Melbourne Bearbrass Probus is an active, engaging, member-driven group who come together to undertake a wide variety of enriching and enjoyable social activities and outings, which enhance their experiences and interests, whilst enjoying the fellowship of an expanding, diverse, network of friends.
Welcome to the new Probus year. We have an enthusiastic new committee for 2025, and as the new president, I would like to welcome you to our home page.
Bearbrass Probus club is relatively new, formed during covid lock downs when we provided social connections via zoom. Five years later, we have 88 members, many living in the city of Melbourne but not exclusively. We even have members from as far as Berwick and Frankston! Fortunately, those lock downs are a thing of the past and we are now enjoying a wide variety of activities and excursions.
Our newest event group is planning to attend Morning Melodies (albeit in the afternoon ! ) at Hamer Hall, regularly throughout the year.
The Sunday Roast group is very popular, meeting at various local hotels, providing an opportunity to wine, dine and chat.
I would like to acknowledge our outgoing president Shane and thank both him and the outgoing committee members for all their hard work.
We continue to be grateful to the City of Melbourne for their ongoing financial support.
If you would like to come to a meeting or an event to “try us out” , reach out to our new membership officer, Bill on 0409 436 177.
We would love to welcome you.
At our May meeting we were surprised and pleased by the announcement of the recent marriage of two of our members, Margaret and Bill. They were joined by 140 guests at their wedding, which included Margaret’s six children, their partners, and seven grandchildren. Bill’s large family of nieces and nephews were also included in the celebration. A three-week honeymoon to far north Queensland awaits. Congratulations Marg and Bill.
Another member, Cate, is over the moon to become a first time grandmother to a baby girl, after having three sons of her own.
Sue H was acknowledged for her five years of service to Bearbrass Probus in roles of President, Secretary and membership officer. Now that she is no longer on the management committee, she has found time to travel the Camino trail, solo. What an achievement! We will hear more of Sue’s adventure at the June meeting.
The speaker, Peter Duras, was captivating and inspired our imagination. He took us on a fantasy trip back 2400 years to Olympia, 376 BCE for the original Games. There were questions aplenty before President Colleen closed the meeting and we headed off for lunch at TAP831!
Our latest Wine Group tasting sampled six wines from WA’s iconic south-west, namely the sea-kissed Margaret River region with its billion-year gravelly soil giving a Bordeaux hint to the wines.
We started with a Leeuwin Estate chardonnay followed by Forester, Vasse Felix and Voyager reds. The commentary was largely film clips with a quick travelogue about this beautiful and diverse promontory, followed by youtubes about each winery and seriously expert discussion by WA and overseas wine buffs. We also had an extempore report by Mel G on the club wine tour he led to the Rutherglen region.
The discussions were followed by instant arrival of copious Indonesian take-away, rapidly using up our supply of paper plates while we sampled favourite wines brought in by our dozen attendees.
This month the Art Appreciation group saw the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the National Gallery Victoria.
Yayoi Kusama is one of the world’s most celebrated living artists. Her polka-dotted pumpkin and flower sculptures are recognised globally, and her infinity mirror rooms are pivotal to the twenty-first century’s turn towards art as an immersive experience.
The group tried to view approximately 200 works of painting, sculpture, collage, fashion, film and installations. Alas the exhibition needs at least two visits to do it justice!
The next outing of the Art Appreciation Group is on May 12th to Bendigo to see the Frida Kahlo exhibition, so look out for the invitation.
Walking around Albert Park Lake has become an annual walk, and doing it soon after the F1 Grand Prix has finished gives a good understanding of the enormity of the constructions for the event and also the (short term) damage done to the grassy areas.
Notwithstanding the impact of the Grand Prix, a large group of members chatted as we walked and enjoyed the water birds and sweeping vista of the city in the distance in addition to all the other people taking their daily exercise (why weren’t they at work???).
A coffee at a café in Eastern road finished proceedings.
