Council held a morning tea to celebrate 50 Years of Probus.
Below is the speech I delivered. Councillor Vivienne Flanagan, Councillor Alexandra Meggitt, Councillor Simon Peirce and Councillor Susan Reynolds were also in attendance.
“Good morning, and welcome.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Emily Chalker Building this morning, and to celebrate 50 years of Probus in Australia.
My name is Gregory Harris. I was elected Mayor of Upper Lachlan a little under a fortnight ago, so this is one of my first official gatherings in the role. The invitation came from Council, and I am very glad to take it up and host you this morning.
In February 1976, sixteen people met at Hunters Hill in Sydney and formed Australia’s first Probus Club. Their idea was simple: retirement from work should not mean withdrawal from community. From that small beginning, Probus has grown to more than 1,300 clubs and some 90,000 members across Australia – built on friendship, fellowship and fun.
Here in Crookwell the club has been going since 2002 – more than twenty years of meetings, outings and good company. The monthly meetings, the guest speakers, the bus trips, the cups of tea and the conversations – those are the things that keep people connected. In a shire of small towns and villages, that kind of fellowship is not a luxury. It is part of what holds a community together.
Thank you to every member here today, and to those who could not join us. Thank you also to Council staff who have put this morning together. I note the apologies of Deputy Mayor Councillor Rob Cameron, Councillor Paul Culhane and Councillor Terry Yallouris.
Please enjoy the morning tea. I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can. And with Probus Month beginning on Thursday, this feels like the right way for the Upper Lachlan to mark the milestone.
Congratulations on 50 years of Probus in Australia. Thank you for everything you do for one another, and for this community.”