THE Men's Probus Club met at the Swan Hotel, Alcester, for their 165th meeting on March 28. There were no visitors at the meeting.

Two new members, John Sivyer and John Stanfield, were presented with their name badges, ties and rule books.

Horace Jobson had recently celebrated his birthday and received best wishes.

Entertainment secretary Peter gave notice of two more visits to Malvern Theatre on Saturday, May 12, and Wednesday, May 30.

The president welcomed speaker Jack Holden, who is a member of Stratford-upon-Avon Probus.

His subject was Venice and its Lagoons.

Mr Holden explained, with the aid of slides, that the rivers flowing from the Alps into the Adriatic Sea formed the lagoons around Venice.

In 800AD there were four major settlements that continued to flourish for a further 400 years.

Venice itself was formed in 1420 but was subject to a number of invading forces.

Napoleon took the city in 1797, Prussia invaded in 1866 and in 1945 the Allies took Venice.

In 1966, a combination of an exceptional high tide and a stormy wind led to major flooding and since that time, a number of flood defences have been developed to ensure the future survival of this unique city.

Steve Jones thanked the speaker.