“PROBUS”
PROBUS is the association of retired and semiretired persons who join together in autonomous Clubs throughout the world.
The word PROBUS is an abbreviation of the words PROfessional and BUSiness, but membership is not restricted to these two groups. It also embraces former executives of government and other organizations and, in fact, anyone who has had some measure of responsibility in any field of endeavour.
The basic purpose of a PROBUS CLUB is to provide regular gatherings to those who, in retirement, appreciate and value opportunities to meet others in similar circumstances and of similar levels of interest.
The emphasis is that the Clubs:
- Be simple in structure.
- Be free from the constraints and obligations of service Clubs.
- Involve members at a minimum cost.
- Be directed, primarily, to providing fellowship and the opportunity for development of acquaintance.
- Seek members who are compatible with one another.
Their Activities normally fall into two parts:
- A meeting on a set day of each month, from 10:00 am to 12 noon comprising about 30 minutes of business, 30 minutes coffee break and 60 minutes for a speaker and discussion.
- Visits (between meetings) to organizations and places of particular interest to members and occasional social and sports activities.
Rising out of their membership and activities there is self-generating goodwill, a sense of belonging, a diverse background of interests, fellow feeling and cordiality evident within the Clubs, ensuring for PROBUS a highly successful future as a firmly established part of the community.
To preserve the integrity and reputation of these autonomous Clubs, they are encouraged to adhere to the standard constitution provided. This has proved to be a very successful basis for serving the needs of retirees in the many countries in which the PROBUS movement is now flourishing.
Some Important Features:
The Clubs are non-political and non-sectarian. They are non-profit and non fund raising
All Clubs are sponsored by Rotary or by an existing Probus Club, but on formation are autonomous, independent of their sponsor and independent of each other. There is no central governing body but Rotary or the sponsoring Probus Club maintains contact and an ongoing interest in their progress.
Past membership in Rotary, or any service Club is not a requirement for potential members of PROBUS. Some Probus members are members, or past members, of Rotary or other service Clubs.
There is no restriction on the number of members from any one vocation.
There is no compulsion to attend any number of meetings.
PROBUS members may be active members of any other organization and many are.
Membership Fees are unlikely to exceed $30 to $40 per year with a charge for coffee, etc. at meetings. Probus lapel pins and name badges for meetings and functions are supplied by the Club. Members’ guests are invited to take part in most visits and in special functions.
History:
The Clubs spring from two main roots: the “Campus Club” founded by the Rotary Club of Welwyn Garden City and the “Probus Club” founded by the Rotary Club of Caterham in England in 1965 and 1966 respectively. Since then they have spread worldwide and continue to be established at a rapidly increasing rate as former professional and business persons and executives, invited to join, recognize the value of participation and observe the enthusiasm of existing members and the way in which PROBUS enriches their lives. PROBUS moved to New Zealand in 1974 and to Australia in 1976. There are now over 2200 Clubs and over 190,000 members in the Pacific Region. The U.K has also expanded tremendously.
The first PROBUS CLUB in North America was the PROBUS CLUB OF CAMBRIDGE, Ontario sponsored in 1987 by the Rotary Club of Galt in Rotary District 7080. We have now chartered 217 Probus Clubs in Canada with a membership of over 29,911 persons. (October 31, 2012)
PROBUS CENTRES, organized by Rotary, are set up to encourage and advise on the formation of further Clubs, maintain an up to date directory of local, Probus Clubs, distribute lapel pins and other regalia as may be found necessary, and publish a Probus Newsletter regularly, giving ideas and information on the activities of local Probus Clubs. A small annual contribution per member assists in funding the operations of Probus Centre-Canada, Inc.
It is important to recognize that Probus Centre-Canada, Inc. owns and controls the Probus Logo and Probus Name in Canada.