Basingstoke & Deane’s Mayor

Basingstoke and Deane’s Mayor, Cllr Dan Putty, was guest of honour at the inaugural meeting of the 45^th year of continuous operation of the Probus Club of Basingstoke held at the Test Valley Golf Club near Overton.

Newly installed Probus Club President, Stephen Thair, welcomed the mayor who joined the members for lunch and then gave an outline of his background in moving to Basingstoke from his native Mauritius. He worked for the NHS until he retired but had become socially active and over 25 years acted as a governor in four schools, he was a magistrate for 32 years and for many years has been the borough councillor for the Hatch Warren & Beggarwood ward.

Charity Support

It is custom and practice for all mayors to support charities during their year of office. Cllr Putty selected two local good causes, North Hampshire Prostrate Support Group, because of his own experiences of this condition, and the Hants & IoW Community Fund, which makes small donations to many deserving cases.
The club made a donation to the mayor’s charity appeal.

Cllr Putty was previously the mayor in 2013 and recalled his visit to the Probus Club when their meetings were then held at Sandford Springs Golf Club at Kingsclere.

Britain’s Greatest Showman

A talk was given by member David Wickens on ‘Lord’ George Sanger who was described as Britain’s greatest showman during the late 19^th and early 20^th century. From humble beginnings in Newbury, he rose to have considerable public acclaim with his travelling circuses and permanent amphitheatres holding up to 3,000 spectators. Queen Victoria was a member of the audience on several occasions.

There was mutual admiration as in 1903 George Sanger presented a statue of the monarch to Newbury insisting it be positioned in the marketplace on the spot where his father once had a stall. Today the statue can be seen in the town’s Victoria Park.

If you are considering joining see www.probusbasingstoke.club for more information or phone the club secretary Andrew Barton on 01256 771995 or 07814 937202 for an informal chat or send an e-mail to andrewbarton1@hotmail.com.