Author: OPC

STORY TELLER AT LADIES’ PROBUS

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Liz Weir and Club President, Zoe Reid

The members of Omagh & District Ladies’ Probus were honoured to have Liz Weir as their guest speaker at their October meeting on Thursday, 3rd October. Liz started off as Children’s Librarian in Belfast where she discovered the healing power of stories. She is now Storyteller in Residence for the city of Belfast. She is involved in a number of storytelling organisations including The Early Years Organisation, where she talks to children about racism, anti-bullying and respect for the elderly.

Liz works around the world and we were delighted that she took time out of her busy schedule, especially on National Poetry Day, to come to speak to us in Omagh. She entertained our members and also representatives from Dungannon Ladies’ Probus who were our guests on this occasion. |She spoke movingly about her work and the effect that it has had on children through more turbulent times in our history; and at the other extreme when she has been working with people with Alzheimers.

Lilian Collins expressed a vote of thanks to Liz on behalf of our members. Rae Gallagher, President of Dungannon, spoke to thank Omagh for their invitation to join them for the afternoon and to thank Liz for her witty and poignant tales.

Our group will have their AGM on November 7th. Our meetings are held at 2pm in Omagh Library and, if you are interested, please come along and join us.

Donna Harbison, Spec Savers

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Meeting of Wednesday 10 October 2019
Speaker, Ms Donna Harbison and the team from Spec Savers

[L – R] Glen, Donna, Emma and Cathy with Club Vice-President, Michael Cooney
On Wednesday 9th October, Omagh Men’s Probus Club welcomed a team of speakers from Spec Savers in Omagh. Introduced as Donna, Cathy, Emma and Glen they began their presentation by briefly describing the range of services available.  These included Eye-tests, Eye Health, Glasses – frames and lenses – Hearing Tests and Domiciliary visits.   Not all eye problems are sight- related and Spec Savers advise on and treat conditions such as Dry Eye, Sticky Eye, Streaming, Red Eye and “Floaters”. It was explained that the top four causes of sight loss are AMD [Age-related Macular Degeneration] Glaucoma, Retinopathy resulting from diabetes and Cataracts which cause cloudy or hazy vision. Having discussed the range of tests and treatments now offered by optometrists, Donna introduced Glen, an accredited audiologist, who tests hearing and advises on hearing aids. So many issues related to hearing and sight loss were raised that a lively question and answer session ensued. Leaflets were distributed to provide more information and encouragement offered to visit Spec Savers in Market Street for individual assessments of eye and hearing health. The team was thanked for a most interesting visit by Probus Vice-President, Michael Cooney

Mr Mickey Harte

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Meeting of Wednesday 2 October 2019: Speaker, Mr Mickey Harte

[L – R] President, Oliver Loughran, Mickey Harte, Vice-President, Michael Cooney
On Wednesday 2 October Omagh Probus resumed after the summer recesss, and following a welcome back President, Oliver Loughran, congratulated member Bob Lingwood on his 101st birthday. He then paid tribute to two members who had sadly passed away since the club had last met on 29th May, namely Mr Ron Burch and Mr Wilbour Knox. The guest speaker was Mr Mickey Harte, best known as manager of Tyrone GAA but someone whose outlook on life which stretches well beyond football pitch. In fact Mickey surprised some members by not mentioning Gaelic games once in a talk in which he shared his philosophy for life and the values he had acquired along the way. Beginning with his childhood in Ballygawley where he was the youngest of 10 children, Mickey described how the church was the centre of community life and family prayers were said at the close of each day. Mickey married Marian in 1978 and together they had four children – three boys and a girl. The loss of Michaela in 2011 was an tragedy which tested the family’s faith, strength and courage. Mr Harte spoke movingly about what motivates him and how he has used his convictions to motivate and inspire others. Throughout his talk Mickey’s sense of humour surfaced time and again in stories, anecdotes and one-liners that captured the wit and wisdom of a man who commands respect and admiration across the community, the county and the island of Ireland.

Outing to Whitehead Railway Museum

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Group photos of Probus Clubs members who visited the museum

On Thursday 6th June, members of Omagh Ladies Probus Club accompanied by some members of the Men’s Club travelled to RPSI Museum at Whitehead.  Following a light lunch, members were treated to a most informative and interesting visit to the Railway Museum exhibits. One of the highlights of the visit was to see the restoration work on old railway stock which takes place only at the site in Whitehead.

