probus-guildwoodprobus-guildwood.homestead.com/february_2019_p-g... · enquiries and endorsements...
TRANSCRIPT
Probus-Gui ldwood
Our Strength is Fellowship, Our Success is Participation.
ISSUE #83 NEWSLETTER February 2019
Probus-Guildwood Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each Month, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church,
140 Guildwood Parkway, Guildwood Village – Everyone is most welcome.
President’s Message
Okay, I know the government is
cutting costs but could they at
least pay the power bill? It’s been
getting so ridiculously cold here
lately that hibernation is looking
really attractive – with appropriate
company of course. Bears have been looking
especially territorial lately. So here is what is
going on that might keep you warm this month.
February
An Affair to Remember Month (For those more
worldly than I)
Black History Month
Creative Romance Month (Go on – you know
you want to)
National Weddings Month (Is this creative
enough?)
February Weekly
18-14 - International Flirting Week (It’s just so
hard to stop – with Wendy.)
February Daily
1. No Politics Day (This gets tougher all the
time)
1 Work Naked Day (Only if goosebumps and
shivering are attractive)
2 Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day (Why not
after yesterday)
4 Create a Vacuum Day (Oh the possibilities)
6 Lame Duck Day (What I’ll be later this year)
7 Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbour
Day (It says all of them, no cheating.)
9 Toothache Day (Tell that to your teeth)
11 Clean out Your Computer Day (And you
thought last month was enough)
11 Don't Cry over Spilled Milk Day (See above
or if the monthlies don’t work)
11 Make a Friend Day (You never have enough)
11 It’s My Birthday (No really it’s my birthday
today and it’s one of Those)
12 National Lost Penny Day (They haven’t
cleaned this up yet either)
13 Get a Different Name Day (Won’t help,
we’ll still know you.)
14 Valentine’s Day
15 National Flag Day – Canada
16 Do a Grouch a Favor Day (No, that’s what
tomorrow’s for)
17 Random Acts of Kindness Day (See
yesterday)
22 Be Humble Day (Is that even possible?)
22 International World Thinking Day (A single
day – that explains a lot)
23 World Sword Swallowers Day (It’s one way
to shut them up)
26 Tell a Fairy Tale Day (See the 22nd, 17th,
etc.)
27 No Brainer Day (You’d have to find it first)
28 Public Sleeping Day (Have your park bench
picked out yet?)
28 National Tooth Fairy Day (At this point that
be a windfall)
For a potentially cold period you can certainly
tell where people’s minds are. It is also
becoming clear that this time of year the
potential for injury to seniors is especially high.
We express our fervent prayers for Freda and
others who suffer injuries of any sort during this
cold weather. Please enjoy your time but be
careful out there. Alan Burt
Celebrate National Flag Day – Most recognized Flag in the world
Unique format twice as long as it is high –
now known in Heraldry “the Canada”
format
February 2019 Probus-Guildwood Newsletter Page 2
Life can be Fun… as long as you do it with the right people.
John Smee – To the
Rescue
When our scheduled January 9th
speaker suddenly had an
emergency and was unable to
make his presentation on the
Opioid Crisis, John Smee, co-
owner of the Bluffs Monitor,
stepped in. The first question
John asked his audience was,
“How many people have ever been self-
employed?” A few hands were raised. So this
was the topic of the day, transitioning from full
time employees to jumping into the unknown, as
John and Glenda Smee had opted, to become the
new self-employed owners of the Bluffs Monitor
in January 1, 2018.
Previously, Glenda Smee worked as a TTC
employee for 30 years with a secure salary until
her department was closed. She could either
train for another position or retire. Initially
retirement was her choice to parent her daughter
and son. She then transitioned to working at the
Bluffs Monitor as office editor and bookkeeper.
John Smee, armed with his English degree and
respect for the ‘written word’, worked with the
Scarborough Mirror from 1985 to 1987. He
was a freelance photojournalist for the Toronto
SUN, Canadian Press and Reuter’s news wires
from 1987 to 1995. From 1995 to 2017 he
specialized in corporate communications
photography. When Lee Graves started to
consider retirement at the age of 85, Glenda and
John negotiated ownership. Lee had owned the
original community paper entitled Birchcliff
News which became Bluffs Monitor and lasted
for 35 years. The office had moved from
Kingston and Warden then briefly to Kingston
near Midland. Since this new landlord wanted a
yearly rental contract, no longer pleased with a
casual monthly arrangement, Lee eventually
decided to retire. On January 1, 2018 Glenda
and John took ownership of the Bluffs Monitor
in their home further east on Kingston Road.
