Probus club of collingwood

PROBUS CLUB OF COLLINGWOOD
P.O. BOX 601 COLLINGWOOD, ONTARIO L9Y 4E8
NEWSLETTER
JUNE, 2012
NEXT MEETING THURSDAY JULY 5, 2012 – LEISURE TIME CLUB- 10 A.M. - 12 NOON
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT: LLOYD DAVIS
VICE PRESIDENT JACK MARLEY
SECRETARY: AL WALLACE
TREASURERS: BOB MILLS, KEN ADOLPHE
SPEAKERS: T. B. A.
MEMBERSHIP: WAYNE CASWILL
I.T. COORDINATOR: DENNIS SMITH
PAST PRESIDENT: JOHN WIGGINS
SOCIAL: PAUL NATALE
NEWSLETTER: ERIC SKEOCH
feature our July speaker, John See of TD
PRESIDENT’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Waterhouse. And on a personal note, Jack
Lloyd began the meeting by informing the
members that a vial of pills had been found
reported that the recent visit to Amaizeingly
somewhere on the premises. Nobody claimed
Green, the Ethanol plant, was terrific.
ownership until Lloyd said he thought they might
be Viagra pills. There appeared to be some
TREASURER’S REPORT
interest.
Ken Adolphe reported that our end of June
Once again, we were pleased to welcome a number
financial picture shows a surplus. He added a
of guests. Hal Keiser, Ed West, Doug Brown, Eric
reminder that at the July meeting members should
Nelson and Tony Halsmer were briefly introduced
bring along their check books because the annual
and settled back to see what Probus Collingwood
fees are due ($45.00).
was all about.
On a sad note, Lloyd informed us of the recent
I.T. REPORT
deaths of Jim Robson and Ted Squires, both
Dennis Smith reported that he will be retiring
extremely active Probus members.
from I.T. at the end July and so a replacement is
needed. “All you need to know is how to insert
MEMBERSHIP REPORT
four plugs into four outlets. If I can do it, anybody
Wayne Caswill welcomed the following new
members, presented them with the constitution,
Dennis also commented on what a great help Ted
explained the special features of their new name
Squires had been in recent months.
tags, and revealed the secret Probus handshake.
Several new members wept at this point. Wayne
SOCIAL REPORT
also seemed quite moved by his own welcoming
Paul Natale reported the trip to see the War Horse
speech. This was all quite embarrassing to the rest
was a great success and we even made a slight
of us. The new members are Hal Kieser, Rick
profit. He thanked Ian Sewell for his work in
Ducharme, John Housser, Bob Milthorpe and
organizing the activity.
John Orviss. They seem to be a likeable enough
Golf this month is at Brooklea on June 14. If you
read this in time, contact Ron Mutch. Also, one of
our members, Jim MaCready is interested in
VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT
pulling together a group for weekly rounds. Call
Jack Marley reminded us that a new “Activities
him at 705 443 7983 if you are interested.
Card” is now available and that the ads in the
June 21st is the Penetang boat cruise. Contact
Enterprise Bulletin are continuing. The latter will
Peter Perry for information.
Next up is the July 10 King’s Wharf presentation
where his daughter chose to attend French
of “Murder at the Fern Resort”. Mike Martynuik
immersion schools for the next ten years of so!
is in charge. Call Mike for information.
John’s career took him into security systems with
SPEAKERS CHAIR
Panasonic at a time when the cellular phone
Lloyd reported the following;
business was taking off. The first phones were
John See of TD Waterhouse
$4000 each and eight years later you could get a
Aug. Dr. Eric Goode - Cardiac Health
free one if you left your car at Park n Fly. His last
Sept. Brian Saunders - Central Pk. Development
10 years were very successful ones working in
Dr. Mark Quigg – Prostate Health
Pickering in work related to electric vehicles.
He does all kinds of athletic things in and around
JOHN MEGARRY
Collingwood and is “enjoying life”.
John captured our imagination right off the bat by
informing us that he was happily married to a
SPEAKER GEORGE CZERNY
former Miss Canada, was a millionaire several
During his time with the Enterprise-Bulletin,
times over, and had a rich and vibrant private life.
George Czerny kept meeting people whose lives
Alas, he added, this was fantasy, and his real life
were touched by the Collingwood Shipyards. And
was rather boring, and we could doze off and he
his books on the subject are an attempt to
wouldn’t be hurt.
encapsulate those lives.
Actually, his story was quite interesting.
When George arrived in Collingwood in 1977, the
Born in 1946 in Belfast, John was the eldest of 5
looming hulls and keels in the launch basin, the
children. After what John referred to as “a
hovering cranes, the pounding of pneumatic
mediocre educational life”, he briefly worked for
hammers and the flash of welding irons made for
the city government before coming to Canada at
scene of sensual excitement which had to be
age 17. His recollections of grade 13 in a
experienced to be fully understood.
multicultural Oshawa high school were quite
George guided us through a chronology of the
different from his Belfast memories. John talked
industry from its birth in the mid-19th century,
funny, but the girls thought he was “cute”.
through the period when wooden vessels were
John had an early contact with Collingwood
supplanted by steel ones, the booming years of the
through his uncle who worked at the shipyards
early 1900’s and into the war years, the world-
and arranged for summer jobs while John was at
wide decline of the 1980’s and finally to the
the U of T. The “college boy” was urged to get a
inevitable closure on September 12, 1986.
spot right up in the front row for his first side
It was quite a journey for all concerned, the
launch, a vantage point which resulted in John
hundreds who worked in the yard, many of them
being up to his waist in water and debris.
women during the war years, many more recent
After two years at U of T, John took a position at
immigrants from the old country, like John
Manufacturers Life, where he met his future wife,
McGarry’s uncle, and many others whose lives,
and soon after embarked on a career in alarms. He
though not directly involved at the yard, were
was with Chubb for 10 years in sales and
nevertheless touched by the dynamism of what was
marketing and later in home alarm systems. When
happening at the foot of Hurontario St. during
the company was taken over by a large company
those historic times.
from the U.K., John was soon promoted and even
George ‘s books are a must read.
sooner fired. Then he went with Honeywell in
Montreal until the sovereignty movement became
George was thanked by Jim Macready and
unbearable,
particularly
regarding
presented with a Gerry DeLeskie pen & pencil set.
requirement that his daughter enroll in French
The 50 -50 winners were Bill Stokes and Keith
language schools. So they moved to Toronto,
Cameron. They will man the tables next month.

Source: http://www.probuscollingwood.ca/Probus_Club_of_Collingwood/Newsletters_-_Probus_Club_of_Collingwood_files/JUNE,%202012%20Probus%20Newsletter.pdf