1 December 2021 - ' Estate Planning - Protecting your Family's Future.'
Tony Rosenbaum
The 1096th meeting 0f Kirkcaldy Probus Club with President Stuart Rennie in the Chair attracted a sizeable number of members to Dean Park Hotel on Wednesday 1 December. The guest speaker for the day, Tony Rosenbaum of Carnegie Wealth Management, was introduced by the President who gave a brief resume of Tony's career, noting that 30 year's residence in Scotland had barely impinged on Tony's English accent.
The President did his rapid look at the day's morning newspapers which mainly concentrated on the spread of the omicron variation of covid. He then turned to the 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner on 17 November which without exception had been declared a resounding success. Scores of photographs were taken at the dinner, and these have been posted on the club web site. Anyone wishing to download is free to do so.
Members enthusiastically welcomed a newcomer to the club who was duly inducted and received his club badge.
Treasurer Gordon Levack spoke of the finances of the anniversary dinner which showed a small loss. The club had been able to make a charitable donation to the RNLI, a representative of which had spoken to the club in recent months. Secretary John Edmunds reminded members of the arrangements for the annual Christmas Lunch on 16 December.
Unusually Almoner Roy Urquhart reported that there was a clean bill of health in the club and his report was limited to one of his inimitable tales.
The club's web site continues to be well used with 1600 hits in the past month with the Speakers page being the most popular. Web master Mike Simpson surmises that this popularity may stem from other clubs hunting for speakers for their own meetings.
New social convener Robert Main now has the bulk of responses to the questionnaire regarding members' ideas on the type of social event they want, and he will report in the New Year.
Speakers have now been arranged for the early weeks of 2022 but from February onwards there are vacancies.
Considering the age profile of Probus Clubs Tony Rosenbaum's talk regarding the preservation of financial resources and the management of wealth could not have been more appropriate. He insisted on financial planning to ensure that there was a smooth passage from one generation to the next. He touched upon the importance of Wills, Letters of Intent and Trusts as secure methods to secure this. Several pitfalls await the unwary who may see their wealth passed to undesirable individuals. Hence the importance of taking professional advice cannot be overstated.
Past President Mike Simpson proposed a well deserved vote of thanks for a talk on a subject concerning all in the room.
With the Christmas Lunch and New Year coming up, there will be quite a gap until the next formal meeting which is scheduled for 19 January when the speaker will be Ron Campbell.
3 November 2021 - "Tales of the Unexpected"
Ian Lindsay
President Stuart Rennie welcomed members and guest speaker Ian Lindsay to the 1095th meeting of Kirkcaldy Probus Club held in the Dean Park Hotel on Wednesday 3 November. This was Ian's second visit to the club having previously addressed members on the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance Service. This time his subject was an intriguing one “Tales of the Unexpected”.
The President made his customary trawl of the morning's newspapers which mostly concentrated but not entirely on issues relating to COP26.
Various committee matters were reported with new social convener Robert Main highlighting returns from a recently issued questionnaire on possible social activities desired by members. The Secretary reminded the meeting of the Christmas Lunch on Thursday 16th December, and they should make their menu choices as soon as possible.
In a fascinating talk Ian spoke of the many problems which confront unwary hill walkers and mountaineers. Over the years he has organised many excursions into the Scottish Highlands, both in summer and winter.
For a successful outing participants must prepare properly. Obviously, the right type of equipment is essential, especially footwear – trainers are out! Weather forecasts should be studied carefully before setting out, with particular reference to temperature and wind direction. Most importantly. the walker must be equipped with a compass. Mobile phones may have their uses but can't replace a compass on a trip into the mountains.
Ian has conducted all sorts of forays into the mountains and hills from the Ochils to the west Highlands. From some of them he illustrated unexpected problems of weather and terrain facing his companions and how they coped with them.
Past President Ian Gilchrist proposed a vote of thanks in which he drew upon his own experiences as a hill walker. The membership responded enthusiastically
There will be no club meeting on 17 November, the third Wednesday of the month, because of the 50th Anniversary Dinner that evening. The next club meeting will be on 1st December.
20 October 2021 - "A Life on the Ocean Wave"
Bill O'Donnell
30 members attended the 1094th meeting of the Kirkcaldy Probus Club held in the Dean Park Hotel on 20 October with President Stuart Rennie in the Chair. Seven apologies for absence were announced.
Several new members had joined the Club during the Zoom period without being properly inducted. One of this group received his Club badge and the traditional KitKat.
Among several items of interest, the President reminded members of the Christmas Lunch which will be held on Thursday 16 December and asked them to note there will be no meeting on the previous day. Payments are now due for the 50th Anniversary Dinner on 17 November.
Almoner Roy Urquhart brought further news of a Past President originally injured at home but has now been hospitalised with further illness. Euan Fraser reported that the Texas Scramble on 25 November will be the final outing of the year for the Fife Probus Golf Association while the Club's last gathering at Drumoig saw Jim Browning take top prize.
The President announced that Robert Main will become Social Convener, a post that has been vacant for some time. He also commented on the huge quantity of paperwork that he had inherited on taking office. He asked members to consider setting up the post of Club Archivist to bring order to the club's records
The day's speaker needed little introduction as club member Bill O'Donnell had volunteered to give an account of his service in the Royal Navy. Starting as an Artificer Apprentice at the age of 15 he had 25 years’ service which saw him serve in a variety of ships, mainly aircraft carriers dealing with radar and associated equipment By 1965 he had become a Petty Officer.
The title of his talk, A Life on the Ocean Waves, aptly described his time on HMS Victorious which included a full year at sea, soon after he was married. Victorious handled various types of aircraft and Bill explained the various means of securing and maintaining them at sea.
The year at sea saw Victorious make its way to Australia with halts in Gibraltar and Malta before entering the Suez Canal and then cruising southwards to Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Bill's time in Australia appeared to be the highlight of his year at sea with many memorable experiences both in and around Sydney and then at Fremantle and Perth on the west coast.
