Welcome

Welcome to the Hanover Area Probus Club!

We invite you to explore our website!

We are a vibrant community of retired people who come together to enjoy enriching activities, engaging social events, and lifelong learning opportunities. Our club is dedicated to fostering fellowship, fun, and personal growth among our members.

Join Our Club
Are you interested in participating in group activities and events, hearing interesting guest speakers, or simply making new friends? There’s something for everyone at the Hanover Area Probus Club.

We encourage you to consider becoming a member. Click BECOME A MEMBER now to find out how and start enjoying what our club has to offer.

We look forward to welcoming you in person!

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Mark Your Calendar

Our November Speaker is Tara Etherton from Rural Homecare

As November is National Care at Home Month, Tara's talk will be on the current state of home care programs in Ontario and contrasting this against long-term residential care.

Her journey in healthcare started right on the front lines, spending six rewarding years working directly with clients in their homes with Rural Home Care. That experience completely shaped how she views care. Today, as the Area Manager for Rural Home Care, I uses those lessons every day to support an amazing care team and ensure our rural neighbours have access to safe, compassionate support. For her, this work is about protecting the independence and dignity of the people who built our communities.

When she's not balancing schedules or coordinating operations, summer time you will find her at their cottage on Lake Huron for a relaxing holiday and in the winter, spending it with her husband and 2 dogs.

Caring for others is a big part of who she is, both at home and at work, and she is always proud to support our local families.

Our October Speaker was Moe Hanif

From Guyana to Glammis: Two Wheels One Dream

Moe’s passion for adventure motorcycling has taken him to some extraordinary places but there was one ride that remained his ultimate dream: to ride from the place where he was born (Guyana, South America) to the place where he now lives (Glammis, ON).

He has been planning this journey since moving to Canada back in 1975 and two attempts were cut short. Then in February 2025 he finally did it. At 72, after a lifetime of engineering, nuclear power, aviation, motorcycles, setbacks, and adventure, he proved to himself that some dreams are worth pursuing no matter how long they take.

This trip took him from Guyana through 14 countries ( picture below); 28 borders and meeting some of the nicest people he was fortunate to have met. Strangers who reached out and helped him when his bike broke down, strangers that became his friends.
Roads, mountains, rivers, deserts and weather conditions such as ice, sleet and high winds that challenged and even scared him.

His trip did not begin well (picture below) – he didn’t strap his bags properly and they fell off in the middle of the jungle. The dirt road through the jungle got very nasty after heavy rain (picture below).

A Message from Your President

Fall Greetings,

We have been extremely fortunate to experience the lovely warm and sunny fall weather. I know that many of the Activity groups are meeting and enjoying each other’s company.

However, the days are growing shorter, the leaves are covering our lawns and it is time to get ready for the next season (which will be with us sooner than we think).

Time to think about snow tires, flu shots and Christmas decorating and baking.

During November we pause to remember the courage and sacrifice of those who have served and continue to serve. The pictures are from Tyne Cot Memorial and Cemetery near Ypres, Belgium.

“Never forget the poppy is a symbol of remembrance and respect for those who have made the ultimate

sacrifice “. Author Unknown.

Tina

News

Annual Christmas Dinner is “Sold Out”

Wednesday, December 9^th, 2026

Royal Canadian Legion, 493-8th Ave. Hanover, On

11:00am-12:00 noon- "Mix and Mingle"-Invite members to gather to meet new members and friends and enjoy refreshments

Musical Entertainment- "He Said, She Said" (local group)

Buffet Style Full Course Turkey Dinner-"Mix & Mingle- Open Seating Theme"

PLEASE NOTE: Waiting List of Members-If for any reason a member who has paid for the dinner and is not able to attend please contact Helen Peppler, treasurer as soon as possible

Dianne Mather, Vice-President

40^th Anniversary for Probus Canada

from Wendy Machmer, Probus Canada General Manager

PROBUS CanadaAs you know by now, our 40th Anniversary is coming up in 2027, and we’re creating a celebratory video that shows PROBUS at its best — members connecting, laughing, learning, exploring, and enjoying club life.

