President's Message
Exciting news: we are slowly clawing back our old lifestyle from the pandemic, and that includes holding April's general meeting in-person at the Community Centre! We're still going to be very protective of each other by requiring properly worn masks, social distancing, and a prior self-assessment as per Provincial guidelines! You'll get an email where you can let us know via a one-click button if you're likely to come. This will help our volunteers setting up the hall.
There are other events in the pipeline: a trip to see Richard III in Stratford, going to Penetanguishene for the romantic comedy Buying the Farm, and taking a guided tour of the Avro Arrow Museum at the Edenvale Aerodrome. Check for details below and keep an eye on your email inbox for more to come!
April Membership Meeting - April 26 @ 1:00 PM
Guest Speaker: Bruce Ross
Topic: Breaking Free of Depression's Grip
Location: Beaver Valley Community Centre, Thornbury
Registration: Online Registration is required. Please click the Yes button in the email sent on April 2, or register here. We can only accommodate 100 members and are almost full—so please register today! Once we reach capacity, all Maybe responses along with new registrations will be moved to the Waitlist.
Since COVID cases are increasing in our area, registration will be checked at the door and masks must be worn at all times. Refreshments will not be served at this meeting.
We are pleased to welcome our guest speaker Bruce Ross, who is actually one of our new PROBUS Members! Bruce retired from a thirty-two-year career with Mainstreet Credit Union and moved to Meaford in 2021. He has lived with depression/anxiety since early high school until today. Bruce has just published Breaking Free of Depression’s Grip – A Powerful Success Story, in January, 2022. Bruce’s book chronicles his 45-year journey and struggle with depression and anxiety, from his high school years until his recent retirement.
Bruce will share with us his trials and tribulations of living with the disease, and the many professional and self-help measures he has attempted to combat it. He brings a message of hope that a person can lead a productive family life, career, and personal life despite living with the heavy and constant weight of a mental illness. For more information about Bruce and his book, please see his website at www.brucerross.ca
Questions? Please contact:
Nancy Dixon: Meeting registration help
Brenda Rudolf or Kirby Philp: Speaker information
UPCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS
After a 2 year hiatus, with almost no Beaver Valley PROBUS Club social events due to COVID, we are finally able to start organizing social events for our members once again. We have had over 120 new members join our club since February 2020, and with the exception of the Sheffield Black History museum outing last fall, most have not had an opportunity to participate in a BVPC social event, and may have little idea of the types of events we have organized in the past. Our Stratford theatre outing in June sold out within a few hours—so there is clearly lots of pent up demand to get out and do things!
There are several annual events that have taken place most years. These include the Stratford theatre outing, a golf tournament, King’s Wharf theatre outing, mini-golf putt and lunch, a summer picnic, and a Christmas lunch. These are all in the works for this year - so stay tuned for details!
Previous successful events have included: Backroads car tour, Fall colours tour, Cranberry Festival, Hindu Temple and Sweet Palace tour, GPS car adventure, Muskoka boat tour, Royal Agricultural Fair, Blue Jays game, Observatory tour, Kolapore Springs fish hatchery tour, Thornbury Cidery tour, Dairy farm tour, Wye Marsh nature reserve tour, Collingwood/Owen Sound Harbour cruise, Collingwood historical walk, Niagara wine tour, Waterloo Central Railway, St Jacobs farmer’s market, and a Tour of an Amazon facility. If you listened to the presentation after the AGM given by the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust, their “See the Salmon Run” event, and their "Be the Change” film series are also possibilities.
These are only some of the potential future social events that we could organize. The possibilities are endless! To that end, we would like to emphasize that these are your BVPC social events, and we would love to hear your suggestions for other events. No idea is too far-fetched, so if you think of something, please let us know and we can look into it — just don’t be surprised if we ask you to help organize it!
So this is just a sneak peak at BVPC’s social calendar, and we look forward to seeing old friends and welcoming new friends, as we slowly come out of our social isolation.
