President's Message
Kirby Philp
Fall is here—clocks turned back, leaves falling, and the crisp air reminding us winter is near. Time to embrace the season and all its celebrations!
November also invites us to reflect and honour the men and women who have and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict and peace. The Beaver Valley Probus Club will lay a wreath at the Remembrance Day Service at the Jack Acres Memorial Cenotaph Park in Thornbury on November 11 @ 11 AM. As 2025 draws to a close, we’re looking ahead to the new year and inviting members to help shape our future.
We’re seeking volunteers to fill several upcoming roles on the Activity Coordinators team and the Management Committee. Our Club thrives because of its volunteers—and stepping into one of these positions is not only meaningful but also a great way to connect with fellow members. You won’t be doing it alone; we believe in collaboration and supporting one another to keep our vibrant calendar of events going strong.
Current openings include:
- Vice President
- Membership Co-Chairs
- Assistant Social Convenor
- Book Exchange Coordinator
If you are interested in supporting the club or have any questions, please contact either Brian Cromie (Past President) or Chris Pocock (Vice President).
Wishing you a wonderful November—see you at the General Meeting on November 25!
Membership
Pam Weaver / Kathy Mercer
Membership Table Reminder:
It’s that special time of year again — our annual Membership Drive is just around the corner! In early December, all members will need to renew their annual membership to stay connected and continue enjoying all the great benefits, events, and opportunities that come with being part of the BVPC community. BVPC wouldn’t be the same without you, so, stay tuned for renewal details and reminders coming soon.
Badge Collection:
If you've never picked up your badge from one of our previous membership meetings over the past few years, there is a good chance it is still available at the Membership Table. Remember, your badge was included in your initial membership fee when you joined, so stop by at a meeting and collect it.
November Meeting—Tuesday, Nov 25 @ 1:30 - 3:30 PM
Denise Rand / Melany Franklin
Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Doors open: 1:00 PM
Meeting begins: 1:30 PM
Speaker: Jarvis Strong, Escarpment Corridor Alliance (ECA)
Title: Ecological Corridors: A Critical New Tool For Conservation—Globally and Locally
Jarvis Strong, Executive Director, Escarpment Corridor Alliance: Jarvis joined the ECA as the inaugural ED in March 2023. He has nearly 10 years of experience as a nonprofit Executive Director and has lived in the South Georgian Bay area since 2012. Before coming to the area Jarvis spent over 10 years managing summer camps and outdoor education organizations for children and youth. Prior to joining the ECA, Jarvis has led other charities including Camp Quality Canada, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Collingwood YMCA. Jarvis has an HBA from the University of Waterloo in Recreation & Parks.
Book Exchange:
The Book Exchange will be set up at the back of the room starting at 1 PM. Books should have a copyright date no older than 10 years. Bring a Book, Take a Book. We ask that you exchange no more than 3 books at a time.
Nancy is looking for someone to take over managing the Book Exchange for next year! If interested, please contact Nancy Hart !
Social Events
Don Collins-Williams
The Tom Thomson Gallery and optional lunch sold out very quickly, so we will look at doing a repeat outing at some point in the future. If you are not registered yet, you can still put your name on the waitlist, which would give you priority for a future repeat of the event. Please note that the date is Thursday, November 20, 2025.
We are bringing back our popular Board Games afternoons this fall and winter. The first will be on Sunday November 30, with 3 more planned in January, February and March. Watch for your invitation to the November 30 event in your email soon.
We will have a record turnout for our Annual Holiday Luncheon, on December 2, at the beautiful Bear Estate in Collingwood. We look forward to seeing you there.
Event Registration - Email Issues
help@beavervalleyprobus.com
Email: We’ve discovered that some of our emails are being blocked by Rogers, Yahoo, and AOL. As a result, a few members may occasionally not receive emails from us. It seems to happen somewhat randomly, and we do our best to monitor for delivery failures and resend the emails when needed.
If you believe that you didn’t receive a particular event email, please contact help@beavervalleyprobus.com or check the website.
Website: All Social Events are posted on the website and available for registration as soon as the invitation is sent. If you don’t see the email invitation but know that registration is open, just navigate to our Home page and register from the events listed on the left-hand side.
Georgian PROBUS Travel Group
Gloria Thompson
We have several exciting trips planned for 2026 and some already in the works for 2027. Remember all members, friends and family are welcome to join. Check out the Georgian Probus Travel Group webpage for details on all the upcoming trips.