As usual, everyone enjoyed catching up before the April General Meeting at the Community Hub at the Dock, Docklands. To facilitate connection, friendship and fellowship between members, Colleen (President) suggested that having different people on the registration table for each meeting would help new members to associate new names with new faces, thereby adding to their comfort and ease in the new group setting. She also made a special presentation to Ray D in recognition of the dedication and hard work over his three years as treasurer for the Club.The comprehensive list of tours and events for April includes Morning Melodies at Art Centre Melbourne, a Victorian Police Museum visit, the musical Jesus Christ Superstar at the Princess Theatre and the Kusama exhibition at NGV. These are in addition to regular activities like the Book Club’s reading and discussion of “The Rose Code” by Kate Quinn, the Friday Walking Group which will circle Albert Park Lake as well as cards, mahjong, bowling, craft and table tennis to name but a few. There is a delightful buzz around the shared table at the very popular end of the month Sunday Roast.
A Club Runner education session followed with Mel (Secretary and Web Officer) demonstrating some features of the system which make it easy for members to communicate with each other.
Following the tempting morning tea of home-made sweet and savoury options, club member Cheryl M, shared her experiences and insights from her 20-year history managing aged care facilities. She is proud to have initiated programs that enhanced the wellbeing, physical and psychological health of the residents, such as Montessori for the Aged, arts programs, traditionally home cooked menus familiar to the residents, consultation and collaboration with the residents about their needs and/or suggestions to enhance their lived experiences She has also recently joined a mentoring program for secondary students via the Raise Foundation. She was happy to answer the many questions from the audience who were keen to learn about the approaches to supporting young at-risk people through these mentoring programs in schools.
Out guest speaker, Jenny Leyva Deloryn then spoke about her work as a volunteer at PAWS Pet Therapy, with her dog Jay Jay. She began with an overview of her experiences volunteering in a range of settings with Jay Jay, including under NDIS, Camp Quality, aged care and Maximum Security Prison. Jay Jay had a period of special training to ensure he is reliable, engaging and safe in a range of environments. He wandered with interest around the room as Jenny spoke, happily engaging the audience with his quiet presence. Jenny responded to questions about the positive impact a therapy pet can have on vulnerable people, sometimes solely by their presence in the environment.
Twenty of us had a great morning at the refurbished Police Museum in Spencer St. After nearly an hour there, many were pledging to come back for a fuller visit and bring their grandkids for the interactive detective games.
The museum traverses Victorian police history since colonial days, with plenty more about police horses and their training and the K9 dog squads. None of us knew that to train police horses to push gently into unruly crowds, the horses are given a human-sized rubber ball to nudge from one end of the police stables to the other.
Naturally the museum includes the many dramas and tragedies of police work, with special emphasis on the bombing of the Russell Street headquarters in 1986, our first real introduction to the modern world of terror attacks.
We were joined in our tour by two burly police in their iconic semi-riot gear, typifying the friendly atmosphere at this gem of Melbourne experience (and free, what’s more).
Afterwards half our party trudged off to lunch at the Royal Melbourne Hotel in Bourke St., securing a quiet table in what used to be the bluestone prison there. How appropriate!
An enthusiastic group of 8 Movie Lovers met at the Platform 28 Pub in Docklands to discuss their choices for Oscar awards based on the nominated films they had seen.
Everyone supported their choice with strong opinions, but no blood was shed over disagreements!
The nominated films are diverse and given some of the winners over the years, are somewhat contentious. While there was not a standout candidate for the Best Film gold statuette, Conclave came close.
It was a very enjoyable night: good food and a wide choice of wines.
We were well looked after by the staff.
Thanks to everyone for having done the homework!
And the winner is…
The annual general meeting was a great success and preceded by the induction of two new members, Marie D and Ray L.
Both new members provided very interesting pen pictures of themselves with Marie describing herself as a dancer, a keynote speaker and a “wacky solutionist” and Ray telling us of his career as a veterinarian which had many different facets culminating in being responsible for the welfare of livestock being transported by ship to various Asian and middle eastern countries.
