Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Woodstock, Ontario
http://woodstockprobus.ca
Bob Axon encourages you to visit https://www.probuscanada.ca our head office.
New Addition - Calendar
Notice for Members. SOLD OUT
Our two SHOWS for seeing the Yesterday Once More
spectacular at the Walter Music Theatre are SOLD OUT!!
CHEQUES payable to Bob Axon ARE DUE BY February 29!
Address 22-500 Lakeview Drive Phone 519 421-0806
Get on the waiting list: email raxon@rogers.com.
Our January WAI was our Italian stallion, Tony Paladino, speaking on his “Go West Young Man” experience
Our January speaker was Ann Hoskings, Manager of the Budget Travel Warehouse Inc. spoke on “Travel Pit falls for Seniors to Avoid”.
FRAUD - avoid scammers - Agents must be TICO.ca registe
BUDGET & PLAN - Insurance is costly for older travelers with many exceptions - Premium plans are available - check carefully - over 75 require medical stability for 6 months. OHIP only covers $400 per day
DOCUMENTATION - in Canada a driver’s license is adequate
Or if No license - Two documents with your name - no pictures
For the USA - Valid passport
For International - passport valid 6 months at end of trip - many countries require Visa
PRESCRIPTIONS - in a container or- ZIPLOC 100 ml max name must match
CHECKIN - 3 to 4 hours before departure
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Our February WAI will be Art Jones.
Our February main speaker will be Murray Coul
My name is Arthur Walford Jones.I have a very unique middle name which I have never been able to source. I have never seen anyone else with that name. Anyway, I was born in Windsor Ontario at Grace Hospital one year and two days before the Japs attacked Pearl Harbour, so who can tell me when I was born? Jim Elliott you are disqualified because you knew the answer right off, when I did my original WAI. My father was Arthur Jones and my mother was Nellie Jones (Skeates). Dad came to Canada from Wrexham Wales alone in 1929 at the age of 16, just in time to witness the depression. My mom came to Canada from Greenhith England at 6 months old in the spring of 1914 along with her entire family.
I grew up in Amherstburg, a small town along the Detroit River, where Fort Malden is located, which played a major role in the war of 1812. I lived within walking distance of the Fort so much of my childhood was spent playing on the side of the moat, which was the steepest hill for miles, and exploring the artifacts in the Fort Malden museum.I have a sister Marjorie who is 4 years younger than me and had a little brother 14 years younger who drowned in the Detroit River at 3 and a half. If that wasn’t bad enough, my father died of a heart attack 10 months later at the age of 45. I was 17 and my sister was 13. That left my mother with two teenagers to raise and educate on her own. As was the case back then most moms where home makers. Dad had minimal insurance so mom had to find a job, and that she did.
I attended Amherstburg Public School from Kindergarten to grade 8, and then went on to secondary school at General Amherst High. In those days army training was compulsory. We were Cadet corp 202 and I rose through the ranks to become a captain. I enjoyed sports very much, and played on the volleyball team and basket ball team. In grade 9 and 10 I competed in track and field as a Juvenile, and was very successful both years winning the juvenile trophy.
That was the last year for the trophy, as that classification was eliminated. In order to qualify you had to be under 14 in grade 9 and under 15 in grade 10 but also under 110 lbs in grade 9 and under 100 in grade 10.
Now on to post secondary education. My father had died by now so there was not a lot of money to go around. Fortunately the Western Ontario Institute of Technology had opened in Windsor, which meant I could go to school and stay at home, otherwise I would have had to find a job. I attended WOIT which is short for the Western Ontario Institute of Technology, which is today St Clair College. I graduated top of my class in Mechanical Engineering Technology, and during my last year at school was interviewed for a number of jobs, and finally accepted a position at Timberland Ellicott, which most of you would know as Timberjack. My sister went into nursing and became a Registered Technoligist specializing in Histology.
My initial years at Timberjack were spent in Engineering, where I was instrumental in designing the electrical system which used an alternator to replace the generator on our 1964 model Timberjack. My next project was designing a spray machine for Ontario Hydro to spray their high voltage rural rights of way. This machine incorporated a disc brake, which had never been used before.
I then moved into Research and Development and tested machines and machine components, which incorporated the use of brittle laquer, and strain gauges, to determine the stress under which a piece of metal has been placed. Eventually I became manager of R& D which included the fabrication shop, the lab, proving ground near Innerkip and field testing. ,
During that time I was also working with Fanshawe College to establish a Mobile Equipment Technology program which was being put together to serve industries such as Timberjack. I was approached by Fanshawe to teach some of the programs, and Timberjack gave me a leave of absence so I spent more than 2 years teaching at Fanshawe.
I returned to Timberjack as Service Training Manager, and spent the remainder of my career in various training roles. As a result of this position I had the opportunity to travel the world, which included many countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Iran, Chile, Brazil, USA and others. Iran was the most difficult ,I had an escort until I retired each day and found few people who could speak English.
