10th September 2024 Ian Kirby ‘A Walk Down Cable Street’ Ian started his talk by explaining his personal interest in both the topic and guiding tours in this part of East London. He became a London guide after an inspiring talk by the founder of the Samaritans, Chad Varah, and then set about using his skills to uncover the many historical figures and buildings associated with Cable Street and nearby roads. This part of London is most famous for the riots which took place there between the Black Shirts of the Fascist party and the Communists. However it was surprising to hear that the first Harrods shop was founded there.
13th August 2024 Maggie Piper ‘The Plant Hunters’ Maggie gave us a talk entitled “The Plant Hunters”. She commenced with the English naturalist, gardener, collector & traveller, John Tradescent the Elder (1570-1638) who gardened for various nobles, including King Charles I. John travelled the world bringing back plants such as the Virginia Creeper, Horse Chestnut, Runner Beans, Gladioli & Lilac. He set up ‘The Ark Museum’ in Lambeth London which became the first UK Museum open to the public and known as ‘The Cabinet of Curiosity’. Various botanists followed, including his son, John Tradescent, the Younger and we now have the Eucalyptus, Lupin, Californian Poppy, Rhododendron, Acers, Camelias and many more. Modern botanists today include Tom Hart Dyke at Lullingstone Castle in Kent, which specialise in Orchids, and Bleddyn & Sue Wynn Jones.
9th July 2024 Karen Lehner Barrow Farm Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) Karen shared her enthusiasm for assisting disabled children and adults in riding and carriage driving at the nearby Barrow Farm. Her presentation included many photos and affidavits from the clients and also the volunteers such as herself. We saw videos including a carriage driving training session for the upcoming national championships in Gloucestershire. Her speaker fee was donated to this well-deserving charity and a collection from our members topped this up to a very impressive donation.
11th June 2024 Anita Marie Sackett ‘The 40s and 50s’ Anita took us all down memory lane with reminisces of the past. Most could remember the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and many related to tales of playing in the street. Memories of the types of games played and the sweets sucked came back in floods. Anita enhanced her talk with extracts of poems from a book which contains many of the topics she explained to us.
14th May 2024 Brian Billins ‘Smugglers in Essex’ Brian regaled us with some very interesting local tales of derring-do in Essex. Smuggling in this part of the country was very profitable in times gone by and the smugglers vastly outnumbered the excise men while also enjoying the support of the local community who assisted them in order to obtain goods which were affordable luxuries at that time.
9th April 2024 Paul Barwick ‘The White Mouse’ Paul gave an intriguing presentation on the life of Nancy Wake who was nicknamed ‘The White Mouse’ by the Nazi occupiers of France during the Second World War when she was suspected of spying which indeed she was. She survived many attempts on her life during her daring missions to help the French Resistance and went on to live a long life ending in London after an international career.
12th March 2024 Ellen Owen ‘Virtual Auction’ Ellen, accompanied by her husband Pete, led a fake auction for our members with some amazing visual examples of a selection of antiques. We were invited to bid for them with pretend money and the difference between the bids and the actual values were incredible, the highest priced item being £54 million!
13th February 2024 Martyn Harrison ‘Mirth and Music of Harry Secombe’
Martyn treated us to a rendition of Harry Secombe’s signature songs and took us on a journey through his life. Martyn is a great fan of Harry and took pleasure in emulating his singing voice and style which was an unexpected pleasure whilst we also learned about the life of a man who played a major role in creating a new style of comedy which is copied by today’s comedians.
9th January 2024 Grahame Williams ‘Comedians of the 20th Century’ Grahame brought along some taped comedy excerpts from comedians he had admired in the past and encouraged us to guess their names which we all managed with the more recent ones being easier. He is an obvious fan of this comedy period and passed on his enthusiasm to us.
12th December 2023 Eve Regelous ‘It’s beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas’
We held our annual Christmas Lunch on this day and welcomed members and many guests on this special occasion with some outstanding raffle prizes to be won. Eve regaled us with various traditions both ones which we all like and some which were less popular. She brought along an array of Christmas sparkly ornaments which enhanced the decorations displayed in the Banqueting Suite.
