Newsletters

March 2026

Our March Speaker is Steve Stewart, President of the Hanover Legion

Our Speaker for March will be Steve Stewart, President of the Hanover Legion.

This year marks the 100^th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion. Steve will speak to the history of the Legion, changes over the past 100 years and the important work that it does both locally and across the country.

Our February Speaker was Gold Medal Olympic Coach Barrie Shepley

Barrie was Canada’s National Triathlon Team coach in 1991, and for several years following and gave a very entertaining and informative talk.

He talked about his university years and how he got into coaching, and then coaching triathlon. And the story of how he and others started Triathlon Ontario in 1987 (while still in university). In 8 months they had 1,000 people who joined.

Barrie was also the founder of the Kids of Steel triathlon program, a program that gave many of our nation's top triathletes a start in the sport, including Olympic gold medal winner Simon Whitfield.

Simon won a gold medal in the triathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and also secured a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. All together he competed in 4 Olympic Games and is recognized for his contributions to the sport and inspiring future athletes.

Barrie’s company Personal Best was formed in 1991 and since then, Barrie has coached hundreds of people to national championship titles, Pan American Game’s medals, World Championship medals as well as the successful completion of the Hawaii Ironman and the Boston Marathon.

Barrie was selected to go to the 2000 Sydney Olympics where Triathlon made its debut as a full medal sport. Canada won the gold medal in the men's event, a performance no one will ever forget.

Barrie has been the voice of the International Triathlon Union, and announced races all over the world, including multiple Olympic games. As a Board member for Triathlon, co-founder of Ontario Triathlon, and former chair for the Coaches Association of Ontario, there are few people in our nation that have contributed as much to the sport as Barrie.

Other highlights of his Success is an Option presentation:

Historic Gold Medal for Canada - No one expected Simon's gold medal at the Sydney Olympics. But he and the coaches did!
Visualize Your Goals - Simon was writing "OLYMPIC CHAMPION" in his training diary as early as 1996. 4 years before he won his historic gold medal.
Accepting and embracing your role in the team's success is key.
Prepare for Setbacks
Your mind is like a TV set. Who controls your TV?
Taking calculated risks must be part of your planning.
Celebrate the process, not the outcome.

Barrie is happy to add anyone that is interested to his monthly newsletter. If you’re interested, send him a quick email at barrie@personalbest.ca and he will add you to the circulation list.

A Message from Your President

As the weather warms, the days become longer and the snow banks begin to recede, it is time to think about the Spring and Summer Seasons ahead. For me that means escape from the basement trainer and get back on the roads of Bruce Grey for another opportunity to see the countryside from the saddle.

For cyclists, the question of “Why do I ride?” is often discussed over coffee and pastries. There is no question that for me there are fantastic health benefits that come from cycling, as well as the social interactions that come from the various groups of people that I cycle with. However, the simple fact is what I enjoy most is the ability to see the beautiful scenery that is around every corner. The bike is the perfect mode of transport for site-seeing as it is slow enough to take in what you are passing and to stop to appreciate the moments. Yet it also greatly increases your range over what can be achieved on foot.

In my opinion we are fortunate enough to live in one of the most picturesque areas in Ontario. One where the history of our communities can be understood from the paths of the multitude of rivers that cut their way through glacial till and the paths surveyed by our ancestors to build roads and railways that were as straight as possible yet avoided the lowlands and swamps. Today we are fortunate that many of the abandoned railway lines have been turned into multi-purpose trails that both afford an opportunity to see different vistas than from the roadways and to avoid the busier roads and highways. One year of cycling in this area taught me that one needs the ability to ride on both pavement and gravel is necessary to fully appreciate the area.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I leave you with my four favorite pictures taken from the saddle this year. Hopefully, they will bring you a sense of anticipation for the snow-free seasons to come!

Terry Koehler

News

Nominating Committee

If you’ve been attending the General Meetings over the past couple of months, you know that the Nominating Committee has been formed for this year. The Members of the committee are:

Janice Koehler
Tina Shier
Craig Brown
Georgia Kreager

We have already been working hard at trying to find new representation for the Management Committee. The specific roles that we’re hoping to fill are:

Vice President
Members At Large
Technical Chair

All of these positions are important for the success of the club, but this is especially true in the case of the role of Vice President. This position is critical for the future of the club. Without a Vice President, the existence of the club is at risk.

As mentioned before, there is a lot of flexibility with these positions. Please don’t feel as though we can’t work around personal limitations such as traveling, limited computer awareness or shyness in front of crowds. Next year, our president won’t physically be in the country for much of the winter!

In summary, if you think that you or someone you know might be interested in any of these positions, please approach someone on the Nominating Committee. We look forward to hearing from you!

Janice Koehler, Past President

Join us for Lunch after the AGM!

Based on the positive response to the 10^th Anniversary bagged lunch following the 2025 Annual General meeting, we will be having a post-AGM luncheon this year. It will be a hot lunch catered by the Legion Ladies who did our Christmas Luncheon, so we are expecting a great meal at the Legion. In addition, there will be musical entertainment provided by local country artist and storyteller Jim Metzker. Lunch tickets, which will be $15 per person, will be sold by our Hospitality Committee volunteers starting in March. You can either reserve your tickets via e-transfer to tres@hapc.ca or visit the sign-up table which will be open during upcoming general meetings.

Ways to Stay Up to Date with Probus Canada

Podcast - Go to the Probus Canada website, scroll down to the footer, and click on the green Spotify icon.

Facebook - News from Probus clubs in Canada.

