Pro-bites.....
Eight or nine years ago, the germ of what was to become The Men of the Tay got planted in a casual conversation between Gordie MacKay and Ian Doig backstage during the run of the PCC Show, G&S's Yeomen of the Guard. Keith Brown happened along, and was so enthused with the idea that he went off and recruited Shelley McLaren to be the director of the putative new group on the spot! We got started that January, and over the succeeding years the group has carved its mark on musical circles in Perth and area. We are particularly happy to have the Men perform for us at our December meeting, because almost half of the chorus are fellow Perth Probians!

Major General Lewis MacKenzie animating the history of peace-keeping. Move cursor over image for a different view. Mgen MacKenzie will probably be remembered for many things by Perth Probians; including the longest lasting round of applause that I can remember, followed by a standing O! He spoke about his peacekeeping experiences, largely in the former Yugoslavia, and drew lessons from those experiences which he then applied to the current state of affairs in Afghanistan, Somalia and briefly, Iraq. His conclusions highlighted the dichotomy between military reality on the ground and existing political priorities in the Security Council, the UN generally and individual NATO nations. He began by pointing out that the original membership of the UN as set up in 1945 comprised the victorious powers and other nations, mostly democracies, and none of them “Third World”, and concluded by speculating that in light of the events of the past decade, the primacy of NATO might be usurped by an alliance of nations prepared to work together to stabilise the international situation. He speculated that these nations might include the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a few others. He provided a lot of food for thought for us all.

Past President Fred Lepine gave his second self-intro at the meeting, which highlighted the fact that newer members who weren’t around to hear the self- intros of more senior members of the group had missed out on something. Fred was born and raised in Saskatchewan, which may explain his enthusiasm for the vast plains of Burgesswood today! A graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, he spent most of his working life in the oil patch, particularly in offshore environments, including both East and West Coasts of Canada, and Australia. He settled in Perth in 1994, and since then has called this his home.

Speakers' Corner

• December ~ The Men of the Tay will entertain us with their choral talents.
• January ~ Heather Perkins-McVey will speak to us on certain legal aspects relevant to us as seniors.
• February ~ John McKenty will tell us about the James Brothers and their part in Perth history, and it is expected that he will have copies of his new book on the subject available at the meeting;
• March ~ still to be arranged.
• April ~ our own Rudi Lepp will speak on nuclear energy and its possible role in our future;
• May ~ still to be arranged.
• June ~ Marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied Invasion of Europe, Peter Craske will talk about his experiences flying with the RAF in support of the D Day Landings. .

We have probable speakers lined up for March and May, but the details remain to be firmed up. If you have suggestions for either topics or speakers, please pass them to Ian Doig (264-2707) or Glen Pettinger (264-9747)

• Friday, December 12: Annual Christmas Dinner at the Golf Club! What a great way to begin the Christmas Season! It is not too late to sign up with Denise. The cost is $80 per couple and it starts with cocktails at 6:00 and dinner at 7:00.
• April ?, 2009 ~ Keith is planning a trip to the RCAF Museum in Trenton, but details are not yet firmed up.
• May 27, 2009 is the date chosen for our outing to the Gananoque Playhouse, to see the show, "Forever Plaid".
• June 15, 2009 ~ Golf Tournament to be organized again by Glen Pettinger.

Members of other Probus Clubs are welcome to join our special events. If you have ideas for new events or trips, please talk to Denise Mullins (613-267-3479). Note: For all trips, the bus leaves from the Legion.

Management Team Notes
This month's Management Meeting was held on Monday, 10 November. Items announced included:

"Spring Fling 09", the regional get-together, will be hosted by the Alta Vista Club at the Hellenic Centre on Alta Vista Drive on May 26, with lunch being served at 11:30. Cost will be $28 each. The Perth Club will host the event in 2012.

The membership report reveals that whilst we have 147 people on the current rolls, as yet only 119 have paid up. We will contact the members who may have forgotten that their membership is now due.

Keith has taken responsibility for securing the Club's equipment, and the Club proposes to make a small contribution to the Legion for the storage space they provide.

Ernie welcomes new members (from left) Nancy Pettinger, Patricia Patterson, Paul & Sheila Lattin, Barb & Carl Whitehouse, Carole Callan

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This month's Probian was written by Ian Doig. If you would like to join the Probian Team or contribute a short vignette for the newsletter, please contact Colin at info@probusperth.ca.