Category: 2023

Club Christmas Luncheon

On Wednesday 6th December the club hosted its annual Christmas luncheon for members, wives,  partners and guests. As is customary the luncheon was also attended by the President of Omagh Rotary Club and the Captain of Omagh Golf Club, Mr Hugh Gibson and Mr Eamon Cassidy respectively.   The guest list also included the widows of former members, seven of whom were able to attend, namely Mrs Rosemary Clements, Dr Kathleen Hinds, Mrs Pamela McClelland, Mrs Margaret Mitchell, Mrs Anna Norton, Mrs Pat Rainey and Mrs Lena Rutledge.

On arrival members and guests were greeted by Vice-President, Mr Felim O’Neill who offered each a glass of sparkling wine or fruit juice – depending on choice.   Having taken their seats all were welcomed by club president, Mr Hugh Ward.  Grace before the meal was said by Probian, Mr Jim McBain. The two course meal provided by the golf club caterers was of the highest standard and praised by all diners.

Photographers from the local papers where on hand throughout to record the conviviality of the occasion in the run-up to Christmas.  Following the meal short speeches of appreciation for hospitality were offered by Mrs Ann McBain on behalf of guests from Omagh Ladies Probus Club, Mr Eamon Cassidy,  Captain of Omagh Golf Club and Mr Hugh Gibson on behalf of Omagh Rotary.   Hugh entertained all present by reciting the seasonal tale of Rindersilla,  a version attributed to Mr Charles Spooner after whom spoonerisms are named.  It was a jolly end to a very happy occasion.

Wednesday, 1st November 2023. Speaker, Mr Richard Collins

It is a tradition in the club to use the meeting closest to Remembrance Sunday as a time of reflection on the events of the Second World War.  It is a tradition that honours the memory of past members of the Club who served 1939 – 45 and recognises the service and sacrifice of countless others.

The speaker on Wednesday, 1st November was Mr Richard Collins, whose research and study over the past 40 years has given him unrivalled insight and understanding of the Holocaust.   Richard has travelled widely in Central and Eastern Europe, visiting the sites of former concentration camps in a quest to unravel the narrative that has grown up around the Holocaust in the years since 1945.  He began by asking if anyone knew how many concentration / internment / labour camps there were in occupied Europe at the height of Nazi Germany’s power and control.   The answer surprised those present – 42,500.   How many people were executed or died as a result of Nazi persecution?   The answer – 18 million, 6 million of whom were Jews: of the remaining 12 million most were Christians, deemed by the Nazis to be enemies of the Reich.

Richard drew a distinction between Concentration Camps and Death Camps. The latter had gas chambers and crematoria; the former were about slave labour where prisoners were forced work in Nazi factories, mines, and quarries. While conditions were horrendous and death rates were high, mass murder was not their primary purpose. Searches on the internet can uncover huge amounts of information about notorious places such as Auschwitz – Birkenau, Ravensbruck, Buchenwald, Bergen – Belsen and Dachau.

The talk was mostly about what happened to these places after the defeat of Germany. Some have become Memorial Sites, attracting many visitors per year. The others are not forgotten. Each has its own history, a fact which continues to fascinate Mr Collins.

Desert Island Books

On Wednesday 8th October the club met in Omagh Golf Club to talk about the books which members would bring with them if marooned on a desert Island. As in the BBC Radio Programme,” Desert Island Discs” it was presumed that the castaways would also have with them a copy of the Bible and a copy of the Complete Works of Shakespeare.

Four club members came prepared and spoke about their reasons for choosing the following books:
Oliver Loughran: “The Day of the Jackel” by Frederick Forsythe
Harman Scott: The Snow Goose” by Paul Gallico
Hugh Ward: Palgrove’s Golden Treasury”, an anthology of poetry and verse
Jim McBain: “Mission Praise” A book of 1250 hymns and songs of Christian Worship

Despite the fact that only 8 members were present it was an interesting and entertaining meeting on a theme that could be repeated at some point in the future.

Event: Wednesday 4 October 2023

Omagh Men’s Probus Club resumed activities after the summer recess with an open meeting in the Silverbirch Hotel on Wednesday 4th October. The guest speaker was Mr Roger Johnston, CEO of AXIAL 3D (and, as it happens, nephew of club member Mr Brian Duncan). Mr Johnston’s topic was the art of creating 3D models from two-dimensional images such as X-rays, CT and MRI scans. This is achieved using state-of-the-art computer processing and AI (Artificial Intelligence). Mr. Johnson illustrated his talk with 3D models of a human heart, a child’s kidney, a brain tumour and blocked arteries. He reported that surgeons in some 500 hospitals in 35 countries are using the technology to enable pre-surgical planning, leading to tailor-made procedures and improved patient outcomes.

Among the impressive statistics quoted during his lecture was the fact that an X-ray or CT scan can be emailed to his company, processed and returned as a 3D image in as little as 2 minutes. AXIAL 3D operates from a recently opened 3D printing centre in Belfast and is a world leader in this field.

The meeting was attended by over 40 members and guests from other Probus Clubs and the wider community. After a lively Question and Answer session which showed that there had been great interest in the topic, a vote of thanks was proposed by Dr Dominic Pinto MBE, and heartily endorsed by all present.