The President proposed a vote of thanks congratulating Bill on a thoroughly well-prepared presentation which members had had really enjoyed.
The next club meeting is on 3rd November when Ian Lindsay will make a return visit to the club.
7 October 2021 - RNLI Anstruther
David Corstorphine
President Stuart Rennie welcomed 27 members to the 1094th meeting in the Dean Park Hotel, with another 8 apologising for absence. Stuart commented that it really was gratifying to see our Post Pandemic attendee numbers rising again now that we have returned to live fortnightly meetings. Golf convener George Warner reminded golfers of the final outing of the year at Drumoig. Both the President and the Secretary spoke about the forthcoming 50th anniversary dinner in November. Almoner Roy Urquhart notified members of the serious injury sustained by a former president. The webmaster reported that the web site (www.kirkcaldyprobus.org.uk) continues to be well used with 2600 hits page views since the last meeting.
The day's speaker David Corstorphine is very much a man of the East Neuk, born and bred there, a former teacher in Anstruther's Waid Academy and a significant figure in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's presence in Anstruther. It was his role as Community Safety Officer in the RNLI that he addressed the meeting, with interesting tales and some superb video footage of their boats in action. The members were left in no doubt about the valuable contribution the RNLI make to society.
Probably his main function was to reduce the number of times the lifeboats are called out. As Community Safety Officer he had to make the public aware of the dangers of going out to seas in unsuitable craft or in perilous weather. With 150 people on average dying at sea annually around the coasts of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland education of the dangers awaiting the unaware or careless are essential.
He spoke of the lifeboats in service at Anstruther, the Kingdom of Fife, a Mersey class vessel, first used in 1991 and due to be retired in 2023. There is also a much smaller vessel, capable of speeds of up to 26 knots. The cost of maintaining the lifeboat service is considerable with sums in excess of £2 million needed for the replacement boat.
With no financial support from the government, fundraising is an ongoing necessity for the RNLI and donations are always welcome. Apart from a mechanic who keeps the boats in fine working order all those who crew and support the lifeboats are volunteers unpaid.
Edward Cockburn proposed a vote of thanks for such an informative address thoroughly enjoyed by members.
The next club meeting is on 20 October when the speaker will be club member Bill O'Donnell whose topic will be “A life on the Ocean Wave”. Not intended to be so, but perhaps a fine follow up to today’s talk by the RNLI. New members and guests are very welcome to attend.
15 September 2021 - "Women Spitfire Pilots of the Second World War"
Roy Johnston
Our club is fortunate in enjoying talks on a variety of subjects from good speakers. The latest talk was by Roy Johnston, a retired lawyer who displayed exceptional eloquence in delivering a fascinating talk about Female Spitfire Pilots. Amy Johnston gained fame as a pioneer woman aviator, but it is less well known that she lost her life as a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary. The ATA was an organisation set up during WW2 to deliver new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factories, assembly plants, transatlantic delivery points, maintenance units and scrap yards. This released RAF personnel for front line duty. They also delivered to active service squadrons and airfields but were not involved in combat flying. Prestwick was the main Scottish base. Many of the pilots were female from a wide variety of backgrounds including a few previously holding pilots’ licences. Among 28 nationalities Polish girls with a motivation for revenge were prominent. An American, Lettice Curtiss was the first female to fly a four engined bomber and served for 5 years with one injury break. The variety of aircraft they were required to fly was huge ranging up to Lancasters and frequent changes of aircraft was a considerable challenge. There was no time to train them in full instrument navigation, so they frequently used map and compass flying low beneath dirty weather along rivers and railway tracks without radio contact. On occasions the damaged planes had no heating. The ATA motto was “Eager to Fly” and many of these young women exhibited immense energy and courage carrying out long solo flights in hazardous conditions, occasionally breaking regulations to try stunt flying! Roy gave many accounts of individual feats by girls who sometimes did three flights a day. His tales, with very little use of notes, included humour as well as heroism. 15 female pilots of the ATA died on duty. Member Eddie Cockburn led a warm vote of thanks for a very informative talk.
Earlier Chairman Stuart welcomed members to our second meeting back in the Dean Park after many zoom sessions. He reminded members of the 50th Anniversary Dinner on 17th Nov. to which partners are invited and our Christmas lunch. Mike Simpson invited members to submit names to plant 420 trees as an anniversary event and also stated that Fife Digital websites including ours were experiencing some unwelcome interference. Golf convener George delivered his report of the only activity able to successfully continue in recent months. Competitions had progressed to a conclusion with Jim Browning and Euan Fraser claiming the main trophies. The next meeting will again be in the Dean Park on 6th October with a talk on Anstruther Lifeboats.
1 September 2021 - Covid and beyond
Chris Dickson
Kirkcaldy Probus Club returned to the Dean Park Hotel on 1 September for its 1191st meeting. after an eighteen month absence. President Stuart Rennie welcomed 26 members to this meeting for which three apologies for absence had been received also welcoming the guest speaker Chris Dickson, General Manager of Dean Park.
Before embarking on his presentation Chris gave a brief account of his background, especially his academic background before starting in a career in the hospitality career. Dean Park had been sold to its present owners in 2019 and members were keen to learn about the changes which were starting before Lockdown and are still in progress. Initially the roofing of the hotel had to be replaced and once the premises were watertight a new heating system was installed. Extensive redecoration and carpeting transformed the appearance of the premises. At the same time the quality and variety of the hotel's menus were taken up to a new standard.
The pandemic had a huge effect on the working of the hotel, with early closing and the ban on the sale of alcohol. With the various restrictions on the movement of people the hotel's footfall was severely diminished. Weddings and funerals could not go ahead, nevertheless in this time certain initiatives boosted trading such as “Eat Out, Help Out”. Last year the Lockdown and the period afterwards allowed certain work to go ahead as the hotel prepared for a return of better times.