These new owners envisioned an authentic and
fresh ‘community paper’ with local events and
issues whereby residents could submit articles
and responses or opinions to the editor. Their
aim was to ‘grow’ the business in readership
and support community businesses or, in other
words, create a ‘town square of community
information and exchange’. That meant
significant advertising revenue to fund the
paper, good writers, effective salespersons and
quality photographers. It also meant dedicated
volunteers to distribute the monthly edition to
active sites like community centres, libraries,
food chain stores and supportive businesses.
After their inaugural year their current
readership has grown to 20,000 from the
neighbourhoods of Queen Street to Port Union
along Kingston Road. John credits his wife and
partner, Glenda, for much of their success.
During the Q & A session, John fielded many
enquiries and endorsements from our members,
including Judy and Gerard Baribeau who
distribute the monthly edition of the Bluffs
Monitor to residents in the Guildwood
community. John has created a new look for the
paper with its bold and creative new banner
celebrating 36 years of publication. The format
has a clean and readable font of diverse sizes.
The advertisements and articles are clear and
complementary in layout. The articles are well
written and include diverse opinions and
perspectives including fresh voices of our youth
(Backpack Monitors). Great photojournalism
and a comprehensive Community Calendar of
events, entertainment and volunteer
opportunities keep residents informed.
John reminded us that he and Glenda welcome
community articles and advertisements.
In fact, featured on the
cover of the January
2019 edition is Barry
Scheffer’s picture of the
Guild Christmas Tree
Lighting. We have also
used the Bluffs Monitor
to promote Probus-
Guildwood. In future,
John has offered to drop
some copies off at our
meetings for our members. Check it out.
-30-
John receives the P-G
plaque from Alan
February 2019 Probus-Guildwood Newsletter Page 3
Life can be Fun… as long as you do it with the right people.
P-G News – February
A new Public Relations Committee
Our Probus-Guildwood club needs new
members to sustain our club. We are looking
for members to come forward for this Public
Relations venture. Each of you has helped by
talking to friends and neighbours and inviting
guests to attend our meetings. We have
distributed business cards, brochures and posters
in the community and have participated in the
annual Guild Alive With Culture. We have also
paid for ads in the Bluffs Monitor. What we
need now is a focused PR Committee to
promote our club. Basically we need a fresh
injection of new members. Please step forward
to offer your skills to coordinate this
opportunity. Contact Alan, 416-266-4682
Guild Alive With Culture is coming
July 27-28
This is our major PR event to promote Probus-
Guildwood. Many of our members joined as a
result of this exposure. Are you willing to share
your skills to set up and coordinate the booth for
our Probus-Guildwood club? We had a great
time with all our volunteers last year. Contact
any member of the executive.
Photos from last year’s GAWC
This past month three of our executive
members, Jane Corry, Dorothée McKinlay and
Ed Stahlberg, all had accidents. Many thanks to
Lois Robinson who assisted Jane in both the
ambulance and at the emergency department.
Jane suffered a cracked sternum causing
significant stress and trauma. Dorothée and Ed
also suffered serious falls. (ed. Dorothée’s story
as told to ed. is simple – even if you’re in a
hurry – if you question your next move (that
being using a kitchen chair to get to the top shelf
of the cupboard) then do as your experience and
warnings have taught us ALL – Don’t Do It.
Yes it was the slip off the kitchen chair that was
the “accident” – nuff said.) Also, Freda Morgan
had a fall January 30 at Western Hospital
resulting in stitches on her scalp and hip surgery
for the break from the fall. Freda is at
Providence Villa for recuperation and physio.
Barrie Morgan responded by saying, “It hits
hard when we realize that our membership is
mostly seniors and the incidence of accidents is
likely to occur at a higher rate than with other
organizations. This makes the empathy of the
other members who rallied around and gave
support more understandable, and something we
can all be proud of. What a great club to be a
member of.”
Meeting Refreshments
Thanks to Judy Baribeau for preparing the
coffee and tea for our January meeting filling in
for Dorothée McKinlay who is recovering from
a fall.
Suzanne Lajeunesse, Lee MacLeod and Sue
MacDonald provided us with some delicious
baked goods for our January meeting.
We have Mamta Deshwar, June Morton and
Pauline Steel who have volunteered for our
February meeting.
There will be a sign-up sheet at our February
meeting for volunteers for March. Thanks to all
the wonderful folks who provide baked goods
for our P-G meetings.
Please remember that all our volunteer bakers
are compensated for their costs – if they wish.
February 2019 Probus-Guildwood Newsletter Page 4
Life can be Fun… as long as you do it with the right people.
