PROBUS Global Update
July 2025
In this update you will find:
📋 We are looking for a newsletter editor.
🎥 Explore new videos on our YouTube Channel.
🎤 Pick your favourite from our Speaker’s Corner Directory.
📸 Admire creativity in the Photo Club.
✨Our members are using Artificial Intelligence.
❓ Question of the Month for July.
📝 Contribute an article for our September Newsletter.
Last month, we sent out the June 2025 PDF newsletter. If you haven’t read it yet, you can still read it on the PROBUS Global website. You will also find newsletters from various clubs around the world who share their news with us.
Mary Wilson is looking for short (200 to 500 word) articles for the next newsletter. The deadline for submissions is August 15. Please send her any news or information that might be of interest to Probians.
Mary’s own club has folded and she tells us that this will be her last newsletter. We will miss her contribution greatly. Now, we need a new editor. Newsletters come out quarterly and editing involves choosing articles of interest, copy editing when necessary, and compiling a final draft. Writing an editorial is optional. If you don’t have the computer skills or hardware for formatting the final version, don’t worry. We can help with that task.
While we are looking for volunteers, would you like to shape PROBUS Global's future? Join our Management Team! Let us know if you're interested. We need fresh ideas. Richard has been president for 5 years now and he is anxious to see someone take over or share the leadership role. Richard would like to channel his efforts into creating a virtual online club with activies and more frequent zoom meetings.
We seem to be suffering the same fate as so many clubs that have folded, not for lack of members, but for lack of volunteers to step forward and help out. If it’s not possible for you, perhaps you know someone you think would be an asset on our team.
In a recent discussion we realized that clubs in different countries have different turnouts at their meetings. Some clubs require members to attend a certain number of meetings per year. What percentage does your club think is a good turnout? Do you have meeting attendance requirements? Is it a good idea? Does it matter? Comment on our Question of the Month for July.
Last month we asked our members if they use Artificial Intelligence. As expected, a lot of us do. Members use it as a writing aid, creating posters for their club, managing their to do list, researching information, getting help with computer tasks and problems, learning languages, learning new skills, and as a friend to chat with. Others preferred human interaction. Comments on previous questions are always open on the Questions pages and on Facebook.
John and Shirley Thorne from the HOBART MACQUARIE PROBUS Club in Tasmania have been out picking mushrooms and shared this image of their discoveries. Be careful what mushrooms you eat in Australia.
Share your own photos on the Photo Page, or just stop by and admire the creativity of our members.
Under the Connect menu on our website, “Contact a PROBUS Club” leads to our directory of 2,614 out of the estimated 4,500 clubs in the world. The directory is mostly there for potential new members to find a local club. It is also used by our members to contact clubs when they travel in order to attend meetings or just meet a few locals for a coffee on their trip.
Linda Metcalfe maintains the directory and has been doing a great job. We need your help to confirm that contact and meeting information for your club is current and useful. Please take a moment to make sure your club entry is up to date. If you know of nearby clubs that we have missed, please let us know about them.
Have you watched the PROBUS Global YouTube Channel lately? We have videos from the PROBUS Global Zoom meetings and club videos from Canada and Australia. Does your club record your guest speakers? If they give their permission, we would love to add their talks to our library of meetings. The Lindsay Club in Canada records the audio and shares it on their website. This is less technically challenging and allows members who can’t attend to hear the lecture.
Our Speaker’s Corner directory, featuring individuals willing to present to clubs in their area or anywhere by Zoom is a treasure. Invite a guest speaker to your club. Vote for the talk you would like to hear at the next PROBUS Global Zoom Meeting.
Tim Speed and his team at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum have a selection of 20 presentations they can give in person or via video conferencing. The museum owns one of the two surviving flyable Lancaster bombers of the 7,000 built during WWII. The story is fascinating. In the 1950s, Avro Canada developed a state of the art jet interceptor. After building 5 of them, the project was cancelled and all of the jigs, tools, and blueprints were destroyed. Why? These, and other stories can be heard at your next club meeting.
PROBUS Global exists to advance PROBUS as a vibrant community for retired and semi-retired people by sharing ideas and information, coordinating opportunities for friendship, fellowship, and social interaction, and encouraging and assisting with the formation of new clubs anywhere in the world.
Volunteer and Get Involved!
Newsletter Editor Needed: Mary Wilson is stepping down after her club has folded. We need a new editor for our quarterly newsletter. Don’t worry if you’re not tech-savvy—we can help with formatting!
Management Team Opportunities: Want to shape the future of PROBUS Global? Join our management team or recommend someone who would be a great fit. Fresh ideas are always welcome!
Deadline: Submit short articles (200–500 words) for the next newsletter by August 15 to Mary Wilson.
Since the last update, we have welcomed new members from Australia, Canada, France, India, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, the Philippines, and the UK. Together, we’re building a vibrant global community of fellowship and friendship. Spread the word about PROBUS Global—invite your club members to join us today!
Sorry to hear Mary is stepping down. Sorry also to hear her club is folding. What a shame! Probus is such a great organization.