Retford Ladies Probus Club ended the year with the annual luncheon at Ye Olde Bell. Norman Palmer entertained members with his take on the Christmas Lectures, when he practically made some ladies’ hair stand on end! They also had fun entertaining ourselves in December with carols, quizzes, wine and cakes.
In January, Norman Palmer presented members with a real-life scenario from the 1890s entitled ‘Inspector Hopkinson’s Discovery’. There are 80 pages of witness evidence for this case and it caused a furore at the time. It began when a man appeared on the policeman’s doorstep wearing nothing but his socks and clutching a child wearing burning night attire. To top it all, the man’s throat had been slashed providing the material for a perfect Victorian melodrama! There were lots of characters involved and members had to decide if the chief suspect was guilty or not. Multiple murders had been committed and a man called William Wright was subsequently tried and hanged. However, everyone else who had any connections and had gone into the burning house, met an early death one way or another. Thought provoking stuff. It certainly got members’ brain cells working.
The club’s next meeting is on 13th February at Westhill Community Centre, Ordsall, at 10.00am for 10.30am. All are welcome.