YouTube - two new videos that were developed this year.

Newsletter - latest issues of the PROBUS Canada Connections.

Probus Global is a network of Probians from all over the world who meet quarterly on ZOOM. If interested, you can visit the Probus Global website and follow the route to become a member at NO cost as long as you are a Probus member.

March Probus Activity Updates

Website Activity Updates

Recently the activity information and activity events have been reviewed and updated by the activity coordinators. Members are invited and encouraged to visit Hanover Area Probus Club website at www.hapc.ca/activitieslist. It’s as easy as clicking on the “blue more info” link or click on any activity or event on the monthly calendars. If you need assistance or have any questions contact Dianne Mather, Activity Group Chair at act@hapc.ca

Dinner Club

Helen and John Peppler hosted the February dinner with a theme of “ A for Apple”. All the menu items had apples in them from the Apple inspired appetizer board, the Apple Salad, the Maple Brined Pork Roast with Apple to the Apple Crème Brûlée and everything in between.

Dawn McCulloch hosted the second location with a dinner that was a Spanish/Mediterranean menu. Starting with a Mediterranean yogurt dip, Cheese Biscuits, Garlic Soup and the “piece de resistance” a Spanish Paella with chicken, sausage and shrimp followed by a Basque Cheesecake.

Thanks everyone for putting so much thought into all the dinners.

Click here to see all the pictures from Dinner Club events.

Coordinator – Karen Farrow

Eat for Health

The EFYH group met in February for a healthy breakfast potluck. There was a variety of food from soup to nuts - literally! The buffet included a high energy power soup, sourdough English muffins (including the toaster!), healthy forms of other various muffins, oatmeal pancakes, healthy cookies, healthy jams and puddings with plenty of seeds and nuts for ingredients and toppings. The next meeting is March 17 12:00 at Hope Church for an 'anything green that is unique and healthy' potluck lunch.

Click here to see all the pictures from Eat for Your Health events.

Coordinators - Kathy Greensides and Robin Hill

Theatre

Peter Dalton, Theatre Committee Chair, e-mailed to the members all selected show information and details. Sign-up sheets for various shows will be available before our March monthly Probus meeting. The selected shows are at theatres within 1.5 hours driving time of Hanover and include a mix of musicals, comedies, drama and history.

The Wedding Party – Orangeville Theatre 2 pm Wednesday April 22

The deadline to order and pay for tickets is Friday March 13
A lunch reservation (optional) has been made for 12 pm at The Bluebird Café and Grill

Unnecessary Farce – Hanover Civic Theatre 2 pm Saturday May 2

The deadline to order and pay for tickets is Friday March 13
A signup sheet will be available at the March 11 Probus meeting

Agatha Christie’s - And then there were none

St Jacobs Country Playhouse, 2 pm Tuesday June 2nd
Deadline to order & pay – April 17

Dry Streak

Memorial Hall, Blyth – 1 pm Wednesday June 24 Canadian Classic | Contemporary Comedy
Deadline to order & Pay – May 15

Sister Act

Drayton Festival Theatre – 2pm Friday July 3

Bus outing – Organized by Sally Kormann (cut off date was Feb 24)- contact Sally for more details

Sisters of ’78

Memorial Hall, Blyth – 1 pm Thursday July 16
Deadline to order & Pay – May 15

Curveball: The Fast-Pitch Ladies from the Factory Floor

Harvest Stage, Blyth – 8 pm Tuesday August 4
Deadline to order & pay – June 20

Sorry…I’m not Sorry

Hildebrand Schoolhouse Theatre, St Jacobs – 2pm Wednesday August 19
Deadline to order & pay – June 20

The Last Mayor of Rusty River

Memorial Hall, Blyth – 1 pm Thursday September 10

The Importance of Being Ernest

Avon Theatre, Stratford, June 18 to Oct 23

Something Rotten

Festival Theatre, Stratford, May 29 to Oct 31

Theatre Committee: Peter Dalton, Jill Dalton, Tracey Neuman and Susan Keir

Travel

20 Probus members left for Costa Rica February 13^th .
A tour to Scotland is booked this fall - Sept 20^th to Sept 30^th. The cut off date for the price quoted was been extended to Feb 21^st. If anyone is interested, please contact Carol Brownell at Direct Travel, Hanover.

The following travel tours are being considered for 2027. Travel members are asked to review the links below and decide on their first and second choice so a decision can be made at the April 2nd meeting. The meeting will be held at Cravings restaurant and Carol Brownell from Direct Travel will be attending.

Spectacular Scandinavia - May 3 2027, Cost $10,999.00 /pp plus HMPU (Hanover home pick up

Switzerland Peaks - May 14, 2027 - Cost $10,399.00 /pp plus HMPU

Majestic Cities of Central and Eastern Europe - May 9, 2027 - $8,799.00 pp plus HMPU

Exploring Greece and It’s Island – May 13, 2027 - $9,999.00/pp plus HMPU

Here is the link to view all of the pictures from the Travel group

Travel Committee: Joan Roseborough, Margaret Elliott-Niesen, Peter Dalton and Dianne Mather

Local and Area Events

Visit their website for full details and schedules.

Visit their website for full details or contact your local branch.

Visit their website for all upcoming Library programs and events.

Town of Hanover Parks, Recreation & Culture Community Guide (Fall 2025/Winter 2026):

Of special note, see page 22 and 23 for the Senior Active Living Centre (SALC) Programs, funded by the Ontario Government through a Senior Active Living Centre Grant.

Hanover Recreation and Culture events and programs webpage