Page 130 - Friendships Through the Years

award. Clive congratulated Russell Johnson and Geoff Page too on their Australia Day
awards for service to the Arts in the Yarra Valley. Jack and Aileen Coffey again showed
their catering expertise by providing a barbecue in the park behind the theatre after the
th
meeting on 9 January. President Clive and Secretary Rex Wyatt assisted with cooking
the snags and the fillet steak?
The Lilydale Croquet Club occupies the neighbouring area to where this barbecue
took place. Jack and several of the cooks demonstrated their fortitude when the automatic
watering system at the Croquet Club was turned on. Jack and the chefs decided to tough
it out and continued cooking even though wet through. It was glorious sunny day but the
water from the sprinklers fell like rain on a warm winter’s day.
It was agreed at the February meeting that subs would remain at $25. They were
th
increased from $20 at the meeting on 10 June 1993. At this meeting a lot of interest was
shown by the members and ladies in the talk by Kurt Albrecht from Kosminsky Galleries.
He spoke about antiques. The members had been asked to bring their “Antiques” to the
meeting, however, a lot were disappointed when it became apparent that although old,
most of the items displayed by then weren’t “Antique - just old”. Kurt was a very
interesting speaker.
William Bennett spoke at the October meeting on “Model Railways”. William
subsequently became a member of our Club. Esther Stump, a campanologist with her
theme “Ring ’dem Bells” was a very well received speaker. At the January meeting,
before the Coffey barbecue, Phil Herry gave us a piano recital. It was excellent. Bob
Chynoweth was the speaker at the February meeting. His subject was a “Voyage to the
Antarctic” illustrated with slides.
There was an outing in September 1996 to Fergusson’s Winery for a luncheon.
The cost $20 and 34 attended. The outing in February 1997 was to the Carlton and United
Brewery plant at Abbotsford. We inspected the plant and sampled the free beer. Our
coach then drove us to the Glenferrie Hotel Bistro (an old “stamping ground” of the
author many years previously).
st
The seventh annual coach trip to Victor Harbour from Monday 21 October to
th
Friday 25 was very successful. Christian’s Coachlines of Warrnambool took us and
Malcolm Bishop was the driver. There were 35 passengers, but only 12 Probus men. The
cost was $354 per head. The party stayed at the Apollon Motor Inn which was quite good
but noisy, with thin walls between the rooms. John Beattie, the Motel Proprietor,
accompanied the coach all day and gave an interesting running commentary. Over the
three days we visited Goolwa, a thorough tour of Victor Harbour, the Barossa Valley then
a tour of the Victor Harbour Peninsula. It was a long trip back to Melbourne on the final
day.
Over the years a number of the Club’s coach trips, both day and overnight would
not have taken place without the cooperation of persons outside the Club. Even though
the membership was around the 60 mark, the number required to fill a coach was
frequently not reached. Members of the Lilydale Garden Club often assisted also some
Legacy ladies and members from the Lilydale Bowling Club. One such person is Mrs.Val
Lechte, from the Lilydale Garden Club, who on numerous occasions has helped to make
up the numbers, and is still doing so. She was one of the people from outside the Club
who helped make up the numbers, when only 12 Probus members out of 35 passengers,
paid to go to Victor Harbour.