Recent Activities

6 February, 2012  Morning Movie ” The  Descendants” at Pacific Fair

This activity was something new . 38 members and partners gathered for morning tea in the foyer of the theatres at Pacific Fair at about 10:30 a.m. for a cuppa and natter and at 11:00 a.m. we all moved to the theatre to view the new movie “The Descendants”. The movie starred George Clooney (you know guys that not-so-goodlooking Hollywood ham).  What do you girls see in him we don’t know! Well I can tell you there were a few wet hankies and there was a sad ending. Sniffle Sniffle The writer is letting a few tears flow even as this is being typed. No photos this time. Oh!It was so sad. Anyway some of us enjoyed a Goldsteins Pie for lunch and that cheered us up a quite a bit.

9 January, 2012 Lunch at Regatta Restaurant, Tweed Heads

This  New Year lunch date has proved to be popular. 56 Members, wives and partners trekked to Tweed Heads in what may be described as an annual pilgrimage — the food must be good and so it was. Pleasing to see new members Bob P and wife Sue ( see foreground of photo), John M ( 4th on left in photo) & wife Lesley and Chris & Leonie B enjoying themselves. The day was fine & the breezes from the Tweed River contributed to a day of fellowship and fun for our members.

12 December, 2011 – Christmas Dinner Party at Southport Golf Club

Over 70 persons enjoyed the Christmas Dinner at Southport Golf Club and none more so than Sid  Hill, an elder “statesman” in the Club and Shirley, his wife, pictured at left. After relaxing over drinks on the outdoor deck, all sat down to a tasty Christmas Dinner. Santa called in and we enjoyed the skit ‘Goodness Gracious Me ‘ , a day in the life of Dr Fix-it, ably  assisted by Nurse Can Do, seeing how capably he “treated” his patients – Mr.& Mrs Bouget, Mr. Miller, Miss Lush, Mr. Sidebottom, Mrs. Grump and K-K – Kevin R-R- Rudd. What a variety of complaints. Congratulations to Gwyn and his cast for a great performance. Oops! I forgot to check on how many made appointments afterwards. The Whittings won the major Christmas Hamper and the other hamper winners were more than happy. Thanks to Gwyn and wife Meg for putting the hampers together. It was great to see visitors, Bob & Sue Palmer, John & Lesley Miller, Suchi Naidoo and Kyle Richards, plus former Vice President Peter White and wife Maureen  coming from Beenleigh. Can’t miss a good party hey Pete!. Our thanks go to Dan & Gwyn for organising such a pleasant evening for us.

25 November 2011, Northern Rivers Combined Probus Christmas Picnic.

 Twelve of our members attended the Gold Coast & Northern Rivers Association  Friendship Day at Laguna Park, Palm Beach. Three of them were with the Probus Choir, which provided the entertainment for the outing, and the rest of us relaxed with a drink in the shade of the open-sided tent set up by Gwyn and Dan. Gwyn, with the assistance of Meg and Dan, did a tremendous job of setting up a very well decorated Christmas table, which gained much attention from those present and was photographed by many. Take a look at the pictures on our club website and see for yourself!

During the day we relaxed over more drinks and enjoyed tasty spit-roasted meats and salads, plus sweets, and tea or coffee. The main ‘Lucky Door’ prize of a basketful of goodies for Christmas was won by Dan. The possibility of rain turned into a delightful pleasant & sunny day, so this successful event was enjoyed by the 200 plus attendees.

23 October 2011 Lunch at Nobby SLSC
Today was a remarkable day. We tried a different approach to our celebration of Birthdays & Anniversaries. We additionally welcomed back into our midst a couple of members who have been not the best for sometime and a visitor who was a previous President (and wives too). The location was perfect – right on the beach & the food was magnificent. So much enjoyed by all. In the photo section of this site is a photograph of a group of members,who 12 months ago did not know each other, having lunch together in a private home. Indeed a measure of Friendships which can be formed in our Club.

3 October 2011, Picnic at Palm Beach

It was a bit windy to start of with -winter had returned! But 20 persons eventually turned up at the right area and the weather improved. Now we had our natter, cooked our snags etc. and enjoyed a convivial atmosphere. This location on the ana branch off Currumbin Creek is very beautiful (see other pictures in “Photos”).We are attractive people as we attracted magpies, seagulls and even a crow to help clean up any food . Those young maggies were eyeing off the cooked snags but we  repelled them.   All in all a great type of outing.

