THE SAGA OF PROBUS IN BURY ST EDMUNDS
THE FIRST 15 YEARS 1974 – 1989
“What joy is like it? To be quit of care and drop my load, and after weary
miles come home …………”
Catullus
“Tis meet that noble minds keep ever with their like…………”
Shakespeare
As at March 1989 there are three PROBUS CLUBS in Bury St Edmunds
1. The original PROBUS CLUB OF BURY ST EDMUNDS (now usually referred to, as a matter of distinction, as “The Thursday Club”).
2. The TUESDAY PROBUS CLUB, founded in 1979, which meets at the Risbygate Club on Westley Road. And finally……
3. PROBUS THREE, founded in 1984 meeting in the Bury Central Library.
Each Club is made up of 60 or so retired professional and business men meeting together at their respective venues for coffee and companionship and to listen to a diversity of speakers on a wide range of (non-political subjects. The whole atmosphere is one of relaxed informality, fellowship and friendship. Each Club also organises other social events on a fairly modest scale, but nonetheless most enjoyable – theatre trips and visits to places of interest, occasional lunches and dinners, and group holidays at home and abroad, when members’ ladies are welcomed, together with members from the other two Clubs.
As naturally expected there is a good deal of inter-club support on an informal basis, and exchange of information at local level, not least about availability of good speakers. But each Club is fairly autonomous, as are all the 4000 or so other PROBUS CLUBS mainly across this country since the first one was founded by the late Harold Blanchard at CATERHAM in 1962. Despite this widespread growth there is however nothing in the nature of a National or Regional hierarchy or the like, although a Bromsgrove member has endeavoured to produce a Directory of Clubs from time to tome. From the earliest stages all Clubs have wisely followed the injunction or Harold Blanchard to KEEP IT SIMPLE!
All Probus Clubs have their own Rules, but basically similar and simple. Most meet in the daytime, usually fortnightly. Others, on a monthly basis with a midday meal) (Romford, Frinton, Diss etc). The sumptuous surroundings of the Frinton meeting place are only excelled by the superbness of the cuisine, and the warmth of the welcome – an invitation to speak there is almost on a par with one to a Royal Garden Party!
So WHAT IS Probus?
What does it DO?
Why the name PROBUS?
WHY-WHEN-WHERE did it all start?
And – possibly – WHITHER Probus?
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IN THE BEGINNING………………….
“A Woman’s work is never done” how often true, particularly for women with families – they never ‘retire’. But when a professional or business man retires, however much he had longed for that happy day after 30, 40 or 50 years of working flat out he is abruptly confronted with a complete change of lifestyle. He is a fish out of water. He may possibly have retired to a different area, a stranger in a strange land. Or he may have been a commuter who suddenly finds that, outside his family and immediate neighbours he does not truly know his own community. Or that golf five or six days a week is not the panacea he always dreamed of. Or that middle-aged gardening brings its drawbacks and backaches! The masochist may plunge into the icy waters of a five or six year stint (if he survives) with the Open University, burning tankers full of midnight oil and rising at ungodly hours for early morning tuition on BBC2 or Radio 3 - all rather lonely and hardly the way to endear oneself to nearest and dearest
Even life-long hobbies can pall, and somehow the store of books squirrelled away against the long winter of retirement, suddenly lose their appeal. And the repetitive trivia of television is hardly demanding of the sharply-honed mind and the matured intellect. Plenty of voluntary jobs around of course – and where would so many worthy causes be without the unstinting help of countless men and women with time on their hands? – but often the demanding posts are already in good hands, and freshly-released captains of industry etc. do not always relish becoming foot-soldiers all over again.
As for the chores at home, or in the supermarket, his willing help is welcomed at first, until to his amazement he starts getting under his wife’s feet, and that as Queen in her own domain she can do it all so much more quickly, and more capably, without his well-intended help. There is much to be said for the Scottish system where “the man of the house” is never allowed to even enter the kitchen.
