Andrew Shorthouse Fifteen Probus members and 12 partners shared cars to arrive at Haddon Hall where we were met by our guide Kathryn Barnes, who showed us around the unique medieval fortified house, parts of which date back to King John’s time. The first mention of a house and chapel on site was in 1180 and they … Read more
Dick Birks, our current chairman, qualified in Sheffield in 1973 and was appointed to the post of Consultant Anaesthetist at the Jessop and Royal Hallamshire Hospitals in 1983, specialising in obstetric anaesthesia. He led a distinguished career, not only as a practising anaesthetist, but as an Examiner at the Royal College of Anaesthetists, then elected … Read more
Twenty-three Probus members and wives made their way to Renishaw Hall for a superb guided tour of the Hall’s renowned gardens, bookended by early refreshments and a superb sit-down buffet lunch in the Rex Whistler Room. Carrie Anne Burton, manager of the Events Office, organised the day for us, and were guided around the gardens … Read more
With beads of sweat glistening on the speaker finder’s brow like a morning dew, our speaker Jonathan “Jonny” Jones eventually arrived like a whirlwind to deliver the most superb lecture, drawing on his time as a teacher leading a group of Rotherham school kids to the WWI battlefields and war graves, and the inspiration behind … Read more
Paul Adey, a retired company director in the motor industry, continued with his hugely informative talk from last year. Vauxhall Motors was a gem of a name, unlike some of its cars. The story goes that King John granted lands in the 13th century to Fulk le Breant. His seat along the Thames was Fulk’s … Read more
We were privileged to share, at first hand, Richard Blair’s (pictured left) many recollections of life with his father Eric Arthur Blair, otherwise known as George Orwell (1903-1950), best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945), the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), and his non-fictional work including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) and … Read more