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Maple Ridge Probus club returns to in-person gatherings

Plans to visit museum, a winery, in the cards
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The club saw 19 members attend the first in-person group meeting since COVID restrictions began last year. (Celia Jensen/Special to The News)

Maple Ridge Probus club had an outdoor, in-person picnic this week, first time since COVID.

Probus, the social club for retired and semi-retired people that provides regular gatherings for those who want to meet others with similar interests, held its first in-person gathering earlier this week, after the COVID restrictions began last year. Club president Sam Lewindon told The News that the picnic was a success.

“The experience of actually meeting in person, after 16 months of virtual meetings, was a delight in itself; regardless of the setting, which was in the open air and at a wonderful riverside venue. Judging by the continued conversations, it was good just to get out of the house!” he said.

“The 19, out of the club’s 45 members who were able to make the event, shows that our members are still busy people!” Lewindon added.

The picnic, which was presented as “picnic in the park”, followed the bring-your-own concept, with each person providing their own food and beverage to be COVID-safe. The club later held a trivia quiz once the feast was over, and “used the quiz as a digestive.”

“The activity was such a success that the club has organized a field trip to the Maple Ridge Museum, for Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. This is to be followed by a Winery tour, in Langley, in September,” said Lewindon.

The club will see a return to virtual membership meetings this Fall, as many guest speakers preferred to use the Zoom platform for their presentations, he said. These meetings are expected to resume in September, on the third Thursday of each month.

RELATED: Maple Ridge Probus club looking for members

ALSO READ: Here’s who you can see, and where, as province reopens


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Priyanka Ketkar

About the Author: Priyanka Ketkar

Priyanka Ketkar has been a journalist since 2011 with extensive experience in community-driven news writing, feature writing, and editing.
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