14th November 2023 Ann Willmore Antique Memorabilia + Quiz Ann brought along various antiques which were passed round each table for our members and guests to guess what each object was. Much fun was had by all as some were easier to identify than others.
12th September 2023 Jane Oliver Origami Workshop Our President, Jane, led a Japanese themed Origami Workshop. Origami , from ori meaning “folding”, and kami meaning “paper” is the Japanese art of paper folding. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques. Modern origami practitioners generally discourage the use of cuts, glue, or markings on the paper. Each table received a pack with instructions and paper. In the packs were fairly basic diagrams with more complex ones available on request. Jane recommended starting with the Drinking Cup then trying a different one or carry on making more cups. As an incentive there were small shots of Sake to taste and cheer each other by saying Kanpai!
8th August 2023 Roger Johnson ‘Maria Marten and The Red Barn Murder’ The Red Barn Murder was an 1827 killing in Polstead, Suffolk. A young woman, Maria Marten, was shot dead by her lover, William Corder at the Red Barn, a local landmark. The two had arranged to meet before eloping to Ipswich. Corder sent letters to Marten’s family claiming that she was well, but after her stepmother spoke of having dreamed that Maria had been murdered, her body was next year discovered in the barn. Corder was sentenced to death and much was documented about the murder and trial; Roger ended his melodramatic talk by singing a ballad about the event.
11th July 2023 Melanie Gibson-Barton ‘And So To Ted – a History of Teddies and Other Bears ‘ Melanie told us that Teddy Bears have been woven into our culture since the beginning of the 20th Century from the association of Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt’s bear in 1902 and the coincidental development of an upright jointed bear manufacture by Margarete Steiff’s company in Germany in 1903. Research has shown that children identify the anthropomorphic qualities of their furry friends by believing that they too experience happiness, fears and joys in life. Melanie illustrated how Teddy Bears have been employed since the early years of the 20th century up to the present day in literature, entertainment, advertising, television and films.
13th June 2023 Pauline Martindale ‘Behind Closed Doors – Life of a Prison Officer’ Pauline, a former Prison Officer, gave a very personal insight into her experience working mainly in Holloway prison. We went behind the scenes to get a small but incredibly interesting taste of life in a women’s prison. A very caring yet strict environment was outlined for us and Pauline came across as an authoritative figure while showing her kind side where appropriate.
9th May 2023 Marion Pettet ‘It Won’t Show on the Night’ Marion hails from Brentwood and was Chairman of an amateur ballet company. She worked behind the scenes to create and alter some amazing costumes which she illustrated with a superb PowerPoint slides and also displayed some tutus and dresses which we were encouraged to inspect.
11th April 2023 Joanne Larner ‘Handwriting Analysis for Fun’ Joanne lives in Rayleigh and is a Registered Osteopath and Complementary Health Therapist with many and varied other interests as well. Joanne presented how much can be gleaned from someone’s handwriting, illustrating her talk with examples of famous signatures. She then encouraged us to write a short phrase which revealed some of our characteristic to much amusement amongst our members.
14th March 2023 Danielle Barnett ‘From Simon Cowell to Dragon’s Den’ Danielle is a local lady from Romford. She is the lead singer for the Urban Cookie Collective and has fronted the act for over 15 years. She is also a songwriter with 20 ‘Top 40’ hits and is a vocal coach to Molly Rainford who came 3rd in a final of Britain’s Got Talent. She gave a very lively and inspirational presentation with amazing energy. It was a special treat to hear her perform on video as well as speak.
10th January 2023 Sharon Gould From East End to Essex Sharon gave us a very entertaining insight inter her early life in the East End of London; we were shown pictures of the area in which she grew up. Born in Hackney Hospital, she lived in Stoke Newington and attended Fleetwood school. As a child, she played in Clissold Park, which is still there but the area has rather come up in the world now, as reflected by local property prices. The family moved to Essex after Sharon’s father won some money on a bet and they could afford a house. Sharon married at seventeen, had three children, and worked at a variety of jobs over the years; finally helping young people with disabilities find meaningful paid employment, something of which she is very proud. She brought with her a collection of household artefacts and products from the mid-twentieth century.
