House Swap

26 Oct 2017

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to attend a Probus meeting on the other side of the world?

Earlier this year, Alison and Robert Brooks, from the Sanctuary Cove Probus Club, organised to swap homes with a family in northern Wales.

While there, they decided to visit the local Probus clubs. “We thought it would be nice to meet some Probians from other parts of the world,” says Alison.

A guest appearance

While Alison and Robert were in Wales they managed to visit the Probus Clubs of Rhyl and Llandudno – both of which, Robert notes, were very diffi cult to pronounce. “I think they gave a monkey a typewriter and asked it to spell the various Welsh words,” he jokes.

The couple was asked to be guest speakers at the clubs’ meetings. “We talked about ‘Straya’,” Alison laughs. “At the first one we did, one man gave me the ultimate compliment; he didn’t fall asleep. But at the second one we did, someone in the front row fell asleep.” According to Robert, the Welsh meeting structure creates the perfect environment for a snooze.

“You meet and have a drink in the bar, then have a sit down lunch, roasts and things like that, followed by coffee, and a short meeting, and then the guest speaker. So you’d expect most people to be asleep by the end,” he says.

Culture shock

Although there were plenty of similarities between the Welsh Probus clubs and Robert and Alison’s home club of Sanctuary Cove, there were also a couple of differences that stood out to them. “Robert had to wear a jacket and tie,” says Alison. “Jeans are looked on as working clothes, so I had to wear clothes that I would consider relatively formal by Australian standards.”

And while many of the club activities were comparable, such as going out for dinner or to see a movie, the Welsh clubs also held some very unusual events. “One was in a castle and they had a magician perform. On top of that, in an upcoming meeting they’re having a medieval banquet where they’re all going to go dressed up in medieval clothes. We don’t see that on the Gold Coast,” Alison says.

Trip Highlights

Apart from visiting Probians in another country, Robert and Alison also travelled around Britain and celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in Clontarf Castle in Dublin. The couple also visited a number of other hotspots. They managed to see the Beatles Museum in London, tour the Royal Yacht Britannia and explore a whisky factory.

“We went to so many places,” says Robert. “We saw lots of scenic places. The Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, Hadrian’s Wall, Rosslyn Chapel and lots of castles around Northern Wales.” They also managed to relive the lyrics of an old 1960s classic. “We took a ferry across the Mersey. It’s an old song by a Liverpool group called Gerry and the Pacemakers. One of the old songs was Ferry across the Mersey, so of course we had do that,” says Robert.

Home time

Alison and Robert, who moved to the Gold Coast from Sydney four years ago, are back home now, relaxing and enjoying the coastal lifestyle. “Up here if we go out on a Saturday night to a show or a concert, Robert puts the car into cruise control because there’s so little traffi c,” says Alison.

Despite the fact they knew almost no one upon moving up, once they joined Sanctuary Cove Probus Club, the pair began to fi t right in. “We made friends instantly through Probus,” says Alison. “So many people are in the same position as us; they’ve moved from another place.

The next adventure

Although they’ve been invited to speak about their trip at their club’s August meeting, Alison and Robert are not sure they’ll be available to make it. “We’ve been invited to go to Belgium and meet with some friends on a riverboat in August,” says Robert.

And if that falls through, Robert might be braving the waves of the open ocean instead. “If this invitation to go to Belgium is a bit up in the air, I’ve also got someone asking me to help crew on their yacht for the Sydney to Hobart.”