In his annual report retiring President Shane M pointed out that the club has grown by 14 new members in the past year to a new high of 88 members. He thanked all the committee members for their tireless work and the activity coordinators for creating and running the various groups and events which make the club what it is. He particularly thanked retiring committee members Ross F, Coral-lee K, Ray D, Susan H, Judy S and Maryla J.
Treasurer Ray D outlined the excellent financial shape that the club is in and his recommendations for the budget and maintaining fees at the same level as the past five years, were unanimously approved by members.
Incoming President Collen H thanked outgoing president Shane for his efforts over the past 12 months and welcomed the new committee members, Jules T (treasurer), Kerry F (assistant secretary), Bill A (membership) and Mel G (secretary) plus expressing appreciation of those continuing on the committee for the new year Mike S (vice president), Jill de A (events) and Cheryl M (welfare).
President Colleen particularly called out retiring Treasurer Ray D who has been looking after the money for the last three years and our longest serving committee member Sue H who has been secretary, president and membership officer over the five years the club has been in existence. Great work both of you!
As always after a meeting, the members decamped to the TAP831 bistro for a nice lunch and great conversation, the AGM over for another year.
Tenpin bowling continues to roll along at Archie Bros in The District, Docklands. The last outing brought together eight bowlers, one cheerleader and one member nursing an injury.
We enjoyed lunch before the game, which set the tone for the afternoon. The group split into two groups - the men’s lane saw some fierce competition- while the women’s lane focused on having fun and enjoying the game. It was great to see our two newest bowlers showing improvement, demonstrating more confidence and skill as the game progressed. Although John M couldn't participate in the bowling itself, he was active in cheering and coaching others, keeping the spirit alive and showing that you can still be part of the fun even when sidelined.
Bowling is a wonderful experience. The combination of competitive energy, new bowlers showing progress, and a light-hearted attitude from the women’s lane made for a great afternoon. We look forward to next month’s event, where we can continue to build on our skills and enjoy some friendly competition.
Twenty three members and guests recently attended Tina: The Tina Turner Musical . All agreed that it was a fantastic show, while at times confronting. The show finished with a repertoire of famous Tina Turner songs ,while the audience joined along and gave a standing ovation.
A drink (or two) and an early dinner followed for some, at the Imperial Hotel, just a stone’s throw from the Princess Theatre.
Keep a look out for our next theatre event.
(Apologies to those who didn’t make it to the photo opportunity).
The 2025 series of Sunday lunches has kicked off, with the January lunch taking place recently at The Leveson in North Melbourne. In our own light and airy private space, we enjoyed air-conditioned comfort on a very hot day as we munched a delicious meal, sipped on cold drinks and chatted with the terrific company!
Twenty five enthusiastic members met at the gates of Government House ready for a fabulous tour of the house and gardens (which cover 11 hectares). After security checks, our guide, Deborah, led us up the magnificent drive, through the stunning foyer, the ruby red billiard room, the light and airy drawing room, the brilliant conservatory, the very grand State dining room (with its table to seat 56), the even grander State Hall, the Hopetoun Blue ballroom (even bigger than that at Buckingham Palace) finishing with the verdant and productive kitchen garden.
All the while, Deborah treated us to engrossing stories of the history of the house, its many occupants and its role in the Federation of Australia. We learnt a great deal about the role of our Governor and her current programs. Our 90 minutes sped by and we left with a greater understanding of our Victorian heritage and with a true appreciation of our Governor, Margaret Gardener, and her achievements.
Following this event about half of our group took a long and leisurely stroll into the Botanical Gardens in the spring sunshine to enjoy a delicious lunch at The Terrace. We all agreed that the day was pretty special.
About 25 members had an eye-opening morning recently getting briefed on the Metro Tunnel project. We had an hour at the Swanston St PR centre surrounded by models and 180deg video displays, with a knowledgeable presenter filling us in with amazing facts.Pinnacle of the exercise was of course the four giant boring machines. Each is 120m long, equal to three big trams end-to-end, and weighing 1100 tonnes. The cutter head is 7.3m diameter. The borer creeps it way at about 10m per day, sealing the tube as it goes and pumping out the dirt to the surface after converting it to a slurry.
