President's Message

Paul Taylor
Club President

Over the last few years I’ve been privileged to have participated in a number of studies on aging and dementia. Most have been under the sponsorship of Baycrest Hospital. Some aspects are routine; I’ve drawn a lifetime’s worth of clock faces, some are interesting, navigating a virtual grocery store on an IPad, and some are downright bizarre, sleep and heart rate monitors (they blink red lights). As part of most of the studies there are lifestyle tips. Most are obvious, no smoking, eat fruits and vegetables, get adequate sleep.

One common theme might be called, “Join a Probus Club“. Think about it, stay socially active, stay intellectually stimulated, stay physically active. All of these things describe our activities. Sadly dementia is such a pernicious disease that doing all these things won’t guarantee immunity, but you will definitely enjoy life more than if you stay sedentary watching endless loops on 24 hour news channels.

This is my last President’s Message; at the September AGM, I’ll hand over the reins to Jim Christie, a more than suitable successor. I look forward to his leadership.

I’d like to thank all the members of the Management Committee, they are an outstanding group and it’s a singular pleasure to work with them. No egos, no hidden agendas just a group of guys who genuinely enjoy life, and contributing to their community.

I would also like to thank all the members of the Club. It’s a cliche but the Club is only as good as its members, and we have a great group.

Thank you all for the honor of being your President. It’s been a great experience to serve on the Management Committee and I would urge each of you to give it a try.

Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Paul Taylor

President