30th anniversary bendigo 30th... · 2020-04-27 · members wishing to learn a different size...

30th ANNIVERSARY

U3A BENDIGO

30th YEAR

LIVE

LEARN

ENJOY

2019

U3A BENDIGO

2

Published by U3A Bendigo 2020

PO Box 274, Bendigo VIC 3552

Copyright U3A Bendigo 2020

This book is copyright in all countries subscribing to the Berne Convention. Apart from

any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as

permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process

without written permission.

Enquires should be made to U3A Bendigo.

Email [email protected]

DISCLAIMER

This publication is a collection of articles supplied by current members. It is not intended

to provide a comprehensive record of events throughout 2019. It is intended to be a

collection of memories to celebrate the 30th year of U3A Bendigo.

People in photos are not named as it was not considered possible to list everyone.

Editor: Alison Oppermann

Printed by: BendiMail, PO Box 2655 BENDIGO VIC, 3554

Front and Back Photo

This photo of the tree at the south-east corner of St Mary’s car park was taken by Mollie

Angel.

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MONDAY

ROOM 1

9.00am Committee Monthly

10.00am Coding & Mechatronics Week 2&4

10.00am Photo Editors & Presenters Week 3

1.15pm Discussion Group Weekly

ROOM 2

9.30am Recorder Playing for Beginners Weekly

10.45am Cryptic Crosswords Beginners Weekly

12.00pm French Elementary Group Weekly

2.30pm Chess Weekly

OFFICE

1.30pm Computers for Beginners as needed

OFFSITE

8.30am Walking for Fitness Weekly

9.00am Table Tennis Weekly

9.30am Art - Painting & Drawing Weekly

11.15am Aerobics for Seniors Weekly

1.00pm Water Aerobics Trial

4

TUESDAY

ROOM 1

10.00am Short Courses/Tuesday Talks Week 1,2,4,5

11.30am Health & Wellbeing Week 3

12.30pm Monthly Movie Week 3

1.30pm Radio Players Week 2&4

2.30pm Good Vibrations Week 1

3.30pm Flower Arranging Week 2&4

ROOM 2

9.00am Mah Jong Weekly

1.15pm Cribbage Weekly

OFFICE

9.00am Administration Weekly

HALL

1.00pm Yoga Weekly

OFFSITE

9.00am Mah Jong Weekly

2.00pm Embroidery & Craft Weekly

5

WEDNESDAY

ROOM 1

10.00am French Conversation Weekly

12.45pm French Advanced Weekly

2.00pm Spanish Conversation Weekly

ROOM 2

10.00am My Story Week 1&2

3.00pm Ukulele Advanced Weekly

HALL/NARTHEX

1.30pm Choir Weekly

1.30pm Social Gathering Week 4

3.00pm Ukulele Music Session Weekly

OFFSITE

9.00am Table Tennis Weekly

10.00am Art Gallery Group Week 3

6

THURSDAY

ROOM 1

10.00am Music for Pleasure Week 2&4

12.00pm Digital Phone Users Week 1 & 2

2.00pm Apple Mac Users Week 1

2.00pm Windows PC Users Week 2

2.00pm Digital Photography Week 4

4.00pm Online Support Team Week 3

ROOM 2

9.00am Mah Jong Week 1&3

10.00am RUGs Book Club Week 2

10.00am Book Chat Group Week

12.00pm Cryptic Crosswords Weekly

2.00pm Bookworms Week 3

2.00pm Poetry Appreciation Week 2&4

OFFICE

1.30pm Buzz folding Office 2nd last Thursday

HALL

11.30am Yoga Weekly

OFSITE

8.30am Hiking Weekly

8.30am Bushwalking Weekly

8.30am Walking for Fitness Weekly

12.00pm Thursday Lunch Week 1

1.30pm Social Bridge Weekly

2.00pm PANDI Games Week 1&3

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FRIDAY

ROOM 1

8.30am Beginners Meditation Trial

9.30am Meditation Weekly

1.30pm Musical Instrument Group Weekly

ROOM 2

9.30am Watercolour Week 1

10.00am Latin Continuing Week 2&4

11.30pm Watercolour for Beginners Week 1

1.00pm Guitar Group Weeks 2-5

2.00pm Chatterbooks Group Week 1

HALL

9.30am Tai Chi Hall Weekly

OFFSITE

10.00am Visiting Gardens & Growing Week 2&4

1.00pm Walking Futsal for Seniors Weekly

8

WHENEVER

HALLWAY

Library

OFFSITE

Swimming

Out & About

LOOKING BACK

History Diane Collier

From the Beginners - Computers Tom Dewhurst

30 Years of Technology Usage Michael Gallagher

Discussion Group Dawn Colbourne

Then & Now Jo Johnson

U3A 30 Years Old in 2020 David Elvery

LOOKING FORWARD

Kevin Harris

Marilyn Grossman

U3A Bendigo Anthem

9

8.30am - Offsite

Walking for Fitness

Convenors Tricia King and Wendy Smith

The walking for fitness group has been in operation since the late nineties. There is one couple who have been in the group since 2002, they have seen lots of changes. In the beginning the walk was either in the afternoon or the morning. One person would be responsible for leading and mapping the walks on both Monday & Thursday for the whole year, it became too onerous as that person couldn’t go anywhere for the whole year. Now we have 2 convenors, one for Monday & one for Thursday. All walkers now take a turn at mapping and leading a walk. This works out well as Thursday walks are usually in the area that the leader is familiar with anywhere from Eaglehawk, Huntly, Strathfieldsaye, Kangaroo Flat, Mandurang and everywhere in between, which is good for the group as we learn about different areas of Bendigo. You would be amazed at how many different walks can be done from Lake Weeroona which is where we meet on a Monday. One thing that has been consistent is the pace of the walk 5 to 6 km in the hour. Only about 10 walkers walked in the beginning, now we have around 70 people. On Mondays though there are 3 different levels to accommodate various levels of walking. After every walk a coffee is enjoyed with lots of chatter. For people new to Bendigo it’s a great way to meet people and discover the different areas!

