when we were coming home, there were people who’d swap seats so that they could talk to the person who they’ve been speaking to on the ferry.”
Sharing of activities has enabled members of both groups to enjoy experiences, develop new friendships and plan activities beyond the initial expectations of the clubs individually.
A very successful Christmas luncheon was organised and supported by both clubs last December where they demonstrated the effective partnership while enjoying lunch prepared by a HASH member.
They are now looking forward to sharing Christmas in July.
“We are going to do (Christmas in July) at the Terminus Hotel, which is accessible for everyone including people who need wheelchairs or walkers,” Ms Hegarty said.
The Healesville Probus Club offers a variety of activities, including a coffee group, a walking group, a fishing group, and outings to different places such as a zoo, a reservoir, a park, a lake, and tourist attractions.
The club also celebrates special occasions like the Lunar New Year and Christmas.
Many local activities are supported by a Yarra Ranges Council grant.
The Healesville Probus Club meets regularly at 10am on the third Thursday of each month, assembling at St Brigid’s Community Hall on High Street.
Meetings begin with a guest speaker who is invited to present a relevant topic from life experiences, area of expertise to social issues and etc.
The presentation is followed by a friendship morning tea and a monthly meeting which reports on the club’s activities.
Mr Twist said everyone’s welcome to attend the monthly meetings.
“We suggest for people, who may have an interest, to come along to a meeting, meet us, mingle with us and enjoy the morning tea afterwards,” he said.
The guest speaker for the next meeting on Thursday 17 July is Cora Zon who is going to introduce the zine.
