THE PROBUS CLUB OF STORRINGTON AND DISTRICT
WEST SUSSEX

"Taking time off from doing nothing"

11 March 2026  “We do not appreciate how good things are today”. With these words Andrew Relf launched into his educational and entertaining lecture on how all drugs and treatments have come a long way from the Victorian Operating Theatre to today’s High Tech Theatres. He emphasised that the research backing this extraordinary process unfortunately takes time. Rarely is there a quick fix. Oft possible solutions appear from the most unlikely places and thoughts. Then and only then are they subjected to much testing before they reach the “Gold Standard”.  Andrew named many pioneers of medical history and paid homage to their discoveries: antibiotics, vaccines and anaesthetics to name but a few. All have helped in significant medical and hygiene advances. Making our life more comfortable and helping increase life expectancy by about 30 years. Nor is the common cold forgotten! The 31 members present applauded a great lecture. (ML)

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11 February 2026 President Paul was pleased to induct Mark Foss as a new member.

This was followed by a talk by Mike Scott Rumble entitled"Lucky Breeze – The Rise And Fall of the British Airship Service". He noted at the outset that it took a mere ​fourteen years from inception to conclusion. To an intrigued audience, Mike recounted how those behemoths of the sky developed from technology learnt from the downing of a Zeppelin in 1916. He included the R34 which made the first and only two way Trans-Atlantic flight in July 1919.  But also the Airship R120 where hubris and inefficiencies allowed this 770 foot long monster to take to the clouds in 1930 on a flight to India. It crashed across the channel in the town of Beauvais just 300 miles away. This fatal trip brought the ambitious project to an end. (ML)

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14 January 2026 After lunch, our guest speaker, Jo Larcombe, gave us an amusing life-story about how she changed career from being a disillusioned college teacher to children's book writer. Her talk, "Losing the plot – from teacher to writer in countless steps" evidenced her determination and drive to overcome some of life's obstacles - and to succeed.​​​

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10 December 2025 Christmas lunch with all the festive cheer.

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12 November 2025 Guest speaker Graham Feest on “Transport Traffic, Safety Roads”​​.

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8 October 2025 Guest speaker Pat Langford on"The human and the divine: the art and craft of Chichester Cathedral" .

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10 September 2025 

Our speaker,  David Bickerton, followed up an earlier talk on “Finding and Sinking the Bismarck”, with a very well received talk on “Operation Husky – The Allied Invasion of Sicily”.

David’s father had been involved in this Second World War operation and he had therefore conducted detailed and extensive research into the invasion of Sicily. Members of the Club were treated to an explanation of the leadership, Allied countries, troop, aircraft and naval numbers involved in the campaign.

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13 August 2025  Annual General Meeting. Paul Weaver succeeded Peter Edwards as club president for 2025-26.

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12 July 2025 Recruiting at the West Chiltington Village Show​.​

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9 July 2025 Our very own Dr Les Allen-Williams talked to us about the future of the human race and its “Extinction” or otherwise.

A noted academic, Les gave an interesting, informative and humorous presentation which drew on the wide range of theories relating to the extinction of numerous varieties of creatures ranging from the dinosaurs, through Dodos and Tasman Tigers to the expected demise of homo sapiens.

Apart from the speculation concerning the demise of dinosaurs, Les gave clear evidence of the impact of homo sapiens on the extinction of many creatures. Destruction of habitats and eating creatures were just two examples of how this extinction has come about.

As for the eventual demise of homo sapiens, Les pointed out that history shows us that it is just a matter of time. As it is impossible to determine the timescale for such an event, He concluded that everybody should just enjoy themselves!

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​​4 July 2025 Friends Afternoon Tea​​.

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​11 June 2025  Club member Clive Boland recited an account of  “Personal Memories of the D-Day Landing”.

The content of Clive’s talk came from the personal diary and notes of a D-Day survivor and they provided a contemporary, first- hand account of the trials and tribulations of those brave service personnel from a number of different nations, who took part in the D-Day landings.

History tells us the extent of the horror and loss of life involved with the landings, but Clive’s provided a detailed and sobering account of what it was really like to be there at the time.

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14 May 2025 Guest speaker Lynda Vowles from the Mary Howe Trust​​​​​​​​​​​. Lynda moved to the Sussex area at the age of 18. Her successful professional journey began in the publishing industry and over the past two decades, Lynda has transitioned into the charity sector, bringing her expertise and leadership to causes that have a profound impact on people’s lives.

Her early work focused on supporting individuals with learning difficulties, before joining The Mary How Trust for Cancer Prevention five years ago. Her connection to the Trust began much earlier—25 years ago—as a client, which inspired a lifelong commitment to health and wellbeing. Lynda is a passionate advocate for early detection and preventative healthcare, believing firmly in the principle that "prevention is better than cure.

Under Lynda’s leadership, The Mary How Trust has experienced remarkable growth. Since moving to its new premises in 2022, the number of screenings has increased from just over 800 to nearly 4,000 annually—a testament to strategic vision and operational drive.Her talk will offer a behind-the-scenes look at how The Mary How Trust is making a difference and why early health screening should be on everyone's radar.

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9 April 2025  Kevin Newman's talk was entitled "Scrumptious Sussex." Kevin is an author of novels, history books and school textbooks and his most recent books include ‘Clock Towers of England’, ‘Pond Puddings and Sussex Smokies’ and ‘The Little History of Sussex’.  

Scrumptious Sussex as a talk covered the wide range of food and drink that are to be found in the County of Sussex. Sussex Pond Pudding was one of the interesting recipes mentioned and its shape is reputedly based on the dew ponds found on the South Downs. Another well known offering was Banoffee Pie which was originally created at the Hungry Monk Restaurant in Jeavington.

Members thoroughly enjoyed the talk and finding out more about the culinary offerings of Sussex.​​​​​

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