Outdoors Section

Summer BBQ No.1

Colin: 0406 599 990       Barb: 0408 179 885

The Richards are happy to have you come this year to our Club House at Barnsbury, for the first of our Summer BBQs on Thursday 15th January from 5.30 pm.

Please BYO meat to barbeque and a salad or dessert to share would be greatly appreciated.

Please let us know if you will be attending.

We have a limit of 20 people. Come along and enjoy - weather permitting

Coffee & Chat

Jan Cheney 0400 889 705

As usual, we had plenty of "chat" among the twelve members who made it to the November gathering.

All should have enjoyed our morning coffee except that the coffee machine

haemorrhaged just before we arrived so NO COFFEE – worse than the “pub with no beer!”

Hopefully, we will not have a repeat performance at our next get together on Tuesday, 16th December at 10.00 am.

The venue is still Olive Lane Café in Doncaster Road, North Balwyn Village.

All will be made most welcome.

Hope you will be joining us at this, our last coffee morning before Christmas.

Text or email: jancheney@bigpond.com

President Peter's Ponderings For This Month

On behalf of your committee I wish you all a Merry Christmas and the very best for 2026!

2026 is looking promising with a number of activities over and above those offered by the Special Interest Groups.

Getaways in January and March and a full Outings calendar starting in February are the icing on the cake for 2026 and will deliver broader opportunities for socialising beyond the general meetings and S.I.G.activities.

But to deliver these opportunities we need a full committee, so my Christmas stocking list is for nominations for Vice President and Membership Officer.

Who will make my day?

Peter Gibbs 0409 179 559 - pwbgibbs@yahoo.com.au

Remember our next meeting is our Christmas lunch on Monday the 1st of December.

Armchair Travel

Convenor: Shirley Fenemor

Well, fellow travellers. As you know November is our last get-together for the year. We are meeting on Wednesday 26 November to hear about David Hull’s trip to New Zealand. Many of you have enjoyed David’s presentations before.

We will not meet in January, but I do want to say a big “thank you” to our presenters this year. You have all been terrific and very ready to say ‘yes’ when I ask you. It certainly makes my job so much easier.

Just keep travelling and taking photos please.

Best Wishes for Christmas and I look forward to our get-togethers in 2026.

Golf Group

Gary Jackson

In December we move to Freeway Golf Course. Tee off time for Tuesday ^2nd and Mondays ^8th and 15th, will be advised weekly.

Golf results for October and November

 Following our game on the 15th December I have booked the Manningham Club for presentation and Christmas lunch 12.30pm. Please let me know if you will be attending so I can confirm numbers.

Brew and Chew

Ian Phillips 0428 858 272

Unlike most Auburn Probus activities, Brew and Chew does not meet in December, or at least not this year – the fourth Wednesday falls on Christmas eve when all the members will be busy wrapping presents or otherwise engaged (or perhaps too drowsy to respond).

But to make up, we do meet in January, so would you please mark down 21st January 2026 in your new diaries – the room is booked at the Camberwell Library for 10.00am on that day. Reflecting on the past year, each of those attending will have their own highlight (a phrase barely appropriate to Brew and Chew). The matters that have produced screaming headlines elsewhere have scarcely resulted in a passing ripple in our discussions – although a question as to whether artificial lawns, greens, etc are porous and/or sufficiently so, was last month articulated with some vigour as the rains came down.

Searching on how to close the year, this from a postcard album (pictured below), from nearly 120 years ago when “Santa” was known as “Father Christmas”. It seems pertinent – the old gent appears rather exhausted by it all and hoping it will all soon be over. The sentiment of the message is clear enough, even if the syntax seems twisted – perhaps it was composed by some early version of AI!

The Walking Group meets twice a month usually on the 2nd and 4th Monday.

Walking Group : Jenene Marshall

Peter Brown joined us on our walk in Wattle Park on the 10th of November. Here are the details for our planned walks for the New Year. 9th February - Ivanhoe Golf Club - Meet at the Eaglemont Tennis Club car park (Melway 31 K11) off The Boulevard near Burke Road at 9.50am. We will walk along the Yarra then up a slight hill to the golf club. Coffee at Ivanhoe Golf Club. Leader Jenene Marshall

23rd February - Springthorpe (Mont Park/Macleod) - Meet in Ernest Jones Drive near the corner of Springthorpe Blvd. (Melway 19 J7). Best way to travel is straight along Upper Heidelberg Road, which then becomes Wairoa Road, then Springthorpe Blvd. Coffee TBA.

Leader Jenene Marshall

I am doing the two February walks because as from March 2026, Helga and Rita with be taking over from me as Conveners for the walking group.

I have enjoyed my many years as Convener and I am sure Helga and Rita will continue with walks that will be different, interesting and fun.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2026.

The Dine Out Groups arranges bookings for either Lunch or Dinner at various restaurants and cafes in the area

John McIntosh

A reminder that our next Dine Out at Box Hill RSL is on Monday 22nd December.

Membership

Sandi Fitzpatrick         Ass. Laurice Stainsby

Attendance for October Meeting

Attendance: 80 Apologies: 22 No Response: 17 Total Membership: 119 Non-Active: 3

Visitors: Val & Alan Surtees, Ian Charlton

Could you please let Sandi or Laurice know if you will not be attending the next meeting.

If you have any changes to your contact details, including Next of Kin, would you please send them to Sandi at: sandifitz9@bigpond.com

Birthdays for December:

Lorraine Borley, Bernard Coburn (NA), Ross King, Colin Richards, John Garraway, Marilyn Hunter, Jenene Marshall,

Astrid Zanini, Maxine Lewis, Don Porter, Jan Cheney, Jan MacFarlane, Carleen Meehan, Judy Halpin and Pat Cleary.

We suggest that members wear their name badges on outings to make it easier for new members to join in.

Last Month's Speaker summary

Seldom has the club had the opportunity of listening to such an interesting presentation of Australian history by our speaker Gillian Yung.

A normally dry subject was made to come alive through the telling of a personal story of one Mary Riebey who was convicted in London of horse stealing at the age of 13, and sentenced to seven years transportation to the Colony of New South Wales, arriving in Sydney in 1792.

From there her guile and intelligence, aided by the fact that she was literate, saw her rise within the settlement to become a very successful ship owner, merchant and trader. Married with 6 children she prospered in the international trade business until her death in 1855.

As a matter of interest Mary’s image is featured on the $20 note!

Thanks to Gillian Yung for taking the time to talk to us.

Outings

Treasurer’s Report

The bank balance as at 23rd November is $13,585.56.

In the month to date we received advance payments of $4,435 for the Christmas lunch, making a total at close of bookings of $6,035 for 71 people.

Minor expenses were for $22.00 for a speaker’s gift.

In respect of the Club’s normal yearly operations, excluding recent Council grants and excluding the cash flows of the Christmas lunch on December 1^st, I expect the Club will be close to breaking even at the close of the year.

The NBBC account for November room hire for $500 is not in yet. It has been requested.
Phone/SMS 0434 870 199 Email: Lagzdins@melbpc.org.au

Thank you,
John Lagzdins

The Latest Newsletter for December 2025 is now available.

Read Here By Clicking Here

Newsletter243November-December2025.pdf