All this of course is the very worst scenario, in whole or part. But given any of the foregoing factors, even just one or two, many a recently retired man will sorely miss the regular exercising of the little grey cells, and the camaraderie and conversation of his peers in his old occupation. He begins to feel rather lost. Too old, too late to join the Rotary or the like – and a bit expensive too, on a pension! And too late to go into politics, writing endless envelopes, knocking on stonily-closed doors, and waiting ten weary and wearing years for Buggins’ turn to get on the local Council. Not least he whom he at once feels comfortable, who talk the same language. Still possessing, praise be, a Pepysian curiosity on all manner of things, he fared in the battle of life, and about those facets of the universe that he never made time for whilst immersed all too deeply in his working life.It was considerations like these that led the late Harold Blanchard with the invaluable help of Caterham Rotary Club, to launch the first-ever Probus Club in 1962, a step immediately welcomed in that commuter-dominated outer London, where word-of-mouth amongst kindred spirits brought members in a-plenty. News of this success soon spread across the country – to York, Leicester, Bromsgrove, Leatherhead, Diss, Yarmouth, Sale, Frinton, Thetford, Newmarket, Mildenhall, Romford – to name but a few at random…… and of course Buy St Edmunds!
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HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD NEWS TO BURY ST EDMUNDS……………
Whilst then living in Surrey Ken Carlisle, a Chartered Secretary and subsequently a Founder Member of the Bury St Edmunds Club, he met Harold Blanchard through Rotary, and heard about the successful formation of PROBUS CLUB in Caterham and elsewhere. Ken later moved to Suffolk, bringing his Rotary membership with him. One of his first questions to Bury Rotary was whether a PROBUS Club, potentially or in fact, existed. And about that time the late Jim Parry, who had been a member of PROBUS in the City of York had also moved to Bury and had discussed the possibilities with County Councillor Ches.Salton, then Vice-Chairman of Bury Rotary. The upshot of this and other moves was that Bury Rotary convened a meeting of potential members at the Angel Hotel, Bury St Edmunds on the evening of Wednesday, 8th May 1974.
Rotarian David Evans had sent out 25 personal invitations to known individuals. Five attended together with nine sponsoring Rotarians. Of those present, eleven immediately became Founder Members of the first PROBUS CLUB in Bury St Edmunds, viz. Ken Carlisle, Ches Salton, Rex Hiles, John Painter. Russell Plumpton, and the late Jim Parry, Tom Reddington, Stanley Palmer and Don Field, together with Norman Phillips (Cathedral Churchwarden) as Founder Treasurer. Rex Hiles, only just retired from the Town Clerkship of Bury St Edmunds became joint Hon. Secretary with Don Field (Bury Chamber of Commerce). The inimitable Don Field continued as Hon. Secretary until his untimely death some years later.
At the next ensuing meeting John Painter (a former mayor of Bury) became Vice-Chairman of the Club, and subsequently its second Chairman. Simplicity was to be the watchword, and has remained so ever since. Although Rotary had stressed at the time that any PROBUS Club so formed would have to stand on its own feet and be fully independent of Rotary, the PROBUS movement in Bury will always be indebted to Rotary for this initial impetus, and to the Club’s ‘Founding Fathers’, and to the memory of Harold Blanchard.
Thereafter PROBUS in Bury flourished with ever-increasing momentum. Within days Rex Hiles had sent out additional invitations to a follow-up meeting in the ATHENAEUM on the 16th May when 20 gentlemen attended, and the purpose and organisation of PROBUS was explained, and the success of PROBUS Clubs elsewhere. Two weeks later the first talk by member Percy Thompson JP on the work of the Magistrates Court.
