District 9780 Conference

by Jocelyn Fuller, Stawell Gold Reef Ladies PC | 24 Oct 2013

Probus District 9780 held its annual conference in Stawell, Victoria on 13-14 October, attended by 210 people from 53 clubs from Geelong up to Wycheproof, and from Mt Gambier and Bordertown.

On Sunday, registration and afternoon tea were followed by bus tours to the historic wine village of Great Western, a beautiful native plant garden at nearby Pomonal and a tour around Stawell with a commentary on the town’s history and a visit to the RSL.

Dinner in the evening at Stawell Trackside Tabaret was a successful and happy occasion, with plenty of chatter and laughter as participants made new friendships and renewed old ones.

The Stawell Entertainment Centre was the venue for the main event on Monday. Northern Grampians Shire Mayor Councillor Wayne Rice opened the conference, followed by special guest Margaret Robinson, District 9780 Probus Chairman and Immediate Past Chairman of Probus South Pacific Limited.

Speakers were excellent, telling their stories with warmth and humour. Robert Irvine gave a history of the famous Stawell Gift, and Margaret Krelle from Rainbow spoke about of her life as a registered dog trapper in the Mallee country, work she does not because she loves it but because it needs to be done for the protection of farmers’ livestock. Her skill is such that she can use the same trap to catch a wild dog, a rabbit or a bird.

Christine Puls from Horsham gave an entertaining account of how she became a jockey and what her days involved. Three enterprising women told of fascinating career changes. Each started out in the health industry, but Shelley Green wound up producing eggs, Deirdre Baum runs her own olive grove and Josephina McDonald resurrected a tourist park.

The conference ended with two presentations. A printed tablecloth depicting all the Probus clubs who have hosted the event since 1989 was presented to the Mt Gambier Probus Clubs that will be hosting next year, and Margaret Robinson also made a presentation to the Probus Clubs of Stawell, thanking them for hosting the event this year.