Our History

Formation

In May 1985 Rotarian Bill Bautch proposed to the Rotary Club of Mount Martha that a Probus Club at Mount Martha be formed. Rotary decided to go ahead with the project which resulted in the appointment of a committee under the chairmanship of Bill Bautch. Due to the hard work put in by Bill and his committee, the Club commenced within a few months after Rotary made its decision to form a club.

The Probus Club of Mount Martha was formed on 10 September 1985 which was the date of its foundation meeting. Bill, together with some Rotarians, were among the Foundation Members of the Club

The Club was formally incorporated under the Associations Incorporations Act 1981 (Vic) as the “Probus Club of Mount Martha Inc.” on 2 November 1989. It is interesting to note that the Probus Association of Victoria was established in 1984 which means that our Club was formed in the following year.

Meetings

The first General Meeting was held on 8 October 1985. Except for four months in 2010, the Club has held its monthly meetings at Mount Martha House on the second Tuesday of the month. Until June 1992 meetings commenced at 10:00 am, and since July of that year the meeting time changed to 9:30 am.

In the four months, when Mount Martha Community House underwent renovations, the Club met at the Dava Hotel.

Membership

The Club commenced with 34 Foundation Members of whom two, Bill Mackenzie and Peter Sisson, are at this time still members of the Club.

It was resolved to limit the Club’s membership to 50. The Club voted to increase this number to 60 in 1987, which number was achieved by the end of 1989. It was not until 1995 that the number was increased to 65. In 2003 this number was increased to 70 and then to the current limit of 75 in March 2009. 

Arthur Care was made the first Life Member of the Club on 10 May 1988. It was not until 2008 that Neil Davies was made the next Life Member. Later Noel Campbell, Vin Denmead were made Life Members. The Club currently has three Life Members, namely Geoff King, Bob Davies and Doug Ray.

Although the Club has an Honorary Membership category there are no records of anyone being made an Honorary Member. 

In 2001 the Club introduced the category of “non-active membership”. This latter category applies to members who are infirm or have a disability which makes meeting attendance difficult but who still like to keep in touch. This membership category does not require attendance at meetings, but non-active members receive the Club’s newsletters and may attend some of the Club’s activities. 

Constitution

The Club’s current constitution was approved by the members on 11 June 2013 to comply with the recommended constitution of Probus South Pacific Limited and the Association Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic).

Management

The Club is managed by a Committee of Management which meets on the first Tuesday of every month. The Committee comprises a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and 6 other committee members who are responsible for Visits & Entertainment, the Bulletin, Welfare, Membership, the Current Affairs Discussion Group and Assistant Secretary. 

The President may only serve for one year unless there are exceptional circumstances that dictate otherwise. Committee members may only serve for three years unless the members approve an extended time.

Subscriptions

At the foundation meeting the joining fee and annual subscription were set at $10 and $20 respectively. These amounts are set annually by the members at the Club’s annual general meeting and have changed over the years as the capitation fees payable to Probus South Pacific Limited and other costs have increased.

Communication

The Club’s first Bulletin was distributed at the first general meeting of the Club on 8 October 1985 and it has been produced and sent to members every month since that date. The Club maintains a website at Mount Martha Men's Probus Club

The Bulletin and the website are the chief sources of providing information and news to members.

Speakers

At each meeting other than the Christmas Luncheon Meeting and AGM and Change-over Luncheon the club has two guest speakers - one a short talk and the other an hour’s presentation. The short speaker is often a club member who tells of his personal background under the title “The Man Behind the Badge”. On occasions when it is thought that the subject matter for a particular meeting will be of interest to members’ partners, the club invites them to attend that meeting.

The Club has been fortunate during its existence to have been addressed by many very interesting guest speakers. Some of the notable topics and speakers over the years are summarised in Appendix 1

Social

Activities

The Club has arranged social activities for the member’s enjoyment and participation - at various times club activities have included golf, tennis, lawn bowls, table tennis, walking, old time dancing, fishing, a current affairs discussion group and solo card-playing group.

