Outings

ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR 2021-22

            Our club is now four years old and has survived its second year of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The year began well enough with a coach trip to Mogo Wildlife Park, south of Bateman’s Bay, last April. Also in April we held our Birthday Lunch at Corrimal RSL Club and a smaller group caught the train to The Premier’s Seniors Concert. In May we took a coach trip to Darling Harbour where we lunched harbourside before touring the galleries of the Australian Maritime Museum as well as the destroyer HMAS Vampire berthed alongside.

            Just after attending the Arcadians’ performance of “Ladies in Black”, all entertainment venues and eateries were forced to close, followed by months of lockdown. This resulted in the cancellation of “Be More Chill” at the Arcadians, our “Xmas in July” lunch, a tour of Port Kembla with Bluescope Steel, and our trip to “Sydney Vivid” with Figtree Travel.

            In mid October Restaurants reopened and our cancelled “Xmas in July” lunch re-emerged as the Reunion Lunch. Soon after we were finally allowed across the Minnamurra River into the hitherto forbidden “regions”, so we took a coach ride to Kiama Leagues Club in November for lunch, a photo opportunity beside Kiama’s blowhole and a chance to shop for treasures in their “browsable” shops.

            We finished the year with our Xmas Luncheon Cruise aboard the “Bass & Flinders”. Starting from Sans Souci wharf, this time we cruised downstream into and around Botany Bay, rather than up the Georges River. After our January break, we again set off in February for a luncheon cruise, this time up the Nepean Gorge aboard the Nepean Belle on a calm, sunny day. Our timing was fortunate, as the vessel’s wharf was metres under water a few days later and remained that way for several weeks.

            Finally this month we’ve attended the Arcadians’ play, “When the Rain Stops Falling” as well as our coach and Sydney Harbour ferry trip to Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel and a train trip to the Premiers Seniors concert yesterday in Darling Harbour. This makes a total of twelve activities in our Probus year when the club was only able to hold five actual meetings, last April, May and June, February and today. Life is almost completely back to normal now, so we hope to continue providing outings affording an opportunity to socialise with other members.

At this point I’d like to thank all those members who’ve signed up for the various outings and made our trips so enjoyable and remember I’m always willing to listen to suggestions for other activities.

Let’s hope for a safe, fun filled 2022-23 year ahead.   Judy Gibbs