In this section is a little history about the origins of the Probus organisation and Stockton-on-Tees Probus Club in particular. Our most recent history, in terms of summaries of talks given at the club over the past couple of years can be found under Previous Talks. You also can see some photographs taken at events in our Gallery ).
History of Probus International
The first PROBUS club specifically for active retirees was formed in 1966 by the Rotary Club of Caterham England to allow retired professionals to continue to meet together for fellowship. Rotarian Harold Blanchard of Caterham Rotary Club in his writings of “The Birth of PROBUS” states:
“..One of our more erudite members came up with the idea of PROBUS, – PROfessional and BUSiness, He assured us that PROBUS was a Latin word from which “probity” was derived, and the name was adopted with enthusiasm. Incidentally we found there was a village in Cornwall called PROBUS and also there was a Roman Emperor of the same name who in his day was famous for his cultivation of the vine.”
About the same time the Rotary Club of Welwyn Garden City, England, formed the “Campus Club” that had the same purpose. The two soon merged and flourished under the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of Bromsgrove, Birmingham, England.
Due to the success of these two clubs, PROBUS Clubs were promoted through Rotary in adjacent towns. As a result Rotary International British Isles were informed and a promotional pamphlet was established urging other Rotary Clubs to form PROBUS Clubs. There are now around 1,500 clubs in Great Britain and an estimated 350,000 members in 4,000 clubs around the world.
History of Stockton-on-Tees Probus Club
Stockton-on-Tees Probus Club was formed in 1985 under the chairmanship of Cecil Rounthwaite. It began meeting at Barrington House, but soon moved to Stockton library and stayed there between 1986-89. In 1989 it moved to the Masonic Hall where it remained for a long period, until 2014. For one year in 2014-15 it met in the Parkwood hotel, before moving to the Elmwood Centre. 2020-21 will be remembered as the Zoom meeting period due to Covid-19. Most recently we have begun meeting at the West End Bowling Club in Hartburn. Each year there has been a new chairman and they are listed here, together with a list of secretaries.
Memories of the Club and its Members
The information above has been taken from a spreadsheet kept by club secretaries over the years and it is a little dry. Have you any memories of key people or events in the Club’s history, which we could feature on the website? If so please email them to the Secretary at the club email stocktonprobus@gmail.com, or come and tell me about them at one of our meetings. Thanks for your help.
Stockton-on-Tees Probus Club for retired professionals 