Newsletter, June 2009

Events

Biggest Morning Tea:
Our Biggest Morning Tea held at the Penrith School of Arts on Thursday 28th May raised $704 for the Cancer Council thanks to all the volunteers and attendees.

Sausage Sizzle at BUNNINGS on Saturday 30 May
made over $500 for our U3A State Conference in 2010. Well done all those volunteers.

Visit to Little Italy on Monday 1st June
Our Italian tutor, Jim Tiberi, has organised a bus to take many of his Italian Class students on a visit to Little Italy (or Leichhardt) for an Italian experience—i.e. Lunch and shopping.

U3A Bus Trip to Erina on Wednesday 3 June 2009
Eight seats still available – Contact Brenda Emerson - 4721 1735:
First stop will be Erina for a visit to St Fiacre Distillery. Take a deep breath at the front gate; relax your mind as we slip into a green and fragrant land. Morning tea will be served in the garden café. Afterwards enjoy a stroll in the gardens to take in the fragrance, and a tour of the distillery with a tasting of the Australian liqueurs. We then travel on to Wyong and the Strathavon Heritage Resort, a grand stately manor filled with atmosphere and history of a bygone era. Here we will partake in a 1930s style luncheon menu, one of those yummy meals of yesteryear. We will also enjoy a “Skeletons in the Closet” family history presentation by a historian. Ever wondered about your family history? Discover who you really are! Today will be your chance to see what you can find out.
Cost for this most informative and interesting day out will be $55.00 per person. The coach will depart from Panthers at 8am.
COME ALONG WITH US AND ENJOY A GREAT DAY OUT

Photography at 11.00am to 12.30pm on Tuesdays 2nd & 9th June and Thursdays 11th & 18th June
Our U3A Photography tutor, Petr Malek, will demonstrate on the above dates how to use Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 at the Penrith Valley Seniors Computing Club to members of his class who have joined that club. This program allows for photo-manipulation to adjust a captured image to an acceptable level. The aim of the tutorial will be to get basic understanding of the program. Areas covered will be:
Does it need darkening or lightening
Maybe a crop will improve composition
Subject not prominent enough
Background too intrusive
Will the image benefit by a border
Think of final image size and use…for email…for printing.
Continue on these lines to form an idea of how to the start the image manipulation,… just to name a few.

How to Protect Yourself Seminar at 11am to 12noon on Wednesday 17th June
A Free Seminar for all Seniors (50 years and over) about "How to Protect Yourself from Internet-based Scams and ATM Skimming Devices" will be held at 11.00am to 12.00noon on Wednesday 17th June at the Penrith Valley Seniors Computing Club in the Penrith Seniors Centre, 86 Station St., Penrith. Mr John Morrow, Senior Investigator from National Bank, will be the guest speaker.

Movie & Supper Night at 7.30pm on Saturday 27 June
John Morehead (Tel: 4721 0518) has a Movie & Supper Night each month in his home at 136 Jamison Road, Penrith.
John was a projectionist at the local movie theatre in Penrith and still runs the old 16mm movies.
On Saturday 27 June, he will be showing Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (B&W) - plus Newsreel & Cartoon.
John only asks for a voluntary donation to cover the cost of the refreshments.
U3A members and their guests will be welcome.

2009 International year of Astronomy – Introductory Astronomy & Concepts of the Universe
This is not a U3A Course. But it does look interesting and we would appreciate feed-back on the course.
A series of nine lectures will be presented on astronomy and space science. The lectures are free and for beginners and enthusiasts. No background in science is required.
22nd June - Ancient and Indigenous Astronomy
29th June – Astronomy and Telescopes
6th July – The Nature of Light and Atoms
13th July – Stars and Galaxies
20th July - Strange and Powerful Objects
27th July – The Solar System and Planetary Science
3rd August – Planet Earth
10th August – Extraterrestrial Worlds and Life
17th August – Space Travel
Where and When? Emergency Services Centre, Training Room
Cnr Bathurst and Valley Roads, Katoomba.
For 9 weeks every Monday evening, 6.30 p.m. – 7.30 p.m.
Call Scott Williams on 0419 694 178 or
Email faaarwest2k@hotmail.com for more information.

General Information

An Introduction to the Visual Arts [Practice and Theory]
Lorraine White, a retired Art Teacher, will run a new Art course in Terms 3 and 4 at the Penrith School of Arts Hall commencing on Thursday 30 July between 10.45am and 12.45pm.
This is a varied course, for keen novices or for those with aptitude but without formal training.  Structured classes in drawing, painting and designing will provide varied experiences and a foundation of skills and information, which in turn will enable understanding the key to the creative process.  There will be chalk and talk, gallery visits and some occasional [optional] research as we work towards appreciating and understanding the alternate perceptions of 20th century art.
  For the first lesson participants need bring only notepad, plus 2xA2 cartridge sheets, 1x3b and 1x6b pencil. Later, a set of primary acrylics colours [red, blue, yellow, black, white], a packet of bristle/fitch brushes and a No. 6 acrylic [soft] hair brush.  Buy only student quality unless you are already flying. Additional media to be advised as course progresses.