*Japan Discovery Tour*—just announced—Now Booking!
Nov 3 - 16, 2026: Join us for a 14-day guided tour throughout Japan via deluxe motor coach. Includes international flights between Canada and Tokyo/Osaka, 12 nights of hotel accommodations including one night in a monastery, train tickets from Miyajimaguchi, all breakfasts, 10 lunches, 8 dinners, and entrance fees as per the itinerary. Click to view Flyer and Detailed Itinerary.
Upcoming Trips:
- Majestic Morocco Tour (Apr 10 - 24, 2026): *The interest in this tour has been huge—book soon if you are hoping to join! 15-day trip through Morocco’s ancient cities and countryside. See the Poster and the Detailed Itinerary.
- Ireland Tour (Jun 1 - 12, 2026): Small group escorted tour, including the Aran Islands. *Only 2 place left—Book now! See the website and Poster for details.
- Quebec Bike Tour (Sept 2026 TBA): Local, Canadian bike program with the “Petit Train du Nord”. More details coming soon!
- Costa Rica / Panama Sail Tour (Jan 9 -16, 2027): Star clipper, sailing from Costa Rico (Pt. Caldera) to Panama (Balboa). See the Poster and Itinerary. *Booking now!
Activity Groups Update
Ilene Rushefsky Charland
Activities have slowed down this month; biking, hiking and golf have finished, though our hearty walkers continue all bundled up. Of course the various dining and game groups are enjoying playing and socializing while some of us are thinking snow. Enjoy the break from summer activities, and get ready for our winter activity groups. Soon it will be party time!
There is a step-by-step video on "how to sign up" for Activity Groups. Click on the red arrow to view!
Casual Dining with Friends
Sallie Kedwell
Our November dinner will be held on Thursday, November 27. We’ll have
an early turnaround for our December cocktail get-together on the 11th. Please note this event will be on the 2nd Thursday, rather than the 4th—enjoy your family holdiay festivities on the 4th Thursday! Kate S has offered to host the cocktail party—a much appreciated repeat of last year. Fingers crossed we won’t get snowed out this time! Invitations will follow shortly for both events.
Dining Around Town
Hank Bouwman
Invitations for our November noon hour Luncheon(s) at The Mill Restaurant in Thornbury were sent out October 24 to those members who have signed up for Dining Around Town. It’s not too late to join us…just go on-line to Activities and click on the
Dining Around Town Activity Group webpage in order to receive the invitations!
Future Dining Dates:
- Monday, November 3 @ 12 Noon Luncheon – The Mill Café, Thornbury
- Wednesday, November 5 @ 12 Noon Luncheon – The Mill Café. Thornbury
- Monday, November 10 @ 12 Noon Luncheon – The Mill Café, Thornbury
- Wednesday, January 21 @ 12 Noon Luncheon - Thonbury Thai Food, Collingwood
- Wednesday, February 18 @ 12 Noon Luncheon - The Curly Willow Eatery, Collingwood
- Wednesday, March 18 @ 12 Noon Luncheon - Katherine's Chateau, Collingwood
- Wednesday, April 16 @ 5 PM Dinner - Copper Blues Bar & Grill, Blue Mountain Village
- Wednesday, May 20 @ 5 PM Dinner - Walter Falls Inn
Euchre 1
Elaine & Hank Bouwman
Euchre 1 monthly tournament will be on Tuesday, November 11 at 12:45 PM in the downstairs great hall at St. George’s Anglican Church, 166 Russell St. E., Clarksburg. Ample parking, elevator available and spacious room. Invitations are sent out on the 1st of every month. High Score October 14: David Z.
E-bikes + Explorators
Terry Kellar
We had a successful 2025 riding season. Our members completed 23 weekly rides with anywhere from 15 to 30 people in attendance. We saw lots of farm fields, shorelines and urban areas, most were local but some further away like Owen Sound, Stayner, Midland as well as Penatang and we only got lost a few times.
Twenty-three adventurous members had a 2-night getaway just after Labour Day to ride the Welland Canal Trails. It was so much fun we intend to go somewhere for a couple of days again next year. Check out the photos on the Welland Canal Bike Tour Slideshow. Clean your bikes and put them away in a nice place... We are looking forward to next year!
