Author: OPC

Omagh Probus Clubs Outing, Tuesday 3rd June 2025
On Tuesday 3rd June 2025 the Ladies and Men’s Probus Clubs participated in a joint outing to Killymoon Castle and Lissan House, Cookstown. To save on the cost of coach hire, transport was provided by members in private cars. The first port of call was Killymoon Castle, which dates from the 17th century and the early days of the Plantation of Ulster. One notable period in its history occurred during the Second World War when it was used to billet American Troops. Today one wing is a private residence, the remainder having been lovingly restored to show off its former grandeur.

Having enjoyed delicious homemade scones served with tea and coffee on Royal Dolton China in the ball room the party moved on to Lissan House, another plantation settlement but with a very different history and ambience. Until recently it was the private residence of the Staples family the last of whom bequeathed it a local trust, the members of which maintain it on a voluntary basis. The house featured prominently in the recent BBC Series “Chronicles of the Sperrins”, and is reputedly haunted by family members of previous owners.

A full history of both properties can be found on Google

 

The speaker on Wednesday 21st May 2025 was Mr Roddy Hackett reflecting on the life and times of the late Stephen McKenna, teacher, councillor and columnist.  Roddy recalled that Stephen’s parents were both from Innisowen in Donegal and his father was a well-known footballer: they came to Omagh and lived initially in Castle Street.  Stephen was educated at the local CBS School and later at Queens University, Belfast. At QUB he overlapped with poet Seamus Heaney and with Phil Coulter founded the Glee Club. He even made an appearance on University Challenge. He was intensely interested in the local history of Omagh and became well known for his weekly Raymond Na Hatta column in the Ulster Herald. Stephen was an inveterate traveller taking many vacations in Europe and trips as far afield as Texas.

The speaker on Wednesday 14th May was club member Mr David Kyle-Ewing, who entitled his talk “My Travels and memories of a lifetime”. The fact that David’s focus was on his early life as an apprentice engineer in Nestle, Omagh and then his service as a marine engineer in the merchant navy took nothing away from a very interesting talk. David acknowledged his path in early life had been influenced by his elder brother Bert who had been in the merchant navy and travelled the world. He shared his sense of adventure and a desire to explore new horizons.

Supported by his mother David took the Board of Trade Exam for entry to the merchant navy and shortly afterwards was offered a position with the Headline Shipping Company based in Belfast. His first voyage was across the Atlantic to Canada and up the St Lawrence seaway into the Great Lakes. Later he joined Frank C Strick & Co Ltd, affectionately known as the “Chevron Line” due to distinctive red, white and blue chevrons on the funnels of its ships. With them David embarked on a trip that took him right round the world calling in South Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, Australia, San Francisco and back to the UK via the Panama Canal. It was on this 16-month voyage that he celebrated his 21st birthday and encountered a tsunami – a terrifying wall of water that engulfed his ship. It made him think that perhaps employ on dry land was a better option and shortly afterwards he left the sea to marry his childhood sweetheart and continue his thirst for travel, camping on the continent and touring Europe in his motor home.

The guest speaker on Wednesday 7th May was Miss Audrey Hodge talking about a recent visit to her niece in California. Having introduced her family to club members – husband, wife and six children – Audrey spoke in general terms about their lifestyle in Thousand Oaks, a city some 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles and 12 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. The children are home schooled – something not uncommon in their community; they follow an approved curriculum and progress is monitored. University education in California is eye-wateringly expensive, as are most things in California when compared to prices in the UK.

During her visit Audrey celebrated “Thanksgiving” with the family and was treated to some unlikely food dishes, one being sweet potato with marshmallow. A highlight of her stay in California was a visit to the Ronald Reagan Library which at the time was hosting an exhibition of Dead Sea Scrolls. These have fascinated Bible scholars since their discovery in 1947. Most of the Old Testament books are present in one form or another, albeit in fragments. One of the most intact scrolls contains a copy of the Ten Commandments. Audrey illustrated her travels with photographs and clearly has some very happy memories of her visit, but for all that she saw and experienced she would not like to live in California.