MONDAY

10

9.00am - Room 1 - Week 1

Committee Meeting

President Ian Burdett

Vice President Vacant

Treasurer Mark King

Secretary Graham Robinson

Executive Officer Jill McArthur

Activities Co-ordinator Wilf Savage/Mary Toohey/Lyn Goodall

Helen Bandrowski

Lynda Burke

Michael Gallagher

Lyn Goodall

Marion Richardson

Barb Ritchie

Brenda Stevens-Chambers

This is what’s been happening at committee meetings in 2019….

February 4th - Committee of Management expressed thanks to convenors, helpers and catering staff who helped make Enrolment Day a great success. March 4th - New Members’ Day, a fantastic opportunity for new members to socialise over a light lunch. April 1st - Due to a missing cribbage board, it was suggested they be kept in the locked cupboard in Room 2 with the key held in the office. May 6th - All involved in organising and presenting were thanked for their assistance and support in conducting a successful AGM. June 3rd - Due to wall damage from chairs in Room 1, timber protectors will be fixed to the walls to prevent any further damage in both rooms. July 1st - Word-of-mouth is the best recommendation for most things and unlike websites and advertising, costs almost nothing. August 5th - Christmas in July gathering proved popular with around 70 members present. September 2nd - Bush walking groups have organised their new first aid kits. October 7th - At 30 September we have 705 financial members. November 4th - With people coming along to learn about U3A on our Open Day … visitors could experience more of what we offer. December 2nd - A fundraising BBQ at Bunnings was booked for 18th December. Another one planned for 2020.

MONDAY

11

9.00am - Offsite - Weekly

Table Tennis

Convenor Lyn Davis/Michele Robinson This social group has a diverse experience of table tennis. We enjoy a good physical work-out in a social and friendly setting at the Table Tennis Centre at Eaglehawk. The opportunity of challenging ourselves to move and improve our game is what we all love.

Fitness, good balance, coordination and a basic knowledge and skills of the game are required. We always have a morning tea break where friendships flourish.

MONDAY

12

9.30am - Room 2 - Weekly

Recorder Playing Beginners

Convenor Leo Overberg

There was quite a bit of interest from U3A members and we started the year with

members wishing to learn a different size instrument; 2 descants (the small recorders

typically used in primary schools and in the key of C), 2 trebles (slightly larger and in the

key of F), 2 tenors (larger again and in the key of C), and 1 bass (played by the convener).

The group grew during the year with the addition of experienced treble and tenor players

and also an Irish flute player.

Having 4 different size instruments meant that we could aim to play as a consort (a

group of recorders), a bit like different voices in a choir. We started at the very beginning

playing simple tunes such as ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’ but we progressed quickly as

most members played another instrument and could sight read music. It was just a

matter of learning the fingering for their chosen instrument and that is a slow process.

We meet for one hour each week on Monday’s at 9:15 am and we have a lot of fun.

The music we play ranges from medieval melodies with names such as ‘Bransle’ to more

modern compositions such as ‘Wooden Heart’ and ‘Advance Australia Fair’. Having the

latter in our repertoire meant that we opened the end-of-year U3A concert where we

played several items as a consort.

During the year we honed our skills and tried to overcome stage nerves by playing twice

for Vision Australia Bendigo, at Bethlehem Aged Care and at Caradon House for family

and friends (see photo).

We have progressed to the point where we are no longer a beginners group so if there are

any members wishing to learn from scratch there will be two groups in 2020; a beginners

group and one for players with some experience.

MONDAY

13


Painting & Drawing

Convenor Val Wellings

The art group has had a good year and produced

some great works of art using oil, acrylic, water

colour, pen and ink, and pencil. Several members

experimented with palette knives with

interesting results.

We had an exhibition of our works at the capital

theatre in January to March and we have also

exhibited in art shows around Victoria and sold several

paintings.

