“I used to meet a few retired men for morning coffee – mostly ex-commuters (to London) with professional or business backgrounds and with a wealth of experience behind them,” wrote Rotarian Fred Carnhill in “A Simple Idea”. “Conversation was always brisk and entertaining. One was an architect, responsible for many public buildings over the country, another an ex-borough treasurer, an ex-railway official, an headmaster, an ex-journalist, an ex-newspaper editor and an ex-secretary to a Prime Minister. This gave me an idea: really a very simple one.”

That night in 1965 he phoned 33 retired friends about joining a club of retired business and professional people.

At the same time, another English Rotarian, Harold Blanchard, established the Caterham PROBUS club – the name, which combined “professional” and “business”, suggested by one of the members. “He assured us that probus was a Latin word from which ‘probity’ was derived,” wrote Blanchard.

Before long the two clubs combined, and today hundreds of thousands of retirees are members of thousands of Probus clubs worldwide.

As probus.org states, “Retirement can come too early for many people who want and are able to remain active.” We agree.

One of the ideas we’d like to hear input on during our virtual focus group exercises is this:

What would you think of having a kind of employment agency for residents, operating out of the Clubhouse, that would match up skills with local needs, so you could keep active and involved with your community and earn a little money now and then?

Perhaps the Business Club of Meaford Haven would offer services to the community at low rates, and both raise money for the club and pay a small amount to the “volunteer”. And the club could offer services to non-profits at no charge.

We’re wondering if ideas along this line appeal to you, and whether it would be an opportunity to do the work for which you’d like to be remembered.

To get involved with the virtual focus groups, sign up.