We were delighted to welcome the president and committee members of the Tauherenikau Friendship Club to our July meeting. President John Reeve and two other members responded to Tauherenikau’s invitation, joining them at their 7 August meeting, when Jenny Giddens of Richmond Funerals was the guest speaker.
The formation of the Tauherenikau Probus club, as it was initially, is recorded in our South Wairarapa Probus Club publication (2015) celebrating 25 years of our existence:
“At the time of inception, the Club had 123 registered members. The 1990/91 Annual Report shows 160 members, with 20 on the waiting list. By 1992 the membership had grown to 180 with 30 people on the waiting list…
“In 1994 the club held a meeting to consider the increasing waiting list and to explore the possibility of forming a new club to relieve the membership pressure. All committee members were present along with 22 people who were on the waiting list. The following resolution was put to the meeting:
‘That the conveners of this meeting approach the Rotary Club and request that a second club be established covering the South Wairarapa area.’
“On 6 May 1994 Lindsay Wall (President) advised Rotary to begin proceedings to form a new Probus Club. Several names were suggested: Lake Wairarapa, Tararua or Rimutuka (sic). Tauherenikau was the name selected and this was enacted.”
The peak paid membership of South Wairarapa Probus was 200 in 2005; in 2014 it was 130. That was the year that many Probus clubs in New Zealand decided to split from an unsatisfactory dominance by Australian-owned Probus South Pacific – without adequate, if any, NZ influence – to form Probus NZ.
Probus New Zealand Inc. officially changed its name to Friendship New Zealand Inc. in January 2016, following an Auckland High Court ruling in September 2015 in favour of Probus South Pacific Limited, which required the local organization to stop using the now trademarked ‘Probus’ name. Unfortunately, there was a difference of opinion between different groups of Friendship clubs over the role of central governance. Affected clubs either transitioned to Friendship NZ, joined Rebus NZ, or chose to remain affiliated with Probus South Pacific. SW Probus became SW Rebus Club; Tauherenikau Probus became Tauherenikau Friendship Club.
SW Rebus club paid membership today is 32. The club committee is of the opinion that the need to avoid illegal overcrowding at the SW Working Men’s Club is no longer a pressing issue. The South Wairarapa region has two historically related groups for retired folk when one single group could easily cater for all members of both groups. Rather than competing for membership, the club is exploring the possibilities of co-operating with Tauherenikau.
The South Wairarapa Rebus Club meets at 9:45am on the fourth Friday of each month, at the South Wairarapa Working Men’s Club in Greytown. Retired people are invited to attend a meeting as a visitor. Contact John Reeve on 021 560 461 for more information.
