At the Probus birthday event were (back, from left) Keith and Jan Steele, Allan and Maree Matheson, Naomi Pryse, Betsy Phillips and Bruce McNair; (front) Ron Clayton, Veronica Rands, Marj Kable OAM, Margot McNair and Marnie Steer.
Members of Combined Probus Club of Finley gathered at the Uniting Church Hall last Tuesday to celebrate the ‘coming of age’ for the organisation.
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Twenty one years ago, a branch of Probus was formed in Finley and has continued to grow and provide companionship for many in the local area.
What is Probus, you may well ask?
Probus provides retirees with the opportunity to connect socially, which is so important in today’s world.
Membership is open to anyone who is retired or semi-retired and offers a range of activities including trips and outings for members to enjoy, depending on their interests, lifestyle and location.
Probus Club members meet monthly, to enjoy the company of like-minded fellow retirees and listen to interesting guest speakers.
Make new friends, learn a new skill, explore new interests and hobbies - there is so much to choose from when you become a member of Probus.
Members of the Finley Club certainly did all of the above with the special get-together last week.
Music and singing provided by Keith Haidle, skits carried out by adventurous members and cutting the cake by president Lorraine Edwards and Marj Kable, were all factored into the program.
There were many of the founding members present, with Marj claiming to be the oldest in attendance.
Margo and Bruce McNair made the trip from Kyabram to join in the fun.
New members are always welcome, and anyone interested in joining in is invited to attend at the Finley Uniting Church Hall on the first Tuesday of each month, beginning at 10am.
Further information can be obtained by calling Myra on 0428 826 338.
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At the Retreat Hall celebrations are (back, from left) Norman Barnes, Lesley Wilson, Marj Maxwell, Gill Taylor, Col Moorse, Dot Wright, Kath Moorse, John McBurnie and Stephen Barnes; (front) Joy Knight, Lynette Yates and Gary Wright.
The Retreat Public Hall 100 Years celebrations at the weekend saw many people return to reminisce of years gone by.
Col and Kath Moorse, now living in Mathoura, brought with them many photos to share of the Horneman family history in the area.
The Moorse family were potato farmers at Retreat and Kath (nee Horneman) and her three sisters all had their wedding breakfasts at the Retreat Hall.
Joy Knight and her husband, now living in Rutherglen, also brought a framed history board of their time at Retreat.
Joy’s family owned land next to the Retreat Hall for four generations.
She went to school at Retreat, celebrated her 21st birthday in the hall, played tennis for 40 years for Retreat and celebrated her mother’s 80th birthday with family in this great hall.
The Retreat tennis club was once very strong, with many trophies dating back to the 1930s still displayed in the trophy cabinet.
Four clay courts were once in full swing as part of the Berriquin Tennis Association.
It's surprising how many people say, 'I played tennis at Retreat'.
The family fun over the weekend proved popular with lawn games, guess the weight of the pumpkin, number of jellybeans in a jar, length of a piece of string and guess the weight of the pet lamb proving challenging for some.
A few of the kids even had a hit of tennis.
The evening dance was well attended, and some come along on the Sunday for a lovely traditional church service with Finley Community Church and enjoyed the generous luncheon.
The winner of the crochet rug raffle was Leonie from Must Have Flowers, who also donated a florist voucher for second prize. It was won by Val Tunn, who also attended the weekend at Retreat Public Hall.
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Finley Regional Care group at the Elvis Presley exhibition in Bendigo.
Wintry cold conditions did nothing to dampen the excitement of 30 Elvis fans, and the Finley Regional Care Auxiliary sub-committee bus trip to the Elvis Exhibition in Bendigo did not disappoint.
The day started with a quick Elvis quiz, followed by morning tea and then onto the Art Gallery Café for a delicious lunch.
This was followed by the most important part, the exhibition itself.
It was a spectacular display of Elvis’ life including his MG convertible, Harley Davidson motorcycle, Pricilla’s wedding dress and many of his trademark jumpsuits which have to be seen to be appreciated.
The day ended with a raffle, was won by Margaret Singleton.
The winners of the quiz were Judy Anderson, Lorraine Comber and Heather Thomas.
A special thank you to the bus driver, John Milne, for getting the group safely there and back and to the many wonderful sponsors who helped make this day possible.
Louisa, Robyn, Victoria, Sue and Bernie would like to thank all the wonderful ladies for going along and supporting the trip.
The organisers look forward to seeing as many as possible on the next adventure whenever that may be.
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The winner of the Finley Lions Club wood raffle last Saturday was Sue Hill.
The members of this great organisation would like to express their thanks for the continuing support from the community.
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Items for ‘From Finley’ may be submitted by phoning 0428 293 922 or email anne.freestone@bigpond.com, or left at the Southern Riverina News office. Please include a contact name and phone number.
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