Number of People on the Waitlist = 140
May 2024
Welcome to our May 2024 Newsletter for people on the Waitlist of the Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington. The purpose of this newsletter is to advise you of policies that affect you as a guest of our Club, our meeting schedule for the year, the speaker for this month, any events that you can attend as a guest, and to see interesting blogs produced by our Club.
How Does Our Guest Policy Apply to You?
For the purposes of these policies, a guest is a non-member, including someone on the waiting list. Guests are not covered under our insurance and the Club assumes no liability in case of injury or illness. To attend any event, a guest must sign a waiver holding the Club free of any Liability. To download this Liability Waiver, Click Here
- You must register as a guest who wishes to attend a monthly meeting with the Membership Co-ordinator, Montserrat Petrie at mcpetrie1@rogers.com, one week prior to the date and agree to pay the fee for the meeting (currently $15.00 per person per meeting). This includes sending the filled-in Liability Waiver to Montserrat.
- Attendance by guests at monthly meetings is limited to 3 meetings per Club year (October to September inclusive). Guests are allowed to participate in our 50/50 draw. You will be asked to sign our attendance records.
- Attendance by guests at select events (e.g. day trips and concerts) is permitted upon registration with our Events Coordinator, Mary Mulligan at marypatmulligan@gmail.com for a fee equal to that paid by members, subject to venue space and member priority by the advanced registration deadline. This includes sending the filled-in Liability Waiver to Mary.
- Attendance by guests at partially subsidized events is subject to venue space limitations, member priority (must meet the advance registration deadline) and additional special fees (approximating the value of the subsidy for members).
Our Meeting Schedule for 2024
Our Probus Meetings will be held on the 4th Monday of the month, except for July and August when we have a summer break. The date of our December Meeting is still to be confirmed and is a partially subsidized event. Below is our current meeting schedule.
- Monday, May 27
- Monday, June 24 ** Cancelled ** This has been replaced by the June BBQ on Wednesday, June 26th, which is a paid event.
- Monday, September 23
- Monday, October 28
- Monday, November 25: AGM
Next Probus Meeting
Monday May 27, 2024, 10:00 am
at the Kingsway Lambton United Church
85 The Kingsway, Etobicoke, ON M8X 2T6
Our meeting is going to be held in their gym on the lower level. Please enter through the glass doors on The Kingsway and proceed downstairs by the stairs or the elevator. From the bottom of the stairs or elevator, proceed straight ahead and then to the left. There is parking on the side streets in the area, north of The Kingsway or east of Prince Edward Avenue. There are temporary parking spaces to drop people off in front of the glass doors on The Kingsway.
Please arrive after 9:00 a.m. and before 9:45 a.m. to attend this meeting.
Our Speaker at the next Probus meeting on Monday, May 27h will feature Steve Urszenyi, a writer. The title of Steve’s presentation is A conversation with Steve: “From paramedic to published author: A journey along the bumpy road of writing.”
Steve Urszenyi’s critically acclaimed and award-nominated debut novel, Perfect Shot, is a unique entry in the spy thriller genre. And Steve’s journey from paramedic to published author was both difficult and enviable. Hear Steve talk about his writing journey, his development as a writer, and the trials and tribulations of being a traditionally published author in this day and age.
Steve’s Biography and Current Information
On its release in November 2023, Steve Urszenyi’s debut novel, Perfect Shot, was an instant Indigo Bestseller. It has since gone on to be a featured review in the Globe and Mail and a Canadian Living magazine selection. Apple Books said the story’s protagonist, Alexandra Martel, is their “new favorite hero—Alex is relentless and dedicated to taking down the bad guys.”
Urszenyi’s writing has been compared to John le Carré, Stephen Hunter, Mark Greaney, and Jack Carr. BookTrib called Perfect Shot “a modern-day masterpiece of international intrigue that qualifies as a major debut in this superb international thriller,” and Publishers Weekly proclaimed, “Urszenyi is a writer to watch.”
Perfect Shot is currently a finalist for three literary awards:
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer 2024 (Mystery) award.
The Crime Writers of Canada 2024 Best Crime First Novel award.
The International Thriller Writers (ITW) 2024 Best First Novel award.
Out in the Cold, the second in the Alex Martel series, will be published on November 12, 2024.
Steve Urszenyi was a paramedic in Toronto and a tactical medic with the Ontario Provincial Police, where he was a specialist in SWAT, CBRNE, and other special operations environments. Steve is also the former commander of the Province of Ontario’s disaster medical team, EMAT, and is a recipient of the Governor General of Canada EMS Exemplary Service Medal and Bar in recognition of his distinguished service.
When not writing, Steve loves traveling the globe and touring on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle with his wife, Lynne. They live in Toronto and have two grown children.
Blogs
Through the Grapevine # 42
On Thursday, April 4th, 2024, 14 members of the Wine Tasting Club attended the meeting at Linda Hasler’s home. We had a fun afternoon tasting and reviewing wines from four different countries. To learn more about the two white wines preferred by the group: Click Here.
The Page Turner #26
The Book Club met on April 11th, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. to discuss The Blue Collar CEO by Mandy Rennehan. This book is about the Gutsy Journey of a Canadian woman from Rookie Contractor to Multi-Millionaire Construction Boss. To learn more about this book: Click Here.
April 2024 Walk
For this walk, the Walking Club travelled east to the “terra incognita” of eastern Toronto, specifically the neighbourhood known as Riverdale. The name comes from the area’s proximity to the Don River Valley. It as an older area of the city with many semi-detached houses of 2 ½ storeys, but there are quite a few architectural gems along these streets too. To learn more about this walk: Click Here.
Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington 