St Peters’ Probus
ON TUESDAY, October 12, at the Ivy Bush Hotel, St Peter’s Probus was able to hold its first monthly meeting since the club’s AGM on March 10, 2020. Allan, who was then the newly elected chairman, was at last able to welcome members to his first club meeting since the lockdown began.
Reports were received from those committee members responsible club management and activities during lockdown. Eric reported that the club was financially sound. The indoor bowls had begun for members again with the meet time each Monday at 10.30am at the bowling rink. Arthur the welfare secretary said that six long-standing club members had passed away since the beginning of the pandemic but all from natural causes. The meeting recognised the many contributions that these member had made to the club and the meeting stood in silence in their memory. There was a general discussion on the club’s immediate future and it was agreed that the existing committee should act until the next AGM in March but report to the January meeting on the possible options available. Deposits were still held for the 2021 summer holiday that had to be cancelled, but a hotel venue near Gloucester may be available for 2022. The Christmas dinner will not take place this year. The Trailblazer outing will also be suspended until after the AGM.
Following the meeting the chairman introduced the speaker for the day Rhys Davies, a marine biologist from Llansteffan whose subject was the History of Pandemics. Rhys was most impressively dressed in a 17th century plague doctors black cassock with head covering, black hat and crows beak mask for sweet smelling herbs to ward of infection. Altogether a very frightening appearance.
Fortunately Rhys gave his talk without the crows mask as it was even more restrictive than the masks currently in use by us all.
To begin his talk Rhys explained the differences between endemic, epidemic and pandemic and the different forms the diseases can take there being long lists of each type but some less lethal than others and ranging from the common cold to the likes of ebola. Of all the diseases Rhys thought the smallpox had been the most destructive throughout history with the earliest example being the pox scars on the face of an Egyptian mummy. Attempts to control the effects of smallpox were made by introducing the puss from an infected person in to a scratch on the recipients skin. This method was widely practiced in Turkey and further East centuries before it was tried in Europe.
A significant breakthrough came when it was recognised that exposure to cowpox gave some degree of immunity and this has led by stages to the universal use of inoculations to combat contagious diseases. Rhys’ talk was wide ranging on the history and effects of the numerous plagues that have effected this county, cholera being one of the most prevalent. Rhys’ presentation was given a very warm applause by members and we would recommend that Rhys’ talk can only best be appreciate by hearing it first-hand.
After the close of the meeting Rhys joined members for an excellent lunch in the Ivy Bush Hotel’s dining room. Club meetings at the Ivy Bush Hotel will resume monthly on the second Tuesday of the month at 10am with the management committee meeting on the first Tuesday at 9.30am provided, of course, we are not visited with a further lockdown.