Early in 1965 a Rotarian, Fred Carhill, of Welwyn Garden City,conceived the idea of assembling some retired Professional and Businessmen (some Rotarians and some not,) to form a lunch club to serve as a focal point for the development of social activity among retired businessmen of similar age and background. A preliminary meeting was held in April 1965 with the first proper meeting being held on 6 May 1965 in the presence of 33 members. By the time of the next meeting on 3 June, membership had doubled and it officially separated from Rotary. They initially called it The Campus Club — being the name of the venue where they met. At the same time, coincidentally, Rotarian Harold Blanchard, of Caterham Rotary Club, formed and sponsored a Caterham Club in September 1965.
The title PROBUS was derivedfrom the words PROfessional and BUSiness. They were the first club to use the word PROBUS at their inaugural meeting on 2 March 1966. During the Seventies a vast expansion of Clubs occurred nationwide — including Bromsgrove in 1972. At the formation meeting there Ralph Harper had the bright idea of a lapel badge and in consequence of this a manufacturer friend in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter produced the first badges. An article mentioning this was put in the Rotary International British Isles monthly news sheet and in no time, enquiries came back asking about other Clubs’ locations, and it was obvious that there was a great deal of interest in the whole idea of PROBUS. It has now spread throughout the world with many countries having their own staffed headquarters. However, in the UK and Ireland it is seen as a strength not to have a centralized organizing body allowing each club to set its own rules; the watchword being informality.
Formation of the Probus Information Centre U.K. (P.I.C.) As membership and interest increased, involving more correspondence. The Probus Information Centre (U.K.) was formed to deal with requests for information, regalia, diaries, badges, and the production of a Newsletter. Issue No. 1 of the Probus Newsletter was launched in 1980. The PIC. relies solely on the sale of Regalia and publications for its financial stability to maintain its services and correspondence. Not only has the PI.C. aided the formation of so many Clubs in the U.K. (well over 1800 Clubs) but also Internationally. In the mid- seventies an Australian Rotarian discovered Probus on a visit to the U.K. and took back to Australia all the information he could. The following year he came back to the U.K. and reported back to the P.I.C. that PROBUS was now established in Australia.
There are now 1520 Clubs in Australia and New Zealand. Incidentally these Clubs are registered and acknowledged by the Probus Centre South Pacific Propriety to which capitation fees are payable. This is not the case in the U.K. Hence from all of the above involving the self-propagating clubs in the U.K., assistance from Rotary and the P.I.C. Probus has achieved a great deal and is here to stay worldwide.