This summer has seen the opening of the new terrace for outdoor eating and drinking and this has added to the hotel's amenity.
Work is currently ongoing with the construction of the spa, complete with 25.1 metre swimming pool. This will put Dean Park on a level with the best of hotels in the east of Scotland and give it a national profile. When work is complete it will be a huge asset to the town of Kirkcaldy.
Vice-President Euan Fraser proposed a vote of thanks, congratulation Chris for an illuminating presentation.
The next meeting will be on 15 September when Roy Johnston's talk will be on Women Spitfire Pilots in World War 2.
18 August 2021 - 'ProbusLive' Zoom 32 - Ingolstadt
Szilard Kuhn and Robert Main
After over 70 meetings conducted by Zoom this was the final one held digitally with a return to Dean Park Hotel for the first September gathering.
At the start of proceedings President Stuart Rennie intimated there would be a change from the normal running order, with the business part of the meeting held over until the second half and the presentation on Ingolstadt taking precedence, in order to accommodate guest speaker Szilard Kuhn, a representative of the Ingolstadt tourist authority speaking from his office.
The President in introducing Szilard spoke of his birth in Hungary, escape during the Communist period and growing up in Bavaria. He studied in Ingolstadt University, graduating in geography before taking up a post in the tourist office. His duties include on line marketing of the city and promotion of the city's attractions.
To this end he produced a brief video illustrating the history of the city and its modern functions. These include the Audi car factory which relocated from the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in the 1960s. In earlier times Ingolstadt was the seat of the Dukes of Ingolstadt, the Kings of Bavaria and the former ducal palaces have been well preserved over the centuries.
Ingolstadt, a city of 137,000, has been twinned with Kirkcaldy since 1962, has ten twinning arrangements altogether, most with strong economic connections. It is now a prosperous modern city, and its two major shopping centres represent its status.
To the south of Ingolstadt is one of the world's biggest hop growing areas and explains the importance of beer in the city's culture and the significance of the Oktoberfest, a beer festival and fair. The one in Munich at the same time is perhaps better known but in Ingolstadt their fair is just as important, certainly to the economy, attracting visitors from all over Europe.
While Ingolstadt thrives on its modern economy, history also plays a part in its success. deriving from its seat of power in earlier Bavaria. Castles, Palaces and its fortifications have all been adapted to attract visitors.
Before Szilard left the meeting he answered a series of questions, then before club member Robert Main continued on the theme of Ingolstadt, the business section of the meeting took place. Almoner Roy Urquhart as usual entertained members with a series of humorous asides but had no health issues to report. In the absence of web master Mike Simpson the President spoke of a busy month for the website with 1200 “hits”. The club's tree planting initiative planned to mark the 50th anniversary has been approved and 450 trees will arrive in November. The next club golf outing will be at Balwearie on 7 September. Fife Probus Golf Association will be playing at Strathtyrum (St Andrews) on 25 August while their final outing of the year is scheduled for Thornton on Monday 27 September.
In the second part of the meeting Robert Main spoke about the history of the link between Kirkcaldy and Ingolstadt which was formed in 1962. There is no prescriptive format for twinning of towns, and each has developed in its own way. Town and city twinning developed in the post World War II years following the establishment of the Edinburgh-Munich link. By the mid 1990s twining enthusiasm had faded a bit before a major effort brought new life to the link. Various cultural and educational exchanges have taken place and plans are well advanced for the 60th anniversary in 2022.
Before the conclusion of the meeting, the President reminded members that the next meeting will be “live” at Dean Park on 1st September. The club's 50th anniversary will be marked with a Dinner on 17th November and members were urged to put that date in their diaries
4 August 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 31 - The Kings Theatre Development
George Proudfoot
President Stuart Rennie reported enthusiastically when he chaired the 1089th meeting of the club on his participation, along with two other members, in a Probus International meeting hosted by a Canadian club two weeks before.
Two apologies for absence had been received.
In his customary perusal of the front pages of the morning's newspapers, Stuart noted there was quite a bit of unanimity in the headlines, shared between the Olympic Games and Covid 19. There appears to be a retreat of the third wave while over 16s are to be offered a vaccination.
It appears as if this meeting will be the penultimate one held digitally with a return to Dean Park Hotel due on 1st September. Another important diary date is 17 November when the club's 50th anniversary dinner will take place in Dean Park.
Committee reports again were thin on the ground with so many absences.
Golf convener George Warner however had a report on an outing to Canmore with a full list of prize winners. The penultimate outing is on 7 September when the club championship will be decided.
The day's speaker was George Proudfoot whose subject was an update on the King's Theatre project. This is the former ABC cinema on the High Street along with the adjacent properties at 262 High Street and the old YWCA building on the Esplanade. These buildings date back to 1904 and have served the town well over the generations. At one time the main building was Kirkcaldy's Opera House later transformed into a cinema known as the Regal before its conversion into a multiplex which finally closed its doors over twenty years ago
The main work to date had been in the YWCA building which was transformed into the Kings Live – Lounge Cafe and Bar and opened in 2020 before the Covid Lockdown and subsequent floods. This venue is seen as a vehicle for revenue gathering towards the estimated £20m project cost. The newly created open space facing the Waterfront, now known as the Plaza in front of the YWCA building is also seen as a potential earner. The first floor of the YWCA will be transformed into a creative space, possibly for artists. The attic could be converted into a restaurant with views over the Forth
The theatre building is in really tired state. A grant of £87,000 from Historic Environment Scotland made good the roof, removed asbestos and cleared pigeon infestation. According to George this was “A Big Job” and had illustrations of this clearance with loaded huge skips.
Among the questions the subject of flooding was raised and possible higher sea levels. Steps have already been taken to cope. Fire is an ever present risk. Asked about a completion date, George emphasised it was a long term project and it could be another 20 years away.
The next club meeting is on 18 August when club member Robert Main will be the speaker.