Golf
Brian Cromie
After 6 months of weekly games at our beloved local Tomahawk Golf Course, members of the Golf Activity Group have finally washed and put away their clubs for the season. This year, kudos go not only to Carolyn B and Bruce McV for the highest participation rate among women and men, but also to the 49 different members who came out at least once over the 23 weeks, for a total registration of 375 games. But we all look forward to even more players joining this great group when play resumes next May.
Hiking
Vicki Kellar
2025 was a warm, mainly dry hiking season with twenty hikes between May 1 and Oct 29. Eight different leaders volunteered their time to lead us on favourite trails which included 3 different waterfalls loops, riverside sections, many many forested areas and never lacking unique lookouts. We always had the opportunity to commune with nature, also known as ‘forest bathing’, and to get to know our fellow hikers. Several new trails — including our final hike in the recently opened Eagles Summit area of the Beaver Valley — posed a few challenges and added to our hiking variety. We also want to thank all the trail maintenance volunteers, primarily with Bruce Trail clubs, who spent innumerable hours clearing the trails after the spring ice storm and throughout the summer.
Many hikes concluded with impromptu coffee breaks and added enjoyable social time. Our final hike (we couldn’t have had better fall weather for the 28 participants) ended with a visit, for coffee, treats and conversation, to the newly opened, locally owned Utopia Market. Check out our summer pictures Hiking web page. See you on the trails or ski runs and hope you join us again next summer!
Ramblers
Nancy Dixon
Rain, rain go away! It seems the weather gods are currently against us. I regretted cancelling the last few dates, but I am hopeful that we will be able to start up again. Friday, November 14 is looking okay at the moment. The Collingwood Mansion walk is still likely. Remember, we try to walk throughout the winter as long as weather permits—ie. no blizzards! In the meantime, keep on rambling.
R.O.M.E.O.
John White / Louis Charland
Our next event is Wednesday, November 12. We'll be heading to the 'Match Eatery & Public House' at the Wasaga Casino. We’ll meet at 12:00 PM and space is limited to 26 members—so be sure to sign up early to secure your spot!
Ski Legends
Chris Mifflin
Ski Trips:
St. Anton, Austria, February 5 to 14, is SOLD OUT!
If you are still interested in going on this trip, please JOIN THE WAITLIST by completing the application form. You never know when someone may need to cancel.
Sun Peaks, B.C., February 25 to March 4: Only 2 spots left with the full package! Also 2 rooms without air seats, so you will need to make your own flight arrangements. The deadline to sign up is November 5. For the latest information and to download the trip flyers, check the Legends website: https://probusskilegends.ca/2026
Ski Days: We Ski Together every Tuesday and Wednesday at Blue Mountain (meet at 9:30am at the Silver Bullet) from January 6 to the end of March. Depending on the numbers, we will break up into groups by skiers’ levels. Stay for lunch on Tuesdays at different restaurants in the Village and at the Inn. Also, we ski at the local Private Clubs on six Thursdays throughout the season. Click here to see the Ski Days details.
Skiis and Biikes Wine & Cheese Shopping Spree (December 3, 6:30 - 9 PM): Kick off the season, socialize with your ski buddies and meet some new ones, do some holiday shopping, arrange for ski tunings, meet others going on trips, and find out about our plans for the winter! You must be a member of Skii Legends by December 1 to attend! More info on the website and in upcoming emails to Legends members.
Special pricing for a midweek membership at Toronto Ski Club for Legends members! Gives you access to the chalet and parking lot at the North end of Blue, you must still purchase a ski pass at the regular price.
All participants must be PROBUS members and members of PROBUS Ski Legends: Membership cost is $50 per year.
Photo Corner
Fall Montage - shared by Lucie D.
Recent Photos:
For more photos, see all of our
2025 Slideshows on our website!
In Memoriam
Curtis Sahadath - passed away on October 8. Curtis was known for supporting athletics and sports opportunities for youth. He was also active in the ROMEO and Dining Around Town activities. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Peggy Watson.
Support Group
Lucie Desjardins / Mary Ann Collins-Williams
Do you know of a BVPC member who is having a difficult time (health issue, accident, hospitalization, loss of partner, etc.) and would benefit from receiving a card or a call from our team? If so, please let us know. We will be happy to follow up and/or get in touch with them.
The Last Word
Shared by Nancy Dixon
The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.
Oscar Wilde
Beaver Valley Probus Club