8th November 2022 Mark Lewis The Craft of a Silversmith Mark gave an interesting and very educational talk on the Craft of the Silversmith bringing his subject to life with many pictures of incredible examples of works by silversmiths over the centuries including his own designs. He also brought along many of the tools used by the craftsmen which he used to great effect by creating a small bowl in only a few minutes.
13th September 2022 Peter Dowse Policeman to Magistrate Peter commenced his career as a Police Cadet and then joined the Metropolitan Police Force as a Police Constable. His first station was at Bow Street where he had spent his young childhood. Peter has the key attribute of being a Police Officer, in that he has a good sense of humour – relaying many funny anecdotes of his time dealing with the general public. His service was spent at a number of Police Stations, mainly in the East End of London, and he rose through the ranks completing his Police career as a Superintendent. Following his retirement, a friend suggested Peter become a Magistrate, which is a voluntary service only receiving payment for lunch and travel. Peter had a break before only recently returning to the Courts and discovered everything had changede.g. Magistrates are now known as Presiding Justices, no paper involved as everything is completed now on a laptop – and he has to check his phraseology. Peter donated his payment to The Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society.
9th August 2022 Nick Dobson A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Potting Shed Nick’s talk was based on funny stories relating to gardening and illustrated his talk with lots of lovely pictures of gardens and flowers. He also sang one of his own compositions about ‘White Fuchsias’ sung to the tune of ‘White Christmas’.
12th July 2022 Ian Keable 18th Century Hoaxes Ian is a Member of The Magic Circle with Gold Star. He has received The Magic Circle Comedy Magic Award and has also won the British Champion of Comedy Magic. Ian dazzled us with a few magic tricks and held our attention as he told tales of 18th Century Hoaxes, how they originated and how they were received by a somewhat gullible audience at that time.
14th June 2022 Andy Smith From Boaters to Anti-bac Andy is a performance poet and entertainer, author and former business communicator. He entertained us royally with his real-life perspectives of two world wars gleaned from family and friends over several decades. He engaged totally with us by making us laugh one minute and then having us feel very moved with his poignant stories and poems. We all enjoyed a very festive Jubilee Lunch with the room decorated with Union Flags and we dressed to match in red, white and blue.
10th May 2022 Judith Hood Living with the Paranormal Judith told some spine-chilling tales of her many experiences with the paranormal world from her childhood up to present day. Her talk certainly held us all spell-bound and had many of us reminiscing of similar experiences in our lives, We could understand quite easily how she got the nickname ‘Spooky Jude’!
12th April 2022 Mark Carroll Lark Rise to Candleford Dr Mark Carroll enlivened the characters in Lark Rise to Candleford by contrasting the fictional characters to their real-life counterparts. Mark had done a great deal of research into the people depicted in the books which were also made into a TV series and entertained those who had experienced these or had never encountered them.
8th March 2022 Vivien Newman WWI – They Shoot Spies Appropriately on International Women’s Day, Dr Vivien Newman gave an interesting and thought-provoking talk on women spies and a female spymaster from both sides of the conflict of the Great War. Copies of many of her books were available for us to purchase.
8th February 2022 Nadene Stevenson ‘The Power of Magnets for Health and Well-being’ Nadene gave a very personal and convincing talk on how magnets can be used as alternative aids to improve health. She brought along a variety of magnetised accessories and jewellery which some of us tried during her talk.
14th December 2021 Our Christmas Lunch was held this day and it was a very relaxed and happy one raising just over £200 for our chosen charities. We were entertained in true old-style Music Hall by Reg Wheeler who recalled the days of Max Miller and Robb Wilton and performed a very cute song by Jake Thackray.