21 July 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 30 - Fife Family History Society
Ian McIntyre
Three members had intimated their apologies for absence. With so many members absent convener’s reports were thin on the ground. Almoner Roy Urquhart who had earlier presented a eulogy on the late George Smith made his usual humorous contribution to the meeting. The President referred to earlier announcements by Mike Simpson on Probus Global intimating that he would be taking part by Zoom on a meeting hosted by a Canadian club later in the day and encouraged others to join him.
In Stuart's usual trawl through the day's newspapers there was a variety of front page topics with the English red tops apparently criticising the UK government on a multi million pound sum paid to France in a bid to halt the movement of illegal immigrants.
The speaker for the day was Ian McIntyre who would be addressing the meeting on the activities on the Fife Family History Society. He was warmly welcomed by the President who believed the topic was one likely to interest everyone.
The Society is a registered charity, run by volunteers. It has 800 members drawn, not only from Scotland, but from those parts of the world to which Scots emigrated in past times. There are now related societies in New Zealand and Australia. Its current base is in Cupar Library where its publications are stocked. Ian then referred to some of the topics available such as the Aliment Decree in Cupar 1854 and Kirkcaldy Shipowners gravestones. Records of organisations such as the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry are lodged with the Society. Over 20 enquiries a month are normally received although this figure has been greater during a period of the pandemic. Looking forward, Ian saw the link with Fife Voluntary action and other partners as being significant.
Ian's talk had clearly impressed his audience as a fair number of members accepted the President's invitation to comment or ask questions relating to the presentation. Afterwards Stuart called for a vote of thanks which was duly given.
The next club meeting is on Wednesday 4 August when Ian Murray will describe the ongoing programme to restore The Kings Theatre in Kirkcaldy High Street.
7 July 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 29 - A day in the life of the Scottish Air Ambulance
Ian Lindsay
Kirkcaldy Probus Club Report for Wednesday 7th July 2022
A baby is savaged by a dog up an Angus Glen. Within about half an hour he is being cared for in the High Dependency Unit of the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and eventually makes a full recovery. En route to the hospital he was being cared for by full trained paramedics in one of the Scottish Air Charity Helicopters. Not so many years ago this baby would have awaited a road vehicle taking perhaps over an hour to reach him then a lengthy transport to the hospital before reaching a satisfactory level of attention.
The work of SCAA was the subject of a zoomed talk by Ian Lindsay, a man who has been involved with the Air Training Corps, Mountain Rescue, Forth Valley First Response teams in addition to pursuing his interests in hill walking and photography. SCAA operated its first helicopter, an Airbus EC135, from Scone 7 years ago then a second from Dyce very recently. These complement the two operated by National Health Service and are fully integrated into the 999 call system, operating in conjunction with all emergency services. They provide a 12 hour daytime service 365 days a year. Each aircraft base has a staff including two pilots and 6 paramedics. On receiving a call, the average time to take off is 5 minutes and, with cruising speed of 138mph can reduce the time for a casualty travelling from Ben Lomond to Glasgow to 15 minutes compared to 80 minutes by road. Casualties can include cardiac arrests, strokes, road accidents, falls and transfers between hospitals. An essential requirement is reasonably level ground of about 2 tennis court size as the SCAA aircraft do not carry winchmen. An average call out costs £2500 per and, with 2500 time critical call outs so far the service require considerable voluntary funding to continue. One method for public support of the service is signing up for a pound a week lottery.
Member Derek Bethune, whose daughter is a team Leader with the ScotSTAR Paediatric Retrieval Service which also uses helicopters, thanked Ian for a most informative talk. Earlier Chairman Stuart Rennie welcomed members with his customary review of the daily headlines. The Scottish editions of some national papers seemed to omit reference to a football match featured prominently down South. Golf convener George Warner reported that a recent outing at Thornton had been successful with Jim Browning the winner. and the next will be at Canmore on 3rd August. The first Fife Probus Golf outing will be at Scoonie on 28th July. On 21st July Roderick Greig will present a talk on Fife Family History with coffee zoon on 14th July. I Gilchrist
16 June 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 28 - Fraud and Scam Awareness
Penny Latham
21 members took part in the 1086th meeting of Kirkcaldy Probus Club at which President Stuart Rennie was in the Chair and the guest speaker was Penny Latham of Nat West Bank. One apology for absence had been received.
Stuart had his usual perusal of the day's newspapers. Unusually, there was little agreement among the editors as to what merited the main headline. Among the stories covered was the Covid 19 crisis, the new trade deal with Australia and a possible scandal in the Metropolitan Police. One paper headlined possible trouble with Scottish football supporters in London. The Daily Record thought that 20,000 were planning to travel south, mainly without ticket.
In the business section of the meeting. Secretary John Edmunds reminded members that so far it had not been possible to secure a speaker for the meeting on 18 August. Did anyone have any suggestions? Apart from one of his punchy stories almoner Roy Urquhart had nothing to report. George Warner reminded the club's golfers that the next outing was to Thornton on 06 July. Mike Simpson reported that the web site had been fairly active with 1384 hits.
These Zoom meetings have allowed the club to call on speakers from far and wide. Penny Latham of the Nat West Bank is based in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, and she addressed the members on Fraud and Scam awareness. Fraud and scams are everyday occurrences, whether it is about a supposed unpaid Amazon account or an imaginary car accident. A small monthly direct debit payment is easy to ignore but could take large sums from bank accounts over a period of years if not stopped. Penny urged those who used mobile banking to check their transactions on a daily basis to check if there were any unrecognised deductions. Text messages too are often used to trick the unwary'.
Where do the proceeds of these frauds go? People trafficking and drug distribution are among the most common directions.
Fraudsters seek pin numbers and personal data in order to access bank accounts. Never click on links in emails which cannot be identified and are aimed at reaching bank accounts. Bogus phone calls are a regular source of trouble and if answered set up a cycle of misinformation. Anti-virus software should be kept up to date to break this.
