The Probus Club of Burlington Lakeshore Hi-Lites December 2018 Monday, December 10, 2018 11:00 AM Christmas Luncheon Management Committee 2018-2019 Rodney Devitt, President (289) 313-0593 Bill Willson, 1 st Vice President (905) 332-7652 Ken Telmer, 2nd Vice President (905) 681-6222 Malcolm Ramsay, Secretary (905) 681-8109 Mike Hoshooley, Treasurer (905) 332-7652 Ronald Luxon, Past-President (905) 634-8310 Duncan McPhail, Speakers (905) 336-2495 Mike McInnis, Membership (905) 331-2346 Dave McKenzie, Hi-Lites (905) 639-7529 Dave McKay, Special Events (905) 634-8256 Jim Gilleland, House (905) 634-6490 Brian Langlotz, Cheer (905) 632-8197 Bob Millar, 25 th Anniversary (905) 634-1268 Farhad Gharavy, Christmas (905) 332-8929 Dennis Colameco, Golf (905) 639-7921 President Rodney Devitt s December Message Is it that time of year again? You know what I mean, right? The season when complete strangers utter statements like Merry Christmas and Season s Greetings to each other. In the malls, we hear the continuous loop of The Little Drummer Boy and our olfactory senses are bombarded with aromas of reconstituted fudge. Meanwhile on the home front the social calendar fills up as does our stomachs with shortbreads, sweets and eggnog and we begin the seating plan of who sits where for Christmas turkey dinner. But, just indulge me for a minute and strip away the veneer of commercialization and there it is, the real meaning of the season, Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All. Such a simple message. When will we ever learn? Well, one thing we all learned at our November 12 General Meeting was turnout at Remembrance Day ceremonies are increasing and, as importantly, it is young people driving this increase. We learned this and more from a passionate presentation by Pam Calvert on The Juno Beach Centre Association which has its beginnings thanks to a long-time Burlington resident (that is a story all on its own). The building is wrapped in titanium and replicates the iconic Maple Leaf with an interior filled with interactive displays and enough digital technology to entertain and educate all ages! Indeed, it is a place that resonates with Canadian pride and I would encourage everyone travelling to Europe to put it on your bucket list. Can t speak for all of you, but for myself and Karen we are looking forward to our Probus Gala 25th on December 10. 120 attendees all coiffed, perfumed and seasonally dressed - it is a grand way to kick off the holiday season! What s happening next year? First, you will never hear me say bigger and better, well, almost never. Duncan and his Speakers Committee have cornered the market with an interesting and informative line up. Dave and his Events Committee has got us tasting the rye, dining in the harbour and getting preferred seating for top notch live entertainment. And there s lots more to come. To all our Burlington Lakeshore Probus members, I wish you the best of the season and, to borrow from Clement Moore s poem, I heard him exclaim ere he drove out of sight, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night w w w. b u r l i n g t o n l a k e s h o r e p r o b u s. o r g Page 1
! Reminiscences of Stan Orr November At the time of printing this letter, Stan s address at the November meeting is somewhere in Canada Post land! Stay tuned for his words coming in the January issue. 25 th Christmas Luncheon Monday, December 10 Atrium Banquet Centre 5420 North Service Rd. The map and parking instructions are attached to your tickets. Doors open well in advance of the 11:30 am start time. Be there to enjoy the piano music and hors d oeurves. For the benefit of newer members and old members too, perhaps you can wear your Probus name badge on your jacket. Membership Membership Dues The 2018/19 membership dues are now payable. The postal workers have gone back to work so you can be assured your $40 cheques will reach us by mail. Send it today so you can enjoy Christmas without us twisting your arm! Mail to: Mike McInnis, Membership Chair 2097 Kerns Road Burlington ON L7P 1P7 Yes Virginia, there is a Free Lunch! Congratulations to Jack Litton Jack s name was drawn from all those who sponsored new members during our 25 for 25 Contest Jack will be out of town at the time of our Christmas Luncheon, so he will receive a cheque for $60 and in turn will donate this to the Salvation Army Christmas Fund Thanks for the wonderful Christmas Spirit, Jack!! Mike Wain, 25 th Anniversary Committee New Members The Burlington Lakeshore Probus Club welcomed two new members at the November meeting. John Barr John was born and reared in Ottawa but he came west for his education at the University of Waterloo and his post grad studies at the University of Western Ontario. It will come as no surprise that he earned an engineering degree at the former college and a master s degree in Public Administration at Western. Throughout his work career, John focused on ink engineering and planning activities with the City of Toronto, Hamilton-Wentworth, and the Region of Niagara as well as numerous consulting projects. w w w. b u r l i n g t o n l a k e s h o r e p r o b u s. o r g Page 2
Since retiring at the ripe old age of 55, John has golfed with the Silver Sliders and thrown rocks back and forth at the Burlington Golf and Country Club curling rink. He and wife, Mary, enjoy travelling to interesting places and/or looking after their grandkids in Aldershot. John was sponsored by Ken Telmer. Ian Johnson Ian survived WW 2 in Sussex, England, and then emigrated to Canada in 1947 to be adopted by his aunt and uncle in Crescent Beach, BC. He later graduated from UBC with a B. Comm. degree in 1962. Ian then joined Royal Trust and unfortunately got transferred from Vancouver to Ottawa and later to Mississauga. His 30-year work history focused mainly on trusts, estates, and personal investments with several financial institutions. He retired from a small boutique financial group in 2008. Ian and wife Liz now call Burlington their home but I suspect they make an occasional trip back to the West Coast to see Ian s two kids and two grandkids. Ian also lists golf, hiking, and personal investing among his leisure activities. Ian was sponsored by Peter Hughes. We will feature photos of John and Ian in an upcoming edition of HI-Lites. Until then, look for the green ribbon on their membership badges and say HELLO! Mike McInnis Membership Chair Events Committee In arranging our events program for the year, it is necessary to begin with our theatre program as group sales start at the beginning of December and good seat blocks go quickly. In fact, some have started already, so some dates are firm, but others will not be confirmed until later next month. NOTE - the enthusiastic descriptions below are those provided by the Festivals themselves and should not be taken literally. 