Library

The Club maintains a well-stocked and supported library.

Visits & Entertainment

The Visits and Entertainment sub-committee provides a varied and interesting program of monthly events. Visits are arranged to places of interest within a reasonable distance from Mount Martha. Some of those are have been attendance at the Frankston Arts Centre, visits to HMAS Cerberus, the Moonlit Sanctuary, Puffing Billy, the Desalination Plant, the MCG; BHP at Hastings, the Zoo, Flemington Racecourse and trips on the Bay.

Outings over the years have been by coach tours. As the cost of coach hire as increased more activities that are closer to home are done by way of car-pooling. 

Highlights of the V & E program are the annual 4/5-day caravan and cabin trips. These events are very well-supported by many members and their partners with most in recent times occupying cabins.

Trips have been made to various regional areas in Victoria such as Warnambool, Beechworth, Bendigo, Cowes, Healesville, Benalla and Cobram.

The annual Christmas Luncheon and the Change-over Luncheon are always well-supported and enjoyed by members and their partners.

A Proud Club

The Club was the first Probus Club to be formed in Mount Martha and has a rich heritage. Members have been stimulated and lifelong friendships have been made. Through the dedication and application of many members over the years a Club has been built of which all of its members are justifiably proud.

Our 25 Year History from our founding in 1985 to 2010 can be found at this link

Our Constitution can be found at this link

At an Extraordinary General Meeting of  the Club on Friday July 23, 2023  a motion that the Club be wound up was passed unanimously.

This action was taken in view of the fact that the Club was becoming  financially unviable as the income from our small membership was insufficient to cover our annual expenses. In addition, for the past few years, it has been difficult to find members prepared to serve on the Management  Committee.

Appendix 1

PROBUS CLUB OF MT MARTHA INC 

Notable Speaker topics

§                                                         Activities of the Mornington Peninsula Shire.

§                                                         Aeroplanes, Gliding and Air Traffic Control.

§                                                         Alcohol, Beer Brewing and Winer.

§                                                         Art, Music, Cinema and Theatre – including musical concerts.

§                                                         Authorship, Adventure, and Personal Histories.

§                                                         Engineering, Iron & Steel, Mining and Manufacturing.

§                                                         Finance, Shares and Superannuation.

§                                                         Gardening, Plants, Roses Heritage Houses on the Peninsula.

§                                                         History of Mount Martha & Mornington.

§                                                         Law, Wills, Juries and Law & Order.

§                                                         Medical Treatments, Nursing, Health and Safety for the Aged.

§                                                         Religion and its impact through the Ages.

§                                                         Science, Telecommunications and advances in technology.

§                                                         Ships, Sailing, Submarines and War Time Naval Experiences.

§                                                         Sport- Fishing, Golf, Australian Rules, Tennis and Cricket.

§                                                         Tsunamis and reconstruction.

Speakers of Note

§                                                         Brain & Shirley Hardy-Rix – Intrepid Motor Cycle Tourists.

§                                                         Dr. Peter Lowe – Mornington Astronomical Society

§                                                         Hon. Peter Hardham – Lawyer, Financial Ombudsman Service

§                                                         John Vertigan – Radio Announcer.

§                                                         Major-General Tim Taylor.

§                                                         Matthew Drayson – IT expert on ‘The Internet of Things’

§                                                         Professor Boris Schedvin - Reserve Bank & Ombudsman

§                                                         Professor Peter Colman - Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Fellow of the Royal Society.

§                                                         Professor Peter Larkins – Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Melbourne University

§                                                         Rear Admiral Neil Ralp.

§                                                         Tony Bracey – Marketing Manager “Golden Wing and marketing of Ansett.

Our 25 Year History from our founding in 1985 to 2010 can be found at this link

Our Constitution can be found at this link