Newsletters

May 2025

Our May Speaker is Brandon Dobson, Program Supervisor for the Town of Hanover

Brandon Dobson has 9 years of municipal experience, including 3 years with the Town of Hanover as the Program Supervisor in the Parks, Recreation & Culture department. He will be speaking about Hanover's Age Friendly Committee.

Brandon grew up loving sports & recreation, having played hockey, football, baseball and track & field, among others. He is extremely passionate about this community, and the role he plays within this department. He looks forward to continuing to foster relationships, and building connections in the area.

Brandon and his wife, Nicole (an RPN at Hanover Hospital), moved to Durham in 2022 and shortly after welcomed a baby girl. They are looking forward to the anticipated arrival of a baby boy this July.

Our April Speakers were Willy Waterton & Audrey Armstrong

Willy and Audrey dreamt about hiking the Bruce Trail end to end when they retired, and they completed the hike over 2 years ending October, 2015. They still continue to hike, especially the side trails (blue blazes).

Bruce Trail is Canada’s oldest and longest marked trail, running from Tobermory to Queenston Heights (see map below). When they hiked the trail it was 856 km (now 900) km long; there are 9 clubs with over 12,000 members; approximately 400 km of side trails and 71.9% of the Bruce Trail is now on permanently protected land.

Trail distances change because BTC is constantly purchasing land along the Optimum Route, and getting it off the roads, close to the escarpment. All of us are so lucky to have more than 50% of the trail running through our backyards in Bruce and Grey Counties. Pictured below (from winter 2014) is an ice cave near the Grotto.

At the end of their talk Audrey briefly mentioned her butterfly involvement and that an article she wrote was going to be in an upcoming issue of On The Bay. Here is the link: https://onthebaymagazine.com/monarch-magic/

One of the audience members said her granddaughter had participated in the monarch banding last fall on the Bruce Peninsula and got notification that her butterfly ended up at the reserve in Mexico! Here is the link to last year's Butterfly Festival : https://escarpment.ca/ebc-news/annual-monarch-butterfly-festival-august-23rd-24th-2024

A Message from Your President

What Mother's Day Means to Me

Mother's Day, to me, is a time to think about and appreciate the amazing women in our lives. As a mom, I get the idea of celebrating the bond between mothers and their kids.

Over the years, I have to admit, my take on Mother's Day has changed. My mom loves to celebrate it, and while I respect that, I've decided not to do the same with my sons. It is a card holiday after all! This choice isn't because I don't care about the day or its traditions. Instead, I want to value the moments we share throughout the year.

For me, Mother's Day isn't just one date on the calendar. It's all the little acts of kindness, the shared laughs, and the quiet moments that make our relationships special. By not making a big deal out of the day, I hope to highight the ongoing and deep connections we share. I know that this lesson wasn’t always conveyed effectively (just think of the number of times that I’ve had to pick up shoes from the front hall!!), but I know that when it really matters, my boys love me deeply and would do anything for me.

Acknowledging your mother, should she still be alive, and giving thanks is still important. Even if your mother isn’t still with us, please think of her and what she gave to you as you see the echo of her impact while you spend time with your own children and grandchildren.

Janice

Membership Renewals for 2025-26

We will begin accepting Membership Renewals for the 2025-26 year (September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026) at the May meeting. Please download the renewal form from the website (hapc.ca) and fill it out before the meeting. There will be a limited number of renewal forms at the meeting. The $30.00 payment this year can be made in cash, by cheque or by e-transfer. Both the form and the payment must be submitted for your renewal to be complete. If you cannot attend the May meeting, renewals will also be accepted at the June meeting. New Member Applications will be accepted after the June AGM, depending on space.

If you are not going to be attending either the May or June meeting and wish to renew before September, you can follow the instructions on the form (available at hapc.ca) or on the website for completing the form and mailing, delivering or submitting it electronically to the Membership Chair. If payment is being made by cheque, then it must be mailed or delivered directly to the Membership Chair. If payment is being made by e-transfer, then that payment is made directly to the Treasurer (tres@hapc.ca). If you have any questions or require further information, please contact the Membership Chair at mmbshp@hapc.ca

May Probus Activity Updates

Dinner Club

The Dinner Club has changed the date for the dinners to the 1^st Thursday of the month and will now also gather through the summer months. The next dinner is being planned for Thursday May 1^st. Any members interested in participating in our group please send Karen an e-mail.