Apparently, the elderly as well as unwary young people are the most obvious targets for these scams, and this had a particular relevance for a the Probus age group.
This interesting and helpful presentation produced a long series of questions for Penny before vice president Euan Fraser proposed a vote of thanks.
Before the conclusion the President briefed members on a proposed visit to the Isle of May and an online questionnaire was set up to gauge interest
The next meeting is on 7 July when Ian Lindsay will speak about a Day in the Life of the Scottish Air Ambulance.
2 June 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 27 - Is our climate stable?
Jack Dempsey
The 1085th meeting of Kirkcaldy Probus Club took place on 2 June by Zoom with 20 members taking part and President Stuart Rennie in the chair. Apologies for absence had been received from two members.
Stuart had a quick run through the morning papers. Many of them had noted that the previous day had seen a zero figure for coronavirus deaths while others had news about mental health. The speaker due to appear had unfortunately called off at very short notice. Club member Jack Dempsey stepped forward to replace him.
Secretary John Edmunds reported from an earlier committee meeting. There is a vacancy for a social convener/coordinator and a volunteer is urgently needed. especially with the 50th anniversary at hand. Events to mark this anniversary are now under consideration, and to date include a tree planting and a dinner.
The club's golfers had an outing to the Dora course at Cowdenbeath the day before and George Warner gave an account of the state of play with Derek Bethune, Jack Dempsey, Jim Browning and George himself among the prize winners. The next outing is on 6 July to Thornton.
Jack's talents came to the fore again with his talk on a topical subject “Is our climate stable?” The core of the presentation was a videoed lecture on the subject in the University of Central Florida given by Dr D Britt. Jack previewed the lecture with some suggestions as to why climate appears to be changing. Is it orbital change? Is it volcanic activity? Tectonic movement? What about greenhouse effect? Meteors, comets hitting the earth. Is our present climate normal?
Changes take place over millions of years with heavy glaciation and the earth under thousands of kilometres of ice, so life is impossible. Then the ice melts just as slowly and life establishes itself as the earth warms up. At the present we are in an interglacial period of rising temperature and ice retreat. As more and more ice melts, sea levels rise. In the video, it was suggested that millions of years in the future, much of USA would have flooded and mid-west cities such as St Louis would become seaports.
“What causes an ice age?” was an often asked question in the video. Tectonic activity causes the rise of mountain ranges and plateaux and a consequent loss of temperature and carbon in the atmosphere. Then there are changes in the earth's orbit We are now in-between two such periods.
Past President Mike Simpson proposed the vote of thanks to Jack for an engrossing talk which added to our knowledge of a topical subject.
The next club meeting is on 16 June when Penny Latham of the Nat West Bank will speak on Fraud and Scam awareness.
19 May 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 26 - Dangerous Journeys in Burma WWII
Elizabeth Germaine
Elizabeth Tebby Germaine grew up in Burma where her mother Josephine Chapman was a missionary, as was one of her aunts, Dorothy Lewis. Her aunt took many photos and these, with maps and drawings, showed how the country and people lived and worked prior to and during World War II.
The Japanese Invasion of Burma occurred in December 1941 and many nationalities escaped, some by sea, many by air in what became the forced retreat of Allied military Forces. By May 1942 virtually all of Burma was occupied.
Dorothy’s brother, Christopher Lewis and Josephine Chapman were missionaries in Burma during the late 1930’s. Josephine wrote a detailed diary about her 700 mile journey starting in December 1941 to May 1942. Japan attacked Pearl Harbour on 7 December and Britain declared war against Japan two days later. She wrote, “We ate our curry and rice as Japanese planes went across. Rangoon had its second air raid”.
In 1942 Josephine described the fear and chaos with nobody knowing where to go to be safe in Rangoon, “There was congestion on trains and boats going in every direction”. She left Rangoon with a party of school children on a train. “The train took 12 hours to do a 6 hour journey. That was followed by a 6 hour journey in bullock carts across the sand of Myingyan on the dustiest road I have ever travelled and a 5 hour journey by river on a very crowded boat”. On February 24th her group travelled through central Burma. The Japanese were advancing in this direction and the battle in this area happened around April 11th. Chinese soldiers aided the escape of Allied soldiers who had lost equipment and were forced to begin the long retreat towards India through increasingly inaccessible countryside. There were wounded men short of water and struggling on foot in the intense heat of the dry season.
On May 1st the Japanese marched into Mandalay and met no resistance.
Josephine wrote “May 4th, at 9 am we had an air raid in Katha. The railway station was bombed. I will soon have to start walking to India”. The dreaded monsoon was beginning as the group set out and they had a violent storm as they slept in the open.
May 16th “We began the hard walk over the hills to India which was a relief as we were now going away from the Japanese instead of towards them.
Each day was the same, at 5.30 am we got up and drank plain tea, filled our bottes with boiled water and set out. We walked until 11.30 am resting for 5 minutes each hour. At midday we ate our breakfast of boiled rice and rested till 4 pm. We walked till 6 o’clock, had our evening meal of boiled rice and went to bed”.
On May 20th at a fork in the path a notice on a tree pointed to the right. ‘To India’ it said. It rained hard all day on May 22nd, and we went 133 miles by lorry on a winding road crossing hills 6000 feet high. We arrived at 8pm and had dinner at the Teaplanters’ Camp and felt so safe in a friendly country.
Jim Browning thanked Elizabeth for her comprehensive talk about a little known area of World War II.
5 May 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 25 - Scots in Poland ~ Poland in Scotland
Martyn O'Reilly
President Stuart Rennie chaired the 1083rd meeting of Kirkcaldy Probus Club which took place by Zoom on 5 May and had 22 members participating. Four others had apologised for absence.