9th November 2021 21st Birthday Celebrations – History of the Club Doreen Marshall (Member) Doreen was supported by 7 other founder members and she gave us a very interesting talk on how the Club started from a Men’s Probus lunch to which ladies were invited. An inaugural meeting with 33 ladies present took place in September 2000. A committee was formed, with Shirley Tait being the President and a fund-raising lunch, attended by 44 ladies, took place on the 10th October. It was coincidental that the dessert on that day was the same as the 21st birthday dessert – Sticky Toffee Pudding. In November the Club was formally founded and reached its target of 60 members with a waiting list of 15. As the ladies had no financial support, the Men’s Probus Club presented the ladies with the Collarette and Medallion of Office for the President and the same one is still worn today. A ticket system would take place for lunch seating in order that members could meet other members. Doreen explained that the ladies got quite cunning at avoiding this routine, one of which involved taking tickets home until the next lunch in order that friends could sit with friends. The ticket system was dropped in 2009 after 8 years and was replaced by a Seating Plan which continues to this day. Doreen joined the Committee in 2006 and became the Lunch Coordinator in 2009 a role she held for 5 years. In October 2010 Doreen became President for 3 years. During her office she introduced the first Newsletter written by the President and the start of Members’ birthday cards. By October 2013 membership had grown to almost 90 when a car registration register had to be introduced. In October 2016 Doreen again became President but only for one year and retired then from the Committee. In 2018 the Data Protection came into place and the Members Booklet, given to members when they joined, had to be amended and now does not include names and addresses. Due to Covid, our meetings ceased from April 2020 until returning in August 2021. Our members now total 50 but apart from Outings, it’s business as usual.
September 14th 2021 Stock Florist ‘Flower Arranging Demonstration’ Marion and Eleanor created an amazing autumn bouquet which was won in the raffle by one of our lucky members. Marion who originates from the Netherlands brought her continental flare to the display whilst sharing some stories of tulips from 17th century Amsterdam along with some handy tips on flower arranging. Eleanor who is a recent graduate from Writtle College and now working at Stock Florist told us about the flowers used in the display, both their English and Latin names, and also pointed out the detail in Marion’s creation, illustrating how each florist has a distinctive personal style.
August 10th 2021 Linda Catling (Member) ‘Post Box Decorations’ Lin gave a lively talk about her amazing creations which have been crocheted and knitted by her to adorn a post box near her home in Leigh-on-Sea. Lin brought a large selection of her incredible creations to show us and described each one in terms of their inspiration and creation. Lin’s efforts have been recognised by the national and local media with many appearances on TV and have received acknowledgement by royalty.
March 10th 2020 Tony Miller ‘Whitechapel Mission’ Tony presented the history of the Mission and then took us through a typical day there with employees and volunteers serving breakfasts and ensuring a welcoming environment to those visiting the Mission whether regularly or on a one-off basis. He then entertained us with some amusing yet poignant stories of the Mission. We contributed funds to this very worthwhile charity and thanked Tony and his staff for their diligent and caring work there.
11th February 2020 Lucy Lewis ‘Life in the Army’ Lucy gave us an extremely personal and entertaining insight into the Army from the viewpoint of a female officer. She joined the Army in 1989 and while serving with the Royal Engineers became the first woman to operate as a Bomb Disposal Officer. She later transferred to the Royal Military Police and served a further 8 years with her last post as a staff officer in Ministry of Defence before retiring as a Major in 1998 to start a family.
14th January 2020 ‘Life in the East’ Pauline Obee Pauline returned to the club to present on Life in the East End of London with hilarious tales of her work in the Borough of Newham starting in 1985. The project she was involved in focused on healing rifts between neighbours in what was then a newly mixed community. The take away message for us all was that differences can be resolved via mutual understanding.
10th December 2019 Our Christmas Lunch was held this day and it was a very relaxed and happy one raising just over £300 for our chosen charities. We were entertained again by The Doppelgangers who led a singalong to some of their fun and topical poems.
12th November 2019 ‘How Charing got its Cross’ John Halligan We had a very interesting talk by John about many of the old buildings in London including Charing Cross which got its name from the Eleanor Cross erected by King Edward 1 for his wife in 1291.