We’re now asking each club to submit photos of members engaged in PROBUS activities — whether it’s a hike, a lunch, outings, interest groups, social events, a trip, a game, or any other club event, we’d love to include it.

We’ve created a simple online form where you can upload your photo. The form accepts one photo per upload, so just submit the form again if you have more photos. You can send as many as you wish.

Please use this link to upload your photos

Your contributions will help us create a joyful, meaningful anniversary video that reflects the best of who we are.

Everyone who submits a photo will be entered into a draw for a Dinner for Two Voucher (worth $140)!

Important Note: by submitting a photo, you are giving permission for your images to be used in our video which will be posted on the Web.

Please submit your photo(s) by November 30^th, 2026.

Ways to Stay Up to Date with Probus Canada

Podcast - Go to the Probus Canada website, scroll down to the footer, and click on the green Spotify icon.

Facebook - News from Probus clubs in Canada.

YouTube - two new videos that were developed this year.

Newsletter - latest issues of the PROBUS Canada Connections.

Probus Global is a network of Probians from all over the world who meet quarterly on ZOOM. If interested, you can visit the Probus Global website and follow the route to become a member at NO cost as long as you are a Probus member.

November Probus Activity Updates

There are currently 20 Club Activities and over 30 volunteer coordinators and committee members who plan, organize, manage and share their talents and expertise to provide our members with this wide variety of activities to enjoy. Many of them have volunteered for multi-years. Please celebrate these individuals! Let’s acknowledge them at our monthly meetings by saying “Hello”, pat them on the back and say “Thank You” for all they do! They are a big part of the “heart” of our club!

Book Club (Loretta Dunn); Bridge (Bev Hambly); Catan (Janice Koehler); Cycling (Terry Koehler)

Dinner Club (Karen Farrow); Healthy Living (Kathy Greensides, Robin Hill)

Film Club (Pat Butler);Genealogy(Terry Koehler, Janice Koehler); Golf (Ulli Kaempfe)

Hiking(Vernon Freer); Kayaking (Paul Scott); Knitting & Crochet (Nina McTeer); PODs (Lorna Eadie Hocking)

Pole Walking (Joan Ferguson);Pot Luck (Marybelle Schumacher)

Scotch Tasting (Bob Farrow, Garry McGregor); Snow Shoeing (Vernon Freer)

Theatre Committee (Peter Dalton, Jill Dalton, Tracey Neuman, Andy Keir, Susan Keir)

Travel Committee (Co-Chairs Joan Roseborough & Margaret Elliot Niesen, Committee Members: Peter Dalton, Dianne Mather); Wine Tasting Committee(Frances Agnew, Dan Hobler, Helen Peppler)

For detailed information on all the activities club members are invited and encouraged to visit Hanover Area Probus Club website at www.hapc.ca/activitieslist. It’s as easy as clicking on the “blue more info” link or click on any activity or event on the monthly calendars. If you need assistance or have any questions contact your Activity Co-Chairs (Frances Agnew and Terry Koehler) at act@hapc.ca.

Catan

On October 21^st the inaugural meeting of the Catan Activity Group took place at the Koehler’s residence. It was a mix of experienced and new players who took part. There was a shortage of lumber and way too many bricks in the resource pool, but eventually Terry (not shown as he was also the event photographer) emerged victorious! Besides this unfortunate turn of events, a fun evening was had by all. If you are Catan-curious and want to join us reach out to Janice to get added to the mailing list!

Hiking

October walks included the Glenn Trail (picture below left) and a hike from Kolapore to Metcalfe Rock and back (picture below right). It was another perfect day for hiking - cool and sunny with no bugs.

Coordinator: Vern Freer

PODs (Probus On Discovery)

PoD#2

Who knew that a walk through the cemetery could provide so much information about our ancestors….

On Thursday October 22nd, Al Morrow, our local historian, gave 16 of us a guided tour of the oldest section of the Hanover Cemetery. He told us stories about the earliest pioneers and the hardships they endured. Abraham Buck was one of those pioneers. Hanover was originally known as Buck’s Crossing as Mr Buck decided that: "It is good for us to be here.”

