The big 30 at local Probus club

THE Probus Club of White Hills celebrated thirty years of being active in the community as a social group for retirees.

Chartered on 24 March 1994, the club held their first meeting at the Botanical Gardens Hotel with 100 people in attendance.

Their birthday celebration at Huntly Hotel drew a similar crowd, with members from other clubs in the region joining in on the celebration, too.

Andrew Howlett, a longstanding member of White Hills Probus, said the club is as active, if not more, than when it was first chartered.

“You form an organisation with a lot of enthusiasm, and then it tends to wane and even go defunct,” he said.

“But that’s not the case. We’ve got plenty of new members and we do lots of things, so I think for something that’s been going for 30 years and to be still going strong and adapting to lots of changes, I think it’s fantastic.”

Over the history of the club, they’ve changed their headquarters several times and now meet out of the White Hills Sporting Complex.

The club regularly holds social events and outings including member favourites ‘The Hilly Hoppers’ and the annual ‘Mystery Bus’, which takes participants to a new location each year.

Founding member Merle Lea, who is still with the club, also still runs a regular meetup called coffee, cake, and chatter which she started in 2006.

The White Hills Probus Club enjoyed the celebration, the pinnacle of which was the chance to meet with friends and reminisce about old memories.