September 2011 TweedValley and Northern Rivers Scenic Tour.
This tour was organised by GC & NR Probus Association and coordinated for our Club by Dan. Thanks Dan. For that you get rewarded with a picture of yourself.
In the end only 6 members from our club attended, a bit disappoining. Two coaches departed, the smaller one carrying 28 and the bigger one 50. Altogether there were 7 clubs represented. After a morning tea on the banks of the river at Murwillimbah, we made our way to the Art Gallery. This was the highlight of our tour. Members enjoyed all the displays, especially this year’s Archibald entries. Lunch was at Tyalgum Hotel. The place was very crowded because there was a bus-load ahead of us. One could hardly move between the tables and chairs. The meals were fair and the waiting staff did their best under trying conditions. The return drive via the NumbinbahValley and Natural Bridge was a pleasant relief. The scenery was beautiful after the recent rains, and the coach driver’s commentary was excellent.

1 August 2011 – Lunch Coolangatta Tweed Golf Club

The Lunch at Danny’s Family Buffet Restaurant at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club was attended by 38 from our club on 1st August. The views out over the Tweed River and golf course were quite delightful on this beautiful sunny afternoon. Within a very short time the first of the delicious food available was on the plates and were soon being enjoyed by all. The nibbles, roast meats and vegetables, seafood, Asian dishes, salads, etc., enticed a few return trips before the final trips from the tasty dessert bar, plus tea and coffee to finish off. We slowly dispersed after a couple of hours or so of good food and pleasant fellowship, with a few slipping in to the pokies on the way out. It was a nice relaxing outing and our thanks go to Keith C for his good organisation.

4 July 2011 – Yatala Brewery

The day was a typical Queensland Winter one- you know nippy in the morning but warm later. It was a happy group of 40+ members ,wives, partners and secretaries?? huh!- who assembled for a day at the Brewery. We all looked so debonair in our orange vests. I thought we should have had safety helmets to set the tone of the day. After a briefing on the attributes of beer drinking by Catherine,our host, we hopped on our little train and proceeded to be shown how to make beer. It was huge and virtually automated. Only some 300+ staff are used to run the non-stop operation. The plant produces millions of stubbies etc a day. The whole place was cleaner than an operating theatre.  After an easy 1 hour visit we adjourned to the cafeteria where we were served lunch and drinks. Yes ! you guessed it- we each had tickets for “sampling” 4 different beers (or substitute). No wonder we had such a good roll-up! Some who shall remain nameless. Shhh! Their names include B & D,K & K, K & J, K & J(did they have 2 ice creams?) and G of course, had to have dessert and made a “compulsory stop” at the Strawberry Farm – where else! Mutterings among the crowd was that it was a good day.

5 June 2011 – Picnic Cascade Gardens

The Picnic at Cascade Gardens was attended by 30 members and friends who all enjoyed the company, sunshine and warm weather.  The biggest celebration was held for the birthday of Jeanette who, with Fred, was setting off for even bigger celebrations with family in Melbourne for their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Great to see Pam on her feet with the aid of crutches and Marcia with her reconstructed shoulder in a sling, and that miracle man “Tiger” Jack back in full swing. Much discussion on a recent trip to Longreach, and impending trips to Cairns (for Tony’s 3 score and 10), and to the more exotic climes of the Americas and Mediterranean for some cruising.

May 2011 – Eumundi Trip
It was a cold morning. Brrr! We all had to get out of bed at 5 ish! Middle of the night!! Off we all went -34 of our club and a further dozen from Ashmore in Logan Coaches. Morning tea was at Nudgee Beach – a hidden little gem right on Moreton Bay. On arrival at Eumundi Markets we scampered around, anxious to visit every stall. Great variety of food for lunch but not as much in the other stalls as one would expect. We all bought our bits and pieces and called into the ginger factory at Yandina. Ginger scones, ginger ice cream! Yum. We battled the traffic for a long time but finally made it home after a long day. Yawn!! Time for bed. Brrr! It is cold.