Page 10 - Friendships Through the Years

The second club was formed by the Rotary Club of Caterham in Surrey, also in
1966 and was the Probus Club of Caterham. The name change was derived from the pro
in profession and bus in business. There is also an association with the word probity
derived from the Latin word probus, meaning good, honest, upright and so on.
Incidentally the translation of the Latin adjective probrus is: disgraceful, ignominious,
infamous. So we always make certain that the word Probus is spelt correctly!
The Probus Club was initially for retired business and professional men (and later
women). Some year’s later membership was relaxed to include: “Others who have had
some measure of responsibility in any field of endeavour”.
It is appropriate here to include extracts from a letter in the Summer 1998 edition
of the quarterly Probus News. It is from an article headed ‘Probus Beginnings’ by Bob
White, Secretary of the Picton District Probus Club, N.S.W.

“Recently, we were visited by Hilda Pomfrett from Haberry Ladies Probus Club in Essex,
England. Hilda indicated that she knew the origins of Probus, with the formation of
Caterham Probus Club in 1966 being the first Probus Club anywhere in the world. Hilda
informed us that Probus grew from the needs of retired business and professional men
who felt unable to participate in the local life of their town. Welwyn City Rotary Club
arranged a meeting of retired men at about the same time as Harold Blanchard, Chairman
of Caterham Rotary Club Vocational Service Committee, called a meeting of all retired
business and professional men living locally. In February 1966, 42 prospective members
turned up. Hilda told us that apparently he (Harold) got under his wife's feet in the
kitchen, so his wife is reputed to have made a comment to the effect that she was grateful
when he attended his Rotary lunch once a week, and added, why couldn't he do
something for the wives of retired men who are not Rotarians? The inaugural luncheon of
the first Probus Club anywhere in the world, therefore, took place on 2nd March 1966,
and in May of that year, a committee was formed under the chairmanship of the late
Harold Blanchard, who is now accepted as the “Father Figure” of Probus. It was felt that
members had suffered too many rules and regulations during their working lives and, for
this reason, very simple Probus Clubs’ rules were adopted. Members were asked for
name suggestions for the Club. One member suggested that Probus was a Latin word
from which probity was derived, so the name was adopted. Incidentally there is a village
near Truro in Cornwall called Probus, named after St. Probus. The success of the Probus
Club of Caterham very soon became known among neighbouring Rotary clubs and the
whole concept simply snowballed with new clubs springing up everywhere. In Great
Britain, each Probus Club is autonomous with rules, decisions, times, places and
regularity of meetings.”

Both the Welwyn City Campus and the Caterham Probus Clubs were formed to meet the
need for mental stimulation for retired business and professional men and the
companionship of their peers. Those two related concepts have altered somewhat over
time, with Clubs now consisting of ladies only and combined Clubs, too.
The Probus Centre - South Pacific, which was established in 1981 by authority of
the Rotary District Governors at the time, controls Probus within Australasia. Now
incorporated under the New South Wales Associations Incorporation Act, the Centre is
conducted by a committee appointed by, and accountable to, the incumbent Rotary