A call for interim assistance – Interim
Refreshment and Speaker Teams
Thanks to Judy and Gerard Baribeau, our
February newsletter and February meeting
refreshments will be provided while Dorothée is
recovering. We ask for an Interim Refreshment
Team to help in March. Please advise Alan:
416-266-4682 [email protected]
While Jane is recovering, we are asking for an
Interim Speaker Team to help secure and
engage speakers for our club. They should have
a computer and internet access. The executive
has secured some replacement speakers for
those who have had to withdraw due to
emergencies and has confirmed a few additional
speakers. Our goal is to have all speakers
booked for the year. Contact Wendy Hooker at
416-266-4682 [email protected]
Probus District #3 meeting:
Once again our Probus-Guildwood executive
team has been invited to gather with other
District #3 executive teams on Friday, April 12.
The intent is to share best practices and meet
other Probus members.
The event will be held at the Credit Valley Golf
Course, 2500 Old Carriage Road, Mississauga.
It starts at 11 a.m. and concludes at 2 p.m. A
light buffet lunch will be served.
If you are interested in attending, particularly if
you are interested in learning more about Probus
and helping our club to operate more
effectively, please call Alan at 416-266-4682 to
register.
January Birthdays
Susan Purcell, Davandra PS Deshwar
Janet with the chuckle of the month
Lunch with Friends We will be going to Highland Fish and
Chips at 3357 Ellesmere Rd. on Friday,
February 22, 12:30 p.m. Use the sign-up sheet
at the meeting or call Jan at 416-261-8857.
Jan Eaton
I married Mr. Right. I just didn't know his first name was Always.
Sign on the front door: PLEASE KNOCK LOUDLY.
OUR DOG IS HARD OF HEARING.
February 2019 Probus-Guildwood Newsletter Page 5
Life can be Fun… as long as you do it with the right people.
Membership
There were 55 members at the
January meeting, plus three guests
and one new member. Please
welcome Marlene Lacey. We
now have 92 members renewed
for 2018/19 plus four new
members for a total of 96.
Updating Your Information –
occasionally we need to contact
members either by phone or email.
A reminder that if you have changed your
address, phone number or email address, please
advise the membership team when you sign in at
our meetings. Or you can contact Enid Comars
at 416-264-2816, or [email protected] to
update your information. Membership back-up
contact is Elizabeth Williams at 416-282-8595
or email [email protected].
To reduce printing costs, please provide your
email address so that we can email your
monthly newsletter. (As a bonus, you will
receive it in colour.)
Keeping in Touch and Celebration Kindly inform Karen Manuel at: 416-283-5079 or
by email: [email protected] about any
member who is ill, hospitalized, or has
experienced a recent bereavement. We would also
enjoy announcing any special event of yours at
our next meeting, such as an award, or significant
anniversary or birthday. Come to the meeting and
we will announce it and celebrate with you.
Enid Comars, Membership Committee
Who to visit for your chance to WIN...
Diane and Cheryl
Then you have a chance to –
Share The Wealth - $40 Jean Barrett
or a Million Dollar Lottery Ticket
- Bette Buckner
February 2019 Probus-Guildwood Newsletter Page 6
Life can be Fun… as long as you do it with the right people.
Ladies... never laugh at your husband's choices. You're one of them.
Life is short. If you can't laugh at yourself, call me and I will.
Recognizing Feburary as Black History month
we attach an image of this new $10 Canadian
bank note. It is the first vertically oriented
Canadian bill which depicts Viola Desmond and
the Canadian Museum For Human Rights.
It acknowledges the past and present efforts
towards achieving human rights and social
justice for all Canadians.
FYI (For Your Information)
FYI contains items-notices-events that members
feel others may be interested in. Thank you to
members who submit items. Please send to
[email protected] or directly to the
NL editor [email protected]
The Christopher Leadership Course in
effective speaking is again being offered starting
February 10 at St. Theresa Church, 2559
Kingston Road. 1-800-418-8925 or 416-410-
7776 Register online at www.clctorontoeast.com.
Parliament Hill Advocacy Day – February
20
National Association of Federal Retirees,
ACER-CART and other national organizations
will hold an advocacy day on February 20 with
the federal government and MPs. The advocacy
day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa will include:
Individual meetings with ministers and key
MPs
Attendance at Question Period
Evening reception with MPs, to build
relationships and raise awareness about key
issues of importance to our members.
During the meetings and events, the focus is on
three key issues:
National seniors strategy
Pension and income security
Pharmacare
These issues will be the focus of ongoing
advocacy in the months leading up to the federal
election.
Ontario government seeking input – how
to make car insurance more affordable.
The Ontario Government is inviting drivers and
consumers to share their views on how to lower
the province’s auto insurance rates as part of its
commitment to making life more affordable.
Share your views by February 15 by responding
to the online: online survey.
