newsletter of the probus club of white rock south surrey

April, 2016
Volume 6 Issue 2
NEWSLETTER OF THE PROBUS CLUB OF WHITE ROCK SOUTH SURREY
Executive
Committee
President
Don Rathbone
604-535-9160
Past President/
Webmaster
John Payne
604-385-3935
Vice President
Bill Parker
604-5319822
Secretary
Steve Banham
604-535-5640
Treasurer
Bart Hildebrand
604-535-9095
Activities
Shell Busey
604-385-0353
Membership
Jim Collins
604-531-5950
Communications
Wayne Nicol
604-536-5294
Speakers
Al Zemrau
604-535-9123
Sergeant at Arms
Dick Strong
778-574-5953
Newsletter
Jamie Fear
604-531-1525
Our speaker this month, Kevin Holte, gave a dynamic and thoughtprovoking presentation on the value of estate planning. Using materials
from the Living Well and Leaving Well Workshop, Kevin shared the story of
Steve and Marilyn to illustrate what can happen in the event of a sudden
death. The intention was to motivate us to express the care we have for our
families now, by taking some simple steps to protect them.
In the story, Marilyn was left alone in the
USA to deal with her husband Steve’s unexpected death on an RV trip to the Grand
Canyon. The story showed how unprepared
in many ways the couple had been to cope
with such a situation and the stresses this
can cause for the surviving partner and the
family.
Probus members then took part in an interactive section of the presentation where we
were asked to think about several lessons
from Steve and Marilyn’s experience and supply our own answers to various questions. This covered topics such as Power of Attorney, how to help
your executor to be prepared for the task, probate issues and cremation or
burial pre-planning.
Kevin encouraged us to consider Power of Attorney and to photocopy all important papers for the executor. He also recommended using experts
where necessary and to consider banks or credit unions as co-executors.
In the story, Steve had never acquired a Power of Attorney, so if he had survived but been incapacitated, Marilyn would have been legally unable to
make a host of decisions without applying for a Committeeship at a cost of
$4000-$10,000 compared to $175 for a Power of Attorney.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life
in your years.
Abraham Lincoln
White Rock and South Surrey PROBUS CLUB
Page 2
It is also important for your executor to know ‘what you own, where it is and who to contact’ and
to have a copy of your will.
The probate fee in BC is 1.4% of the value of the estate and financial institutes can demand probate before releasing the deceased’s assets. It is important to understand the rules around probate and experts can help with this.
Finally Kevin talked about the stress of suppressing grief rather than expressing it and warned
against handcuffing the family with unhealthy demands.
A number of members asked for Kevin’s contact information:
Kevin Holte—604-996-9897 or 888-579-2233
Theatre Night at the White Rock Playhouse
On March 20th a group of Probus members attended the show Boeing-Boeing at the White
Rock Playhouse. This is a comedy which was
enjoyed by all who attended. The picture below
was taken afterwards at the Roadhouse Restaurant. Thanks to Vince Holmes for organizing
this event.
For the latest news and pictures check out the Club’s website at
www.probusclubwhiterock-southsurrey.ca
We promote Probus as being about engaging speakers, fun and interesting activities, and great fellowship. Luckily we have individual members
who look after the great speakers that we enjoy and the monthly activities
which are available to us. But the fellowship falls to each of us. When we
have guests or new members at our meetings we must take the initiative to extend
our hands and introduce ourselves. Engage them in conversation and make them
feel welcome. If you see a guest or new member sitting or standing alone try to include them in your conversations with other members and generally enrich the fellowship experience that we all enjoy. Guest sponsors must ensure that guests are
connected with our Membership Chair, Jim Collins, and leave the meeting with an
application in hand. By practicing this inclusion we will attract new members who
strengthen our membership and shape the future of our club.
Don Rathborne
Page 3
White Rock and South Surrey PROBUS CLUB
Upcoming
Events
May 11th

The order of the meeting was changed to hold the business part before the
speaker’s presentation

Who’s That Man: Bill Parker gave an interesting talk on his life and career starting in Powell River, becoming a Charter Student at SFU, his start as a pipe fitter’s helper at the mill in Powell River and rapid rise in the H.R. area at various
companies and locations in B.C. Bill moved to White Rock in 1981 and retired
in 2013 as Director of H.R. for Canada at Lehigh Cement

Bill Emerton won the Wine Prize in the raffle
Speaker:
Steve Dotto
Topic: Technology
Update
Steve is Techno
Guru of TV and
Magazine fame
Activities
Tour of Central City
Brewers & Distillers.
Location: 11411
Bridgeview Drive
Surrey
Date: April 20 Time:
1pm
To Register call
Shell's Office:
604 542 2236
Upcoming:
Westshore Terminal
Tour (May/June)
Check the website
for updates
Mailing Address:
Box 7000,
12850 26th Avenue
South Surrey, BC V4P 1S1
Annual Probus Golf Tournament.
Thursday June 11, 2016 at Nico Wynd Golf Club.
We have tentative tee times for 4-5 groups starting at 8 a.m.
Contact Bill Parker at 604-531-9822 for further details
There was an elderly couple who in their old age noticed that they were getting a lot
more forgetful, so they decided to go to the doctor. The doctor told them that they
should start writing things down so they don't forget. They went home and the old
lady told her husband to get her a bowl of ice cream. "You might want to write it
down," she said. The husband said, "No, I can remember that you want a bowl of
ice cream." She then told her husband she wanted a bowl of ice cream with
whipped cream. "Write it down," she told him, and again he said, "No, no, I can
remember: you want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream." Then the old lady
said she wants a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on
top. "Write it down," she told her husband and again he said, "No, I got it.
You want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top."
So he goes to get the ice cream and spends an unusually long time in
the kitchen, over 30 minutes. He comes out to his wife and hands her a
plate of eggs and bacon. The old wife stares at the plate for a moment,
then looks at her husband and asks, "Where's the toast?"
Probus Information at
www.probus.org/canada
Meeting Venue:
Hazelmere Golf & Tennis Club
18150 8th Avenue
Surrey, BC V3S 9R9