Stuart once more opened proceedings with a look at the day's newspapers which had a fair range of front page stories. The Scottish titles inevitably concentrated on the following day's election while the bulk of the London based papers had something on the collapse of the trial of British paratroopers accused of murdering a member of the official IRA
Almoner Roy Urquhart enlivened his report with several funny tales before giving news of two members recently suffering from ill health. Webmaster Mike Simpson again commented on the surprisingly high number of web site “hits”, particularly on the golf section. He and Derek Bethune had carried out a tidying up of the site, bringing things up to date.
The first golf outing of the year had taken place at Dunnikier the previous day and convener George Warner reported on a successful day where vice President Euan Fraser dominated the prize list. The next outing will be to the Cowdenbeath course on 1June. George requested that all those wishing to take part in the club championship should let him know as soon as possible.
The guest speaker at the meeting was Martyn O'Reilly who is the Scottish Government's trade envoy to Poland and addressed the meeting on Scotland in Poland and Poles in Scotland. The link between the countries goes back to 1474 with Scottish traders and adventurers seeking their fortunes in Poland. By the early 20th century 30,000 Scots were in Poland, mainly in commercial activities.
Over the last 250 years the boundaries of the country have changed extensively from the time it was partitioned between neighbouring powers, Russia, Sweden and Austria and remained in that state until the end of World War 1. Poland regained its sovereignty in the post war treaty. Further changes came after the second war when Germany ceded territory to Poland while USSR acquired Polish lands to the east.
Martyn pointed out an interesting historic link between the countries in Bonnie Prince Charlie who in fact was a quarter Polish through his mother who had Polish antecedents.
Poles played a part in the building of Marischal College in Aberdeen in 1651, supplying much of the finance and that link endured over the years. Many of the members present remembered the presence of Polish troops in Scotland during World War2 and their leader General Anders is commemorated in a statue in Edinburgh. Many of these soldiers remained here after the war.
Many Poles moved to Scotland in recent times through EU arrangements. Poland is a highly educated country, and these immigrants provided a highly qualified addition to the workforce. After Brexit this arrangement may well be diminished.
Bryan Tomlinson congratulated Martyn for giving the Club an engrossing and engaging talk in a well deserved vote of thanks.
The next club meeting is on 19 May when the speaker will be Elizabeth Tebby Germaine whose subject will be Dangerous Journeys in Burma in WW2.
21 April - 'Probus Live' Zoom 24 - What happens in history when our leaders are mad or ill?
Dr Roderic Ashton
Dr Roderic Ashton, a retired GP based in Crickhowell near Abergavenny in Powys, was introduced by vice President Euan Fraser. Rod was to pose the question “What happens in history when our leaders are mad or ill?”
In the span of the centuries kings, prime ministers and presidents have had physical impairments through frailty, ageing, illness or alcoholism which have determined their leadership performance. The earliest example, Rod produced was the case of Henry V111 who turned from being a beneficent ruler in his early years to a murderous tyrant later in his rule. Another historic figure, Napoleon suffered from piles which rendered him virtually powerless possibly affecting the Battle of Waterloo.
Most members could recall the Suez Crisis of 1956 when the United Kingdom, France and Israel conspired to capture the Suez Canal zone, nationalised earlier that year by Egypt. This disastrous episode in British 20th history ruined the reputation of UK Prime Minister Anthony Eden. Rod showed that Eden was then suffering from the effects of a botched gall bladder operation which damaged his mental powers. Eden's predecessor Winston Churchill consumed large quantities of champagne and brandy and must be considered an alcoholic. There were times when he was clearly unfit to lead the country.
United States Presidents, John Kennedy and Richard Nixon, rival for the Presidency in 1960 and participants in the first ever presidential TV debate both had their problems, well hidden during their periods of office.
Past UK Prime Minister Theresa May, a type one diabetic, had to inject herself four times a day, which was done without any fuss and did not impact on her duties. Her successor Boris Johnson was a well publicised Covid 19 victim, in hospital for several weeks. Obviously unfit for work on a regular basis Johnson was seen on television handling what was reported to be government business. Certain things he was unable to handle, such as Prime Minister's Questions. He concluded with references to Donald Trump who has an obvious unhealthy life style and a Covid victim but saw out his term of office.
Jim Husband proposed a vote of thanks for a presentation which held the full attention of members. Rod had clearly researched his subject in great detail and with informative illustrations and thoroughly deserved the applause.
The next meeting is on 5 May when the Martyn O’ Reilly will give the address on "Scots in Poland - Poland in Scotland".
7 April 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 23 - Levenmouth Rail Project
Eugene Clark
Incoming President Stuart Rennie chaired his first club meeting held by Zoom on 7 April with 30 members along with one guest participating. Two members had intimated they would not be taking part. Stuart reckoned that this was the 1081st meeting of the club, Zoom or otherwise. He recalled the style of some of his predecessors used in opening meetings. He chose illustrations of daily newspapers issued on 7 April, mainly from UK but also a selection from other countries. Most had front page coverage of Covid 19.
Almoner Roy Urquhart had encouraging news of a member who has been in hospital for some weeks suffering from a serious illness. His condition has improved sufficiently that a return home is now in prospect. With golf courses opening up once more, a club outing has been arranged for 4th May at Dunnikier. No catering facilities will be available at the course so those planning to take part should bring a flask and sandwiches. The club web site has had exceptionally high usage in recent weeks with a total of 2779 hits.
The day's speaker Eugene Clarke, the President observed, would be known to many members following his appearance a few days earlier on a Channel 4 programme on Scotland's Scenic Railways. Eugene is a native of Stenhousemuir but has spent years living in the East Neuk. Professionally he taught in both secondary and further education and lists opera, theatre and hill walking as amongst his interests. He drew a veil over his support of East Fife FC. Although he insisted that he had no technical knowledge of railway working, he had played a major role in the Levenmouth Rail Project, about which he addressed the Club
The five mile stretch of railway from Thornton Junction to Leven, part of Fife Coast Line, had closed in 1969 during the culling of Scotland's rural railways. This was a time when road transport was deemed to be the way for the future. Clearly, this situation has changed in the intervening years. All over the country there is now a clamour for the restoration of many of these lines. Locally there is continuing congestion on the Standin' Stane Road.
