What Is PROBUS?

PROBUS Clubs are organizations for members who have retired and want to maintain a social network with others who have similar interests. A club’s basic purpose is to provide its members with regular opportunities to keep their minds active, expand their interests and to enjoy the fellowship of new friends. PROBUS Clubs are non-political, non-sectarian, non-profit and non-fundraising.

When PROBUS Clubs first started, the word PROBUS was an abbreviation of the words PROfessional and BUSiness. However, membership is no longer restricted to these two groups; established Clubs include individuals from all occupations. The only requirement is each member is retired or semi-retired. Now we’re choosing to use the Latin meaning of “probus” = honest!

PROBUS History

The Clubs spring from two main roots: the “Campus Club” founded by the Rotary Club of Welwyn Garden City and the “PROBUS Club” founded by the Rotary Club of Caterham in England in 1965 and 1966 respectively to accommodate the number of retired business persons who wished to meet for fellowship on a regular basis.

Since then PROBUS clubs have spread worldwide and continue to be established at an ever-increasing rate.

The first PROBUS club in North America was the PROBUS club of Cambridge, Ontario, chartered in 1987. There are now clubs all across Canada, with a membership of over 36,000!

Lakeview Probus Club

The Lakeview Probus Club held its first Foundation Meeting under the sponsorship of the PROBUS Club of Salmon Arm. It was officially chartered August 15, 2018, becoming Club No. 260 in Canada. Our first official general meeting was September 6, 2018 at the Blind Bay Hall.  This year our club has 145 members.