The last event of the year 2024 for the Orbost Probus Club will be Christmas lunch at the Orbost Club Tomorrow.
There have been many outings in and around the district which have been enjoyable and a lot of fun when some members have taken the long, scenic route to reach a venue.
The guest speaker for November was Kay Bristow who went to Thailand for a medical procedure on her bung knee.
This one day treatment involves a stem cell injection on the knee and light exercise at home over several months.
The alternative for Kay was to be on a long waiting list for the invasive surgery of knee replacement in Sydney or Melbourne with several days in hospital and a long rehabilitation period.
The stem cell treatment in Thailand, including return air fares was less than half the cost and no waiting time.
It is now wait and see. Many of Kay’s friends and acquaintances are waiting with curiosity as to whether this treatment will truly work so they can ascertain it they too could have this treatment for their conditions.
Kay has many interests and ideas for tourism in the district.
One of these was designing and implementing the BMX cycling track at Nowa Nowa.
A more recent innovation was having the gelato van in the main street on a hot day where many overheated people were delighted to taste this delicious confection to help cool off.
Other people just like gelato.
One of her big concerns is the wetlands at Marlo and has eyes on a private property for sale bordering the Snowy and Brodribb Rivers.
A huge amount of funding would be needed for this to occur but would bring in numerous tourist dollars over the years.
The statistics show that bird watchers bring in thousands of dollars to a community that has areas of swamp. This is not only domestic tourism but encompasses international travellers and is throughout the year, not just a seasonal thing.
The Probus members thanked Kay for her information wishing her all the luck for her ventures and waiting with bated breath to watch how her knee progresses.
The next formal general meeting is in January but there will be a luncheon group driving to either Cabbage Tree or Nowa Nowa on Monday, January 13 2025.
