MEETINGS and OUTINGS
GUEST SPEAKER Each month our members enjoy listening to a Guest Speaker, each bringing their interesting and diverse
stories of travel, adventure and education.
MORNING TEA This is followed by our free morning tea with time to mingle as well as time to chat further with our Guest
Speaker.
CLUB SPEAKER Morning tea is followed by a Club Member giving a short talk on a topic of interest they have to share and
we are always rewarded with a wide, interesting and sometimes funny range of topics.
MEETING The morning's activities are concluded with a short Club meeting.
LUNCH Each month, the morning is rounded off with members sharing time together over lunch. This activity is
open to all who wish to, on the day and is a self-pay activity.
OUTINGS Our Event's Co-ordinator is arranging a diverse range of interesting outings for us all to participate in and
enjoy each month.
Monthly meetings commence at 9.45am at the North Ipswich Bowls Club, Pine Street, North Ipswich
Remember your cup and (optional) a plate of goodies for a shared morning tea
Visitors are always welcome.
If you haven’t been before, come and join us as our Guest.
Come and enjoy the morning’s activities, meet the members of our Group,
see what we do and hear of some of the exciting
Guest Speakers, Club Speakers and outings planned for 2026.
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October 2026
MEETING: Monday 12th October
Guest Speaker: A representative from Envigor, will give a presentation.
Envigor provides in-home aged care and NDIS services that help people live at home on their own terms. Envigor teams live and work all throughout Queensland, so local care is delivered by local people. Local teams deliver fully managed personal care, nursing, home maintenance and more in the community.
Club Speaker: Rosslyn Weatherhead
OUTINGS: (1) Wednesday 21st October
Morning tea and BBQ lunch at Purga Nature Reserve, 840 Middle Road, Purga
Meet 9.45am at McDonald’s Carpark Yamanto for those wishing to car pool.
Please bring your morning tea, flask, drinking water, hat, etc and salad for lunch. The Club will supply sausages and
onions (cooked on the BBQ at the reserve), bread, sauce and earing utensils
During our stay at the Reserve, you can go for walks or enjoy sitting, chatting or simply listening to the sounds of the
quiet bush environment.
* This 140 hectare property was purchased by the Ipswich City Council in 1997 to conserve one of the few remaining stands of the Swamp tee tree (Melaleuca irbyana) in Australia (which is presently in flower at Purga).
* The area has several self-guided walks a 350 metre wheelchair accessible tea tree Boardwalk Circuit. Other tracks
range from 350m return to 1.4km return along flat paths and boardwalks where the local vegetation and wildlife
can be observed and heard.
* Some of the facilities at the Reserve include: Car Parking, Disabled Access, Drinking Water, Covered Seating Shelters, Public Toilets, free BBQs and Walking Tracks.
* Purga was named from the Aboriginal word (pur pur) meaning a meeting place.
* European settlers were known to use the wetlands for watering cattle, referencing ‘Gammies Swamp’ as a well-used location by farmers in the area in the 1800s. The name is thought to have come from Scottish-born John Gammie who migrated to Australia in 1817.
* Purga is dominated by cracking clay soils, known as Tea-tree clays which is dark grey to dark brown with heavy clay subsoil. Clay soil has poor drainage and is frequently waterlogged. Tea-tree clays are sticky when wet and extremely hard when dry with best used when left vegetated and used as wildlife corridors, habitat or buffers. Alluvial soils are found in the eastern section of the reserve.
OUTINGS: (2) Friday 30th October
Observation Run – 0rganized by Bruce Prasser
Meet at the North Ipswich Railway Museum car park at 8.45am to car pool, to begin the journey.
* This adventure always creates fun with our observational skills tested as we follow our detailed route instructions to
eventually arrive at our mysterious destination for lunch.
* Please bring your own morning tea, drinks, a chair, sharp eyes and a fun, adventurous spirit!
November 2026
MEETING: Monday 9th November
Guest Speaker: Wendy Bourne – State Member for Ipswich West
Club Speaker: Don Wyatt
OUTINGS: Thursday 19th November
Lunch at “Miners Right” Restaurant Bundamba for 11.30am with cost of $35.00 pp.
* This is a TAFE on-campus training restaurant for hospitality and cookery students to give opportunities to learn and practice food preparation and service skills. Under the guidance of industry-experienced teaches, all dishes at the restaurant are prepared, cooked and served by students and trainees, giving them hands-on experience in a real world environment.
December 2026
MEETING: Monday 14th December
Guest Speaker: Member Nev Sargood will give a presentation of our Ipswich Club’s 30th Anniversary.
Club Speaker: No Club Speaker this month.
Lunch: After Morning Tea and General Meeting, we will enjoy our Club’s “Christmas Lunch” (Buffet) at the Raceview Hotel
99 Raceview Street, Raceview.
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PAST MEETINGS and OUTINGS in 2026
September 2026
MEETING: Monday 14th September
Guest Speaker: Bob Walker an experienced Community Engagement Officer with The Office of Fair Trading will
give information on “Your rights and responsibilities as a consumer in Australia” and “Recognizing
and avoiding scams”
Club Speaker: Denise Goodyer
OUTINGS: (1) Monday 1st September
Travel to Esk to attend the Bush Bashers Show.
