Month: November 2012

In the picture above, Mrs Valerie Chambers, one of the speakers about army married life, with Probus secretary Bryan Harvey.

Follow the Drum was the title of a talk by Major General Peter and Mrs Valerie Chambers on the occasion of the evening meeting of the Probus Club of Basingstoke held at the end of October.

They told of their experiences as a married couple while Peter served in the army for 33 years and the need to move home 26 times in that time, mostly in married quarters. At one period they moved five times in two years. Since retiring from the Regular Army in 2002, they have lived in Kempshott and say that they are determined to stay put.

Quite the opposite of a chronological history of their moves, the audience of retired professional and business managers enjoyed hearing of the mishaps, some poor conditions of quarters and service humour the couple encountered as they progressed up the promotional ladder, where Peter became Deputy Chief of Staff HQ Land Command.

The Probus Club of Basingstoke meets twice most months; lunch at Sandford Springs golf club near Kingsclere on the second Tuesday and an evening meeting on the fourth Thursday at Christ Church, Reading Road, Chineham, when they have a guest speaker. There is an extensive social programme that includes wives/partners with visits to places of interest, a Ladies’ lunch, summer pub lunch and Christmas dinner. Potential members should contact the Secretary Bryan Harvey by email bryanharvey@talktalk.net or phone (01256) 321473 for an informal discussion.

At their evening meeting on 25 October 2012, the Probus Club of Basingstoke had as their guest speaker Simon Wright who is in his twenty fourth year as a serving officer in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary. These days his main role is that of coordinator of Crimestoppers & Most Wanted in Hampshire and across other local authorities in the south including the Channel Isles.

While most have heard of Crimestoppers and have seen their prominent phone number 0800 555 111 not many people know that it is a charity funded in the main by large companies and is operated by a group of volunteers. The main activity of this team is to take confidential phone calls from the public who want to report any matter that they consider will be of interest to the police; all done with complete anonymity.

The Most Wanted section is based in the Crimestoppers web site where photographs or E-fits of people that are of interest to the police are displayed. This information is updated daily and it is encouraging to see the increasing success of this operation where, in our county alone, they will receive six phone calls and make two arrests on an average day.

As well as a lunch on the second Tuesday of most months and the speaker meeting in the evening of the fourth Thursday the Probus Club of Basingstoke have social events and trips that involve members’ wives. If you are a retired professional or business executive and would like to know more then contact the Secretary, Bryan Harvey either by email bryanharvey@talktalk.net or telephone 01256 321473 for an informal discussion.

Mayor of Basingstoke & Deane, Cllr Martin Biermann (left) is welcomed by Probus Club of Basingstoke President Gerry Anslow (right) and committee, at the first lunch of the 34th season of the club.

The Mayor of Basingstoke & Deane, Cllr Martin Biermann, was the guest of honour at the first lunch at the start of the 34th season of the Probus Club of Basingstoke. Newly elected President, Gerry Anslow, welcomed the Mayor on behalf of the committee and members and considered that it was a good thing for the senior citizen of the borough to meet members of the club who had been executives in the locality prior to their retirement.

Mr Anslow, who has lived in Kempshott since 1976 and was a Principal Scientific Officer at AWE Aldermaston, says of his appointment “I am following in the footsteps of some illustrious members of Basingstoke professions, commerce and industry who were the movers and shakers of yesteryear in the local business community.”

He went on “ Cllr Biermann would be welcomed as a member should he decide to apply when he retires from business.”

Probus clubs were originally founded in 1965 to provide fellowship for retired members of Rotary but today the criteria for membership has been considerably widened with the result that there are now over 4000 clubs worldwide and in the UK there are in excess of 180,000 members.

Gerry continued “Despite the high levels of involvement throughout the country, here in Basingstoke we still need to recruit members to bring in new thinking and yet provide continuity with our ethos of providing a social outlet for like minded men. With the present trend for retiring at a higher age than in the past we are keen to find a small number of new entrants who are needed to keep the club making progress.”

The Probus Club meets twice in most months for lunch at Sandford Springs golf club near Kingsclere and an evening meeting which is held at Christ Church Chineham at which there is a guest speaker. They also have a social calendar that involves members’ wives, with outside trips, special lunches and a Christmas dinner.

Potential members can contact their secretary Bryan Harvey on 321473 or bryanharvey@talktalk.net There is a separate Ladies’ Probus club who can be contacted on 780907.

Note to Editor. For any further information please contact Paul Flint on 07770 886521 or email flintpw@sky.com

10.7.12.

The Probus Club of Basingstoke has just had its 33rd Annual General Meeting and appointed a new President. Gerry Anslow has taken on the mantle from retiring President Tony Atchison, to head up this social club for retired business executives. Gerry, who in 1995, took early retirement from AWE Aldermaston, where, prior to privatisation, he was a Principal Scientific Officer, now heads up this all male organisation as it enters its 34th year of operation. He became a member of the Probus Club in 2003 and until a year ago had served as their Honorary Secretary for six years.

Mr Anslow, who has lived in Kempshott since 1976 with his wife Joan, has two adult children and three grandchildren who live in Lychpit, and says of the appointment “I am following in the footsteps of some illustrious members of Basingstoke professions, commerce and industry who were the movers and shakers of yesteryear in the local business community.”

Probus clubs were originally founded in 1965 to provide fellowship for retired members of Rotary but today the criteria for membership has been widened with the result that there are now over 4000 clubs worldwide and in the UK there are in excess of 180,000 members.

Gerry continued “Despite the high levels of involvement throughout the country, here in Basingstoke we still need to recruit members to bring in new thinking and yet provide continuity with our ethos of providing a social outlet for like minded men. With the present trend for retiring at a higher age than in the past we are keen to find a small number of new entrants who are needed to keep the club making progress.”

The club meets twice in most months for lunch and an evening meeting at which there is a guest speaker. They also have a social calendar that involves members’ wives, with outside trips, special lunches and a Christmas dinner.

Potential members can contact their secretary Bryan Harvey on 01256 321473 or bryanharvey@talktalk.net

There is a separate Ladies’ Probus club who can be contacted on 01256 780907.