Don Heaton

The guest on Wednesday 30th April was Mr Don Heaton, a street entertainer originally from Canterbury now residing in Irvinestown. Don regularly brings his guitar and sound system to Omagh where he plays on the High Street.  It was on one such visit that club member Jim McBain, impressed by Don’s busking skills, invited him to perform for the Probus club at one of its weekly meetings.
Don readily accepted the invitation and put together a programme of golden oldies well remembered by those present. His playlist included songs by Johnny Cash, John Denver The Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan to name but a few.
Between renditions Dons talked about his early life in the Royal Navy aboard HMS Ark Royal where he first picked up a guitar. He did not try his hand at busking until he retired from the post office. His hometown of Canterbury proved to be a good place to start because the city is visited each year by large numbers of tourists generous in their support of street entertainers who are seriously good.
Family ties brought him to Northern Ireland where he now lives and performs in local towns, just for fun, and the joy it brings to those who stop to listen.

Photo below: Mrs Florence Caldwell with Club President, Felim O’Neill.
Wednesday 30th April was the last opportunity for the Club to show its appreciation to Florence for all the support and help she has given the Club during her 39 years employ in the Golf Club.   When there were problems with lighting and sound systems, heating and seating, tea, coffee and vending machines to mention only a few of the issues that cropped up from time to time, Florence was always on hand to sort it all out quickly, quietly and efficiently.  She will be much missed on any Wednesday morning when new batteries are needed in the microphones!  Members offered Florence warm good wishes for a well-earned retirement and presented her with a token of their appreciation. 

OMAGH PROBUS CLUB

On Tuesday 8th April 2025 the Club ended its Spring Programme with a visit to Omagh Methodist as guests of the church Bowling Club. Ten members accepted the invitation to try their hand at indoor bowls played on a green carpet. They were warmly welcomed by Club Captain, Desmond Preston, who briefly explained the rudiments of a game and its place in the life of the church and the wider community. Some members of the bowling club were on hand to assist those who had never ever played and encourage those who had played before but not for many years. No competition was involved beyond the efforts of each player to improve on his previous attempt to miss the stick, keep their bowl on the mat and avoid the ditch. Occasionally the jack was reached and “touchers” celebrated in the belief that skill rather than luck had steered the bowl.

After 90 minutes of fun and frustration club president, Felim O’Neill, warmly thanked the Methodist Bowling Club for their hospitality and patience in recovering stray bowls and relacing scattered sticks. Club members then repaired to Sally’s Restaurant for lunch where the conviviality continued. The club then embarked on a two-week Easter Break, prior to resuming on Wednesday 30th April.

Visit to Strathroy Dairies, 

On Wednesday 2nd April the Men’s and Ladies Probus Clubs joined forces for a visit to Strathroy Dairies in Omagh. Members were there at the invitation of Club member, Mr Eamon Cunningham whose family have owned and managed the business for three generations. On arrival visitors numbering some 30 persons, were divided into four groups each one being given a conducted tour by a senior member of the management team. The tour included the delivery of milk to the dairy from the farms, pasteurisation, bottling and dispatch. It appeared to those visiting that the only part of the process not mechanised is that of tasting and testing samples of milk from each tanker as it arrives in the yard, this crucial task being performed in the laboratory by two young women.

Elsewhere in the factory all were impressed by the speed at which plastic containers were formed, filled, sealed, labelled and made ready for dispatch. A comparatively recent development in Strathroy has been the production of dried milk which is bagged and shipped all over the world. At every stage in the process, be it in the production of semi-skimmed milk or double cream, attention to detail and hygiene was evident. All questions were willingly answered, and members of the tour party were impressed by every facet of the production. The tour ended in the company hospitality suite with refreshments and warm words of thanks to our hosts for their generosity and welcome.

