Grafton Probus’ mid-day luncheon is held on the first Tuesday of each month, which means that it coincides with Melbourne Cup day. This year 27 members enjoyed the festivities at the Gateway Village barbecue area. The occasion was very enjoyable, and Joy Veitch ran the customary Melbourne Cup sweep. Our next luncheon will be on December 3 at the Five Mile Hotel on the Armidale Road. 

December’s committee meeting has been moved forward to December 5 at Dick White’s residence and the December meeting will be at the Lawrence Tavern on December 12.

At our November meeting, members held a collection for local people affected by bushfire and drought. A donation of $500 worth of Farmer Lou vouchers will be made to the local Salvation Army. Joy Ford was interviewed by Ray Nelson in our five minute speaker segment. After Ray’s initial question, Joy found that she needed no further encouragement to tell us of her life experiences.

Jan Pilgrim was welcomed into the club by president Ramon Wilson, who expressed his hope that she make many new friends and enjoy our fellowship.

Janette and Alisa from Fulton Hogan gave a power-point presentation of the Grafton Bridge build and the likelihood of a December opening, pending announcements by our local politicians. They have been very good to our members since the beginning of the bridge build, taking many “bridge walks” with us to describe the progress. The members were pleased to note that engineers from the group verified the replacement rail bridge in Pound Street was in its precise spot by using spirit levels and tape measures at each corner.

The club would like to thank South Grafton Bowling Club for the use of its venue, while our normal meeting place was unavailable.

Ron Payne