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At the Extraordinary General Meeting held on the 8th May 2024, when the constitution was changed to allow ladies to become members, Roy Stradling was elected President and his profile follows.
Having been a member of Probus for the last five years, I was surprised and delighted to be nominated President of Ferndown Probus in May 2024. Ferndown Probus is more than just a club and we have members from all walks of life who each participate in the interest of others to make our community special.
So a little bit about me. I was brought up in Fulham, West London. At school I enjoyed the competitive sport of rowing at Putney on the Thames, often winning at regattas, and I joined the ATC squadron, being mad about aeroplanes, and went on to get my wings for flying. Before retirement beckoned I had fun skiing and sailing.
On leaving school I worked at BEA (British European Airways) West London air terminal and then on to Firestones as a racing tyre technician. In September 1971 I married Sandra and we set up home in Bletchley, not being able to quite afford the prices in London. Here I took a change in direction of work and ended up running my own successful glazing business for 39 years.
We had two wonderful sons and lived happily in the small village of Cosgrove, nearby to the Grand Union Canal, for 38 years before moving to West Moors in 2014 to be near our delightful grandchildren. We are living a very happy retirement and enjoy all that’s around this area that we now call home.
Being President is a great honour; it’s our Club’s aim to offer a happy and enjoyable environment at lunches, meetings and events, and bring together guest speakers in a relaxed atmosphere.
I look forward to more social activities and welcoming new members (men and women).
Roy Stradling
President
For details of the full committee for 2024/25 please CLICK HERE.