Welcome to our NEW website to serve Port Colborne and Wainfleet area with a PROBUS Club. If you would like to know more about PROBUS Clubs, please visit the PROBUS Canada website. Our NEXT meeting will be Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at The Guild Hall, 72 Charlotte Street, Port Colborne, ON, L3K 3C8. Doors will open at 9:30 am for coffee and conversation and the meeting will begin at 10:00 am. This meeting will also be a Celebration Event as we are now accredited with PROBUS Canada and we will have special guests joining us with greetings from their organizations!

Our guest speaker will be Sue Williams who will expand on her year-long adventure on the high seas that led to her memoir: “Ready to Come About“.

Sue Williams

When Sue Williams set sail for the North Atlantic, it wasn’t a mid-life crisis. She had no affinity for the sea. And she didn’t have an adventure-seeking bone in her body. In the wake of a perfect storm of personal events, it suddenly became clear: her sons were adults now; they needed freedom to figure things out for themselves; she had to get out of their way. And it was now or never for her husband, David, to realize his dream to cross an ocean. So she’d go too.

Ready to Come About is the story of a mother’s improbable adventure on the high seas and her profound journey within, through which she grew to believe that there is no gift more precious than the liberty to chart one’s own course, and that risk is a good thing … sometimes, at least.  

Sue and David Williams

A reminder to our members in good standing: we will still have a few membership spots open at the January 28th meeting before we start the wait list. So tell your friends and bring them along  to sign up.

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Rochelle Bush, our guest speaker, is the owner of and primary guide of St. Catharines-based Tubman Tours Canada, and received the 2025 International Women’s Day award from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) and Women in Niagara (WIN). The award was presented at the GNCC/WIN IWD event on March 7 in Niagara Falls, where Bush was the key speaker. The award celebrates one outstanding Niagara woman and her contributions each year.

Rochelle Bush

“Rochelle Bush is a proud descendant of freedom seekers whose dedication to preserving, promoting, and protecting Canada’s Black history has profoundly shaped our community. As a historian, educator, and advocate, her work–through Tubman Tours Canada, Salem Chapel, and numerous historical initiatives–ensures that the legacies of Harriet Tubman and other freedom seekers are not forgotten,” said N’ora Kalb, Chair of the WIN Council.

Rochelle Bush has dedicated more than 25 years to preserving, promoting, and protecting Canada’s rich Black history. She played a pivotal role in shaping the early Black history narrative and government tourism initiatives in St. Catharines and across Niagara. She began offering step-on guide services, showcasing Niagara’s Freedom Trail and enhancing visitors’ understanding of the Underground Railroad. About 15 years ago, she launched the Harriet Tubman Tour, highlighting Tubman’s time in St. Catharines.

Born and raised in St. Catharines, her deep-rooted connection to the community continues to shape her work. Her maternal great-great-grandfather served as minister-in-charge of Salem Chapel, BME Church during the period when Harriet Tubman was an active member.

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Barbara Dickson, our guest speaker, is an award-winning, best-selling, multi-published author, film documentarian, and sought-after professionally-trained speaker and local historian. She presents to myriad organizations such as retirement clubs and residences, charities, Canadian Royal Legions, and schools. Dickson’s speaking platform mirrors her passions: Bomb Girls, Irish memorials, MS, and heart transplantation. Individually, she focuses on the invaluable contribution made by Canadian women — Bomb Girls — engaged in war work especially in munitions factories such as GECO and DIL during the Second World War. She also brings awareness to important but little-known stories of nineteenth-century Canada including the impact  and legacy of Irish immigration. She, along with her husband have discovered over two hundred Irish memorials in Canada. From a medical standpoint, life with multiple sclerosis — MS — is another important topic in Dickson’s speaking portfolio. Lastly, Dickson — as a parent of the child who has undergone a heart transplant — speaks about organ transplantation in Canada especially through her perspective as a mother.

As a well-established journalist, Barbara Dickson’s magazine articles have appeared around the world as far away as South Africa, Germany, and California. Her debut novel, Mountains for Maddi, was published in 2009 to enthusiastic reviews. 

Dickson’s first non-fiction book, entitled, Bomb Girls: Trading Aprons for Ammo was released in September 2015. She has completed a follow-on book, entitled, Bomb Girls: United for Peace, which will feature 101 incredible Bomb Girls stories.