The Border Railway is probably the best known of Scotland's restored railways as passenger numbers grow year by year and sets the pattern for future development.
There were many clear cut reasons for a new Levenmouth rail link. One of Eugene's many illustrations was a slide showing degree of deprivation throughout the country and a consequent lack of car ownership. Another slide showed the relationship between distance from Edinburgh for a group of towns, all about 50 milesaway, and the travelling time by public transport. Leven performed very poorly. A new rail link to the national network would bring a host of advantages for the area and its people, with regard to tourism, industry, education and health.
Before the Scottish government acceded to the request to rebuild and reopen the five mile rail stretch an extensive campaign of lobbying and persuasion following. Every opportunity was taken to speak to politicians, both local and national, to further the case. The campaign group took every chance they had to have a presence at all sorts of local events and so gather publicity.
The estimated cost of the project is £71 million and is scheduled to open before the end of 2023. It includes two stations at Cameron Bridge and Leven. The precise locations of these stations have still to be announced.
Eugene answered a range of questions involving such topics as the influence of the adjacent Diageo plant and the possibility of general freight traffic. A possible further link to Methil Docks was mentioned.
The next club meeting is on Wednesday 21 April when the speaker will be Dr Roderic Ashton who will pose the question “What happens to history when leaders are mad or ill? This meeting will be preceded by a Committee meeting at 9 am. Members were encouraged to ask their friends who need not be associated with a Probus Club to take part in these meetings.
17 March 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 22 - Annual General Meeting
President Stuart Rennie
The annual general meeting of the club was held virtually by Zoom on 17 March with retiring President Mike Simpson in the Chair and 29 members taking part. This was the first annual meeting since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The date reserved for the 2020 meeting coincided with the first signs of the rapid spread of the disease and led to an early cancellation.
The Minutes of that 2019 annual meeting were formally approved. In his president’s report Mike commented on the relatively high level of club activity in the past year, notably, the web site which seems to have been in high demand. Thanks go to Stuart Rennie’s initiative; meetings have taken place on Zoom for most of the past twelve months. The club is much indebted to Stuart for all his efforts. In addition to the regular fortnightly meetings there have coffee chat meetings on the intervening Wednesdays. Again, thanks to Zoom, the club had a highly successful Christmas Quiz evening. In the autumn weeks, between the two coronavirus spikes the one and only Probus golf outing of the year took place.
On the financial side, there had been little income from such as membership fees and coffee money therefore there had been a deficit on the year’s workings leading to a relatively small deficit which had been funded out of club reserves. Members were invited to forward their 2021-22 subscriptions to Treasurer Gordon Levack, either by regular mail or by bank transfer.
Mike Simpson after technically two years in office stepped down from the Presidency with Stuart Rennie taking over with Euan Fraser as his vice-president. Stuart indicated that committee meetings will normally take place on the third Wednesday of the month, provided there is sufficient business for the agenda.
As has become the custom at annual meetings for the past ten years, the proceedings concluded with another of David Walker’s humorous video presentations which meant that everyone left the meeting with a smile on his face.
The next cub meeting will be on Wednesday 7 April when the speaker will be Eugene Clarke whose subject will be the Levenmouth Rail Project.
3 March 2021 - 'Probus LIve' Zoom 21 - Signpost International
Peter McEleny
Kirkcaldy Probus Club's most recent meeting was held virtually once again by Zoom on 3 March with 26 members participating and President Mike Simpson in the chair. With almost everything closed down there was little to report in the business section of the meeting apart from Almoner Roy Urquhart giving an update on the health of a member who is currently in hospital.
The day's speaker Peter McEleny is the Communications and Fund Raising Officer of the Dundee based charity Signpost International. President Mike jocularly mentioned that Peter's presence at the meeting greatly reduced the average age of those taking part. Peter grew up in Largs but most of his adult life has been in Dundee since he first went there to university, hence his association with Signpost which is based in the city.
Signpost is inspired by the Christian faith and has been operating for 29 years, principally in Uganda, Tanzania, Philippines as well as Dundee itself. The lack of clean water and inadequate sanitation affects hundreds of millions of people in many parts of the world. Signpost's work is assisting those deprived in these countries, formerly referred to as The Third World. Clean water changes so much.
In Uganda 75% of the population do not have access to what we would consider adequate toilet facilities while 61% lack clean water. Signpost works to improve these figures. Another fundamental pathway to a better quality of life is the improvement in farming methods. Food insecurity afflicts nearly half of Uganda's population with consequent health problems. Peter highlighted the case of Natasha, a subsistence farmer who had been trained by Signpost to produce sufficient food, not only to feed her family but also have a marketable surplus which enabled her family to have an education.
Nearer home, Signpost is very active in the Whitfield area of Dundee where there is multiple deprivation. They aim to convince the next generation of the principles of global citizenship leading to a better quality of life. Workshops for young people provide courses in life styles. To this end Signpost is in the process of converting a former Council building into what is called the Roundhouse where amongst other things there is a common kitchen which uses unwanted food donated by supermarkets. Peter concluded his presentation with two videos highlighting the successful work of Signpost.
After Peter had answered several questions, the President warmly thanked him for a most informative presentation which had impressed the membership.
The next meeting, once again by Zoom, on 17 March will be the Annual General Meeting for which the Secretary will send out by email the relevant papers.
