|
|
|
PLEASE NOTE: Because no electronic version of the newsletter has been made available to me, what follows is a summary of the main points. Photographs will be included when they are made available.
My apologies go to those contributors whose notices of events have been omitted because their date had already been passed.
|
The Annual General Meeting of the University of the Third age – Nepean, Blue Mountains, Chifley Chapter Inc. will be held on Friday November 10, 2006 commencing at 2.00 pm at the School of Arts, 3 Castlereagh Street, Penrith |
From the President
This newsletter includes a notice of the Annual General Meeting. The financial statements for the year (appended to the mail-out version) show a loss of $1621.71.
The twelve months have passed very quickly for me and I believe the Committee has been able to achieve a lot in this time. Our Curriculum Sub-Committee has maintained and added to the selection of courses available and these have been well attended.
As you know all positions on the Committee will be open for nominations and I hope that more members will come forward to be involved in keeping the organisation running smoothly. For any voluntary group to prosper it needs an active Committee working behind the scenes. This includes working in the office answering phone enquiries, attending various venues for promotion and publicity, preparing the newsletter and communicating with our tutors who are the life blood of the organisation. If any of this interests you, please apply. The rewards are worth the effort. There are lots of interesting people in U3A and being on the Committee gives you the opportunity to meet more members
Since our last newsletter I have received letters of complaint from people who thought the Committee intended to change the name of our organisation. Please be assured there is no intention of doing that. It has never even been considered by the Committee. I am concerned that unfounded rumours only cause trouble for all involved.
—Reg Grace
Your U3A Needs YOU!
We need nominations for Committee positions to take on key roles in the operation of the chapter of U3A. Most notably the roles of Curriculum Co-ordinator and Newsletter Editor are two positions that will become vacant at the AGM.
Training can be provided if you have not done this kind of work before and the more experienced Committee members will help newcomers.
Nomination forms are available at the office.
German Conversation Plus
After attending the German Conversation group for a few terms it dawned on me that I was getting more than I'd bargained for. Not only was my spoken German getting a boost, I was gaining cultural and grammatical insights as well.
Our mentor, Ursula Zdenkowski, once told me she had been reluctant to take on tutor responsibilities because she felt unqualified to teach. Fortunately, she was persuaded and now encourages tongue-tied trainees to forget their inhibitions and jump in the deep end.
Being part of the German Conversation group is a bit like belonging to a family whose members share experience and ideas in a stimulating and beneficial way. We learn from each other, solving problems and sometimes making quantum leaps in our understanding of words and phrases that were previously shrouded in a Teutonic fog.
To become experienced and comfortable in another language is a continuous process. It's easy to get side-tracked and lose focus. For this reason, Ursula's good-humoured guidance has become a high point in my week.
It's not all real and earnest though. We have a lot of fun. At term's end there is a get-together, sometimes at a member's home or a restaurant—once at the Rowing Club, where we startled patrons with German songs.
Ursula Zdenkowski's goodwill and professionalism are reminders of the efforts of all volunteer tutors who prepare for classes, week after week. Three cheers for our U3A Tutors! Where would we be without them?
—John Clarke
Thanks Nick—the bus trip to Canberra was enjoyed by all
I would like to thank Reg Grace, Tony Sherry and Nick Hill for the wonderful day out we had to Canberra. The day was well organised and this made it more enjoyable for all those who took the opportunity to travel to Canberra to visit Parliament House.
I had never visited Parliament House before so i got a great deal out of the day. The meal we purchased was excellent. The trip to and from Canberra was also enjoyable. The bus driver was a pleasant young man who went out of his way to make everyone feel welcome on the bus. Nick fussed around and made sure all were accounted. All in all it was a great day. I hope there will be more to come in the future.
—Maureen Whitney
Inge, Peter, Maria, Toni, Keith, Barbara, Marcia, Graham, John, Sheila and many more, totalling 45 members, attended the bus trip to Canberra.