Coordinator: Karen Farrow

Eat for Health

The Eating for Your Health group met on Tuesday April 15^th for the 'Respect the Bean' potluck and enjoyed a variety of dishes based on disguising 'the bean’. Dishes included everything from chickpea shooters (sort of!), soup, salads, main dishes and black bean brownies. We were all impressed with how tasty the various healthy bean recipes were. While the red bean ice cream pushed well beyond the boundaries of 'healthy', we all agreed that it was healthy for the soul.

Coordinators: Kathy Greensides, Robin Hill

Golf

It’s time to play a little golf. The annual opener was held at the Mount Forest Golf Club on Tuesday April 29th. Any members interested in joining the golf group please send Ulli an e-mail.

Coordinator: Ulli Kaempfe

Hiking

It's time to take to the hiking trails once again. The first hike of the season was April 24^th at The Carrick Tract, south of Mildmay (see picture below). Start times are usually 10:00 am with aim to finish around 11:30 am, depending on the trails chosen. There are lots of trail options for shortening or extending the hike and the trails are fairly straightforward. Any members interested in joining our group please send Vernon an e-mail.

Coordinator: Vernon Freer

Travel Mtg

2025 One Day Bus Trips

Kitchener-Walk the Line with Johnny Cash- June 11 (book by May 20)

Toronto- ; Cirque Du Soleil “oVo” June 28 (book by May 26); The Lion King Musical-August 20 (book by May 19)

Stratford-Annie August 28 (book by May 19) Anne of Green Gables October 17 (book by August 28)

Blue Jay Games in Toronto-New York Yankees-June 30^th (book by May 31); San Francisco Giants-July 20 (book by June 20) Baltimore Orioles September 14 (book by August 15)

Select one or more of these day trips for you, your family and friends to enjoy together.

Contact Kelly McInnis, Marlin Travel 519-881-3120 to book trips before the deadlines shown

2025 Multi-Day Trips (2 - 5 days)

Adventures in Toronto (2 days) - Wed Jun 25 & Thurs 26, 2025-Highlights St. Lawrence Market, Bata Shoe Company Tour, Little Canada Tour, Toronto Harbour Sightseeing Cruise and Ripley’s Aquarium. A minimum of 30 people required for this trip to run. Family and friends are welcome to join probus members on this trip. An e-mail with full details was e-mailed to all probus members on April 22^nd. Call Great Canadian Holidays & Coaches at 519-896-8687 Ext. 280 to book. Deadline to book May 9^th.

Fall Colours in the Eastern Townships of Quebec (5 days) Sept 26-30 (limited space available)

www.greatcanadianholidays.com/Tour/Fall-Colours-in-the-Eastern-Townships-MDay Contact Carol Brownell at Direct Travel Hanover 519-364-3270 to book as soon as possible.

Agawa Canyon and Northern Ontario (4 days) Departure dates-Sept 19, 26, 29 Oct 3
Agawa Canyon with Manitoulin (5 days)-Departure Dates-Sept 21, 24, Oct 1, Oct 6

www.greatcanadianholidays.com/Tours/Search/agawa%20canyon

Select a trip date for you, your family and friends to travel together.

Contact Carol Brownell at Direct Travel Hanover 519-364-3270 to book.

These trips are popular so book as soon as possible.

2026 Trips Options

Ontario Waterways Cruises Inc. (5 days) May thru October 2026- (total of 30 cruises)

Rideau Canal and Trent Severn Waterways Cruises from Big Chute to Ottawa- “Kawartha Voyageur” Ship capacity 45 passengers (23 cabins) and crew of 13.

Select a cruise date for you, your family and friends to travel together.

Cruise dates for 2026 will be available on their website in May 2025.

Starting May 15, 2025 call 1-800-561-5767 to book a 2026 cruise. These cruises are popular with seniors so book early. www.ontariowaterwaycruises.com/cruises/rideau

Costa Rica-“World of Nature” Feb 13-25, 2026 (13 days) - Small Group tour (maximum 24) - Collette representative will present trip details at the next Joint Probus Travel/Theatre Group meeting on Wednesday June 4^th at the Red House Eatery Restaurant in Hanover.

https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1335460

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

Local and Area Events

Crafternoons:May Flowers, Tech Talks, How to Downsize and Minimize and our yearly Hanging Basket sale. There are so many things happening at the Library that you don't want to miss out on! Keep an eye on our website for more details https://hanoverlibrary.ca/calendar/