|
|
|
Afternoon Tea for Tutors & Volunteers on Friday, 10th October was held in the Macquarie Room at the Penrith RSL Club. What a difference to last year’s Afternoon Tea! There was more food than we could eat and Nick and I did try our best.
Our President - Reg Grace - made a short speech thanking all the Tutors and Volunteers for giving their time and expertise without which we would not be able to run our U3A. He also presented a framed certificate to Ursula Zdenkowsky who has decided to retire after tutoring German at our U3A since its inception 19 years ago.
Tutors and Volunteers were invited to check out and make alterations to a draft of our U3A 2009 Handbook
Blackheath Rhododendron Garden & Art Show – Saturday, 1st November 2008
This excursion is being run in conjunction with the U3A Sydney Chapter - leader Bobbie Kersten
(Tel: 9688 7000 after 7pm).
Visit the lovely Blue Mountain township of Blackheath, ablaze with beautiful rhododendrons. Browse through the amazing Art Show then climb aboard the quaint trolley bus to travel to the gardens.
Bring a` sandwich or buy a Devonshire Tea/Coffee in the Log Cabin, where you can sit overlooking the
gardens and lake or take a stroll through this wonderful garden.
Transport arrangements: 9.09am train from Penrith (use third carriage).
Use your $2.50 excursion ticket. Return Trip; 2.12pm from Blackheath.
NB: Call Transport Info Line 131500 for any change. Buses will replace trains if track work is scheduled.
U3A Members Social Dance at 7.30pm to 11.00pm on Saturday, 1st November 2008
Another U3A Members Social Dance for all U3A members, their partners, family and friends will be held on Saturday in the Penrith School of Arts Hall, 3 Castlereagh Street, Penrith. A "gold coin donation" per person is requested to cover refreshments (tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits). However, you may also ‘BYO’ refreshments (including alcohol).
If you have a CD of music that you would like to dance to, please bring it with you.
U3A Annual General Meeting - 2.00pm on Saturday, 8th November 2008
We have arranged for our Annual General Meeting to be held at the Mid Mountains Community Centre, New & Staple Sts, Lawson. We hope that there will be a good turn out of members from all areas.
If a quorum of 25 members is not achieved within 30 minutes of the proposed starting time, the AGM will be held at Penrith School of Arts Hall, 3 Castlereagh Street, Penrith at 2pm on Friday 14th November 2008.
Please remember that our constitution stipulates that the AGM is for receiving reports from our Office Bearers and the establishment of our new Committee.
If you wish to nominate for a Committee position, please advise our Secretary – Brenda Emerson - at least one week prior to the Meeting.
Christmas Time Luncheon at Jamberoo Valley Lodge Wednesday 12th November.
Coach departs from Panthers at 8.30am.
Payment of $62.00 per person must be made when you make your booking, please. Cash or cheque only. You can send a cheque by mail if you wish.
Bring your partner or friend. Come and join us for a fun day out – many have already booked. But there are still several places available and “the more the merrier”.
We will be travelling south to Shellharbour for morning tea, then onto Jamberoo Lodge, nestled on ten acres of landscaped gardens in the lush Jamberoo Valley. We will be welcomed on arrival by our hosts
for the day for a “Christmas Time Luncheon” with all the trimmings.
There will be Christmas decorations and bon-bons with a one man band to entertain you. After lunch
we rejoin the coach for home with a stop at Kiama on the way.
Our lunch menu will be as follows
Soup of the Day,
Trio of Roasted Breast of Turkey, Baked Leg Ham and Loin of Pork served with all the trimmings. Followed by Plum Pudding served with Brandy Sauce,
Freshly brewed tea and coffee served with after Dinner Mints.
All washed down with a bottle of white wine and a jug of orange juice per table of 8-10.
Congratulations and best wishes to Ursula and Keith
At our first German class this term our tutor Ursula Zdenkowsky announced her intention to retire from the task. We were all a little saddened but realise Ursula has made a grand commitment to U3A over the last nineteen years since the Penrith chapter’s inception.
What she hadn’t formally announced at the time was her marriage during 2008 to her long time pupil and close companion Keith Muller! This information makes Ursula’s desire for more freedom even more understandable and together she and Keith will have the opportunity to join the grey nomad brigade. Having watched this contagious habit cause constant absenteeism in almost every class throughout the year it is little wonder that Ursula and Keith have come down with the “ailment.”
