Our Club
History
On 22nd March 1985 the Rotary Club of Melbourne South inaugurated the Probus Club of South-Port. The initial meeting was held at the Middle Park Bowling Club. The founding President was Frank Crean, and that initial meeting had 14 members, 2 apologies, and 3 guests.
On 15th December 1999, the Probus Club of South-Port was certified by the Corporate Affairs Office as an Incorporated Association. At the same time, the name of the Club was changed to The Probus Club of Port Melbourne.
On 30th April 2004 the Constitution was changed to allow women to take up membership. On 26th November that year the Club held its first meeting at the Liardet St Community Centre (a City of Port Phillip facility). The club continued to use this venue for many years until outgrowing it's capacity in 2022.
After starting with membership of just 16 in 1985, membership increased to 32 members in 2001. Following the move to include women members in 2004, membership increased to 58 in 2005, including 22 women members. By 2010, membership had increased to 76 including 48 women. Current membership is 99 members.
The Club recognises members who have rendered outstanding service to the Club by conferring them with Life Membership. The first Life Members were Frank Crean and Bert Stafford, later followed by Keith Crowther. There are only ever two Life Members at any one time. Ron Cassano and Charlotte Bradley are our current Life Members.
Administration
As with all Probus clubs, the operation of the Port Melbourne Probus Club is overseen by a Management Committee. The Management Committee is comprised of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, supported by additional committee members responsible for organising guest speakers, activities and events, and for managing membership, member welfare, the club newsletter and club website.
The Committee is elected by Club members each year at the Club's Annual General Meeting.
Please note that as we are a voluntary organisation, it is expected that all members
contribute to the running of the club at some stage in their membership.
Meetings and Activities
The Club has monthly General Meetings (except December and January) at which a guest speaker is engaged to speak on a topic of interest to club members. To encourage social interaction between club members, after every meeting we get together for lunch at a nearby pub or restaurant.
For more information about General Meeting location, dates and times, visit the ‘Meetings & Speakers’ page.
The Club also organises regular outings throughout the year to a place or places of interest, with an emphasis on providing opportunities for members to discover more about the local and broader community we live in and at the same time being at great way to socialise with fellow members and make new friends. Activities are planned by the Committee, and are advertised at general meetings and through the club newsletter and this website.
For more information about forthcoming outings, visit the ‘Activities & Outings’ page. For a sample of past activities visit the ‘Typical Experiences’ page.
Communications
Our Club has two main communication channels:
"The Probian" newsletter which is published monthly.
Members receive this newsletter via an email from the Probian editor.
The Probian provides information on forthcoming Club meetings and outing activities for the next few months,
as well as the names and contact details of the current committee members.
This Website, which provides current, future and historical information. Members are encouraged
to regularly consult the website for up-to-date information. It is also useful for non-members who would like to
gain an awareness of what typically happens in the club - a useful source of information for those contemplating
future membership for themselves.
The Webmaster emails all members whenever something interesting and new (such as a photo slideshow of a
recent club excursion) has been added to the website.