1. Foster Festival - First Ontario Art Center - St. Catharines Confirmed - 40 tickets for Hilda's Yard Hilda and Sam Fluck are finally on their own after their grown children Gary and Janey leave the nest. They re looking forward to rekindling their romance in their Golden Years but their love nest suddenly becomes a bit crowded with the unexpected return of the children and some very exotic visitors. Set in 1956, this delightful comedy sparkles with unexpected twists and turns as Hilda attempts to corral her family s foibles. Hilda s Yard reunites Norm Foster and Artistic Director Patricia Vanstone as Sam and Hilda Fluck. Holy toot! You re going to love it! w w w. b u r l i n g t o n l a k e s h o r e p r o b u s. o r g Page 3
Date - Thursday, July 25th @ 2:00 PM - 2 hour performance followed by "talk-back" in the lounge. 2. Shaw Festival - Niagara*on*the*Lake Applied for - 40 seats for The Ladykillers Is it so hard to kill one little old lady? Based on one of the best-loved British films of all time (featuring Alec Guinness), this comedy tour-de-force is set in post-world War II London where five oddball crooks pose as an amateur string quintet to rent a room from a little old lady. It is supposed to be the nerve centre for their greatest ever heist, but things soon start to get complicated. Even then, these hardened criminals only need to commit one easy murder to get clean away with the loot. But are they up to it? After taking the West End by storm, this deliciously macabre comedy now has its North American premiere. Date - Not fully confirmed, but will be a weekday matinee in the latter part of June. 3. Stratford Festival Confirmed - 34 tickets for Billy Elliot Dreams don t come easy in the hardscrabble mining town, riven by a bitter national strike, where eleven-year-old Billy lives with his bereaved family. But Billy s discovery of his talent for dance awakens in him a passion that will transform his life and win the hearts of his whole community. With its inspirational story, breathtaking dance numbers and music by pop legend Elton John, this award-winning show based on the smash-hit movie will appeal to all. Date - Thursday, Sept 19th @ 2:00 PM Tickets will come in a package which includes bus transportation and lunch. The January Issue of Hi-LItes will provide information on prices and dates on which tickets will be sold for each of the productions. Remember that "sign-up" sheets will not be used this year - your name will be listed as a participant when you have paid for your ticket. David McKay for the Events Committee Speakers Corner Can you Talk? Something that we have not done before and that is have back-up speakers. We hope that there is not a need to have back-up speakers but in the event of our designated speaker being a No Show due to illness, traffic problems etc. we must be prepared to have some member or members put their name forward for this duty. Topics could be career or careers, travel, hobbies etc. I am sure we have lots of members who could entice us with 20 to 30 minutes from the Hi-Lites of their lives. Also... We feel it is about time that we also asked the membership who they would like to hear from. What topic would be of interest to you? We would like to hear some ideas. Even better if you have a w w w. b u r l i n g t o n l a k e s h o r e p r o b u s. o r g Page 4
name of a proposed speaker we can contact. It is you club, so we feel you should have a say on who comes to speak. It may not be for 2019 as we are looking at a pretty full schedule but there are years following and getting the right mix of speakers is what keeps the Club in our opinion going. So let me know who you would like to hear speak and at the same time taking into consideration other member s interests? If you feel you can help, please contact me at duncanmcphail725@gmail.com Duncan McPhail, Chair, Speaker s Committee Cheer Committee The Cheer Committee will contact or visit members or spouses who are ill. In the event of a bereavement, a card of condolence will be sent to the family and a memorial donation made to a charity of their choice. Please inform one of the committee members, if you aware of anyone who has an illness or a bereavement, for appropriate action: Brian Langlotz - (905) 632-8197 bpl328@bell.net John Hughes - (905) 333-4910 johnhiltonhughes@gmail.com Brian Langlotz, Cheer Committee Activities Computer Interest Group Our next meeting will be on December 13th at 10 am at Appleby Place. Remember to send Robert your questions via email to Robert.lalonde@me.com Santa s Lap A father took his son Billy to the Burlington Mall to see Santa. They stood in line awhile, and finally the boy was able to meet Santa and sit on his lap. What would you like for Christmas, Billy? asked Santa. An X-Box and a Hobbit game, Billy said. Okay, we ll see what we can do about that, said Santa with a big smile. Later on, that day they also went to see Santa at the Mapleview Mall. When Santa asked Billy what he wanted for Christmas, Billy said, An X-Box and a Hobbit game. Will you be a good boy and do what your daddy tells you? Santa asked. Billy turned to his dad and said, Let s go back to the other Santa, Dad. Why Billy? asked his father. Because I didn t have to make any deals with that one. Coming Next Month January 14, 2019 Speaker: Angela Reid Topic: Community Mobilization Policing w w w. b u r l i n g t o n l a k e s h o r e p r o b u s. o r g Page 5
w w w. b u r l i n g t o n l a k e s h o r e p r o b u s. o r g Page 6
w w w. b u r l i n g t o n l a k e s h o r e p r o b u s. o r g Page 7