What a good day was had by all! Jackie Kelly joined us for lunch and had a chat to everyone individually. Kerry Bartlett also joined in and gave us a warm welcome to Canberra. We had a stop on the way and also on the way home when ice creams, cake and coffee were in great demand. We also got to see the powers-that-be in operation during Question Time, adding some entertainment to the day.
—Tony Sherry
Some Questions about U3A
The article by Liz Connor in the last issue of this Newsletter did create some food for thought because we received a number of responses to it.
It is not practicable to publish individual letters in the space available, but I can report that there were comments supporting the emphasis she put on the phrase "a learning community" and also strong support for the name "University of the Third Age".
We are at an interesting stage in our history. Questions that seem important to me are:
The retirees of today
are vastly different from their brothers and sisters of twenty years ago. Not for today's retirees the drabness and depredation of the Depression and World War II. They have lived through more prosperous and more affluent times. On the whole they have had the benefit of a better and higher standard of education and the modern technological advances have changed the way they live and access information.
A large number of today's retirees, both men and women, have been in employment all their working lives and have more money to spend in retirement than their predecessors. There is a myriad of organisations competing for their attention—budget travel, cheaper air fares, sporting clubs, community colleges, university extension courses, craft groups, all readily available.
However, like their predecessors, they are seeking the mental stimulation of studying subjects and recreational activities which their busy working lives denied them. So how can the U3A respond? Obviously its big attraction is the minimal cost and the pool of voluntary, qualified tutors on which it can draw. Its policy of avoiding competition with commercial ventures has brought it great respect within the community and the esteem of the local and state governments. Over-concern about falling numbers could lead us to jeopardise this valued position. We offer a unique qualify community service which is highly valued. To maintain our respected reputation as an educational institution for senior citizens we must continue to put quality before quantity.
—Marie Standen
| Notices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Apology The committee wishes to apologise to the members and tutors of the Painting class and Discover the Heavens' Secrets class for the need to cancel one session during early August due to miscommunication about the key. |
VALE Stewart Gunn Stewart was a member of Keith Webster's class. He died on 7/9/06. We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife and family. |
New Award Congratulations to our former president and current committee member, Lynda Henderson, who was one of the recipients of the Wall of Achievement awards for 2006 organised by the Penrith City Council. This award recognises significant achievements that local people have made to the community, including our U3A activities. As a matter of fact several of our members have received this prestigious award in previous years. They are Ted Baker (2000), Margaret Borland, Noel Borland and Yvonne Cassidy (2002), Gwen Turnbull and Jean Turner 2003 and Joe Harman (2004). |
Sat. Oct 7 & Sat. Oct 4 Around 11.00 am at Caddie's Place, Castlereagh St., Penrith opposite the U3A rooms. There will be two more coffee mornings for this year, in October and November. In December the gathering will be an afternoon Christmas Party instead. The coffee mornings in April and July were very enjoyable and seemed to catch on with twelve people at the first one and more than 20 at the second. |
Practices in Stagecraft with Joan and Ross Vaughan-Taylor will resume in 2007. |
Creative Writing Success Congratulations to Margaret Skiller from our popular Creative Writing class. We have learned from tutor, David Evans, that Margaret entered three stories in the Nepean Eisteddfod and received third prize for her Smoke on the Hillside and was highly commended for the other two. Smoke on the Hillside is a tale of black and white interaction during the early days of settlement in the Penrith Valley. That is great news and very encouraging for all class members. |
| We wish a very happy 93rd birthday to the effervescent Molly Hubbard. You may remember Molly a couple of years ago doing Tai Chi with a broken arm (in plaster) and now back to peak fitness seen doing a Harbour Bridge Climb recently. It must be the Tai Chi! |
Patchwork Pam Turnedge will not be tutoring Patchwork in Term 4. |
Christmas Party Saturday, December 2 — 1pm - 5pm at the U3A Rooms, 3 Castlereagh Street, Penrith Come whenever you can top join in some Christmas Cheer during the afternoon. There is no charge: just bring yourself. |
New Courses Starting in Term 4
Re-advertised Courses Started in Term 3
^
Click Here
to return to top of page.