Momiji – All P-G Members are invited to
the Momiji Sushie Bee and Apple Pie Bee on
Friday, March 29. It is a wonderful community
building and learning opportunity which helps
raise funds for this seniors facility.
The following Saturday, March 30, there is the
Annual Momiji Bazaar with unique Japanese
foods and finds. Volunteers and patrons are
February 2019 Probus-Guildwood Newsletter Page 7
Life can be Fun… as long as you do it with the right people.
most welcome as are donations of items which
you may wish to recycle.
The contact is Sheri-Lynn Armstrong at
416 261-6683, ext. 259 or Direct Line:
416 204-2778; 3555 Kingston Road.
www.momiji.on.ca. Alan Burt
Please see the travel items from our
January NL on the following:
Scarborough Village Seniors Presents
Murder Mystery at the Old Mill
Trafalgar 24
Pickering Probus – Ripley’s Aquarium
and Steam Whistle Brewery
Please tell me this isn’t true...
Ray and Bob, two government maintenance guys, were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up.
A woman walked by and asked them what they were doing.
“We’re supposed to find the height of the flagpole” said Bob, “but we don’t have a ladder.”
The woman said, “hand me that wrench out of your tool box.” She loosened a few bolts and then laid the flagpole down.
She then took a tape measure from their toolbox, took a measurement and announced, “eighteen feet six inches” and walked away.
Ray shook his head and laughed. “Well, ain’t that just like a miss-know- it- all woman?” He said. “We need the height and she gives us the length.”
Ray and Bob are still working for the government, now in parliament/Queens Park/City Hall. (choose one or all...)
OK it isn’t – but you thought about it...
Wouldn't it be ironic if Popeye's Chicken was fried in Olive Oil?
Marriage is a relationship where one is always right and the other is the husband.
Due to freezing temperatures, schools are advising parents to wear two pairs of pajamas when dropping off the kids.
February 2019 Probus-Guildwood Newsletter Page 8
Life can be Fun… as long as you do it with the right people.
Probus-Guildwood Information – Meeting Schedule The Club meets on the 2nd
Wednesday
of each Month
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. – Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church, 140 Guildwood Parkway,
Guildwood Village
CLUB PURPOSE
To provide regular gatherings for active retirees who join together to create opportunities to keep minds active, expand interests and enjoy the fellowship of new friends.
CLUB MAILING ADDRESS Probus-Guildwood
50 Sunnypoint Crescent Scarborough, ON M1M 1B9
email: [email protected] website: http://probus-guildwood.homestead.com
Management-Executive Team 2018-2019 The Executive meets the fourth Wednesday of each month
President: Alan Burt [email protected]
416 266-4682
Past President: Wendy Hooker [email protected]
416 266-4682
Vice-President: VACANT Secretary: Ed Stahlberg stahlberg.edward@gmail,com
416 266-5330
Treasurer: John Roblin [email protected]
416 266-6349
Membership: Enid Comars (Chair) [email protected] Barrie Morgan (Assistant) [email protected] Elizabeth Williams (Assistant) [email protected]
416 264-2816 416 261-2735 416 282-8595
Speakers: Jane Corry [email protected]
416 289-1911
Newsletter [ed.] Dorothée McKinlay [email protected]
416 264-4748
Sub-Committees and Helpers AV, Awards, etc.: Gerard Baribeau
Refreshments: Glenna Hall, Dorothée McKinlay 50/50 Draw: Lee Grayhurst, Cheryn Parry, Diane Gamble Photographer: Barry Scheffer Web Site Co-ordinator: Barrie Morgan Activities: VACANT Lunch with Friends: Jan Eaton Set-up/Take down: Assistance is needed – please volunteer Speakers: Cheryn Parry, Lee Grayhurst, Diane Gamble Resident Jokester: Janet Heise Membership Assistants: Mitzi Clarke, Carolyn Hannaford, Margaret Niemela Proofreaders: Judy and Gerard Baribeau Reporters: Articles & events welcomed –
The Newsletter is published monthly prior to our monthly meeting. Your Assistance is most welcomed and many thanks to all our “Helpers”
Last Column – Activity Calendar–
everything in one place Date Activity
Wed. Feb. 13 Monthly Meeting
Fri. Feb. 22 Lunch with Friends
Wed. Mar.13 Monthly Meeting
Speakers at Our Monthly Meetings
Feb. 13 Storm Hunters – Mark Robinson
Mar. 13 Doris McCarthy, her Studio and Home
and Fool’s Paradise and her Legacy –
Julia Abraham, Madison Harrison
Apr. 10 Discovering my Metis Identity and
Who are the Metis, Marilyn Hew
May 8 Astronomy - Cathy McWatters
Kids today don't know how easy they have
it. When I was young I had to walk 9 feet
through shag carpet to change the TV
channel.