Don Collins-Williams, Social Convener
Stella Zahradnik, Assistant Social Convener
King’s Wharf Theatre Event
Once again we can return to the King’s Wharf Theatre in Penetanguishene! Our Club has arranged a limited number of tickets for the July 27 "capacity reduced" matinee for Buying the Farm— A Rural Romantic Comedy. Country wit meets city bluster in this fast-paced romantic comedy about the charms and challenges of maintaining the family farm.
Talk to your PROBUS friends, partner etc. and look out for an invitation email on April 20 for full details and link to register and pay online. Tickets will likely go fast—so be ready to register and pay online when the email comes out. If you need help with the online payment part, phone assistance will be available.
Questions? Please contact:
Vicki Kellar
Avro Arrow Museum Tour
On Thursday May 12, 2022, we have arranged a tour of the Avro Arrow Museum, east of Stayner. As many of you will be aware, the Avro Arrow, was a supersonic interceptor aircraft designed and built in Canada in the mid to late 1950's. It put Canada in the forefront of the world’s aerospace industry, and its cancellation in 1959 by the government of the day had a very long lasting, and devastating effect on the aerospace industry here. Large numbers of highly skilled workers were let go, and many ended up leaving for other countries, much to Canada's loss.
We hope you can join us for a one hour tour of the museum, which includes a scale model replica of the Arrow, as well as many other artifacts from this fascinating story of Canadian science, engineering and innovation. Please watch your email on April 8th, for further information and registration. Spaces are limited, so register early!
Don Collins-Williams,
Social Convenor
| COVID-19 Notice |
Members need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend any club events, meetings, and activities.
All members are expected to use the Province’s self-assessment tool and only participate in activities or events if the outcome of that assessment shows no need for self-isolation.
Face masks are to be worn indoors, except when eating or drinking.
Members attending events at the Beaver Valley Community Centre are required to follow the municipality’s health restrictions.
Activity Leaders no longer need to submit a plan on how they address these COVID restrictions. Activity Leaders may turn to Convenors for advice and assistance. |
Activity Group Update
Colleen Wilson-Dick
Spring is on its way—or maybe not… I know I am looking forward to getting out cycling and have already sent out my first letter to the Country Cruisers to get everyone motivated and ready for the season. My bike is tuned and ready to go. I am looking forward to a great, healthy and challenging season!
It is not too late to sign up for Activity Groups! We have 27 different Activities and these smaller groups are a great way to really meet people! You must sign-up for each group you are interested in, in order to get on the email list to find out when and where the group will meet. Even for those registered to Activity Groups last year, you must sign-up again this year! Just click on the yellow Activities button below to get started!
Computer Group
Martin Buscher
Our meeting this month will be in-person. Come with your laptop, tablet, or phone and let's see if, together, we can find solutions to whatever troubles your use of the device. Make sure to register for the Computer Activity Group to get the invitation email with details on when and where we meet.
Cocktails and Nibblies
Colleen Wilson-Dick / Eddy Gwozdz
With COVID still on our minds, getting together outdoors for cocktails & nibblies seems like a great idea. This will allow us to spread out rather than sitting together at a dining room table. This is a casual get-together—be prepared to bring a lawn chair, along with your own drinks, and an appetizer to share. Each member/couple will have the opportunity to host once per season. The Host will decide how many guests their space (deck, garden or lawn) can accommodate. For more information check out the
Cocktails and Nibblies Activity webpage. their space (deck, garden or lawn) can accommodate. For more information check out the
Cocktails and Nibblies Activity webpage.
Dining Around Town
Hank Bouwman
Our “Something new!” March luncheon at
The Corner Café in Thornbury was so popular that we sold out very quickly so we have scheduled another luncheon for Wednesday, April 13 at
Al Carbon in Collingwood (across the road, just past Loblaws).
Save the dates: We have just booked the Georgian Bay Restaurant in Collingwood for Wednesday May 18 at 5 pm. We have also reserved the Banquet room at the Walter Falls Inn for Wednesday September 21 at 5 pm. You must be a member of the Dining Around Town Activity Group to receive the invitations and attend!