The village almost became known as Adamstown when Henry Adams surveyed lots in the mid-1850s. There is a story behind how the name Hanover was chosen.

A couple of names we all recognize today are Knechtel and Schaefer.

Daniel Knechtel arrived in the village of Hanover in the 1860s and began producing furniture. Mr Knechtel encouraged his employees to start their own businesses and these ventures promoted the growth of the village. In 1904, Hanover was given the status of a town.

Carl Schaefer is a renowned artist born in Hanover in 1903. He studied under the Group of Seven Painters, Lismer and MacDonald. In the 1950s he was painting in the countryside around Hanover and in neighboring Wellington and Waterloo counties. During his lifetime, Schaefer was the recipient of numerous awards and honours.

There is so much information to discover about the town of Hanover. If you would like to know more about the early pioneers (Buck, Gottwals, Hassenjager, Adams) or buildings that are still standing you could visit the local library or contact someone from the Heritage Committee.

Our next PoD is a tour of the Hanover Fire Department on Friday, November 13th. You are welcome to add your name to the wait list.

Pole Walk

Oct 30th marked the last day of walking and talking for our Pole walking group.
It was a beautiful fall day, and we capped our season off with coffee and treats at
the new Eh! Bistro.
Over the course of our season (from first of May till the end of October) we completed
about 25 walks, averaging 3 km every time! 75+ km…way to go folks!!
Looking forward to next year, and hopefully some more new members!

Travel

The Travel group met Oct 15^th at the Landing Gear restaurant at (SMA) Saugeen Municipal Airport

· Carol Brownell from Direct Travel attended and provided an update on the 2027 tours “Spectacular Scandinavia” and “Exploring Greece and Its Islands”.

· Brenda Booth and Jim Leon gave an excellent PowerPoint presentation on their recent Australia / New Zealand trip.

· Susan Leidel shared events from the September Probus trip to Scotland. It was a small group with an excellent Tour Manager who provided the group with a recap handout of each day and info for the next day.

· Margaret Elliott Niesen was in Switzerland with Collette Tours in July with 29 people on the tour. They flew into Milan, enjoyed a train ride to Zermatt spending time in St. Moritz and Lucerne. She shared several highlights which included seeing the Matterhorn mountain of the Alps.

· Peter Dalton and Diane Matthews and friends enjoyed a 5-day river cruise along the historic Trent-Severn Waterway between Peterborough and Big Chute this summer with rave reviews. This trip books up very fast.

· Joan Roseborough shared feedback the committee received as to why members joined the travel group. As people travel for different reasons; in the future two different style trips may be considered... the “Explorer” and the “Casual Traveller.

· Susan Leidel continues to collect the “Travel Match-up” questionnaire sheets which will assist in finding like-minded travellers to share future travel adventure(s).

Probus Travel group committee chairs: Joan Roseborough and Margaret Elliot-Niesen

ART RETREAT IN FRANCE

You are invited to an exciting 14-day painting holiday, July 24^th, 2027, in the charming and unforgettable villages in Southern France featuring art classes taught by Canadian watercolour artist, Bev Morgan. Together our small group of 6 – 10 participants will discover the food, former 14^th century stone monastery architecture, culture and art of this region. We are looking forward to making art in good company in painting these spectacle scenes of Southern France. Visit Monastere website www.lemonastereadventures.com for your viewing! Bev will gladly answer any of your questions or concerns at jbmorgan@wightman.ca .

Local and Area Events

Visit their website for full details and schedules.

Visit their website for full details or contact your local branch.

Visit their website for all upcoming Library programs and events.

Hanover Age Friendly events and programs webpage

Under the above page, you will find the following sections:

Hanover Age Friendly Connections Monthly E-Newsletter - Information for Seniors about events, clubs and ongoing programs.
Hanover Seniors Resource Guide - Information about organization, safety with the internet and the community. Contains contact information, including phone numbers.
Hanover Parks, Recreation & Culture Guide - Programs and courses offered for the coming season.
Information on the Hanover Age-Friendly Advisory Committee, which was created in June 2017 and involves community and agency representatives.