10th September 2019 ‘The Chadwell Heath and Romford Murders’ Linda Rhodes Linda, dressed appropriately in Victorian Dress, talked us through various grisly murders which have taken place in the Victorian era in our local area. Many of us were well-acquainted with the places and neighbourhoods which Linda mentioned in her talk and all of us were familiar with Dick Turpin although we discovered that his true appearance differs disappointingly from the handsome anti-hero of fiction.
13th August 2019 ‘Doppelgangers’ Rev. Neil Richardson & John Jemison We were treated to a double act of look-alike couple Neil and John who talked about being mistaken for one another then meeting up and realising how the confusion arose. They are international ‘stars’ due to their likeness and have even won ‘The World’s Most Look-Alike Strangers’ title in a recent medical competition. They are also both poets and read out some wonderful poems both funny and poignant which they have published in a booklet to raise money for the charity, Mencap in Chelmsford.
9th July 2019 We held a Quiz and had a short 30 minute talk about exercise classes by two qualified trainers.
11th June 2019 ‘Flower Arranging’ Stock Florist We were treated to a masterclass in making a large floral centrepiece featuring summer shades of peach and pink. Handy tips are to soak oases from the bottom up to prevent air bubbles, cut flowers at an angle to provide more surface area for water absorption and also to prevent bacteria, and refresh water every three days or so to ensure lasting displays. One lucky member took the display home as a memento of the lovely day.
14th May 2019 ‘Travelling on Cargo Ships’ Peter Hesketh Peter gave a most interesting talk about his personal experience travelling as a guest on cargo ships. He described life onboard as he circumnavigated the globe from Southampton via the Suez Canal, China, the Pacific, the Suez Canal and finally crossing the Atlantic to end up in Felixstowe. He showed some amazing videos including containers being loaded very expertly onto the huge ship and the unexpectedly rolling seas of the Pacific.
9th April 2019 ‘Fashion & Style’ Elaine Smith Elaine encouraged all members to experiment with clothes in terms of styles and colours and emphasised how much impact clothes have on both the wearer and other people.
12th March 2019 ‘Take a road in Leigh’ Carole Mulroney Carole took us on a journey in Leigh by highlighting some of the very interesting past residents of Elm Road. We travelled with Carole from Elm Farm to ‘Not Station Road’, Town Hall Police and Fire Station, Community Centre, Wesley Methodist Church, The Manse, Coliseum Cinema and The Seamen’s Mission. Former Leigh residents had links to many famous names including Rupert the Bear, Bewley’s Dublin, Jacob’s Crackers and the Sea Scouts.
12th February 2019 ‘Staying Mobile’ Dr Grayson Nolan (Chiropractor) Grayson is a certified local Chiropractor who came along to educate us on his area of expertise and also gave some hands-on demonstrations on some of our members. He explained with the help of a skeleton spine that the brain controls pain due to the linkage of the brain to the spine. He encouraged us to proactively check our bodies rather than wait for pain to start and to aim to cure the cause rather than rely on painkillers. He advised us not to cross legs or ankles when sitting, and to keep our bottoms firmly pressed to the back of chairs. A good tip on getting out of bed in the morning is to sit on the bedside and flex our tiptoes 10-15 times prior to standing straight up and to sleep on our sides with a decent pillow sized to fit between head and shoulder. Grayson offered a complimentary check-up for 10 minutes of chat and a £70 fee for the first hour as a new patient.
8th January 2019 ‘Entering and winning Consumer Competitions’ Ian Davidson Ian has won £120,000 in cash and prizes over the past 30 years so was well-qualified to recommend ways for our members to enter and win competitions. He recommended entering free competitions such as those featured in the Essex Enquirer and entering other competitions by sending postcards rather than texts. The Competitors Companion is a good source for upcoming competitions as is a subscription to Compers Magazine, perhaps pooling resources to sign up for it. Tesco is a good source too especially their monthly magazine. He advocated nominating others who do charitable works to radio or TV stations who regularly give out rewards for such deeds.
13th November 2018 ‘The East Country’ Professor Jules Pretty Jules took us on a seasonal walk through the Stour Valley showing us pictures taken while walking there in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter and giving us his personal insight into his much-loved part of Essex and Suffolk.