As I conclude my year as President, I have been thinking about Probus and its role in our community. Certainly there are very successful competitors such as U3A and Men’s Shed which compete for our membership. We have seen hundreds of Probus Clubs close over the last few years, not because of lack of members but because they cannot get people to stand for Committee. It would seem that as we get older we are less inclined to “put up our hand” for more responsibility, so to be a successful Club we need a continual influx of younger members to accept these leadership roles. It is unfortunate that our governing body, PSPL, seems to have neither recognised this nor have they accepted their responsibility to help Clubs understand this and help them to draw in younger members.
There were five Probus men having coffee a few years ago talking about dwindling Probus membership nationwide and how to reverse the trend. Three of the five admitted that the only reason they joined Probus was for the very excellent Travel Insurance. That insurance attraction is no longer available and better, cheaper policies are now numerous elsewhere. However many of us are still Probus members despite this. It is my view that Probus offers a unique socialisation and friendship atmosphere that outdoes our competitors. I believe that is why once a person becomes a Probus member and experiences the social friendship of the Club they seldom leave except for a health or age related reasons.
I feel that Probus occupies a unique place in our community but needs to be nurtured by continually bringing in new members.
I have enjoyed my year as President but I must admit it’s been pretty easy. I have had wonderful support from our convenors and activity leaders as well as our excellent Committee, where everyone knows what to do and just does it. Thank you all for your support throughout the year.
Michael Simmons