Month: December 2024

Christmas Lunch 2024
On Wednesday 4th December 2024 the Club held its annual Christmas Luncheon in the Golf Club for members and guests.   The principal guests were Mr Peter Waterson, President of Omagh Rotary Club and Mrs Anne McBain, President of Omagh and District Ladies Probus Club.   No less important were the widows of former members, wives of current members and ladies from the Ladies Club.  Guests were greeted on arrival by Club President, Felim O’Neill and offered a glass of Christmas cheer.  The function room was warm and welcoming with a Christmas Tree in the corner and festive decorations in the windows.  An extensive menu was available from the Golf Club Restaurant, each course thoroughly enjoyed by all present.  Entertainment after the meal was provided by singers and musicians from Omagh Academy who delighted with a programme of Christmas carols and songs from the shows. A lovely friendly atmosphere prevailed throughout and thanks were expressed to the Omagh Golf Club Captain, Mr John Wallace for the arrangements and Mrs Mary Hughes for an excellent meal.

 

OMAGH PROBUS CLUB, WEDNESDAY 27 November 2024

The speaker on Wednesday, 27^th November was Mr Harman Scott, who, by his own admission, was a poor substitute for his daughter, Naomi.  Members were very much looking forward to welcoming Naomi back to the club and hearing more of her experiences as an international businesswoman.   In an e-mail to the Club she expressed her regret that she was unable to make it due to unfinished business in Mozambique.  Her plans, she explained, had been disrupted by civil unrest in Mozambique following a contentious general election.

Naomi’s Father Harman Scott, manfully stepped into the breach with some reminiscences about his life as a university student in Belfast in the 1950’s and after graduation as civil engineer working for Road Services in Co Tyrone.  One of Harman’s interests has long been in family histories and along the way he touched on his own forebears in Donegal, Kerry and Fintona where he grew up. Could he number among his ancestors a notorious highway man called Jo Scott, who died in a fight in Donegal circa 1800?   He was unsure.

Haman’s enduring interest in cars and motor sport included anecdotes about attendance at Tourist Trophy races on the Dundrod circuit in the 1950’s when competitors included motor facing greats such as Juan Manual Fangio, driving a Ferrari, Sterling Moss in a Mercedes, and Mike Hawethorne behind the wheel of Jaguar.   Harman himself owned a series of sporty two-seaters and toured all over Europe in the days before children imposed the requirement for a family car.

Club members enjoyed Harman’s trip down memory lane and his reflections about some of the people he had met on the way –  some opinions best not recorded.