17 February 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 20 - The Surgeon and the Painter
Glenn Jones
A few years ago, a damaged and faded painting was discovered in a cupboard under the stairs in Anstruther Town Hall. The painter was Robert Fowler and the subject Thomas Black of Wemyss who had completed two Arctic Whaling voyages as a ship’s doctor. Gavin Grant of Fife Cultural Trust arranged for restoration of the painting in Dundee. Our speaker, Glenn Jones, vice chairman of the Kilrenny and Anstruther Burgh Collection, decided to investigate the history of Thomas Black, who became an eminent and well respected surgeon in the town and also the painter, a native of Cellardyke and a very successful artist who spent most of his working life in Liverpool. He painted in many styles including beautiful landscapes portraits and ships. One painting, Dance of Salome, sold for 100,000 US dollars in 2014. Glenn, with painstaking detective work very successfully established the connection between Robert Black, Fowler and the painting. The talk was a fascinating story, well illustrated by photographs of Anstruther and of many paintings by Fowler. The connection was a Black’s sister marrying into the Fowler family becoming Elizabeth Williamson Fowler. She acquired the painting and in her will bequeathed it to Anstruther together with many donations to improve the harbour in which her brother had tragically died. Included in the story was the Balfour Williamson Shipping Company one of whose clipper ships, was the subject of a beautiful painting by Fowler. One mystery, never resolved, is the untimely death of Thomas Black at the age of 46. He was drowned in the harbour late at night after visiting a hotel on return from a patient in Pittenweem and was observed heading for home. Cries for help had been heard but ignored on a dark night. There was no evidence of foul play. It was the custom to extinguish street lighting at 10pm in the town and the darkness may have deterred rescue attempts. There is a monument paying tribute to Black in a cemetery in Anstruther. A warm vote of thanks from a good audience was led by Stuart Rennie. Earlier Chairman Mike Simpson had conducted a short business meeting in which Almoner Roy gave news that a member is in hospital. Talk bookings are in place until July. Information on our forthcoming Zoom AGM will be forthcoming, There will be the usual coffee meeting next Wednesday then Peter McEleny will give a talk on Signpost International on 3rd March. A Zoom committee meeting will precede this.
3 February 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 19 - Walking the Fife Costal Path
Ian Gilchrist
Kirkcaldy Probus Club continued with its series of Zoom meetings on 3 February with 28 members taking part. President Mike Simpson took the chair while Stuart Rennie conducted the technical arrangements. With such stormy weather prevailing Mike commented that the pandemic had produced one positive thing in that we didn't have to venture outside to take part in a Probus meeting.
The day's speaker, past president Ian Gilchrist hardly needed an introduction in that he was well known to every member and who over the years had entertained the club with a series of talks on travel orientated subjects illustrated with his own photography.
Almoner Roy Urquhart prefaced his brief report with a number of humorous asides which are now expected as part of his report.
The only news item he had for members was that one of our number had been seriously ill but had made a speedy recovery.
We now have an extensive programme of speakers arranged well into the summer, zoom or otherwise, thanks to the efforts of Stuart Rennie. This was the main item in Secretary John Edmunds's report in which told that the AGM will be on 17 March. Members will be emailed with this information.
Golf Convener George Warner's only news item was that the club season would resume in May,
Since the last meeting there have been 1556 hits on the club site, mainly on the Speakers' page. President Mike suspected some of these might have come other from other Probus clubs, hunting for speakers.
Not only is Ian Gilchrist an accomplished photographer but he is also an enthusiastic walker. He is a member of the walking group, Old Farts of Fife, some of whose members are in our Probus Club. His subject combined these two interests in a trip around the Fife Coastal Path, with the photographs taken over a series of outings.
The Path itself starts in Kincardine on Forth and stretches for almost 116 miles to just beyond Newburgh on Tay.
Ian highlighted various features of natural scientific interest, particularly birds, wild flowers and geological strata along the route as well as various settlements, many of which were familiar to members. While many of the stretches of the walk were straight forward others were quite arduous, mainly in the East Neuk. All through the presentation Ian's photography was of the highest order which altogether made this virtual tour of the Fife coast both informative and entertaining.
Derek Bethune proposed a vote of thanks to which the membership responded enthusiastically.
The next full club meeting, on Wednesday 17th February will again be a Zoom with speaker Glen Jones's topic being The Surgeon and the Painter
20 January 2021 - 'Probus Live' Zoom 18 - Fife Voluntary Action
George Cuthill
Throughout Fife there are people in need of some form of assistance and people who may have the time, experience and possible some skills to provide this assistance. Our speaker, George Cuthill is a board member with Fife Voluntary Action , a group which aims at bringing together volunteers and those in need. Fife Voluntary Action promotes and supports local community and voluntary action. If you are involved with a charity, community group, social enterprise or voluntary organisation, or are looking to get involved in your local community, then it offers a range of support services of interest to you. Almost all services are free of charge. In the present crisis the need for help has never been greater and the Fife group is having a significant effect but can achieve more with more volunteers. It operates in varied fields such as providing advice with financial matters like bookkeeping and fundraising. In many cases financial assistance is available but potential recipients are unaware of how to source it. Help with Early Years and Children is available. Of particular relevance at present is the Helping Hand Project which can deliver prescriptions, do shopping and liaise with distant relatives to give assurance about the safety of elderly parents. In normal times a widely used service is provided by Footcare Fife. There is a Time Banking Scheme involving reciprocal use of another person’s skills with no payments involved. The organisation has bases in Glenrothes, Cupar, Leven and Kirkcaldy which are at present in lock down, but the work is ongoing. There is a website which details how to make contact. Just Google Fife Voluntary Action. Mike Simpson thanked George and complimented him for displaying passionate humanity in the valuable work he is carrying out.
Earlier, Mike welcomed a good turnout of Zoomers and indicated progress with our website. Almoner Roy reported a member returning home from hospital then entertained us with his normal brand of humour. Golf Convener George intends to carry the cancelled year of bookings forward in the hope of some normality being established this year There will be a Coffee Zoom on 27th Jan then a meeting on 3rd Feb. at which member Ian Gilchrist will give an illustrated account of Walking the Fife Coastal Path