Casual Dining
Sallie Kedwell / Shellie Smith
I am excited about a new season of Casual Dining and very pleased that Shellie Smith has agreed to co-convene with me. We are considering a few minor changes and will have further news to report by the time our first invitation is posted on our
Casual Dining Activity web page. Our initial get together will be on
Thursday, May 12. Please think ahead to that date with an eye to possibly hosting. Our dinners will continue on the 2nd Thursday of each month with quite likely picnics in July and August.
Dining with Friends
Debbie Catto, Marion Stewart, Shellie Smith, Eileen Scott, Sallie Kedwell
EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA! The Dining with Flair group has just changed its name to Dining with Friends. We are thrilled to welcome the many new faces to our group who signed up at the Activities eFair. If you wish to join our group now, just go to the Dining with Friends Activity Group webpage.
Our first get-together of this season starts April 28th (our usual 4th Thursday of the month). Once registered on the web site, you will receive your invitation to participate and perhaps host for the evening. After replies are received for that month, the Dining with Friends Committee sets up the groups. The hosts decide on the menu and then communicate with their guests regarding what they are to bring—an appetizer, a veg or a dessert. As host you may wish to choose a theme for the evening i.e. colour, upcoming holiday, season, perhaps a less formal cocktail party format or just a fun evening. This is a BYOB event. We have eliminated cost sharing as it all works out evenly for everyone over time. Please join us – we welcome new members! Feel free to contact any of the Dining with Friends Committee Members listed at the top of the section with any questions.
R.O.M.E.O.
Bill McMurray
The R.O.M.E.O.s (Retired Old Men Eating Out) had their first lunch event of the year on March 15, at
The Corner Café & Grill with 10 members in attendance. The next lunch will be Tuesday April 12 at the
Sail Restaurant in Meaford. It's not too late to register—please contact Bill directly before Friday, April 8 if you are interested. You can also take a look at the
R.O.M.E.O. Activity Group webpage
for general information.
Hiking
Cynthia Sampson / Ilene Rushefsky Charland
It’s Spring….. Let There Be Hiking! We had a great hiking season last year, and after a loooonnnggg winter we’re all looking forward to getting back out on our area’s beautiful trails. Our goal is to have a hike scheduled every week throughout the season. The actual day and location varies each week as both are chosen by that week’s hike leader according to his or her own schedule and preference. Upcoming hikes will be posted on the Hiking Activity page. Hope to see you on the trails!
Travel Group
Gloria Thompson
The oft postponed trip to the Islands and Highlands of Scotland has been deferred for another year to May 2023. A survey of those committed to the trip showed that this is not the best year, with mandatory family visits, and company credits being used. So for those under deposit, count on it next year. For those interested in joining, watch for announcements in the fall. We do need about 25 people, so think of other PROBUS members, family and friends who might want to join the trip.
Nominating Committee Volunteer
Caroline Bacher
I am looking for a member from our Club to assist me with this year's Nominating Committee. To find out more about what this job entails please contact me. This is one way you could help our Club!
Photo Corner
Submitted by Robert Marshall
Diane and I just returned from five weeks in Costa Rica, a country we are very familiar with. Our bird watching hobby was put on overdrive during our stay. We were very fortunate to see a small sample of Costa Rica’s over 788 species, many from our own condo. I have attached some photos of birds we saw. Merlin Bird ID is a great source for anyone interested in birds, in this app I listed over 50 birds we saw on our trip.
Don't forget to take a look at our Spring Slideshow to see other photos shared by our members this month!
The Master Gardener’s Corner
Our Master Gardener's Corner by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario, has moved online. Look for the Gardening Tips on our web Homepage (scroll down on the right-hand side) or click here to see what you need to be doing in your garden in April.
In Memoriam
Douglas Woodrow Norman, who passed on February 16, 2022 was one of the founding members of our PROBUS Club. He served on the Management Committee and contributed significantly to the club along with his wife, Mary Ellen Norman. Our sincere condolences to the Norman Family and friends.
The Last Word
Sylvia Ridgley
It’s no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking!
Old Irish proverb
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| Please be advised that all events and activities of the Beaver Valley Probus Club are organized for the benefit and enjoyment of its Members. Individuals who participate do so at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety. |
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Beaver Valley Probus Club