Since that time the Athenaeum had remained the spiritual and cultural home of the Thursday Club, delightful accommodation with just the right atmosphere, still somewhat redolent of its Regency origins. Occasionally these handsome and historic premises are required for Civic purposes or the like, when the ever-resilient PROBI retire gracefully to the Risbygate Club or elsewhere, smiling resignedly and chanting “WE NEVER CLOSED”, But the Athenaeum was excellent for Club expansion in those early years, when the initial 20 ,membership rapidly snowballed to 32 as shown on the first published list of members. All new members had to be sponsored, as now, by personal introduction only. The maximum at first envisaged was to be 40, but so great was the pressure to join that this number soon increased to 45, and then 50, a matter which led to much discussion at every Committee meeting. The Club were seeking to find an optimum membership – intimate.- clubbable, but also viable in that after allowing for unavoidable absences, guest speakers ought reasonably to expect a worthwhile audience.
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THE COMING OF PROBUS TWO……….or THE TUESDAY PROBUS CLUB
Even an expanded membership of 50 did not satisfy the Young Bloods hammering on the doors of the original Club, pleading to come in. The membership was then allowed to edge up to 60, and then, with much hesitation and almost reluctance to an absolute maximum of 65, at which sticking point the Club has remained ever since.
However longevity of life of members and a rapidly increasing waiting list prompted again the question of launching a second Club. Despite the fact the THE Probus Club enjoyed a unique place in Bury, and that a meeting venue, officers and so on would have to be found, it was decided to invite those on the waiting list and others interested to an exploratory meeting, and Bertrum Finch the then Secretary organised this for 1st February 1979. Chairman Norman Phillips presided supported by his ~Committee and representatives of Rotary, and it resulted in the appointment of a Steering Committee with Frank Fordham (lately Borough Librarian) as Chairman with Ted Copeland’s involvement with the Risbygate Club and his friendship with Gerry Glasswell their President, a venue was established and an inaugural meeting fixed for the end of March. Thus the second Probus Club in Bury was created. More than 30 members enrolled and Frank Fordham was formally elected Chairman. Officials who had already been recommended were duly elected – Walter Hurst as Vice-Chairman, Sam Cowell as Secretary, Hugh Nunn Treasurer, and Reg Taylor Social Secretary. With the Senior Club’s help and advice the Constitution was approved and the format of coffee and speakers at fortnightly meetings agreed. As meetings were to be held on Tuesdays the title adopted was The Tuesday Probus Club of Bury.
Three months later a full membership of 50 had been achieved, and in due course this number was increased by stages to a final figure of 70 which with average attendances of over 50 constituted a capacity crowd. It was broadly felt too that at that level members could get to know one another and so enjoy a social gathering.The Great Fire of Bury in 1980 destroyed the new Sports Centre and plans for rebuilding were quickly established. Walter Hurst then Chairman was particularly concerned for disabled people, and in contact with John Knight then Mayor of St Edmundsbury arranged that the club would raise money towards a Chair Lift for the re-built swimming pool to enable disabled swimmers to use the pool. A sub-committee charged with this formidable task hired the Theatre Royal and arranged a Grand Gala Concert for 1981 with the artists generally giving their services free. The town’s Bank managers, Stores and Shopkeepers were persuaded to either sponsor the scheme of give prizes for a “Grand Draw”. The concert was a complete sell-out and during the interval Joan Knight the Mayoress drew the prizes for the Grand draw. At a special presentation ceremony a cheque for £1400 was handed over to the Sports Centre.
During Tom Copeland’s Chairmanship a special social function enabled the Club to give a donation of £150 to the Risbygate Club’s fund to provide a Guide dog for the blind. In 1983 Hugh Nunn as Chairman was concerned that widows of 7 members who had died should not be forgotten, and his wife Barbara supported by Betty Pearce started a Ladies Group called ‘Friends of Probus’ which meets bi-monthly. Jack Larter as one of the friends of the Hospital fostered hospital visiting, for age had begun to take its toll on several of the members. To further this Geoff Pearce as Chairman set up a very efficient Car Service so that members or their wives without transport could be driven to visit their sick partners, and this has proved to be of great value.
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And so we come to PROBUS THREE ….........