Meet at the North Ipswich Railway Museum car park to car pool, leaving around 9.00am for Esk.
* The Esk Bush-Bashers have been entertaining groups for over 24 years with their lively, uniquely Australian performances. This talented group of blokes brings together: Piano, Accordions, Bass, guitar, Mouth organ, Bush bass (an old tea chest!), Lagerphone (think bottle tops on a stick!), great vocals and a whole lot of charm!
* Expect a fun-filled show packed with Aussie ballads, bush poetry, jokes, singing, and plenty of audience participation with a light lunch served during the show.
(2) Wednesday 30th September (CHANGE OF DATE due to unforeseen circumstances)
Visit Jackwitz Vegetable Farm located in Lockyer Valley.
We will have morning tea at the farm and later, lunch at the Lowood Club
Jackwitz Vegetable Farm is a 4th generation family owned and operated farm established since 1926 where a variety of crops are grown year round then sent directly to customers in small or large orders.
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August 2026
MEETING: Monday 10th August
Guest Speakers: Helen Proctor-Brown and Jacquie Bates on the bird life and koalas around Ipswich
Club Speaker: No Club Speaker for August
After the meeting we will meet for our annual BBQ, meeting at The Hall at Carinity Elim Estate,
123 Cemetery Road, Raceview.
OUTING: Wednesday 19th August
Visit the Emu Farm at 830 Coleyville Road, Coleyville.
Entry Fee will be $10.00 each with BYO morning tea to enjoy at the Farm and later, lunch at The Peak Pub
(Peak Crossing Hotel).
Emu Haven Farm owners, Sarah and Stephen Schmidt, are pioneers within the emu industry and have been taking care of emus for over 25 years. Their birds have plenty of room to spread their tiny wings and they may even come to the gate to greet us.
Lunch will follow at the Peak Pub, Peak Crossing.
* The Scenic Rim locality of Peak Crossing is south of Ipswich and west of Flinders Peak farming where rural and residential living co-exist. The area is serviced with a P-6 school, pub, service station, general store, Pharmacy, Vet, Community Hall and two Churches.
* The area was named after a crossing point on the Purga Creek, first named Purga Creek, renamed Peak Mountain in about 1875, then Peak Crossing in the early 1920s. One of the first Cobb and Co staging points south of Ipswich was at Peak Crossing.
* John Brown (an Ipswich Probus member’s great-great grandfather) and William Winks were two of the first Europeans to arrive in the area. John Brown, after arriving with his wife and nine children from Scotland, purchased the Flinders Run in 1868 and named it 'Lanton Park' after his homeland. In 1870 William Winks had Mt. Flinders Station.
* After fire destroyed the original Peak Mountain Hotel, the current besser-brick Peak Crossing Hotel, locally known as the Peak Pub, was built in the late 1970s. Famous for its live entertainment and annual pig races, inside you will find a corrugated iron bar, wooden beams and an eclectic mix of pub memorabilia and bric-a-brac, all adding to this pub’s unique country charm. Past stories tell of the old steam train passing by the original pub where it was common for travellers to hop off and enjoy a session, before re-joining the train and continuing to Ipswich.
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July 2026
MEETING: Monday 13th July
Guest Speaker: Jacquie Martin, organizer of Lisa’s Lunches in Ipswich.
Lisa’s Lunches , Jacquie’s close friend, is named in memory of Lisa who passed away at Ipswich Hospital in 2017 after living with cancer and is a volunteer program sustained by donations from residents and the Lisa’s Lunches Facebook community.
Lisa would make lunches for teachers to distribute to students who went to school without food.
When Lisa was diagnosed with cancer, her friends decided to support her and her family in kind, by organising packed lunches for Lisa’s children so the family had one fewer burden to carry.
Lisa’s Lunches movement continued to grow after her death, and more than 10,000 lunches have been donated to support Ipswich families affected by cancer.
Lisa’s Lunches volunteers have recently made dozens of Palliative Care Boxes to comfort family and friends keeping a bedside vigil of a loved one who is at the end of their life at Ipswich Hospital.
Club Speaker: Bruce Prasser
OUTINGS: (1) Friday 3rd July
Lunch at Yamanto Tavern – for 12 noon
(2) Friday 31st July
Visit Roma Street Parklands followed by lunch at Chex Nous Café (opposite Roma Street Station)
Travel by train to Roma Street Station, leaving East Ipswich Station at 9.00am
Morning Tea at Parklands Café followed by a walk around the Parklands with lunch to follow at Chex
Nous Café (opposite Roma Street Train Station).
Roma Street Parklands covers 16 hectares covered with designer gardens and sprawling lawns.
The Garden at Colin Campbell Place is seasonally planted to showcase a vivid array of colourful blooms all year round, is free to enter and open every day from dawn to dusk.