We learnt that for the UK-France tunnel project, the giant borers were too awkward to recover when their job was done, so they were buried deep for eternity. Below: Member Jim dons his virtual reality 4D mask.
The Melbourne ones each have a female name, Joan, Meg, Alice and Minnie after celebrated Victorian ladies. Things underground generally have female names, something to do (we were told) with St Barbara the patron saint of mining whose head was cut off by her own father (what the mining connection is, we’ve forgotten).
Afterwards, many of us trooped to coffee at Dymocks, our heads bursting with arcane knowledge about Melbourne’s underground low-jinks.
Afterwards, many of us trooped to coffee at Dymocks, our heads bursting with arcane knowledge about Melbourne’s underground low-jinks.
Fifteen members enjoyed the historically interesting experience of a guided tour of the recent Johnstone Collection exhibition titled, ‘Inspired by Women’. We were bussed to a lovely terrace in East Melbourne and greeted by two tour guides who provided us with refreshments while giving us a potted history of Johnstone after which the collection is named. This exhibition celebrates women’s lives in the 1700’s and1800’s. We had the opportunity to see some lovely pieces from the British and European fine and decorative arts from the Johnstone Collection along with pieces from the historical collection of the Embroiderers Guild, Victoria. In each room we visited, our tour guide related stories of significant women, influential in the Georgian and Regency periods including the Duchess of Portland, society hostess Lady Melbourne (mother of the man our state was named after), Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and Mary Delany. The stories of these women were colourful and entertaining though not always with happy endings, a plight often experienced by women of the times.
The wine group’s trip to Rutherglen was a great success. Seven wineries over two days of tastings. The focus was on some of the smaller wineries and also on making sure we were at a winery where lunch was available at around 1 pm! Whilst Rutherglen is renowned for its “big” reds and fortified wines, it was interesting to taste some of the lighter reds and the whites also being produced.
Without exception, the people at the wineries were very welcoming, generous with their time (and tastings!) and fonts of knowledge about their wines and the production process.
Travel was via stretch limo driven by a local entrepreneur, Michael (Mick) who did a great job keeping us moving and travelling in style. By the time we do another trip, however, we may all be over the idea of a stretch limo based on the time it took us to enter and exit the car!
A very enjoyable BBQ in the grounds of the motel, with meat sourced from the Rutherglen butcher shop, was a highlight as was the finale at Tuileries restaurant.
Seven enthusiastic Probus members attended a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and MCG Sports Museum.
We were guided by a wonderful and enthusiastic volunteer, John, who explained much of the history of the MCG and Melbourne Cricket Club. We were treated to a view of the ground from the player’s box, where the cricketers and their families sit, and followed the pathway taken by the batsman as he walks on the “G” to begin his batting innings. Although we were not allowed to walk on the hallowed turf, we were able to walk within the boundary line and sit in the players shelter (see photo), which is used by the AFL. Our tour included the players change rooms used by both cricket and AFL players, the media room and the various dining areas within the members area. Following our guided tour, we were treated to a fantastic display of memorabilia in the Sports Museum and MCC museum. A life like hologram of Shane Warne talking about his career was a highlight.
A key part of the Melbourne Bearbrass club Vision is for members to “enjoy the fellowship of an expanding, diverse, network of friends”.
The weekly Trivia function is a classic example of that part of the Vision being achieved. Whilst not an official club event, it shows how members have extended their relationship groups, facilitated by their membership of Bearbrass Probus, into a broader neighbourhood camaraderie.
Starting in the waning days of the Covid crisis, a regular group of members began to play Trivia at a pub in Docklands. Soon the group expanded to include other friends, neighbours and acquaintances from the area. It has continued to be a great evening testing their knowledge with healthy competition between the two and sometimes three tables of participants.
912 Collins Street
Docklands, VIC 3008
Australia