Author: OPC

Wednesday 29 March 2017: IMTAC [Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee]

On Wednesday 29 March 2017 the club met as usual in the Golf Glub at 10.30 am.   Having dealt with regular business the meeting closed at 11.00 am to allow members to move on to the Silverbirch Hotel  to participate in an IMTAC Conference starting at 11.30 am.   The event brought together a wide range of persons from the Western Area to discuss mobility and transport issues.  Those present were representative of a broad spectrum of persons for whom using public transport is a challenge.   The conference embraced not just older people, [well represented by Probus], but younger persons confined to wheel chairs, those who used walking aids, those with vision impairment and significant hearing loss as well as those who had difficulty communicating.   All present had issues with using busses, taxis and trains and generally getting about independently.  Following words of welcome and an introduction from IMTAC Chairperson, Max O’Brien, the conference divided into groups to discuss a number of key questions including:

• Do services including public and community transport and taxis meet your requirements?
• Are pavements and crossings accessible?
• Do you use a car?  Do you have issues with parking and the Blue Badge?
• Are you happy with the service and levels of assistance provided?   What improvements would you like to see?

Some 15 members of the club attended the conference and all found it informative, raising their awareness of issues around public transport that they had not previously considered.

 

Wednesday 22 March 2017: Patrick Bogues: My sister, Louise

Many of those present at the meeting knew Patrick’s sister, Louise.     Until recently she was a familiar figure around Omagh, but who now resides in Slieve-Na-Mon care home,  It was Louise’s learning disability which drew Patrick to organisations committed to the implementation of the United Nations declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons, being that  Disabled persons have the right to economic and social security and to a decent level of living.  From 1995 to 2005 Patrick was Chairman of the “Community Active Partnership”  which raised just under £2 million for disabled persons in the Sperrin and Lakeland Trust Area and maintained workshops in Lisnaskea and Strathroy. This provided Louise and many others with a place in the community through employment, training and recreational activities such as bowls and Irish Dancing.  From 2000 – 2006 Patrick was a Board Director of USEL [Ulster Supported Employment Ltd] which had under its wing  the “Workshop for the Blind” in Belfast and a number of other similar schemes.  Today, working out of impressive facilities in Cambrai Street Belfast, USEL workers produce a range of marketable products chief among which are “Slumberin” mattresses and a bespoke range of kit and carry bags.  As Chairman of USEL from 2006 to 2012 Patrick was pleased to have the opportunity to speak about an organisation which makes a huge but often unseen contribution to the lives of disabled people in our Province.  USEL has a local office in Anderson House, Omagh and provides supported employment in the Omagh Enterprise Centre.

Wednesday 15 March 2017: Rachel Ludlow-Williams: Sustainable Transport

Rachel was accompanied by Imelda Mc Carron, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council Recreation Officer and by Sustrans volunteers Liam Mc Grath, Paddy Largy and Lisa Stewart. She explained that she was the volunteer Co-ordinator for Sustrans and was responsible for some 4,000 volunteers, within 220 groups and with 40.000 supporters.

She is also involved in the National Cycling Network with 191 of 1180 schools in Northern Ireland involved. Other initiatives include Belfast Bike Life that involved 7 million journeys in 2015 on 19 kilometres of cycle path. Most of this cycle pathway is constructed on former railway land, canals and parkland.

Much interest was generated in the Probus members present with many questions being asked including the practice of some groups of cycling four abreast and the construction of cycle pathways along the new roads e.g. A5. Rachel emphasised that Sustrans were looking forward to working with the local Council and people of Omagh district to help improve existing and support proposed new local networks for cyclists and walkers. They are also looking for more volunteers in the area and she can be contacted by telephone  at 02890434569 or by e-mail at Rachel.ludlow-williams@sustrans.org.uk

Rachel and her friends were thanked by Club President John Mc Candless for a very interesting talk

 

 

Wednesday 8 March 2017; Business Meeting: Probus Rally Omagh 2017

President, John McCandless, opened the meeting by referring to the death of Drew Clements and invited Harman Scott to lead the tribute to a long standing and faithful member of the club.  Harman recalled their work together as civil engineers in County Hall from 1961 until retirement and spoke movingly of the times they had shared along the way.  Others contributed with their own reminiscences, which, while often humorous, were tinged with sadness that a good friend and colleague had been take from them.