When we were bought by Rauma Repola, my position became extremely exciting when we began importing products from Sweden and Finland. These products were far more sophisticated than anything we were making so there was a lot of training required to effectively operate, service and maintain them.
On my trip to Indonesia we flew from Jakarta to the island of Borneo. This was during the time of the Briex scandal. East Kalimantan and West Kalimantan province. Taxi ride.
On October 10th 1964, I married my wife Elizabeth Prior whom I dated off and on since she was in grade 9. She went on to become an accomplished teacher while raising two boys and taking night school courses until receiving her Masters degree. If you haven’t already done the math, we will be married 60 years this coming October. We bought our first home in Hickson and lived there from 1966 to 1971. We then designed a new home and moved to Summit Crescent in 1971.
Brian our oldest lives in Port Dover during the summer months, and Port Ryerse in the winter. He is a free lance writer owning “Pen and Keys”. He is very active on the board of the BIA for Simcoe, and has chaired the United Way campaign for Haldiman Noffolk. He has written a lot of radio advertising for local merchants in Simcoe and has designed logos for retail merchants in the area. During the pandemic he spent a lot of time completing applications for merchants and people applying for Federal grants. Our youngest son Brent lives in Hickson with his wife and twins, Danica and Preston who are now teenagers. He also has a son by a previous marriage Devin, and he and the twins get along famously considering there is 10 years between them. Brent has, through hard work, become very successful in the agricultural equipment business. He works for Premier Equipment the John Deere dealer in this area, and is corporate parts and service manager, having responsibility for this facet of the business in the eight stores owned by Premier.
When I wasn’t working a lot of my time was spent on the golf course during the summer months, and curling in the winter. I was a member of Craigowan for 45 consecutive years, with last year the first in which I did not join. This year I played golf at Creekside which is a nice little executive length course which suits my game to a tee. (note the pun) I have been a member of the Woodstock Curling Centre off and on since 1977. I have cut back a lot on curling due to shoulder issues, but still manage to curl once a week as a skip.
When I wasn’t curling or golfing, I was in my workshop making saw dust. Over the years I have made many cabinets both for our own use and for others. Among some of my projects is a dining room hutch made for our home, and when we designed our new home on Ridgewood we incorporated space for the hutch. Many book cases of various sizes are scattered throughout our home. Most cabinets are custom made to fit in a specific location. One I remember very well was a pie safe, made from Maple wood.
I also found time to support the community of Woodstock through membership in the Y’s Men’s club, which was the service club devoted to serving the local YMCA. I was President for one year, and we entertained the International President who was from Harrisburg Pennsylvania. For 2 years I was a member of the Board of Directors of the Oxford Golf and Country Club ( Craigowan). I have spent two terms as Peoples Warden and Rectors Warden for Church of the Epiphany, which is formerly known New St Pauls Anglican Church. This position also included chairing the Cemetery Board. During my term on the board I was instrumental in getting the
second columbarium installed and have a whole series of pictures covering this event. I joined the Probus Club in 2008 and was President in 2015-16.I was very fortunate in that I only had to ask one person to be my vice president, after which the second person stood up and said I will be 2nd vice president.
When the grandchildren were in elementary school I spent at lot of time volunteering at Northdale Public School and Hickson Central School, and was the volunteer of the year at Hickson in 2018.
During Covid a lot of time was spent at the Curling Centre renovating the upper level of the lounge, redoing the trophy case , rearranging and rehanging banners and plaques which have been won by various club members over the years.
I retired from Timberjack in 2004, and was very fortunate to have never been laid off, or missed any appreciable amount of time due to sickness or injury. The employment insurance fund reaped the benefit ,all they did was collect and never had to pay out. In 2007 we designed and had a new home built on Ridgewood Drive by Hertiage Builders. We have lived in or near
Woodstock for the last 60 years, and must say I have never regretted a minute. It was a good city to raise a family.
Heads Up for our Upcoming tour of the Rockwool Plant in Milton.
Save the Date : Monday April 22, 2024 9:00AM
Length: About 1 1/2 hrs.
Limit: 25 people.
Sign-up sheet: At the February Meeting.
Note: We are required to provide the company with an accurate list of attendees prior to the event.
Car Pool and Lunch at a local restaurant following.
Further information will be provided at upcoming meetin
Bob McTavish Keith Reibling
Ken Riehl Trevor Wilkins
Because you asked I added this NEW VISITORS SECTION ENJOY!
Jerry Klage’s Laws of Nature:
1. Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.
2. Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
3. Law of Probability- The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.
4. Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.
5. Supermarket Law - As soon as you get in the smallest line, the cashier will have to call for help.
6. Variation Law -If you change lines, the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now.
7. Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.
8. Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
9. Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.
10. Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
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