The Probus Club of the Bookhams

In the last three months the club has enjoyed three very interesting talks as well as an outing to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. At our October meeting we had a talk by an Army Presentation Team consisting of Major Magdalaine Miller and Staff Sergeant Lee Williamson. The speakers explained that the objective of the Army was to defend our peace and safety in peace and war. This could include giving aid in other countries or communities as well as defending our own country and population. The army also carries out less well known duties such as assisting at the Olympics and other international sports events held in this country, ceremonial duties at royal activities and when unexploded bombs left over from the war are found, defusing them - a dangerous procedure! Army personnel help foreign countries deal with insurgencies by training their armies and peacekeepers. They train youngsters in the Army Cadet Forces and members of the Territorial Army.

The presentation in November was given by James Taylor a well known author and historian and a former curator at the Greenwich Maritime Museum. He began publishing books on Marine Art in the 1990's and on some of the outstanding historical voyages including The Beagle made famous by Charles Darwin. The main subject of his talk was the sailing warship the Temeraire which was second in the line at the Battle of Trafalgar. The Temeraire's master was Captain Hardy and under his direction Temeraire disabled two of the larger Spanish ships Fougueux and Redoubtable. Captain Hardy transferred to captain the Victory when Nelson was mortally wounded. Temeraire was built at Chatham and after Trafalgar became a prison ship in Plymouth before being broken up. An oil painting of the ship is on display in the National Gallery. The picture painted by Turner was voted 'Britain's Favourite Painting' in a BBC Poll in 2005.

At the December meeting we had an outstanding presentation entitled 'Arab Spring?'. Our speaker Stephen Day was ambassador in the Arab world for four and a half years and served as a diplomat in Arab countries. The British activities in Arab affairs have often been a failure and the Arab Spring is a change from dictatorship to democratic government generally achieved from pressure of the population in the country without interference from outside. The past has been a rule by rich and corrupt leaders without elections with leaders using force from their armies to preserve their domination. An example of a leader was Ben Ali who owned 40% of his country's companies and nineteen luxury yachts. The speaker's opinion is that the Arab world is diverse and friendly, the Arabs are polite and friendly and, contrary to the scenes shown on TV, Arab streets are generally safer than Guildford on a Friday night!

Probus is a club for retired or semi retired professional and business men. Further information on the club's activities can be obtained from our Secretary Peter Clarke, tel: 01372 450908.  The club meets on the third Tuesday of each month at the Bookham Grange Hotel.

Derek Berry