Following the usual business of roll call, minutes, correspondence, club finance and welfare report, the President introduced a discussion on arrangements for the Annual Inter-Club Quiz scheduled for Wednesday 5 April.   It was hoped that this would be as well supported in 2017 as it had been in previous years.  The main business of the meeting was to receive a progress report on the All-Ireland Probus Rally being hosted by the Probus Clubs of Omagh in the Silverbirch Hotel on Wednesday, 17^th and Thursday, 18^th May 2017.  This was presented by Kenneth Collins, Chairman of the Rally Steering Committee, supported by committee members Jim McBain, Desmond Smart, Albert Allen and Ron Burch.  After discussion members were happy that everything was on course for a successful event.

 

Wednesday 1 March 2017: Kevin Harper: Cancer Research UK

Around 9.000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Northern Ireland every year. Although survival rates are improving the disease still claims the lives of around 4,100 people annually.  Cancer Research UK works closely with Queens’s University in Belfast, the N I Health Trusts and Pharmaceutical Companies.  The charity has a focus group in Omagh and also a second hand shop and contributes significantly to cancer research in Northern Ireland.  81% of income is spent on research and 19% on administration. Kevin discussed current areas of research by using plastic eggs to demonstrate DNA building blocks, two types of drinks to demonstrate unreliable perceptions and paper strips to identify “super tasters”. This novel approach served to hold the attention of his audience. He also talked about a promising new approach to diagnosis called Stampede based on work on hormones. He was thanked for his extremely interesting talk by member Alastair Orr.

Wednesday 15th February 2017: A Costly Subject

On Wednesday 5 October 2016 the guest speaker was Mr Jo Keys, a PSNI Officer, whose topic was “Cybercrime and Scams”.  On that day it had been his intention to show a video on the subject but was so overwhelmed with questions following his talk that there was no time for the video.   However he left the DVD with the club to be viewed at a later date.    Entitled “A Costly Subject” the film about Scams and Elder Financial abuse, nicely filled a gap in the February programme.   In the film actors from a drama group in Derry present different scenes in which an elderly person is defrauded by tricksters.  The “Silver Life Insurance Scam” depicts a pensioner taking a cold call about a marvellous investment opportunity and all she has to do is give the caller details of her bank account.   In the scenario entitled “The Credit Card Scam” another lady is conned into believing that she is speaking on the phone to the police about irregular use of her credit card, but to investigate further they need details of her bank account.  In the third a lady is told that she has won a large sum of money and it will be lodged in her bank account as soon as she provides the necessary information.  The video prompted stories of how many members had been targeted and served to reinforce the dangers of imparting bank details over the phone.

Wednesday 8 February 2017:  Marie McClenaghan: “AWARE”

Mrs McClenaghan was welcomed by Paul Gallagher who had invited her along to receive a donation from the club for “Aware“.   It is a custom in the Club that the proceeds of the raffle held at the Christmas Luncheon is donated to a local charity of the President’s choosing.   The raffle raised £315.00 and Paul who was President in 2016 chose “Aware” which supports individuals and families struggling to cope with mental health issues.   The Omagh “Aware” group is one of 23 support groups in Northern Ireland, each requiring some £7,000 per year to stay active in the community.  The money for the Omagh group is raised locally and used to fund weekly meetings which are open to all.    The issue affecting most of those who attend is depression.   Suicide has a traumatic impact on families as they struggle to come to terms with the loss of a loved one.    One of the goals of “Aware” is the removal of the stigma which for too long has cloaked issues of mental health.   Open meetings provide a safe place in which individuals and families can talk openly about their concerns.  In the discussion which followed members of the Probus Club shared their own experience of supporting those close to them through difficult times.    The session, while serious and sombre, had its lighter moments, laughter always being the best medicine.

Wednesday 1 February 2017: Emma Sloan: NI Blood Transfusion Service

Emma’s talk to Probus was full of interesting facts about blood donation in Northern Ireland, one of which is that Omagh has more blood donors than any other town in the Province.  In the immediate aftermath of the Omagh Bomb hundreds of local people contacted the NI Blood Transfusion Service to offer blood.    Since then blood donation sessions in Omagh have been particularly well supported as have sessions in nearby towns and villages, including Fintona, Dromore, Plumbridge and Greencastle.    Throughout the Province only 6% of the eligible population gives blood and some 8000 new donors are needed each year to maintain stocks.  Last year 26.000 people in Northern Ireland needed a blood transfusion, requiring a steady supply 1500 units per week.   In her capacity as Marketing Manager for the Service Emma was keen to dispel any anxieties people might have about giving blood.  New donors are carefully screened to make sure they are fit to give blood and thereafter monitored session by session.  A number of those in her audience had given blood for many years and testified to how easy it was and how important  it was.   Among other facts to emerge from her talk were that most of the blood donors in the Omagh area fall into the 17 – 25 age group and that 44% of the population of Northern Ireland are in the blood group “O” positive, a trait apparently inherited from Viking ancestors.

