Category: 2023

Wednesday 25 February 2023,  Speaker, Mr Sean FitzGerald

It is established practice in Omagh Probus Club, once each year to invite a speaker from the local Rotary Club.  The only break in the sequence occurred, during the lockdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. This year the threads of tradition were taken up by Mr Sean FitzGerald, a Past President of Omagh Rotary and currently District Governor of Rotary Ireland.

Sean’s talk was essentially the story of his life from childhood in Kilrush, County Clare to ship’s captain with Stena Ferries. Despite there being no history of seafaring in his family Sean determined at an early age that he wanted to pursue a career in the Merchant Navy.  On leaving school he joined BP and after initial training in Belfast, joined the crew of an oil tanker delivering fuel to all the major ports in southern Africa.  After some years with BP serving on super tankers on global transport routes he settled for a life on the Irish Sea, because the work rota – two weeks on and two weeks off – allowed him time at home in Omagh with his wife and family. Sean illustrated his time at sea with slides of the many ships he served on or captained.

Removing his sailors cap and donning the mantle of Governor of Probus Ireland, Sean spoke about Rotary’s place in the community and in the wider world. Members were told that Rotary International has two seats in the United Nations because when the UN was being set up in 1945 it was founded in part on the principles on which Rotary had been established. The final slide in Sean’s presentation was of a purpose-built hospital ship , a physical symbol of Rotary’s commitment to tackle humanitarian issues wherever they arise.

Also on Wednesday 15 February Mr Kenneth Collins was made an Honorary Member of the Club and presented with a Certificate to mark the occasion. Honorary membership is conferred on members when they turn 90.

 

Wed 1 Feb 2023;  Members memorabilia – Something precious; something old.

For the meeting on Wednesday 1st February each member was invited to bring in “Something old; Something precious” and be prepared to speak about it for a few minutes. Most members brought an object but with time constraints not everyone had the opportunity to show off their treasures. The photograph below shows President Hugh Ward with the button accordion which his mother bought him in 1956 for success in the Northern Ireland Junior Certificate Examination.

During World War I, ladies in France and Belgium hand embroidered scenes and messages onto postcards which they then sold to allied servicemen. Alistair Orr brought in a box containing some 40 of these postcards sent by the young solder to the young woman who was to become his grandmother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Cooney brought in the Certificate of Naturalization which his Grandfather had been issued with in 1927 to certify that his status had changed from Irish immigrant to United States citizen.    Desmond Smart brought in the jug which his mother used each day to carry home a quart of fresh milk from the shop.   The above are only 4 of the precious items brought in. Enough remain for a further session on the same theme.

Annual General Meeting, Wednesday,  25  January 2023

Omagh Probus Club held its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 25th January 2023 in Omagh Golf Club with 16 members present. This was the club’s first AGM since before the pandemic, and an opportunity for President Michael Cooney to step down – an opportunity which he welcomed after three challenging  years in the post.   In keeping with established practice Vice President, Hugh Ward, was elected President unopposed to take up the reins of the club in the modern era. Felim O’Neill gladly gave up his position as Treasurer to become Vice-President, with responsibilities for the Club Programme.

Out-going President, Michael Cooney, needed some persuasion to become Club Treasurer, but was prevailed on to take a job in keeping with his professional background in local government. The remaining offices were filled “en bloc” with current post-holders re-appointed. Alastair Orr stayed on as Secretary and Jim McBain retained his post as Public Relations Officer and Archivist. The new committee wasted no time in getting down to work, drawing up a programme for the rest of the year, including an Inter-club Table Quiz, the Annual Outing and the Christmas Dinner 2023.

Wednesday 4th January 2023: Speaker Rev Liz FitzGerald.

Traditionally Omagh Probus Club invites a member of the clergy to bring a New Year message to members at their first meeting in January. This year’s address was given by Rev Liz FitzGerald, daughter of Michael Pollard, a founder member of Omagh Probus and a staunch supporter of the Club throughout his retirement. Rev Liz took as her theme a quotation from Albert Einstein. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow; the important thing is to not stop questioning.”

Using photos from family life and her own ministry, Liz shared her journey for schooldays in Omagh Academy to graduation as a Physiotherapist and employment in the Health Service. Along the way she met and married a merchant seaman. Her husband, Sean FitzGerald, is well known in our community as a recently retired Captain with Stena Ferries, and active member of Omagh’s Rotary Club – of which Liz herself is a past President.  Their shared interest in Rotary has seen both achieve high office, Sean is currently District [All-Ireland] President and Liz is District Secretary.
Throughout though, the Church has been central to Liz’s life and this was the focus her talk to Probus. After many years as a Lay Reader she was persuaded to candidate for Ordination in the Church of Ireland and today is a priest with four churches to look after in the parishes of Gweedore and Templecrone in County Donegal. None of this has distracted her from the other loves of her life – her family, her children and her Labradors. Describing herself as “ourdoorsey” she finds peace up hills, on the water [Lough Erne] and beside the sea.