Annual Holiday Luncheon - December 7, 2023

Our PROBUS Club of Durham West Christmas/Holiday Luncheon held on Thursday, December 7, 2023, was well attended by members and guests and everyone had a great time. We were entertained by Deidrey Francois who has a lovely voice and sang a variety of songs during dinner and then followed up with a lively Christmas sing-along. A big shout out to Bob Bawcutt who, with much encouragement from the audience, performed a duet with Deidrey.  Well done Bob!

A traditional holiday meal of turkey and all the fixings was served as well as a choice of salmon dinner for some and a delicious chocolate lava cake for dessert completed the meal.

We thank the following members of our community for the generous and beautiful door prizes: VIVA, Chartwell, AMICA, Parkland, Moxies Restaurant, Hawthorne Valley Golf Club and Farm Boy.

In addition, we thank our PROBUS members who also donated wonderful prizes: Alan Dryden, the Cinema Club, Ron and Ada Larock, Roseann Blake and Barb Stevens.

We cannot forget to thank Bev Waite and her dad who again this year made the delightful wooden stockings that were placed at each table setting.

Raffle tickets were sold at both the November General Meeting and at the luncheon itself for the beautiful handmade quilt made and donated by our member Mary Mullen. As a result of the ticket sale, $430 was raised for our club. The lucky winner of this amazing quilt was Barb Stevens. Our thanks go to Mary and congratulations to Barb.

Last but not least, we extend sincere thanks and appreciation to the Social Committee organizers of the luncheon whose hard work and dedication made this event so successful: Ada Larock, Lorna Smith, Sharon Fenn, Liz Ryan and Fran Griffin.

Now for all the winners of the door prizes.

Let's Go Blue Jays - October 1, 2023

A great time was had by all.

Nine and Dine - September 26, 2023

Twenty four Durham West PROBUS golfers enjoyed a gorgeous fall  afternoon playing nine holes of golf at Hawthorne Golf Course. There were some great scores and some that we hoped would be better.  We all had fun, and many of us met new members in our foursomes. Twenty-two of us enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Pickering Pickle Barrel where prizes were awarded, and laughs were shared!

Les Miserables, Westben -  July 25, 2023

Three dozen PROBUS members travelled to Campbellford on July 25th to enjoy one of the best productions we've seen at Westben.  A cast of magnificent voices sang all the memorable songs from the musical, including the humorous "Master of the House" and the poignant "I Dreamed a Dream".  The weather co-operated, giving us a sunny day with a soft breeze.  After the show we took in a delicious dinner at the Mill Restaurant in Cobourg.

Thanks to Maria Bawcutt and Sharon Fenn for organizing this great event and thanks to Lorna Smith and Maria for an amazing array of pictures.

Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Putt - June 21, 2023

Well, we had to go through a lot to actually get this event off the ground. The first date was cancelled when the mini putt location needed emergency repairs. The second date was the day that the highway was closed due to a huge accident and all roads were AWFUL, resulting in many people not being able to attend. But those 20 people who actually made it there after stressful drives had a lot of fun!! People were bragging about their Hole in Ones and hiding the number of times they had to give themselves a 6 which is the maximum number of shots allowed. But good times were had by all!! Here are a few shots of some of the participants.

Thanks to Bernice Pyke for arranging this fun event.

Bruce Bell Financial District Tour - June 12, 2023

Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate but luckily we were able to do much of the Bruce Bell Tour of downtown Toronto indoors by starting at Union Station and walking the PATH. Many people found out that their jackets were indeed not 100% waterproof. There were times we needed to be outdoors to look up at the many old buildings now dwarfed by the tall skyscrapers.

Many enjoyed a lovely lunch at SAP restaurant before shopping or heading back on the GO train.

Thanks to Lorna Smith and Bev Waite for arranging this interesting trip.

More Power to You - March 29, 2023

Well, the 29 people who visited the Pickering Power Station on March 29 certainly learned a lot!!  We had interesting and informative lectures and Q and A sessions on how a CANDU reactor works and on exactly what it looks like up close and personal inside a power plant. We were fortunate to be only the second group to see the new Virtual Pickering Station tour. It was reassuring to know that we are safe living close to the plant. The number of security measures and the level of training that people in charge have done is amazing. (Did you know that it takes three years to get trained for vital jobs? And if you want to transfer to any other power station (even Darlington) you would have to start your three years of training all over again?) We also learned about the various activities that OPG does in the community. If you check your local paper, you will see activities you can take part in or bring your grandchildren to.

We were also fortunate to be well-fed and watered at the Power Station!

Thanks to those who came to learn about what is going on in our neighbourhood!! Thanks to Bernice Pyke for organizing this very educational tour. 

The tour of the Ontario Regiment Museum, on March 22 was very informative. The area was originally called Ontario County, before Canada was born.

In 1974, the Town of Durham graciously (!) gave up their name and the Region of Durham was born. There are over 160 military vehicles housed on site, and 99% of them are in working order! They have Tank Saturdays and people come from all over to see the exhibits, dress up in period clothing, camp on the property or simply watch a parade. We had a guided tour and there was lots to see. 

This is the largest collection of military vehicles in North America, and it’s growing with more donations coming in.

Sam, our tour guide, had a phenomenal memory and gave detailed accounts of battles and the vehicles.

For more information please click on www.ontrmuseum.ca.

Court Whist - February 21, 2023

On Tuesday, February 21st, 26 members gathered in the Rotary Room at the Ajax Library for a fun card game of Court Whist.  Everyone had a great time with lots of socializing and laughter and of course playing cards. The talented winners who received cash prizes were:  1st place Bonnie Cutten, 2nd place Liz Ryan, 3rd place Barbaranne Stevens and low score Bernice Pyke. Thanks to convenors Ann Buffett and Lorna Smith.

Celebrating our Volunteers - February 15, 2023

A Wine & Cheese reception was held on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 in appreciation of our PROBUS Club of Durham West volunteers. There were 27 volunteers in attendance who were welcomed by the Management Team. Refreshments were served and ice breaker games were played by all in a very relaxed atmosphere. Everyone had a great time and feedback was given to the Management Team by the volunteers with regard to what inspired them to volunteer, what could be done better to recruit volunteers and what can our club do to further improve the experience of being a member. We thank Ena Shaw for the use of the party room in her condominium. We extend our thanks again to all our volunteers for the wonderful support and work they are doing for our club.