New Year 2025 – Club Members at A.G.M 15th January 2025
[Seated L-R] Alistair Orr, Jim Graham Felim O’Neill, Michael Cooney. [Standing L-R] Hugh Ward, Eamon Cunningham, Brian Duncan, Kenneth Collins, Oliver Loughlin and John McCandless.Omagh Men’s Probus Club was scheduled to resume on Wednesday 8th January with a new year message from Mr Gareth Hayden, Lay pastor on the Omagh and Fintona Methodist Circuit. Regrettably the meeting was cancelled due to snow and ice. However, things got going again on Wednesday 15th January when the club held its Annual General Meeting in the Golf Club at 10:30 am. Mr Felim O’Neill was re-elected as President with the post of Vice-President going to Mr Victor Russell. Mr Jim Graham was elected treasurer in absentia, a nomination which he graciously accepted after the event. The remaining members of the committee are unchanged from 2024, namely Mr Alistair Orr, Secretary, and Mr Jim McBain, PRO and Archivist.
Club President, Felim O’Neill [Left] with Mr John NewsThe first guest speaker of 2025 on Wednesday 22nd January was Mr John News, Environment and Place Officer, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. His chosen theme was “Waste Management and Recycling”, a topic on which he was well versed and which he addressed with insight and enthusiasm. Having done his best to avoid TLA’s [‘ three letter acronyms] he promptly began speaking about EPR’s [Extended Producer Responsibility]. Most of what we call “rubbish” is in fact packaging of one form or another- bottles, cans, carry-outs and wrappers of all types. Issues around waste could be reduced considerably, if producers used less material to package goods.
Mr News demonstrated how waste management has moved on from the days when metal dustbins were collected and dumped in landfill. Nowadays the focus is on “recycle” and “reuse” with a concentrated effort being made to raise the current rate of recycling rate above 50%. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council serves 47,000 households and annually collects over 100 million bins. Its annual budget exceeds £40 million which covers not only the cost of keeping 200 bin lorries on the road, but street cleaning and keeping public places free of litter. Recycling centres such as Gortrush, play a large part in the council’s commitment to better manage how our environment is kept clean, tidy and safe for residents of the district.
Mr News was warmly thanked for a most informative and engaging talk by club member Mr Jim McBain.
