President’s Message July – August 2025

You may recall that one of my previous President’s messages was themed around the concept of ‘taking things for granted’: life, our health, our well-being and, our privilege in living not only in such a beautiful part of the world, but in a country without fear of our benefits beings totally undermined, stripped away or eliminated. Do we not find ourselves oftentimes taking our lives, lifestyle and even health for granted?  

We have just recently celebrated Canada’s Birthday, and it became even more abundantly clear as to just how privileged we are to be an independent country: free of hostilities, war, and not suffering a breakdown of society, as politics from within tear-apart the fabric of a nation. 

Canada is not a perfect country, but we do have a strong ‘moral compass’, and want to impact the world in a positive way.  Sometimes we take it for granted and what that privilege means to us. We don’t have a tendency to wave flags, or try to impose our will and way of life on other nations, but rather, to readily assist countries in their time of need, definitely not shirking our responsibilities, nor weighing what the ‘return’ to Canada might be, of our invested effort. 

As we celebrate the country we call home, we’re also reminded of Canada’s role in the world as a partner, a peace-builder, and a voice for democracy and international cooperation. This year, perhaps more than ever, we recognize the importance of dialogue, diplomacy and thoughtful engagement with the world, and especially neighbours around us, as we continue to stand firm on our commitment to democracy and independence. 

 We are so very fortunate.

Bringing this conversation closer to home, we, as a Probus Club, reflect many of those same ‘values’ of caring and compassion for others, although obviously on a much smaller scale.

I say this from having served the Club for the past several years, in various Executive Management positions, more recently as President, and in having had the opportunity to witness our Club from a slightly different perspective. More than   gratifying to realize that we are not ‘just a Club’, but are actually a ‘community’, in fact, a ‘family’, caring for others in so many ways. 

Having watched, and even personally benefited from the wealth of ‘community’ offered to fellow Club members, during times of need, we can rightfully be proud of our ‘moral compass’ constantly reaching out to those who have become ‘friends and family’ within the Club, in support of both emotional and physical needs!  

So, on behalf of the entire membership, ‘thank you’ to all for your generous support and caring for fellow members. 

Our bit of being Canadian! 

Best Regards

Brian