Monday, 23 March 2026
Government House Sydney
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

Bujari Gamarruwa 

Diyn Babana, Gamarada Gadigal Ngura 

In greeting you in the language of the Gadigal, Traditional Owners of this place where we gather today I pay my respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. 

Welcome to Probus Presidents, Members, and representatives from across NSW, it is a privilege to welcome you today to celebrate your 50th anniversary. Not only does it provide the opportunity to celebrate with each other, it has given me an opportunity to learn more about you.   

For Probus in Australia, the seminal occasion was a meeting at the Hunter’s Hill Senior Citizens’ Centre^[1] on the 3rd of February 1976, called by a small group of retirees, conscious that good company, good conversation, and meeting persons with mutual professional and business interests might and often did fall away.    

It could be said that with that meeting the rest is history – a club was formed, the annual membership fee was $1, and meetings were held on the first Tuesday of the month.^[2] Today there are now some 90,000 members in 1,300 clubs across Australia, and a further 150 clubs in New Zealand. Sadly the membership fee is no longer $1.  And today you are 50 years old.   

Grand birthdays, in addition to providing an occasion to be together, also provide the perfect opportunity for a little reminiscence. Back in 1976, Australia’s population was 14 million and the average annual salary was $10,000.^[3] Inflation was high and interest rates were sitting up around 10% - in fact, they surged past 10% later in the year.  The baby boomers were hitting the work force, ABBA’s Fernando was at the top of the charts.^[4] Flared pants and polyester were everywhere, as were brown suits, as can be seen in the photograph taken that day at Hunter’s Hill.^[5]  

For a country that invented the Australian crawl, the black box and the wireless, unfortunately we can’t claim Probus as our own. New Zealand got in before us with the first Probus Club in the South Pacific established in 1974 in New Zealand’s Kapiti Coast.^[6] 

But even they can’t claim moral superiority as strictly, Probus, it seems was an English import. 

According to my Google research, the first Probus was formed in the UK in 1965, in Welwyn Garden City,^[7] a city planned by Ebenezer Howard.^[8] In his conception of a good city, places that provided opportunities for social engagement were important. The city thrived with clubs and activities across the arts, sports and music. There was one gap – namely, for retirees, especially those new to the city without a strong social network. Fred Carnhill, a Rotarian saw the gap and by April 1965, a new club was formed. The first club lunch at the Welwyn Department Store’s Parkway Restaurant cost seven shillings and sixpence (37.5p).^[9]   

The naming of the Club threw up some interesting suggestions: The West End, The Brethren, The Carnival (from the first letters of Mr Carnhill’s name), and Regent (from the first syllables of ‘retired gentlemen’). The name initially settled on was ‘The Campus Club,’ as that first meeting overlooked the town centre which was called the ‘Campus’.^[10]

New clubs formed. New names were found: the Knife and Fork, Elevenses, Yesteryear and The Two XXs (ex-executives).^[11] However, as the number of clubs grew, so did the popularity of the name Probus: a combination of the two words, Professional and Business and which is also the Latin word from which our English word “probity” is derived.^[12]  

Back here in Australia, flares eventually went out of fashion (thankfully), salaries increased, and the Baby Boomers finally grew up, and whilst societal change is a given, today retirement often presents a different face to that in 1976. Back then, retirement could be taken literally. The official retiring age linked to the pension of 65 for men, and 60 for women, still represents the average retiring age today, save for a slight increase for women, which is currently 62,^[13] also noting that compulsory superannuation has made inroads into pension eligibility. 25% of the male workforce are still working at age 70. 20 years ago, the figure was 1 in 10.^[14] Semi-retirement is a feature of the modern workforce. 

What hasn’t changed is the need for companionship. Research shows that one in five older Australians experience loneliness, especially those aged 75 and over.^[15] From the beginning, Probus has offered connection, community and friendship. That was true of that first social club in England – and continues to be not only true, but the strength of Probus Clubs everywhere and why this 50th anniversary is a matter for celebration.

Here’s to Probus!