The outing culminated in a most enjoyable meal in the Royal Hotel Cookstown where the organisers were thanked for their planning of the day. The Ladies’ Club resumes meetings on the first Thursday of September with an open meeting when the guest speaker will be the eminent historian, Dr Eamon Phoenix.

Mrs Libby Armstrong

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Meeting of Wednesday 29th May 2019
Speaker: Mrs Libby Armstrong Topic: Waterways Ireland

[L – R]  Jim McBain, Libby Armstrong, Oliver Loughran, Probus President
“Waterways Ireland” is a North/South Body established under the British-Irish Agreement Act 1999. Based in Enniskillen it has imposing Headquarters on the shores of Lough Erne.   Its remit is the management, maintenance, development and restoration of the inland navigable waterway systems throughout Ireland.   15% of its annual budget of €25m comes for Stormont and 85% from Dublin, the division reflecting the distribution of waterways in each jurisdiction.   There are 7 major navigation systems in Ireland – Barrow River, Erne System, Grand Canal from Dublin to Limerick, Royal Canal from Dublin to the Shannon, the Shannon itself and the Shannon-Erne Waterway. In total Waterways Ireland manages 1000 km of navigable waterway, 429 km of towpath, 175 locks, 1200 heritage structures and 13,900 m of moorings. Developed in the 18th century for the transport of goods, the waterways are now used mainly for recreational purposes, something which generates millions of Euro for the tourist industry.  The Cruise Hire Sector is worth some €65m per annum while events such as the European Wakeboard Championships on the Lower Bann added another €7.9m to the local economy.   Angling, walking, cycling, canoeing, camping and glamping add to the attractions as do visits to the many historic places of interest along the way.    Libby was thanked for a most interesting and informative talk by Probus President, Oliver Loughran.

Mrs Margaret Mitchell

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Meeting of Wednesday 22 May 2019
Speaker: Mrs Margaret Mitchell. Topic: “My Galapagos Trip”

[L – R] Carol Simpson, Margaret Mitchell, Oliver Loughran, Probus President.
Margaret’s trip to the Galapagos Islands required four flights – Belfast to London – London to Madrid – Madrid to Quito and Quito to the Galapagos. In Quito, capital of Ecuador, she was joined by her daughter Suzanne, son-in-law, Dom and seven-year-old, Imogen.   Together they spent some days sight-seeing in Quito before flying on to Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands. There they boarded a luxury yacht for a memorable cruise around the archipelago.  Although they form a cluster in the Pacific Ocean the islands differ significantly one from the other in terms of geography and wildlife; some are covered in lush tropical vegetation while others are barren.   This has given rise over millennia to the unique array of plants and animals, birds and marine life, which in 1835 inspired Charles Darwin to develop a theory about “The Origin of Species”.   Since the wildlife has evolved in isolation animals and birds show little fear in the presence of people and Margaret had many wonderful close-up photos of sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, albatross and penguins – to name but a few. Snorkelling with green turtles and close encounters with giant tortoises which can grow to 1.8 m and weight 400 kg were among the highlights of this extraordinary trip of a lifetime. She was warmly thanked for her talk by Probus Vice-President, Michael Cooney

Mr Michael Stinson

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[L – R] Vice-President, Michael Cooney, Michael Stinson, Probus President., Oliver Loughran.
Meeting of Wednesday 15 May 2019
Speaker: Mr Michael Stinson, Ulster Wildlife Trust. Topic: Red Squirrels

Michael began by explaining that he was nearing the end of a three-year project, sponsored by the Ulster Wildlife Trust, into the Northern Ireland’s red squirrel population.   Using camera traps four strongholds for red squirrels had been identified in the Province – The Northwest around Limavady, The Glens of Antrim, The Mourne Mountains and Fermanagh and West Tyrone.   Grey squirrels were introduced to Ireland in 1911 when six pairs were presented to a newly married couple in Co Longford as a wedding present.   Released into a walled garden they soon escaped, multiplied and are now common in the central and eastern counties of Ireland but less so in the west where forest habitats are replaced by bogland.   The impact of the” greys” on the “reds” has been a dramatic decline in the native species due to the greys more aggressive foraging behaviour and the fact that they carry a disease – squirrel pox – to which the reds have no immunity.   However in certain parts of Ulster the tide is turning.   Pine Martens, hunted to near extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries are now protected and making comeback.   Surveys have shown that as the population of Pine Martens grows the population of grey squirrels declines.   This in turn helps the reds which can co-exist with Pine Martens.   Michael was thanked for an informative and engaging talk by Probian Hugh Ward.

