2018 marks a significant
milestone for City of Durham Probus Club being forty years since
our foundation. This webpage is designed to mark the anniversary
and should be regarded as "work in progress" rather than
complete.
The original source for much content is the 1998 booklet on our history written by Arthur Moyes covering the period 1978 to 1998. A number of members were involved in this booklet project, including current member Len Graham, who read the final draft.
The decision to create Durham Probus Club was taken at a meeting in the Royal County Hotel on 20th February
1978 which was the culmination of work done by the Rotary Club of Durham. The Probus Club rules were
established, officers elected and the first meetings held during March 1978. The first meeting independent of
Rotary was on 3rd April with 36 members present who listened to a talk given by Tom Nell. By August there were 50 members and the new venture seemed secure. The original Officers were Vince Edwards - Chairman, John Peele - Vice Chairman, R.Barrie - Sectetary, Reg Mayne - Speaker Finder with Committee members John Oliver and Bill Surtees.
These first meetings used The Royal County Hotel but from 11th October 1978 the Club moved to The Masonic Hall where it remained until its move to The Redhills Hotel on the 25th April 1991.
Membership continued to grow and since the rooms being used dictated a limit of 70 members, the list of applicants waiting to become members lengthened. Consequently a decision was taken to form a second and then a third club in Durham. The Dunelm Club was formed on 7th September 1983, which was quickly followed by The Palatinate. Both clubs met in Elvet Methodist Church in the city centre.
With the demolition of the Redhills Hotel pending, City of Durham Probus Club held its last meeting at this venue on 23rd April 2001 with the Bishop of Jarrow as speaker. One week later on the 30th April our inaugural meeting took place at Durham Indoor Bowling Centre, our current venue, with guest speaker David Thornborough talking about "The Ancient Civilisation of Peru and Bolivia".
2019 marked another significant chapter in the history of our club when members voted unanimously to open membership to ladies. Since the beginning of the year several ladies have already become members participating in the the weekly meetings and our visit to Beamish. We extend a sincere welcome to our new lady members.
I
CITY OF DURHAM PROBUS OFFICERS
THANKS TO NICK GEDYE FOR THE INFORMATION SINCE 1997
PRESIDENTS
IN MARCH 1980 BISHOP MICHAEL RAMSEY, FORMER ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, ACCEPTED AN INVITATION TO BECOME THE FIRST HONORARY PRESIDENT OF THE CLUB. IN SEPTEMBER 1981 SIR KINGSLEY DUNHAM BECAME VICE-PRESIDENT AND THEN PRESIDENT WHEN LORD RAMSEY LEFT DURHAM FOR YORK IN 1986.
SIR KINGSLEY DUNHAM (d 2001)
WILF STAVELEY (d 2004)
ARTHUR MOYES (until 2013)
KEITH JAMES CURRENTLY
CHAIRMEN
1978 VINCE EDWARDS 1978/79 JOHN PEELE 1979/80 TOM GREENER 1980/81 TOM NELL 1981/82 ALAN RAMSDEN
1982/83 GEORGE SCOTT 1983/84 BILL SURTEES 1984/85 BILL ROBSON 1985/86 ROY WEST 1986/87 WILF STAVELEY
1987/88 NORMAN HENDERSON 1988/89 HARRY WATERS 1989/1990 STAN HUNTER 1990/91 ROY MAKIN 1991/92 ERIC BEAUMONT
1992/93 JOHN MACDONALD 1993/94 DAVID MACFARLANE 1994/95 BRIAN WARD 1995/96 DEREK SOWELL 1996/97 GERRY MITCHELL
1997/8 LEN GRAHAM 1998/99 PHILIP MAY 1999 /00 LES HENSON 2000 /01 JOHN HERRON / BARRIE SUTHERLAND
2001/02 BARRIE SUTHERLAND 2002/03 DENIS TRIGG 2003/04 RON TODD 2004/05 ROBIN SIMPSON
2005/06 LES JOHNSTON
2006/07 ALAN SPENCE
2007/08 DEREK SOWELL 2008/
09 COLIN TONKS
2009/10 MIKE FIRTH
2010/11 KEITH JAMES
2011/12 IAN McCULLOCH
2012/13 JOHN
EVERATT
2013/14 GAWIN ROBSON
2014/15 PETER MORGAN
2015/16 JOHN TAYLOR
2016/17 ADRIAN
PENNA
2017 - 18 JAMES WOLSEY 2018 - 2019 MIKE FOREMAN Currently - ROBIN MACKAY
SECRETARIES SINCE 1997
JIM THOMAS UNTIL 2001 LES HENSON UNTIL 2005 TOM SIMMS UNTIL 2011 MIKE FIRTH since 2011
TREASURERS
HAROLD LISTER UNTIL 2002 NICK GEDYE UNTIL 2017 BEV THOMPSON SINCE 2017
SPEAKER CO-ORDINATORS
BARRIE SUTHERLAND UNTIL 2000 BRIAN WARD UNTIL 2004 TONY KITCHEN UNTIL 2009 CYRIL PALIN SINCE 2009 - 20
TECHNICAL OFFICERS
DON BENNETT SINCE 2000/20 JOHN CURRY JOHN HECKELS