 

Wednesday 26th March: Speaker, Mr Kenneth Allen

The guest speaker on Wednesday 26th March was Mr Kenneth Allen an enthusiastic amateur photographer. To appreciate the full range and variety of his work members were invited to visit his website https://www.geograph.co.uk  Kenneth is a “weather watcher” whose work features regularly on TV.  His photograph of a heron with a trout in its beak, taken at Lovers’ Retreat, was so remarkable that it that it was given half a page in a local newspaper.

For his presentation to Probus Kenneth chose photographs which were all beautifully composed, with contrasting patterns of light and shade setting off perfectly focused subjects. Most were taken locally and readily recognisable – street scenes in Omagh, shops with hand painted signs, details on gateposts and locally forged manhole covers were among things that caught his eye.

Outside the town Kenneth was rarely without his camera and an eye for the eye-catching.  The changing seasons were among his favourite subjects with frosty mornings providing perfect conditions for landscapes and close-ups. Photos from further afield included familiar places in county Donegal and a rare visit to Tory Island. It was evident after an hour that Kenneth had only scratched the surface of his extensive collection. He was warmly thanked by club member Jim McBain.

Also on Wednesday, 26th March two Probians were awarded Honorary Membership Certificates, in recognition of long service, namely Mr Jim Alderdice and Mr Pat McParland.

Ms Karen Gillis, Occupational Therapist. Falls prevention

Using a power point presentation Ms Gillis began by putting up some facts. Falls and fractures in people aged 65 and over account for over 4 million hospital day beds each year in England alone. The healthcare cost associated with fragility fractures is estimated at £2 billion a year. The consequences of falls are not just physical but carry with them emotional trauma, psychological problems and social consequences.

Karen then identified the numerous hazards which exist in all homes and provided general advice to avoid falling in the first place. Her next slides dealt with hazards lurking around the house – in the living room, kitchen, in the hallway and on the stairs, in bedrooms and in bathrooms. The risk of falling can be mitigated by the use of small aids which reduce the need to bend down, stoop or overreach.  Karen demonstrated safe procedures for sitting down and standing up and lay on the floor to show what to do when and if one has a fall. In the event that one is alone at home and cannot get up, pendant alarms can be lifesaving.

Fall prevention by carers means being alert for factors which can make falling more likely. Apart from age these include reduced mobility from lack of exercise, poor vision and impaired hearing, mental health issues, medication such as sleeping pills and health conditions such as Parkinsons. Frequent falling is often a symptom of underlying problems that need to be investigated by a GP. As part of her role as an Occupational Therapist, Ms Gillis does home visits to assess risks and put in place strategies that reduce the risk of falling. She emphasised to those present the importance of regular exercise and a diet rich in calcium such as milk and cheese to maintain strong bones.

After a lively question and answer session Ms Gillis distributed booklets published by the Western Health and Social Care trust in association with the Public Health Agency showing that falling is not an inevitable part of getting older.
She was warmly thanked for her talk by the President.

Wednesday 12th March 2025.  Speaker, Mr Felim O’Neill. Topic, St Patrick

The speaker on Wednesday 12th March was club president Mr Felim O’Neill with a talk on Saint Patrick – the facts, myths, legends and legacy. Our President is a historian with a gift for research and the ability to uncover gems of knowledge with which to surprise his audience. And so it was with his talk as Felim forensically examined such facts as are available about the Saint – where and when he was born; who were his parents; what sort of upbringing he might have had and his life as teenager before being kidnapped. Felim did a good job of separating fact from fiction about Patrick’s time in Ireland, his escape from slavery, his slow journey home, subsequent conversion and return to Ireland. From what can be gleaned from his confession and scant correspondence with Corotidus, Patrick’s life as a missionary was not easy.

Felim dealt dismissively with popular legends such as the banishing of snakes from Ireland and Patrick’s supposed ability to turn himself into a deer. None of this however diminishes the saint’s legacy.  Patrick is celebrated around the world and Patrick is globally a very common name for boys.