Red Cross First Aid

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[L – R] Probus President, Oliver Loughran, Rebecca Donnelly, Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Michael Cooney [Probus Vice-President] and Gary Nugent
Geraldine demonstrating CPR

The talk opened with a challenge.   Could you provide First Aid in an emergency?   All present hesitated because they admitted they would be unsure what to do and fretted that they might do more harm than good and end up being sued.   Mrs Fitzpatrick assured her audience that everyone can do something and in the space of 50 minutes proved her point with a convincing demonstration in which she was supported by her two Red Cross colleagues, Rebecca Donnelly and Gary Nugent.   The first response to an emergency is to shout for help or dial 999.   If the patient is bleeding an article of clothing can be used to apply pressure to the wound.   The acronym F.A.S.T. is a good guide when called upon to help someone who has had a stroke – Face, Arms, Speech and Time – the most important thing being to get the person into hospital in the shortest TIME possible.   If someone has had a heart attack and stopped breathing it is essential to begin CPR right away. Geraldine demonstrated the correct technique on a mannequin before showing an attentive audience how to use a defibrillator.   Having taken many questions along the way she and her team were warmly thanked for an excellent talk by Probian Eamon Cunningham.

May meeting focus on “Wit & Wisdom”

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Speaker, Audrey Hodge with President Zoe Reid

Our speaker for our May meeting was Audrey Hodge.  Audrey spoke on the topic of “Wit and Wisdom”.   She opened her entertaining talk with the quote that “inside every older person is a young person wondering what happened”   – a sentiment we all agreed with!  We agreed that as long as we were fit and healthy (and able to use our bus passes), all was well.

 

Audrey recommended a few things to help us to stay well, including minimizing multi-tasking, exercising regularly, learning something new and taking the time to embrace boredom and look around you.  Amid laughter, she concluded by saying “Time is a great healer, but a poor beautician”

 

Zoe Reid spoke for us all when she thanked Audrey for her most enjoyable talk.

 

There will be no formal meeting in June as the club members are going on a trip to Whitehead.  Our next formal meeting will be held in Omagh Library on the first Thursday in September (5th).  On that occasion our guest speaker will be Dr Eamon Phoenix, political historian and broadcaster and former head of life-long learning at Stranmillis University College, Belfast.  This is an open meeting and we will be pleased to welcome anyone who is interested to that meeting.  Further details will be published before that meeting.

 

 

Ms Geraldine Keys

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[L – R] Albert Allen, Geraldine Keys, Oliver Loughran, Gerry Knight.
Meeting of Wednesday 24 April 2019: Speaker: Geraldine Keys from “Action on Hearing Loss”
Formerly known as the RNID “Action on Hearing Loss” is a charity which helps those with impaired hearing to access all amenities and services.   In Northern Ireland one person in six is affected; over 20,000 are profoundly deaf and the statistics are rising because people are living longer.   The Charity works with the Health Service by providing a Hearing Aid Users Support Service, which advises people on how to use, wear and maintain hearing aids.   An important part of the work is supporting people with Tinnitus, a condition for which there is no cure but ways of coping that make life easier.   Ms Keys regretted that too many persons wait too long before seeking help with hearing loss, one plausible reason being that hearing aids are not fashion accessories like glasses.   In a wide-ranging talk she explained that the main causes of hearing loss were age, illness, drugs, head injury, and regular exposure to loud noise: 50% of childhood deafness is inherited.   The effects of hearing loss on the individual are considerable and include depression, social isolation, frustration, anger, loss of confidence and difficulties communicating.  Her talk ended with a check list of symptoms which indicate impaired hearing and some useful tips on how those blessed with good hearing can communicate more sympathetically with those who struggle to hear what is going on in the world around them. Her talk generated many questions and a sincere vote of thanks from Probian Kenneth Collins.