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As the Times ends its visit with the Howick East Combined Probus Club, at its annual summer picnic in warm and sunny climes, friendly familiar tunes can be heard.
It’s an idyllic scene under the pohutukawa trees at Eastern Beach and the music and singalong – the show of camaraderie – epitomises the motto of Probus clubs – “Fun, Friendship and Fellowship in Retirement”.
Howick East Combined Probus secretary Tom Owen, who has invited the Times to the gathering, says the club has 120 mainly retired members.
It’s affiliated to Auckland Probus and Probus South Pacific.
“We have a huge emphasis on fun. Apart from our monthly club day, when we invite various interesting speakers, we organise 12 sub-groups with a range of activities and organise trips within and around the greater Auckland area.
“We do obtain some financial assistance towards the bus trips from the Howick Local Board,” says Owen.
The next excursion in the Auckland region is planned for February, a Red Boat trip up the western Waitemata Harbour to Riverhead.
It’s a very well organised club, with its excellent quality newsletter prepared by Jan Pearson full of useful information.
In it, there are about 15 officers listed, all volunteers, assuming roles of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, through to people looking after areas such as membership, outings, welfare, catering and organising guest speakers.
The number of sub-groups and what activities they do is impressive. The selection has just about something for every retired person who has time available and feels like being sociable.
They include card games Rummikub and 500, walkers, pétanque, scribblers (writers and documenters of history), books, ten-pin bowling, wine appreciation, rediscover Auckland, cribbage, mahjong, table for seven, and e-biking.
“For 25 years, we’ve been supporting the retired community in Howick and believe we can contribute support to a much larger number of local retirees,” Owen says.
The latest HEC Probus Club newsletter also reports a wonderful Christmas party was had by all, with high praise for east Auckland singer-songwriter and musician Sarah Van Zyl, who provided ‘a lovely journey down memory lane, with songs from our youth that we could all sing along to’, wrote Maureen Saunders.
- The Howick East Combined Probus Club meets at Howick Bowling Club on the third Tuesday of each month, 10am to 12pm. If people wish to join in the “Fun, Friendship and Fellowship in Retirement”, they can email hecpclub@gmail.com or phone Tom Owen on 021 034 7504.