The length of the waiting lists of the two then existing clubs coupled with the knowledge that others too were anxious to join a Probus Club prompted an extension programme in the Spring of 1983, when the two clubs convened a meeting at the Bury Sports Centre, under the Chairmanship of Russell Plumpton, attended by 21 people. A steering committee was formed with Clive Wilkinson as leader. The Inaugural Meeting then followed in May 1984 at the Bury Central Library which has been the ‘home’ of the third Club ever since. Clive Wilkinson was confirmed as Founder Chairman, John Parker as Secretary and Herbert Mundy as Treasurer.
The progress of the new and latest Club was dramatic. Indeed meteoric. Within six months the Club had achieved its full complement of 65, and a waiting list has been in existence ever since. (Does this auger yet a Fourth Club?) In addition to the regular fortnightly meetings on alternate Thursdays at the Library, there has been an outgoing programme of visits and social events where wives are especially welcome, culminating in an Annual Dinner at the Athenaeum, attended by over 100 diners on each occasion.
SPEAKERS……….
Being a very civilised place the Bury St. Edmunds area is fortunate in producing a copious list of speakers on all manner of subjects, not only by way of erudition and enlightenment, but on occasions for lifting the soul of man. Some are guest speakers, giving generously of their time and talent. Others are home-grown from the Clubs’own membership, always popular, always successful – no-one is going to stand up and talk in front of his pals for 45 minutes unless he is sure of his subject, and is confident of its reception, not least at question time.
Looking back at the programme of the THURSDAY CLUB (only) with at least 300 speakers over the past 15 years, the following is a break-down of subjects generally.
FOREIGN TRAVEL & LIFE ABROAD at first hand comes up most often. We have been enchanted and edified by talks, usually illustrated, on South America, Norway, Kenya, The Windward Isles, Rhodesia, New Zealand, India, Nepal, Australia, China, Turkey, Canada, Crete, Jamaica, Sudan, South Africa, Russia and Hungary, not to mention Desert Island Books and High Point Prison! And of course RAF Lakenheath!
Next in frequency, but less specifically, comes NATURE, wildlife, ornithology (several|), conservation as such, agriculture, butterflies and moths, some memorable colour slides by Hugh Burden, and Michael Chinery’s ‘Animal Colours’.
Next the inevitable CAREERS mostly from our own members - Banking, the Stage, Education, the BBC, Hospital Catering, Antiques, Collecting, the Press, Industrial Tribunals, The Church (including a retired Naval Chaplain, and our much-loved Cathedral Provost-Emeritus, Music (secular, sacred and publishing), the R.A.F. (both our own Theo Mathews and the late Air Vice-Marshall Stanley Vincent on the “Early Days of Flying, World War One”), a diverting talk on early life in the City by Fred Collingwood, together with Oswald Jarman’s priceless collection of professional photographic slides.
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A MISCELLANY of topics – the life of John Constable, Stonehenge, Samuel Pepys, local dialect, nuclear power, the English pub, Inn Signs, the Salvation Army, Village Signs, Heraldry, Maria Marten, Essex County Cricket (enlightening and entertaining even to non-cricketers), Scouting, Stamps and Stamp Collecting, home-made gadgets by an Inspired genius (Probus of course), various synopsis by members, a half-delivered lecture on Local Government in the Raw, or ‘A Funny Thing Happened to me on the way to the Town Hall’, the second half being displaced by the very late arrival of the guest speaker hot-foot from the workers threatened strike! Plus the other public services – Water supply, Libraries, Railways, Telephones, Electricity, the Magic of the Motorway, and Planning.
Finally, and maybe by coincidence, or a rush of blood to the head in these early heady days of 1974/75 – a talk on WINES by Laver Oliver, hot on his heels another on WINES by Michael Sollohub of Peatling, a visit to the historic and justly-famed GREENE KING BREWERY, so popular that it was repeated the following year. Then, introduced by an obvious connoisseur, a delightful gentleman of almost post-Probus vintage from the Scottish Whisky Association, with a plentiful supply of samples. (Programme note: “Breathalysers optional, bring your own glasses”). Whether domestic pressures were later exerted remains unclear, lost in the Scotch mists of time, but for the past 12 years there have been NO speakers on life-giving liquids. Apart from ANGLIAN WATER!
