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Probus Senlis received it charter in 2011. Under the French system each new club has a parrain or godfather. In this case the parrain is Probus Le Touquet, the very first French Probus Club founded in 1991. The first president of Probus Senlis was Didier Camus who was succeeded by Tony Wiggan. It was under Tony's presidency that in April 2012 Probus RTW was twinned with Probus Senlis. Tony has now been followed by as President by Phillippe Duplille. Probis Senlis meets on the second Tuesday each month at the Golf Club d'Apremont just outside town.
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A group of Probus Senlis members and their wives paid us a first visit in June 2012. The focus of the visit was attendance (by members) at our June Lunch meeting. This was embedded in a wider programme which included buffet supper and darts at "The George" in Frant, a tour of Tunbridge Wells with a French-speaking guide and an evening at the Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club.
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Our first "official" visit to our twin Probus Club in Senlis was made on 9 April 2013 by a party of nine led by President Don Smith. From the party's arrival to their departure two days later, our friends in Senlis offered us the warmest of welcomes with a lively social programme, centred on attendance at the Senlis Club's monthly meeting.
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Our tour of the town brought the history of Senlis alive through the knowledge and skills of our guide, Claude Joss, whose tour took in the still-standing Roman walls, the magnificent medieval cathedral and the cavernous cellars of some houses, one of these being the home of Tony Wiggan, a past president.
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That afternoon also saw the "official" event of the visit when we lunched with members of the Senlis Club at their April meeting. Their President, Philippe Dupille, welcome the visitors with a short address (in French) to which our President Don Smith replied (in plain English). Philippe then presented Don with a framed memento of our visit, expressing mutual respect and amity between the twinned clubs.
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The day was brought to a close with a splendid buffet supper at the home of Gerard Saint-Laurent, Vice- President of Senlis and his wife Perrette.
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