The Probus Club of Sidney hosts several events during the year for members and guests. Events that have been hosted in prior years include Christmas Dinners, Summer Barbecues, excursions to attend the Chemainus Theatre Festival, and tours of many local businesses and organizations that members have expressed interest in learning more about. Frequently these events follow the organization or business having been featured in our monthly speaker series. Input from members is encouraged to assist in the selection of events that will be of interest to the broader membership.
Future Planned Events
Change of Probus November meeting date!
Please mark your calendars for November 4th,our next meeting date.
The change is necessary as Remembrance Day falls on Nov. 11 our regular day.
PROBUS CLUB OF SIDNEY
Tour of the Centre for Plant Health
(A part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
8808 East Saanich Road, Saanichton
Tuesday October 28, `10 am – noon
This new and unique 5,500 square metre facility provides a modernized, rapid response
to testing for regulated plant diseases. The new facility also promotes scientific
collaboration, which helps advance research in plant science and support innovation in
the agricultural and agri-food sector. Most of the tour will be in greenhouses.
Dear Probus member, just a note to let you know that the plant health tour
is now fully booked. We will not be taking new names.
FUTURE SPEAKERS
October Karen Adams and Shelley Marsh – Women in the RCMP
(Or: “Mounties in Mascara” … but only if they want to be!)
The RCMP first opened its ranks to women in 1974—yes, that’s
right, the same year bell-bottoms were in full swing, and people
thought avocado-green appliances were a good idea. Since then,
women have gone from being a novelty in the force to becoming
commissioners, tactical officers, and leaders in policing.
The first 32 women who joined faced some…interesting
challenges. Their uniforms? Designed for men. Their training?
Designed for men. Their squad cars? Still full of men. Let’s not
forget the legendary Stetson hat—which, while iconic, was
definitely not designed with a high ponytail in mind.
As more women joined, they proved that policing wasn’t just
about brawn—it was about brains, strategy, and good
communication (aka “telling the guys to read the map”).
Women worked their way into specialized units like forensics,
undercover work, and even bomb disposal— because nothing
says confidence like walking up to an explosive and thinking, “I
got this.” Brenda Lucki became the first permanent female
Commissioner in 2018.
Women make up a significant portion of the RCMP today, with
women in the force continue to take on leadership roles, mentor
the next generation, and—most importantly—prove that yes,
you can chase down a suspect while wearing mascara. The
journey of women in the RCMP is one of determination, courage,
and a little bit of patience when dealing with outdated locker
rooms.
Today, the iconic red serge isn’t just for men—it’s for anyone
willing to serve and protect, regardless of gender, height, or
ability to ride a horse without screaming.
Presenters:
Shelley Marsh made history in November 1977 when she and
her sister, Karen Adams, became the first sisters to join the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police. Over her distinguished 23-year career,
Shelley served with dedication at detachments in Penticton,
Prince George, and Burnaby, gaining extensive experience in a
wide range of policing duties. She worked in General Duties,
Traffic, Community Policing, Frauds, and Sex Crimes, and
became the first woman assigned to the Robbery/Homicide Unit
at Burnaby Detachment.
As a skilled Composite Artist, Shelley provided critical
investigative support across British Columbia and played a key
role on Canada’s security team for the G8 Summit in Vancouver,
contributing to the protection of U.S. President Bill Clinton and
Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
Karen Adams is a trailblazer in Canadian law enforcement. On
September 16, 1974, she joined the RCMP as part of the very first
female troop, stepping into a role long closed to women and
helped redefine what it meant to wear the iconic red serge.
Over a remarkable 28-year career, Adams served in a wide range
of postings—from the rugged landscapes of Northern Canada to
Winnipeg’s fast-paced Narcotics Unit, from rural detachments to
municipal and highway traffic units. Among her many
assignments, she is especially proud of her time at the RCMP
Training Academy in Regina, where she had the rare distinction of
being twice posted.
In 2002, Karen graduated from the University of Regina with a
master’s degree in Adult Education and 5 days later McEwan
University in Edmonton hired her to teach in their Law
Enforcement Programs. She fully retired in 2013. Karen is
presently a Marriage Commissioner in the Cowichan Valley.
November Dr Chris Kilford – Burning the Midnight Oil in Ankara: The Middle East and other Hot Spots Viewed through a Turkish Lens.
Seeking Solutions in (Very) Turbulent Times
The geopolitical challenges today are seemingly endless. Indeed, from Washington, to Moscow, Beijing, Kyiv and beyond, countries are burning the midnight oil as they seek a way out of the turbulent times we live in.
Over the past 18 months, our speaker travelled to Turkiye, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Bhutan on official and semi-official visits, where he had a chance to sit down with numerous officials including Canada’s Ambassador to Turkiye, Kevin Hamilton to Taiwan’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Remus Li-Kuo Chen. Earlier this year, Chris also spent two weeks in Poland and Latvia, meeting officials from both countries and visiting members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are training Ukrainian military personnel and leading NATO’s Multinational Brigade in Latvia.
During his talk, Chris will speak about his various visits, what he learned while on the ground and what are the key geopolitical minefields we should be on the lookout for moving forward.
Chris Kilford, PhD
Chris is a member of the national board of the Canadian International Council, the editor (articles) of CIC’s online foreign policy magazine Open Canada, president of the CIC Victoria branch and a sessional professor with the Canadian Forces College where he teaches courses focused on Canadian foreign and defence policy. He also holds a PhD in history from Queen’s University with a focus on civil-military relations in the developing world.
Chris also enjoyed a 36-year career in the Canadian Army, commanding 4th Air Defence Regiment, followed by various senior positions in the Department of National Defence, including Director, Future Security Analysis and Military Liaison Officer to the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence.
From July 2009 until July 2010, Chris deployed to Canada’s Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan as the Deputy Military Attaché. On his return to Canada, he commenced Turkish language training, after which he was sent to Canada’s Embassy in Ankara as the Canadian Defence Attaché with cross accreditation to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkmenistan. He was in this post from July 2011 until July 2014. Chris retired from the military in September 2014.
Upcoming events include: a tour of Craigdarroch Castle.
Movie Matinee
matinee, please let me know.
Aldy: sidneyprobusmembership@gmail.com
Current Events
Hello CE members,
Current Events Group Meets Monthly
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Sidney at the corner of 4th and Oakville. We will meet at the blue door entrance on the Oakville side. I am responsible for the key, so please don’t go to the office requesting it.
Ken Marsh
Wine Tasting Group Report
March 12th saw the first wine tasting meeting of the new Probus wine tasting group. We had one previous ‘organizational meeting’ which naturally included the tasting of
some wines, but this meeting was dedicated to the winesthemselves, and of course the congeniality of a group of(somewhat) like-minded individuals was a great
accompanying bonus.
We tasted a selection of four delightful BC red wines, aselection which appealed to the wine interest of our membersas well as being an appropriate choice in the current political
environment. Our host supplemented his/her selection of choice local wines with a very complimentary charcuterie board for palate cleansing, and absolute enjoyment.
The group meets at 4:00 pm on the second Wednesday of the month, the venue
rotating among the members. As a new group, we are looking to welcome additional
Probus members who have an interest in sampling wines. If you are interested, but a bit
apprehensive about participating on a tasting group, don’t be intimidated: our group is
probably better described as wine enthusiasts than wine connoisseurs. Of course I say
that on a personal level, but I suspect the other members have a somewhat similar
overview. If you are interested, please email me at ‘bob@witzel.com‘