History

In 2008 The Rotary Club of Brisbane Planetarium (Rotary Paddington) gave birth to twins, that is, twin Probus clubs. Following a call for interest in a new club, 120 people applied and consequently 2 clubs were formed,  the Probus Clubs of Taringa and Chapel Hill.   The Rotary Club announced the birth in its newsletter: “On 18 March 2008 these healthy and lusty infants were born by induction, under the watchful eye of Rotary President Dr. Peter Doyle (a retired GP)”.

The Probus Club of Taringa began with 51 foundation members, men and women, with an average age of 69 years. By the end of the first year, the membership was 74.

                                   Christmas Party 2017 - Ten Presidents singing for their supper                                                       

Membership

Numbers grew steadily. Initially, the membership cap was 100 but it is now 110.  Attendance at meetings is now usually 70-90 and we are fortunate to have a venue that can easily hold the numbers and has plenty of parking spaces.  The venue at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens in Brisbane was the Lakeside Cafe when we started and we later moved to the more spacious Auditorium.

The Club aims for the number of either gender not to fall below 30% of the total membership.

Management Comittee

Over the 13 years since our inception, more than 50 members have served on our Management Committees, some for three years or more.  Foundation President was Judy Magub, followed by Joy Allen, Frank Finn, Meg White, Frank Morgan, Jill Hutson, Brian Vandersee, Valerie Garside, John Forrest, Kep Coughlan, Esron Nave, Rob Erskine-Smith, Robin Bruce and currently Jenny Carter (2021/22). 

For a complete list of all Past Office Bearers of the Taringa Probus Club refer to the spreadsheet at the bottom of this page.

        

Foundation Executive Judy Magub (President), Peter Doyle, Cr Jane Prentice and Cr Peter Matic 

Special Interest Groups

Our Special Interest Groups, begun after a survey of members' interests and hobbies, encourage members to pursue their special interests in smaller groups, to gain knowledge and to further develop friendships. Groups are formed or go into abeyance as interests of members change over time. The Walking Group meets each month on a Sunday afternoon to walk about 5km in the bush or at the seaside or in the city. On one occasion our members enjoyed a weekend at the Bunya Mountains for 2 days of walking. 

The Digital Photography Group has expanded to include several other clubs and conducts a Photography Competition each year. Themes for this have included ‘Children’, ‘Red’, ‘Water’ and ‘Old & New’.

Interest Groups for Movies, Theatre, Bridge, Mahjong, Croquet and Book Club have been popular. A History Group, not currently active, has looked at the history of people and places in Brisbane and conducted history walks.  The Armchair Traveller Group has a presenter talk each month about travel destinations they have visited. The Foodies Group meets for lunch at a different restaurant each month. A Book Club was formed and a lending library established.

Some activities have become regular annual events. These include attending the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament each January, playing barefoot bowls, and attendance at the Probus Information Days, PAQ Fellowship Days, and Ecumenical Services. Each year we visit our sponsoring Rotary club, the Rotary Club of Brisbane Planetarium, along with their 3 other Probus clubs (two sets of twins!).

Other Events

We hold a wonderful Christmas Party each year, full of fun, entertainment, laughter, decorated tables and the spirit of Christmas.  A course in CPR was completed by members in 2012.  Some members sing in the Probus Choir. One member, David Allen, has served on the Probus South Pacific Board.

The Probus Club of Taringa is now 13 years old and we celebrated our tenth anniversary in 2018.  We have remained a strong and vibrant club, offering our members a great range of activities to choose from.  The full membership and waiting list of people wanting to join our club demonstrate the success we have achieved. This has been the result of many members willingly and happily contributing their time and talent to ensure that we all enjoy the fellowship, fun and friendship that Probus offers.

                                

                                                      Ten Presidents entertaining us at our tenth anniversary   

Position	Judy Magub	Meg White	Joy Allen	David Allen	Frank Morgan	Valerie Garside	Jill Hutson	Brian Vandersee	Frank Finn	Donna Meldrum	John Higgins	Howard Briggs	Faye Briggs	Alan Weeks	Linda Girle	Esron Nave	Ruth Forrest	Brendan Howes	Libby Howes	John Forrest	Bernadette O'Neill	Kerry Yates	Kep Coughlan	Janette Bruce	Robin Bruce	Rob Erskine-Smith	Heather Hunter	Lyn Munro	Ann Fitzwilliam	Lesley Yates	Jenny Carter	Clive Bell	Leigh Ashman	Marg McLeod	Judy Bell	Terry Coman	Caroline Graham	Brian Grace	Robert Savage	Danni Detmar	Greg Beaver	Julie Lang	Nicole Atkinson	Harold Mason	Mal Hunter	Lynette Vandersee
President	1	1	1		1	1	1	1	1							1				1			1		1	1																					13
Vice President		1			1	1	1	1			1					1		1			1				1	1					1								1								13
Past President	1	1	1		1	1	1	1	1							1				1			1			1																					12
Secretary		2									2							3				4											1								1						13
Treasurer	3								2										3					2			3																				13
Newsletter Editor											5																							3													8
Probus Liaison & Publicity	1										1														1																						3
Membership								1*									3																													1*	3
Hospitality																																			2												2
Guest Speakers								2																	3							3				2											10
Tours & Outings	1		3		2		3							1																		3*													3*		10
Welfare																															3						2										5
Committee member												1		3						2																						1					7
																																															0
																																															0
Honorary Auditor									5																													4									9
Club Historians				2													5																														7
																																															0
																																															0
Walks												5												1																							6
Digital photography	4																													6																	10
Library														2																																	2
Movies																		10																													10
Bridge													5																																		5
Foodies										8																			2										2								12
Theatre		11																																													11
Garden Group	5																																														5
Armchair Travellers				4												8																											1				13
History Group (shared)	3						3																																								6
Mah Jong															2													5																			7
Book Club						6																																									6
Croquet															3																	1*			1*					1							4
Centenary Players Group															4																													1			5
TOTAL	19	16	5	6	5	9	9	5	9	8	9	6	5	6	9	11	8	14	3	4	1	4	2	3	6	3	3	5	2	6	4	3	1	3	2	2	2	4	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	0