I am happy to invite any one for Sunday class, 8am to Springwood, Memorial Park.  For Sunday class, I do not charge.

All the best, Renata Bros Tel: 0409 247 267 Email: rpbros@bigpond.com

Italian Language for Seniors

Jim Tiberi will tutor this course at 10.00am to 12noon on Mondays at Penrith School of Arts, 3 Castlereagh St, Penrith in Terms 3 and 4. Further details can be obtained from Jim – tel: 4735 1981 or jtiberi@optusnet.com.au

Painting with Acrylics

John Roebuck will tutor this course at 9.30am to 11.00am on Tuesdays at Penrith School of Arts, 3 Castlereagh St, Penrith in Terms 3 and 4. Further details can be obtained from John - Tel: 4739 2242

Email: roebucks@ozemail.com.au

Exploration of the Earth’s Magnetosphere

Anthony Bayes will tutor this course at 10.00am to 12 noon on Tuesdays at Penrith School of Arts, 3 Castlereagh St, Penrith in Terms 3 and 4and on Thursday 24^th at Springwood Neighbourhood Centre.

Further details can be obtained from Tony - Tel: 4739 2661

Basic Computing

Starting on Tuesday 29^th July, the Basic Computing course tutored by Robert Byrne will be held at the Community College, Penrith Plaza on Tuesdays at 2.00pm to 4.00pm until further notice. Computer facilities at the Penrith Library are still not available.

Bonsai for Beginners

This course is on Wednesdays 9:30am to 11.00am at Penrith School of Arts, 3 Castlereagh St, Penrith. Jim Tiberi will be covering the following topics: Getting into Bonsai, Trees suitable for Bonsai, Indoor/Outdoor Bonsai, Soils for Bonsai, Potting and Re-potting, Watering, Feeding, Seasonal Care and Bonsai Techniques If you want to join this class or for further information, contact Jim – tel: 4735 1981 Email: jtiberi@optusnet.com.au or just turn up on Wednesdays at 9.30am.

Tai Chi – Staff: Email from Christie Wood

We have finally decided on doing the Tai Chi – Staff on Wednesday afternoons at 1.30pm – 2.30pm at Regatta Park, River Road, Emu Plains.  We will meet at the park’s car park which is only small so we won't miss seeing anyone.  If coming from Penrith, you just go over Victoria Bridge, past the Log Cabin and, once off the bridge, one turns left at the first set of lights and then practically down just a bit and then turn into the car park that is on your right. If coming from the mountains, take the Emu Plains turn off and, at the exit, take the left turn and at the first set of lights turn right, which will be onto The Great Western Highway. One just drives down past to the fourth set of lights and turn right into River Road and you will see the park.
To do the staff, you can buy from Bunnings in Castlereigh Road in their Garden Department a bamboo stake.  It has a pointy bit that is easily shaved off or cut off.  The staff should be from the floor to your
eyebrows in height.  The bamboo stakes at Bunnings used to be $2.50.

We thought we would start on the 23rd of July the first Wednesday back.

The Tai Chi Staff was one of the first ways for farmers to defend themselves.

A lot of them would use their rakes or hoes to fight off an enemy as they were not allowed to have rifles or could not afford them, being men on the land and probably very isolated.

The staff form looks hard to learn but once you have learned the basics, it is a good work-out and most of my students have lots of fun.

When I first learnt it, there was a warning to this though: 'Adults and Sticks Are Very Dangerous'. Hence the reason to have lots of room in Regatta Park, Emu Plains.

It does help to have had some basic Tai Chi knowledge.

Thank you, Christie

Follow-up email from Christie:

The course on Wednesday went fantastic.  Four ladies attended and they took to the staff like ducks to water.  One lady said she hoped I did not mind that they were having such a good time with all the laughter that was going on.  Everyone helped out if something was not understood and they learnt more than I thought they were going to.  We even had a photo shoot which caused more laughter and fun. It was a success; hope all our lessons are the same.

Further details can be obtained from Christie – tel: 4735 2827 email: crispeny@bigpond.net.au

Current Events - at Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre

Peter McNeill will tutor this course at 2.45pm to 4.15pm on Wednesdays in Terms 3 and 4. Further details can be obtained from Peter – tel: 4787 6178 email: burntrice@bigpond.com

Growing up about America: Gary Werskey has cancelled this Term 4 course and replaced it with:

The US Elections: The Candidates, Issues and Implications for Australia

Course description: This year's Presidential election is one of the most interesting and anticipated contests in recent US history.  The course will coincide with the closing stages of the election and continue just beyond it to reflect on the results not just in the White House but in Congress as well.  We'll start with brief reviews of both the American electoral process and US postwar elections, before considering the profiles of the candidates and where they and their parties' platforms stand on key domestic and international issues.  Hopefully there will be a chance to review one of the main debates between the candidates, as well as the drama of the election night results.  There will also be a chance to consider the impact of the new President and Congress on Australia and the world at large.