Ballroom Dancing
Dennis Waugh has started teaching Ballroom Dancing at the Penrith School of Arts at 1.00pm to 3.00pm on Fridays while Allan Bond is recovering from a knee replacement operation. Allan had his operation on Monday 25th May and Bev says that he is recovering well. We hope to see him back at the U3A soon.

First Aid for Seniors in Term will return in Term 3
Yvonne Cassidy: 4736 4715
Penrith School of Arts Hall
Thursdays: 1.00pm – 3.00pm
6 Sessions – Commencing 30 July
This is a basic introduction to First Aid. Students need to purchase a First Aid book, cost approximately $6.00.

Food and Nutrition for the Good Life will return in Term 3
Roger French: 4721 5068, Email: rfrench@health.org.au, Penrith School of Arts Hall
Fortnightly – 11.00am to 1.00pm on Tuesdays in Term 3 only commencing on Tues 28th July.
An elementary course explaining how to put together a balanced diet of unprocessed natural foods – with a strong emphasis on flexibility and avoiding fanaticism. The aim is to maintain health or to reverse existing illness through self-healing on the basis that nutrition is a factor in most illnesses. The course is not about treating disease.
The program covers:
1.The trouble with modern foods. The major nutrients – proteins, carbohydrates (sugars and starches), fats (we must have some fat), fibre;
2.Foods supplying those nutrients, including a visual demonstration of a wide range of food items;
3.Minerals, vitamins, enzymes and water. Food combining for better digestion and avoiding indigestion. The principles and practices of a balanced daily meal plan;
4.Nutrition for the prevention of heart disease;
5.Nutrition and other lifestyle for the prevention of cancer;
6.How to detox and facilitate self-healing through nutrition.
Roger has a Diploma of Nutrition from a natural therapies college and has been Health Educator for 26 years with the Natural Health Society of Australia, a not-for-profit organisation, established in 1960 and based in Penrith. He was formerly the manager of the Hopewood Health Retreat at Wallacia NSW.

Tai Chi
Christie Wood would like to thank her Tai Chi students, Lorraine Brown, Alan Lees and David Wilson for going to the Emu Plains Community Day and joining her to put on a lovely display of Tai Chi and Tai Chi Fan.  Christie would like to thank them for giving up their Saturday time for the Emu Plains Neighbourhood Centre to complete a perfect day.  Regards Christie

Yoga
Carmen Ceniza has changed the start time of her class on Tuesdays to 11.00am

German for Beginners
This course will now run between 11.15am and 12.15pm on Mondays in the VAD Room at the Penrith School of Arts.

Hey Ma! I'm in the Movies
In March this year, two members of our Creative Writing Class—Moyra Rocchio and Jean Perkins—participated in a week-long workshop at the Young at Heart Film Making Lab.
The workshop was conducted by The Festivalists.
Based in Sydney, The Festivalists Ltd are specialists in film festival production. This non-profit company exists since July 2005 to showcase the talents of under-represented filmmakers and to develop audiences for their products in Australia. Their mission is to facilitate the promotion of international film and video culture, to raise the profile of independent films in Australia and to present work that enriches cultural diversity and experience for all audiences.
The workshop is free and is restricted to people aged sixty and over. Moyra and Jean were selected as part of the workshop group of twenty people. Students spent the week making a short film, To Catch a Thief, and learning the techniques necessary to do so, including script-writing, directing, camera, acting, and editing. They were given the opportunity to nominate which of these skills they preferred to learn during the actual film making.
Jean was very enthusiastic about the course. "Everybody was so supportive. It was quite different to being on stage," she said. Jean, whose achievements have included acting, found it an enjoyable experience."
During the script-writing phase the class was broken up into groups of four, and each group worked on their own version. When they were completed the whole class voted on which would be the final script. That written by Jean and Moyra's group was selected.
Set in Kings Cross, the movie started as a group of friends met for coffee. An opportunistic thief stole Jean's bag and found himself pinned to the ground by a walking frame before being pursued through an Internet cafe by vengeful pursuers.
It was very clever, very entertaining, and shows just what can be done with a few minutes of video time. The video has been temporarily embedded on the U3A Nepean home page. Take a couple of minutes to watch it. Don't turn it off before the credits are finished—there's a very funny blooper from Jean right at the end.
There's a second video from the course available on YouTube. It's a series of brief comments from the participants on the course, including Moyra and Jean.
If you're interested in film making, this workshop is expected to be run again next March. You'll need to get your application in early, but the organisers have promised to let us know so that we can add a promotion to our web page.
Stop Thief was given a wild card entry into the "Third Young at Heart Short Film Awards". It was one of eight finalists but didn't win a prize.
              —David Evans