 

Wednesday 25th January 2017:  Business Meeting

With the All-Ireland Rally in the offing and a number of matters arising from the A.G.M. held 11.01.17, the morning was devoted to Club Business.  Members were welcomed by President, John McCandless who asked that the best wishes of the club be conveyed to Probians not able to be with us.    He had encouraging words for those taking up office for 2017 and who were new to their posts in the Club.  Following the roll call, the minutes of the previous meeting were read and adopted.    Since here were no matters arising the President reported on a meeting of the Club Committee held on Monday 23.01.17 to address some issues which had arisen at the A.G.M;  he was pleased to record that all had been readily resolved.   The next business was that of receiving a progress report from the Steering Committee set up to organise the 2017 All-Ireland Probus Rally to be held in the Silverbirch Hotel in Omagh 17th – 18th May, hosted by the Probus Clubs of Omagh.   Kenneth Collins, Chairman of the Steering Committee, reported on how preparations were being taken forward by a number of sub-committees and Jim McBain, in his capacity as Secretary of the Steering Committee provided an account of arrangements already in place and work to be done over the next four months.   However, planning for the Rally was on course, on time and within budget and the prospects for a successful event were excellent.

 

Probus Meeting of Wednesday. 18 January 2017.

Following their regular Wednesday meeting in Omagh Golf at which the speaker was Deborah Maxwell, manager of Omagh Leisure Centre, members moved on the “The Grange” for a reception hosted by Mrs Mary Garrity, Chairperson of  Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

At the regular meeting Deborah Maxwell was introduced by President John McCandless who outlined her career from her days as a pupil in Omagh Academy, through the University of Ulster at Jordanstown, employment in Canada before a spell in charge of visitors to Lough Derg. In 2014 she was appointed Manager of Omagh Leisure Centre with the challenge to maximise the benefit of the new £7.5 m extension.   In a compelling talk Deborah spoke of the benefits of regular exercise and the myths which are often used to avoid exercise, for example, afraid of doing oneself an injury or claiming to be past it.   She quoted several instances of people enjoying and benefiting from regular exercise well into retirement, with many taking up Leisure Centre activities in retirement.   Using photographs she illustrated the  wide range of activities on offer and the various membership schemes available.  Today Omagh Leisure Centre is one of the finest in Northern Ireland, regularly hosting events that draw in visitors and competitors from all over the Province.    She was thanked for her talk and congratulated on providing an excellent service to the community by Probian, Jim McBain, himself a regular user of the facilities provided by the Leisure Centre.

At the close of the meeting members made their way to the Grange, where Mrs Mary Garrity hosted a reception in celebration of the Club’s 40th Anniversary.  With members of Omagh and District Ladies Probus Club also present Mrs Garrity praised both clubs for providing a focus for retired members of the Professional and Business Community, noting that the Ladies Club would be 25 years in existence in 2017.  [The word PROBUS comes from the PRO of Professional and the BUS of Business].  With 135 Probus Clubs in Ireland and thousands worldwide it was, she said, a truly global organisation with the capacity to enrich the lives of many people in many countries.    To mark the occasion she unveiled a banner to celebrate the founding of the Omagh Club in 1977 and shared her pleasure that the the Probus Clubs of Omagh had come together to host the 2017 All-Ireland Probus Rally.  She welcomed the fact that some 350 delegates from all over Ireland would be coming to Omagh in May 2017, seeing it as opportunity to showcase the town and encourage tourism.  To this end she endorsed Council support for the event and accepted an invitation from the organisers to give the Welcome Address at the Rally in the Silverbirch Hotel on Thursday 18th May.  Before leaving “The Grange” members were invited to inspect the new Council Chamber where they were properly impressed by the state-of-the-art debating facilities which have been installed to accommodate the new enlarged Council.