 

ANNUAL SUMMER OUTING
On Wednesday 7 June 2023 the club held its annual summer outing to Enniskillen Castle Museum and Devenish Island, Lough Erne.  The party, comprised of 12 club members and 5 guests from Omagh Ladies Probus, departed Omagh Golf Club in private cars at 10.30 am and re-grouped at the “Round O” in time for coffee and scones before boarding M.V. Kestrel for a cruise along the city walls before heading downstream to the Lower Lough and Devenish Island. The weather was everything that could have been asked for and although a number of those present had been many times on Devenish all enjoyed pottering around the well preserved remains of this 12th Century monastic settlement.  Back on dry land in Enniskillen the party made its way to the Castle Museum for a bite of lunch before an extended tour of the exhibits. Come 4.30 pm it was time to move on to Irvinestown for an evening meal in Mahon’s Hotel at 5.00 pm. The food was excellent and all retuned to Omagh well pleased that the outing had been so enjoyable and successful. Thanks were expressed to the President for putting in place all the arrangements and to those who had volunteered to act as drivers.

Wednesday 17 May 2023: Speaker, Mr John Orr: Topic “My life at sea”
John left school in Larne at the age of 14, got a job as a delivery boy and relished the freedom of cycling all around the town. In the course of his travels, he fell into conversation with a seaman from one of the ships docked in Larne harbour. Persuaded to go to sea he undertook a course of basic training at the Merchant Navy college in Gravesend and age 15 found himself on the SHELL oil tanker, St Vibex, en route to the Persian Gulf. He easily recalled travelling through the Suez Canal, past the remains of ships sunk during the Suez crisis. In the Bitter Lakes his shipmates pushed him over the side caring not that he could not swim because the water was so saline that he would not sink .
An impressionable youth each port of call was an adventure into a different culture with the opportunity to purchase trinkets and souvenirs from the hawkers that lined the quays. At the time he was earning £13.00 per month and rationed himself to £2.00 per week pocket money. With 300 Players cigarettes cost 3 shillings and 6 pence on board, it was more than enough to keep him in fags, although he has long since given up the habit.
John’s fascinating talk ranged over the many ships he had sailed in, and the many different jobs he was required to do as a deck hand. From splicing ropes to sewing canvas and painting the masts ,to keeping watch and steering the ship in heavy seas, he recounted his enjoyment of a life that took him all over the world.

Wednesday 3 May 2023: Visit to the President’s Garden
President Hugh Ward and his wife, Kathleen, are the owners and custodians of a magnificent property located at 115 Doogary Road, Omagh.  This year their home features on the front cover of the booklet published by the National Garden Scheme to promote “Gardens open for Charity, Northern Ireland 2023”. Inside the booklet, their home, Tattykeel House, enjoys the following description.
A country garden of approximately 1.5 acres, crated over a 30year period, planted with conifers, shrubs, roses and perennials. There is a sheltered seating area, a Japanese influenced area, interesting features and a collection of well grown climbers on the house. The garden underwent numerous exciting and significant improvements in early 2022.

On arrival club members were treated to tea, coffee, scones and traybakes in a gazebo erected on the patio where Hugh passed around photographs of his garden taken first when he and Kathleen moved in and in the years since to chart how the garden has grown. Members were then shown round by Mrs Ward, Hugh claiming modestly that he only cuts the grass and does some weeding. This claim was belied by the number of elegant structures fashioned by Hugh to add height and character to the garden. In the lower part a stream babbles sweetly over boulders all lovingly created to induce an atmosphere of calm and wellbeing.

Th tour ended in Hugh’s “man cave”, a barn coming down with garden tools, ride-on lawn mowers, cultivators, hedge cutters – all that is needed to maintain a large garden and provide an escape area for the man of the house.  Afterwards all were invited into Kathleen’s studio, there to marvel at her paintings, screen prints and other examples of her craft work. On leaving members were delighted to make a contribution to the “Children’s Heartbeat Trust”, the Ward’s chosen charity for 2023.

Wednesday 16th March 2023: Club Archives: Mr Jim McBain
On Wednesday 16th March 2023 the Club archivist, Jim McBain brought in the club archives and spread them out for members to peruse. The archives are comprised of 14 Minute Books and 5 photo albums. Although the club was founded in 1979 minutes were not kept until 1984. For the next 22 years minutes were hand-written in hard back notebooks, all eight of which have survived, if a little worn by weekly usage. Beginning in 2006 minutes were word processed and print copies were kept in ring binders. Because of the ever present danger of ring binders springing open, it was decided in 2020 to have the loose-leaf minutes bound. This important work was entrusted to Ecclesville Printing Services who did a lovely job. The minutes from 2006 to 2018 are now available for study and inspection in six bound volumes, each volume containing two years of minutes.

The other part of the archive comprises 5 volumes of photographs with accompanying descriptions and commentaries. The first three volumes take the form of large “wedding albums” which collectively cover the years 1979 – 2014. The first of these contains mainly black and white photos and newspaper cuttings, often recording the election of a new President at Annual General Meetings. Gradually colour photos began to appear with longer commentaries on the persons and place depicted. This important legacy is due to the diligence of Bob Lingwood, and David Haddow, who together compiled the “wedding albums.”

In 2014 Jim McBain took over as Club archivist and effected a new modus operandi using A2 Art Folders. By and large each sheet in the A2 Folder covers one month in the history of the Club, with the focus on the guest speaker or speakers, accompanied by a summary of their talk. Big club events such as summer outings, Christmas Luncheons and Inter-Club Quiz competitions also feature along with obituaries.

The club also has a website which provides information on the history of the of the club, past Presidents, and former members It is updated weekly and provides access to an online archive. Omagh Ladies Probus have their own page on the website to keep members informed and up to date. For more information on Omagh Probus Club and how to join go to www.omaghprobusclub.org.uk

Wednesday, 1 March 2023: Speaker – Dr John Graham.
Dr John Graham, now retired, was for most of his working life an Army Medical Officer. In this capacity he travelled the world caring for serving soldiers, their wives and families in many different locations. With many stories to tell his talk was a fascinating account of a life in uniform.