Times & place:

• Venue: 21 Gordon Avenue, Blackheath

• Times: Term 4, Wednesdays (2-4 pm), October 15 and concluding November 12. 

• Class size: limit of 10 

Dr Werskey is an American-Australian dual citizen, who holds a PhD in history from Harvard University.  Like Barack Obama -- whom he is supporting in this election -- Gary spent part of his youth on the south side of Chicago.  He also served as a Congressional speechwriter in the 1960s for one of Obama's senior foreign policy advisors, the Hon. Lee Hamilton.  For those concerned about potential bias, he has remained good friends with many Republicans, including a former Nixon speechwriter.  His academic interests include postwar American foreign policy and US political cartoonists. 

Cheers, Gary 

U3A Choir at Penrith: Marie Stewart has started a small choir that meets at 11.30am on Fridays at Penrith School of Arts, 3 Castlereagh St, Penrith. There are only 5 members so far. If you are interested – you do not have to be a good singer, just enthusiastic – why not come and see if you would like to join? For more information, contact Marie – tel: 9832 7190 email: mar-stew@bigpond.net.au

We hope the choir will lead our singing at the U3A Social Dance on Saturday 2^nd August.

Ageing Gratefully

Val McCrae has decided to postpone this course until next year. For more information contact Val

Tel: 4753 6321 email: valmccrae@hotmail.com . Val also has a website: www.valmccrae.com

U3A Handbook for 2009

In the next few days we will be sending out letters to Tutors thanking them for tutoring our classes in 2008 and asking if they wish to give a course in 2009 and if so to provide details for printing in our U3A Handbook for 2009. If you, or someone you know, would like to give a U3A course in 2009, please contact: Alan Lees Tel: 4736 5541 Email: alanlees@y7mail.com

We will have to get the Handbook proof of to the printers by the end of September, so we will require details of 2009 courses by 12^th September.

If you have any photographs of your classes or tutors that could be printed in our U3A Handbook for 2009, please post or email them to the Office. If you wish we will enter them in the Photographic Competition – see details below:

We would like a photograph to put on the cover of our U3A Handbook for 2009. The photograph can be of any topic but it must be able to be printed in black & white.

Please send your photographs – you can send as many as you want - to the Office, Attention Petr Malek. Petr, who is our Photography Tutor, will judge the best photograph for the cover of our U3A Handbook for 2009 and the winner will receive a one-year subscription to our U3A. What a magnificent Prize!

The competition closes at 2.00pm Friday 5^th September, 2008.

Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association – ASCCA

10^th Australian Computer Conference for Seniors at the Powerhouse Museum , Darling Harbour, Sydney at 9.30am – 3.30pm on Wednesday 27^th & Thursday 28^th August 2008.

Registration Fees: $50 for One day or $80 for Two Days. This includes: attendance at all sessions; morning tea; hot/cold buffet lunch; conference packs.

The program will include keynote speakers and breakout sessions.

• Peter Blasina – Gadget Man

• Peter Cullen – US based Chief Privacy Strategist and Senior Director, Microsoft

• Department of Health and Ageing, Health & Technology

• Blogging

• Family History

• Clubs Speak out! (with question time)

• The magic of words

• Trade Shows

• Spotlight on Clubs

More information is available at www.ascca.org.au/conference2008/index.html

ASSCA has supplied the Office with: An ASCCA Club Information Manual and a Security on the Internet manual with CDs. These may be borrowed from the Office.

There are also Raffle tickets for an ASCCA Fundraiser: $2 per ticket or $5 for 3 tickets

1^st prize: Dell 19” Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor (Value $260)

2^nd prize: 12.1” Black acrylic LCD digital frame (Value $205)

3^rd prize: Logitec QuickCam for Notebooks (Value $80)

Tickets are available from the Office

Walking with a Touch of History in August:

Details of all Walks for Term 3 are shown on the website. U3A Members can join any Walking Group. But Group A and Group B are for “Medium walkers” and Group C is for “Gentle walkers”.