Boxmoor and District Probus Monthly Newsletter Number 3, June 2020 A Message From The Outgoing Chairman You will by now have seen the message from the Club Secretary in which he explained how the Club will move forward during the restrictions placed upon our activity by the Covid-19 virus. In taking its decisions the Committee‘s primary concerns were the continuity of the Club and the welfare of the members. At the time of writing this I am still Chairman but by the time you read it I will have handed over to Andy Cunningham. I wish him well in his year of office and hope that we can resume operations in time for him to enjoy undertaking the normal tasks of the Club Chairman. The AGM gives the outgoing Chairman the opportunity to give a short address in which he reviews his year in office and gives his personal thanks to those who have contributed to the running of the Club. As we are not holding an AGM this year I will take the opportunity to write it down and publish it here in the Newsletter. At the moment the Covid-19 virus, the lockdown and all that they entail are prominent in our minds and, I have to say, have occupied the minds of the Committee a great deal in the last two and a half months. It is easy to forget that prior to the current situation we had been having a pretty good year. The Secretary mentioned some of our activities in the report that he distributed. I particularly remember the Barbecue which, as usual, brought out all that is best in the Club. Its success can be put down, in no small part, to the contributions made by the members and their ladies, not forgetting the splendid location for which we are most grateful to Keith and Hilary Hamshere. The trip to Winchester Christmas Market followed by an early Christmas dinner in Winchester was a successful innovation and, of course, our proper Christmas lunch at Boxmoor Lodge was a great success, as usual. I would like to express my thanks to Andy Cunningham and Steve Jacklin, who have organised the social events, to Dave Norris who has organised theatre trips and to Geoff Kirk who has handled the financial arrangements for them. The success of these events is an important part of the Club. Our monthly meetings have been well attended and my thanks go to Pete Randall for providing an interesting variety of speakers. Although a little lower than a few years ago the membership numbers have stabilised and we are hoping that interest 1 in the Club can be sustained during lockdown and that everyone returns to take part in Club activities when the crisis is over. Keith Hamshere, who is leaving the Committee, has done a sterling job as Care Secretary and I am particularly grateful to him for the way he has been making regular contact with more vulnerable members and those who live alone. All Committee members have played their part, performing their individual functions as well as making valuable contributions to discussions at monthly Committee meetings and, more recently, video-conference meetings using Zoom. Geoff Kirk and Dave Norris, with assistance from Ian Burton have the less glamorous, administrative jobs on the Committee but without their dedication to their tasks the Club would soon fall apart. Finally, I must acknowledge the contribution made by Andy in editing and publishing this Newsletter and all those who have submitted contributions. It doesn‘t make up for missing our meetings and our social events but it helps to remind us all that our Club still exists. I look forward to meeting you all again. In the meantime stay healthy and safe. Mike Beavington ------------- A Message From The Incoming Acting Chairman Although I could be the first Chairman of Boxmoor and District Probus who is destined never to chair a meeting, I do still feel it is a great honour to be given the opportunity to lead our great Club. Mike Beavington is going to be a very hard act to follow. Having been club secretary for many years before becoming our Chairman, Mike knows and understands so much about the club. Fortunately he is still going to be on the committee to keep me on the straight and narrow. Thank you Mike for all you have done for the Club, but particularly thank you for guiding the committee through these last couple of months to ensure we are set fair for the rest of this bumpy period. When a few years ago Peter Hopes, my good friend and close neighbour, asked me if I would like to come to a Probus meeting as his guest, little did I imagine being asked by Chris Gower to join the committee let alone ending up as Chairman. I probably should thank Peter and Chris, but maybe I will wait until the year is over before deciding if I still want to. I was a keen Boy Scout (now called Scouts) in my youth and in fact became a Queen‘s Scout. I still remember my Scout promise. It begins, for those who weren‘t Boy Scouts, ―I promise to do my best . .‖ That is all I can promise you for this year, but I have a strong committee behind me and I hope that together we can guide the club through these turbulent times to happier days. Andy Cunningham 2 A huge thank you After 12 years in the kitchen Margaret Cooper has decided to hang up her tea towel. Sadly gentlemen we have to announce that Margaret has decided to step down from making and serving our Tea and Coffee at meetings. For 12 years now Margaret has cheerfully served us coffee and organised the team of ladies. Additionally, for many years we ran a November Cheese and Wine meeting and our records show that Margaret made all of the mince pies, filled with her own mincemeat, and prepared the rest of the food. We think we have uncovered evidence that she has been doing this since 2004. Margaret, your cheerful smile and warm welcome will be missed, we thank you very much for all the help you have given the club over this long period. On behalf of the club we sent Margaret some flowers and she has sent us the thank you card below. 3 Congratulations to David Lloyd Heartiest congratulations to David who celebrates his 90th Birthday this month. David now brings the number of the club‘s nonagenarians to seven. Have an enjoyable day David. ------------- Support during Lock down From Keith Hamshere – outgoing care secretary Keith has been calling members who we know are living alone or may need help during lockdown. If you know of any member who could do with a chat please let Tom Derbyshire know who is taking over from Keith as Care Secretary and he will add them to his call list Below are some useful contact numbers of organisations that are extremely helpful and would not hesitate to assist those that are finding it difficult to shop or get their medication: HERTS HELP Tel: 0300-123-4044 www.hertshelp.net AGE UK Dacorum Tel: 01442-259-049 www.ageuk.org.uk/dacorum They will do a door to door service Community Action Dacorum Tel: 01442-253-935 https://www.communityactiondacorum.org Their transport department on Tel: 01442-212-888 will do one stop one shop shopping but can charge £5 per visit and are open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm ------------- Headlines From Pete Randall ―Something went wrong in jet crash, Expert says‖ No, really? ―Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers‖ Now that‘s taking things too far! ―Panda Mating Fails Veterinarian takes over.‖ What a guy! ―Miners Refuse to Work after Death‖ Lazy so-and-sos ―Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant‖ See if that works better than a fair trial! ―Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures‖ Who would have thought! ―Enfield Couple Slain‖ Police Suspect Homicide! ―Red Tape Holds up Bridges‖ What no Sellotape? ―New Study of Obesity Looks for a Larger Test Group‖ Weren‘t they fat enough? ―Kids Make Nutritious Snacks‖ Taste like chicken! 4 The Damascus Souk and its Perfume Man By Richard Lyne Health warning: this article contains mention of ladies’ underwear – those of a tender disposition should please skip it! With the Syrian conflict, Damascus is currently going through a particularly bleak and sad period in its long history. When I lived there back in the late seventies, it was a colourful and vibrant place, with only the occasional bomb or assassination attempt to keep us on our toes. The bazaar or souk is always the heart of any city in the Middle East, and Souk Hamidiyah in Damascus was (and I fervently hope is) a truly wonderful place. A bustling busy avenue of cheerful people enjoying a social occasion while buying their daily needs. The big difference between a Middle Eastern bazaar and a European market or mall is that all the shops and traders selling one item are gathered together rather than all mixed up. So, one progresses through the bazaar passing the leather sandals souk, the vegetable souk, the handicraft souk, the jewellery souk and so on. One could find some form of almost anything somewhere in Souk Hamidiyah. My favourite discovery was an alarm clock in the shape of a mosque which, when it went off loudly in the morning, played the Muslim call to prayer. Alas, it packed up remarkably quickly (to this day I suspect sabotage by my nearest and dearest!).