Despite the abundance of talent in the area, internally and otherwise, have we run the whole gamut of available speakers? Initially it was the task of the Club Secretary to find and winkle out likely speakers, in addition to his other manifold duties. But as membership increased rapidly from 30, 40 and so on to 65, it was thought wise to hive off the job of Speakers Secretary, with a fairly frequent turnover so as to bring in fresh ideas and contacts – a set-up deriving from Rotary, who experience a similar problem. Suggestions from members, and particularly new members are sought but not often forthcoming. Some organisations publish panels of speakers, but these are usually semi-professionals, whereas PROBUS relies on goodwill. A thought perhaps for the future.
WHY THE NAME PROBUS…………
Caterham Club dreamt up the name PROBUS – a happy conjunction of retired PROfessional and BUSiness men. The original meaning, albeit with a modern application still, is of far greater antiquity. CICERO used the word “probus” to signify “a good, worthy, upright man.”
Add a wealth of variations also from the Latin – upright, honest, honourable, virtuous, well-conducted, able, superior…we blush with saintly modesty. And yes indeed there was a Saint Probus, with a pre-Domesday Cornish church dedicated to his name, in the village of PROBUS!
There was also a Roman Emperor PROBUS (275 to 282 AD) son of a Balkan military officer who served with distinction in the Roman army where, however, his strict discipline was resented by his troops, who finally overthrew him. A sad fate for one who took an intense interest in Agriculture, and whose name is best remembered in these islands for his encouragement of the planting of VINEYARDS in Gaul, Spain…..and Britain. A tough persistent lot, the Romans. Long may the Emperor’s name live on.
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WHAT OF THE FUTURE?...................
Obviously PROBUS is here to stay, in Bury St Edmunds and elsewhere. Men are retiring earlier, often at 60 – and earlier – and although some may take part-time or occasional jobs to make best use of their talents, the time may yet come when enforced retirement wil come even earlier. Active leisure must then be ne answer, bnut the soul and the intellect will still need exercising, not in isolation but in company with one’s peers, talking the same language, not the language of pop-video and the commercial jingles, b ut of Milton, Shakespeare, Hardy, Tyndale, Cranmer, Pepys, Mortimer and our later classics Shaw, Wilde and Stoppard.
No-one can foretell the future of our country in 30, 20 or even just 10 years time. When the oil runs out we may all have to rethink our way of life. The permutations are endless, and it is fruitless to prophesy. But basic culture will remain, and PROBUS members can individually and collectively help to defend it. And if they want to defend material things they might consider standing up for moderate forces (non-politically aligned of course) which will be found in the ever-increasing numbers of ‘retired’ folk, not least because men and women are living longer than ever.
But to espouse any one cause, charitable or otherwise, means sooner or later taxing sides in the Great ~Social Debate, of which we already have more than enough, and increasingly so, o the media. So let us continue our quiet and gentle fellowship, our broadening of the intellectual horizons, our friendly holidays together, our visits to little-known places, our entertainment of the Ladies. Above all let us continue on the path so pithily laid down by Harold Blanchard, and…….
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Written by the late Bertrum Finch, Horringer, Suffolk, former Secretary then Chairman of Thursday Probus Club.
From an idea by Gordon Clarke, Horringer, former Chairman of the Tuesday Probus Club
With a contribution from Hugh Nunn, Horringer, former Chairman of Tuesday Probus Club.
With a contribution from Clive Wilkinson, founder Chairman, and John Parker, founder Secretary of Probus Three.
Produced by Roy Wilson, Gt. Barton, former Secretary of the Tuesday Probus Club.
April 1989 (updated January 1994)
Retyped for this Web Page from one of the original copies by Pauline Wilson, April 2020 (the year of the Corona Virus and the day when the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson was taken into intensive care).
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