Yvonne Hardiman is a Star
While anybody who knows her would agree with the title of this piece, it might be more accurate to have written, "Yvonne Hardiman is IN the Star" because when the Penrith Star published a story this week about Safety in the Bush, it was Yvonne they approached for expert advice. The story, about a new police initiative called Think Before You Trek under which bush walkers can borrow a personal locator beacon before venturing into the wild to allow search and rescue squads to locate them more quickly.
The Star contacted Yvonne, as an authority on bush walking safety and the article is quoted below.
St Clair bushwalking guide Yvonne Hardiman also stresses the importance of bush walking preparation and safety.
She has been a guide for the Nepean Blue Mountains University of the Third Age weekly "Walking with a touch of history" group for two-and-a-half years.
Her essential list includes maps, water, being hydrated before setting out, food, layers of clothing, bright colours, appropriate footwear and a lighter.
A small first aid kit is a must too.
"The bush is very unforgiving to people who are under prepared and inexperienced," she said. "People should also know their own limitations and stick to them."
The complete article has been published on line and can be accessed at the Penrith Star's web page.
Nice work, Yvonne. Now the rest of Penrith knows what we already knew—you're a star!

Does History Have a Future?
Does Australian history have a future? is the tantalising subject of Professor Anne Curthoys's opening lecture in the Blackheath History Forum for 2009, titled "Debating Australian History". It is being organised by Dr. Gary Werskey who will be happy to answer any queries if you email him at garywerskey@optusnet.com.au.
The forum will be held, fortnightly, in the Blackheath Primary School Hall commencing on August 1. The two hour sessions start at 4.00 pm and will comprise a talk followed by a discussion period. Tea and coffee will be available (a gold coin donation appreciated).
Please note: this is not a U3A class and is not covered by your membership fee. The admission will be $5 per session. It's a steal!
The sessions will be moderated by Dr Neal Blewett, formerly the Federal Health Minister in the Hawke/Keating administrations.

U3a Pencil Drawing Class in Western Weekender
Under the heading, Fun for Young and Old, relating to the Werrington Festival, the Western Weekender this week published a photograph of Noel Borland's U3A Pencil Drawing Class. You can read the full article with two photographs by CLICKING HERE.

Maureen Maguire receives a “Thank-you” from ASCCA
QUOTE
It is always gratifying to have feedback from our readers - thanks to Maureen Maguire from the U3A Nepean Blue Mountains, who took the time to email us at ASCCA and tell us that she grew up in England, where all the war poems taught to her as a child were, “All about bravery and the glorification of death in war”.  Maureen told us that a few years ago she found the very honest Rudyard Kipling poem we quoted.  She recommends a book, The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry: Revised Edition (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) (Paperback) by Various (Authors), Jon Silkin (Editor) which also contains poems written by German, French and Italian soldiers, and she comments that they all shared similar experiences and none of them found them heroic.
 Maureen particularly mentioned "Dulce et Decorum Est" which is a horrifyingly honest poem about a gas attack, written by Wilfred Owen in October 1917 and sent to his mother.  A little more research reveals that Wilfred Owen was killed one week before the end of the war and the news of his death was given to his mother on Armistice Day.  He was posthumously awarded the Military Cross for his courage and leadership while storming enemy strong points near the village of Joncourt.
UNQUOTE
Thanks to Maureen for her thoughts. A quick look at Amazon.com reveals 22 used copies of The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry are available starting at a very low price.

Walking with a Touch of History in June:
U3A Members can join any Walking Group. But Walks A and Walks B are for “Medium walkers” and Walks C are for “Gentle walkers”.
Details of all Walks for Term 2 are shown on our website HERE.

Committee News

Newsletters:
Any Newsletter contributions for the Term 3 publication should arrive at the office, attention Newsletter Editor prior to Friday 12 June 2009. Send details to the office or alternatively email: u3anepoff@optusnet.com.au . Let us know what information or articles interest you, after all it is your newsletter.

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 will be held at the Penrith School of Arts at 1.30pm on Tuesday 9 June, 2009.

Disclaimer
Articles contributed to this Newsletter and published as a service to members; do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of this organisation. Articles are intended as opinions and items of debate only and should not be acted on without expert advice.