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June 2026
MEETING: Monday 8th June
Guest Speaker: Linda McIntyre, Musical Director of the New Voice Choir. Linda is also a professional musician,
composer and teacher and has Parkinson’s Disease (PD). While attending a Parkinson’s Disease support group, Linda and Elaine West (wife of a PD sufferer), together formed the New Voice Choir in 2015, the first Parkinson’s Choir in Queensland.
All people with Parkinson’s, their carers and supporters are welcomed and part of the choir. The choir enjoys many singalongs, but, not in common with most Parkinson’s choirs, the New Voice Choir works extensively in three part harmony and frequently in four or even five parts.
The New Voice Choir helps people with Parkinson’s with speech difficulties, hence gives rise to ‘new voice”. It is also a “new voice” within the Parkinson’s community – where some of the wonderful abilities of people who have Parkinson’s Disease (and their supporters) are demonstrated as well as increasing the general public’s awareness of Parkinson’s.
As an enormous added benefit, the choir gives a ‘new voice’ to all of its members – people with Parkinson’s, carers and supporters alike – who find friendship, laughter and joy by being a part of this choir.
Club Speaker: John Lane
OUTING: Friday 26th June
Barefoot Bowls and Sausage Sizzle at the historical Ipswich Bowls Club, located within Queens Park, Ipswich
Ipswich Bowls Club is the oldest Bowling Club in Ipswich, having formed as a men’s club in October 1910.
The women's club was formed in October 1939.
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May 2026
MEETING: Monday 11th May
Guest Speaker: Mpole Masemola, Parish Priest at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ipswich will talk on aspects of his life.
Club Speaker: Maureen Bannister
OUTING: Wednesday 28th May
Lunch at The Miner’s Right Restaurant, Bundamba.
This is an on-campus training restaurant of Bundamba TAFE that is open to the public for breakfast and lunch. Having a meal in this restaurant gives the hospitality and cookery students opportunities to learn and practice food preparation and service skills.
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April 2026
MEETING: Monday 13th April
Guest Speaker: Greg Hopper from Trade Travel
Club Speaker: John Lane
OUTING: Wednesday 24h April
Morning Tea at St Thomas’ Hall, 15 Lawrence Street, North Ipswich.
2026 marks 50 years of Probus in Australia. To celebrate this milestone, the Ipswich Probus Club is hosting a Morning Tea in St Thomas’ Church Hall with invited with invited Probus Clubs - Goodna/Springfield, Raceview and Boonah.
2026 marks 50 years of Probus helping tens of thousands of older Australians stay engaged and connected.
The very first Probus Club in Australia, the Probus Club of Hunters Hill in Sydney (established 03/02/1976), continues to operate and provide this important engagement and connection for seniors.
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March 2026
MEETING: Monday 9th March
Guest Speaker: Aaron Heck, well-known owner and operator of “Shoes with Souls”.
Aaron’s business was located in the Brassall Shopping before he recently retired and the closing of his shop. Aaron will tell us something of his life in the shoe industry and other interesting areas of his life.
Club Speaker: As March is the AGM of the Probus Club of Ipswich, there will be no guest Speaker this month.
OUTING: Wednesday 18th March
Travel by bus to visit Government House at 168 Fernberg Road, Paddington, Brisbane
Bus cost is $20.00 per person
The Club is subsidising the total cost to keep the cost per person affordable for all member.
Bus departs the Railway Workshops Carpark at 9.00am and returns 3.00pm.
Lunch – we will pull in to the Darra Hotel on our journey home.
The first Queensland Government House was established in 1862 at Gardens Point (Brisbane City) overlooking the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. In early 1911 the Queensland Government purchased “Fernberg” and its forty-one acres of land for £10,000 and became the official residence of Queensland Governors.
Queensland’s Government House, also known as “Fernberg” (German for distant mountain), is a vice-regal residence – a unique combination of private residence, busy office, public symbol of the State’s prestige, guardian of important traditions and proud protector of the State’s history and heritage.
“Fernberg” was one of the first houses built in Brisbane’s Paddington area and is a heritage-listed, State-owned residence.
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February 2026
MEETING: Monday 9th February
Guest Speaker: Tausif Junaid, Principal Audiologist and co-founder of Brighter Ears, an independent hearing clinic in
Brisbane will speak on “AI, Hearing, Balance & Memory – Why Hearing Care Matters More Than Ever”.
Tausif has worked extensively with older adults in the community and aged care settings with a special interest in the link between hearing, balance, falls and memory. He regularly supports individuals, families and medical teams to help people remain safe, confident and independent as they age. Tausif believes that good hearing care isn’t just about technology – it’s about helping people stay connected, confident and safe as they age.
Club Speaker: John Lane
OUTING: Friday 27th February
Lunch at the Karalee Tavern. For booking purposes, those attending will need to confirm at the 9th February
meeting.
This venue was established in 2006 and now offers a bistro-style restaurant and outdoor beer garden.