Because Ursula is so committed and has made friends with all the class members, we were delighted to hear she had inveigled Christa Clarke to continue convening the class through 2009. Christa is the German born wife of a fellow student and is already well known and highly regarded by the class members as she has occasionally acted as locum for Ursula.
We all hope that the friendship we have formed will continue and Ursula has agreed to join our regular end of term party gathering whenever she and Keith are available.
U3A Handbook for 2009
The Handbook proof has been signed off and we hope to have copies to post to all members with the Term 4 Newsletter shortly after the Annual General Meeting in November.
Details of all the 2009 courses are shown on our website www.u3anepean.org
However, 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
Even if we are too late for printing details of new courses in the Handbook, we can advertise new courses in our Newsletters, in our Daily Class Schedules, in local Newspapers and on our website.
Basic Computing in Term 4
There are still some places available for this course. For more details contact:
Jim Percy - tel: 4758 6009 Email: jp34@tpg.com.au
Ball Room Dancing in Term 4
Classes will re-start on Friday 7th November -1.00pm and 3.00pm - in the Penrith School of Arts.
The program started on Friday 5th September with the Modern (Jazz) Waltz. We will progress to Social Foxtrot, Slow Foxtrots, Quick Steps and Swings, Old Time and New Vogue, Bossa Nova, Cha Cha, Mambo, Samba, Tango etc., both in Freestyle and Sequence.
Everyone is welcome.
For further information, please contact: Allan Bond FATD or Beverley on 4729 1508, or
Alan Lees on 4736 5541 Email: alanlees@y7mail.com
Good News for Writers in 2009
Next year Dave Evans will try to arrange for two Creative Writing courses at Blaxland Neighbourhood Centre and Judith Hill will start a course on Writing Your Personal History at the Penrith School of Arts.
Walking with a Touch of History in November:
Details of all Walks for Term 3 are shown on the website. U3A Members can join any Walking Group. But Walks A and Walks B are for “medium walkers” and Walks C are for “gentle walkers”.
CLICK HERE to see the walking program.
2010 U3A NSW State Conference
We have sold all 200 tickets for the “guessing” competition to raise funds for the 2010 U3A NSW State Conference and two lucky $50 winners have already been advised. There are 7 more chances to win $50 and one chance to win the $450 major prize.
Noelene Brown – the well-known actress and comedian – has been invited, as Australia’s first Ambassador for Ageing, to be a guest speaker at the Conference.
Christmas Party Alternative
Because our last Christmas Party was poorly attended – possibly because there are so many other commitments at this time of year, the Committee will consider holding a party at the Winter Solstice (21st June) instead.
Newsletters:
The closing date for submissions to the monthly Email Newsletter is one week before the end of each month. However, if you miss the date, your submission will go in the following month’s newsletter – if I remember. Submissions should be sent to the Office – Attention Curriculum Convener or preferably emailed to alanlees@y7mail.com
Next Committee Meeting
The next Committee Meeting (for our newly elected Committee Members) will be held at the Penrith School of Arts at 1.30pm on Tuesday 11 November, 2008.
Joke from Dave Evans’s Creative Writing course student, Moyra Rocchio.
I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.
I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?'
'No, I had to stop drinking years ago', the homeless woman told me.
'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked.
'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'
'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.
'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'
'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'
The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'
I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine.'
Joke from across the ditch
An elderly man in Winklespruit calls his son in Cape Town and says, 'I hate to ruin your Christmas, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; 35 years of misery is enough.'
'Dad, what are you talking about?' the son screams.
'We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,' the old man says.
'We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in England and tell her,' and he hangs up.
Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.
'Like heck they're getting divorced,' she shouts, 'I'll take care of this.'
She calls her dad immediately, and screams at the old man, 'You are NOT getting divorced!
Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there on Friday. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?' and hangs up.
The old man hangs up and turns to his wife.
'Okay,' he says, 'they're coming for Christmas and paying their own airfares.'
Disclaimer – Articles contributed to this Newsletter and published as a service to members; do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of this association. Articles are intended as opinions and items of debate only and should not be acted on without expert advice
^
Click Here
to return to top of page.