Page 12 - Friendships Through the Years

President, Keith McLennan. Included in the Balwyn group was Hugh McLennan, a
Balwyn foundation member and Keith's late brother.
Unlike Rotary’s and other sponsored Clubs (Rotoract and Interact) to which the
sponsoring Club has a continuing responsibility, a Probus Club requires no continuing
assistance or supervision. Having ensured that the foundation members are properly
qualified for membership of a Probus Club, and having satisfied itself that the first
officers and members of the new Club are fully aware of their duties and the Probus
concept, and that they have agreed to the conditions of accreditation, the Club is left to
continue without further assistance. The sponsor Club’s responsibility ended when it
presented the Certificate of Accreditation to the club and invested the foundation
President with his collar of office.
However, before this happened at the Lilydale Club, the first seeds were sown on
20th July 1982, when the Rotary Club of Lilydale Vocational Service report stated (inter
alia): ‘the possibility of setting up a Probus Club will be investigated and a report
submitted to the Board.’ The investigation went ahead and seven Vocational Service
reports showed an increasing interest. The first, on September 14th read: ‘Probus
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progressing’. The seventh report on April 12 1983 was crucial . ‘Probus information
received. Financial assistance sought. There are 25 prospective members; would like 50.
Interest meeting to be held in June 1983 at Uniting Church Hall, Lilydale. As we saw at
the beginning of the first page, Syd. Koehrer moved and Jim Thomson seconded the
necessary motion, it was passed, the Probus Club was ‘in the money’ and under way.
The inaugural Probus interest meeting was held on Thursday 2nd June 1983 at the
Uniting Church Hall, Lilydale. After all the necessary Rotary speeches and advices were
given, Stan Moser moved, and Bob Shellard seconded: ‘that the formation of the Probus
club of Lilydale go ahead.’ The 21 Foundation members present unanimously carried it,
and a short time after Stan Moser was elected Foundation President and Bob Shellard was
the Secretary.
An extraordinary Rotary Board meeting was held on Tuesday 7th June 1983. The
only business was a single resolution. It was moved by Derek Reeve-Cox and seconded
by Harley Clappison: ‘…that a further $125 be provided to the Probus Club to finalise the
establishment of the Club’. Carried.
It must be obvious at this point that a lot of work had been carried out by the
Rotary Vocational Service Committee to establish the Lilydale Club, However, it should
be said that the then Rotary President, Colin Dean, (who has written the foreword to this
history), Derek Reeve-Cox (who was the Convenor and the initial Chairman of the
inaugural meeting before handing over to Colin Dean), Stan Moser, (who signed the
letters to most of the prospective Probus members and became the Probus Club's
Foundation President) and the Rotary Secretary, the late Charlie Arnold, were very
prominent in ensuring that the Club went ahead.
In 1982, Colin Dean, as the incoming President of Rotary, had first suggested that
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enquiries be made regarding the possibility of forming a local Probus Club on 20 July.
Derek took nearly twelve months to form the Clubright at the end of Colin’s term as
President in June 1983.
It is also appropriate here to point out that Derek Reeve-Cox, Jim Thomson, Syd.
Koehrer and Harley Clappison were all “Second Year Directors” o f the Rotary Club
shortly after the Probus Club was formed. As mentioned on the first page of this opening