Tom Cook made a short film of our art group. He

interviewed each of us and we talked about our what we

do and why we do it. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=qYo1buCuMJk ). Paintings can have surprising results

like the water colour of rocks that some were certain

was actually a lizard. Different eyes see different

things. We enjoy a lot of chat and laughter and have

many lunches to celebrate our birthdays. Some of us

have been members for over 20 years and we never

want to leave.

MONDAY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYo1buCuMJk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYo1buCuMJk

14

10.00am - Room 1 Week 2 & 4

Coding & Mechatronics

Convenor Michael Gallagher and Ray Tampion

Twice a month on Mondays, the tables in Room 1 are strewn with PCs, power boards and

leads attached to motors and breadboards bristling with twinkling LEDs and other

electronic components.

If you had popped your head in the door on one of those occasions, you may have seen:

Barbara feeding Audio CDs into her machine and exporting playlists to create a

catalogue of her music collection;

Max interfacing an Arduino to a proximity sensor and programming it to display

the distance to nearby objects;

Don working out the timing logic for a set of model traffic lights on a Raspberry Pi

attached to an Arduino and an array of LEDs;

Ray preparing his laptop and 3-D Printer to demonstrate its use to the group;

Len acquainting himself with the Linux operating system working through a set of

Python programming exercises;

Lyn investigating Raspberry Pi projects on the Internet;

Michael programming a Raspberry Pi with a mini camera attached to pan-tilt

mechanism to capture a set of photos.

That’s the coding a mechatronics group in action, teaching themselves and assisting one

another to design, assemble and program digital devices to perform tasks.

MONDAY

15

10.00am - Room 1 Week 3

Photo Editors & Presenters

Convenor Robin Bland

How do you replace the sky in a photo, restore a torn, marked or faded photo, combine

several images into a composite image, improve a photo’s colour balance, bring out detail

in an under- or over-exposed image, correct a distorted image, or remove an unwanted

person or object…?

Robin is a master of photo-editing techniques and willingly shares his expertise with his

group as he leads them through these and many other tasks.

Yarram State School ~1900—before and after restoration

Caroline Emma Mitchell 1975-80

MONDAY

16

10.45am—Room 2—Weekly

Cryptic Crosswords Beginners

Convenor Alison Ross

If you get stumped and cannot complete a cryptic crossword, do not despair. Instead, use

it as a training exercise. The answers to crosswords are usually found the next day in the

daily newspapers. Review your progress with yesterday’s crossword with today’s answers

and see if you can nut out the correct handling of the clues. Learning by example is a

really good way to build up your skills.

The internet is a great source of answers and aids to help you complete a puzzle. You can

easily google anagram solvers and clue solvers. One of the best is Crossword Clue Solver

at https://www.crosswordsolver.org/ You can also find short videos on Youtube to help

you learn the techniques. The most important way to improve your ability is to attempt a

cryptic crossword every day, and practice, practice, practice


Aerobics for Seniors

Convenor Inez Stone

MONDAY

https://www.crosswordsolver.org/

17

12 noon -- Room 2 - Weekly

French Elementary Group

Convenor Victoria Fyffe A very friendly group who easily talk about the lesson content. As one student commented that “no one in the class assumes a superior position, knowledge, liberty and equality are the rule”. Until now, we have covered various topics including meeting people, life in town, eating and drinking in France, holiday plans among others. This is accompanied by exercises to reinforce the information. Repetition of some course material is a good way to cement ideas. Dialogue is encouraged in class and often class members like to read out in French what they have done the previous week. They are encouraged by the tutor on the white board. Each chapter is also reinforced with a prepared dialogue sheet to be read out and discussed by students. Methods also include the textbook, reading material and tapes/CDs. If a student is unsure about a particular issue, it is quickly acknowledged and several methods may find the best answer. The students appear to find that it is a great way to exercise the mind and have fun in an amiable context with the tutor. Bravo ! Classe de Français A.

MONDAY

18

1.00pm - Offsite - Trial

Water Aerobics

Convenor Jill McArthur

U3A Bendigo Water Aerobics was started in October of this year

with the view of having it run for a three week block it turned out to be

so popular the block was extended by a further two weeks. The participation rate was

very encouraging with a mix of both male and female participants.

The Gurri Wanyarra complex is extremely good and the staff are so friendly and

helpful. Our water aerobics is conducted in the warm pool (thank heavans) and ably lead

by the Gurri Wanyarra Aerbics instructors. It is a 30 minute work out which addresses

the body from head to toe.

This is a a very enjoyable activity and the aerobic improvement in those attending is

evident. The laughing muscles are also used a great deal.

2020 will see this activity as a permanent activity for U3A Bendigo and I encourage you

to come and give it a try.

MONDAY

19

1.15pm - Room 1 - Weekly

Discussion Group

Convenor Karl Jackson and Sally van Gent With eighteen to twenty people at most meetings and all having strong opinions on a range of subjects, there has been lots of lively debate. Amongst the many topics raised were global warming, the pollution in our seas, asylum seeker policies, Brexit, The Murray Darling Basin Plan and Aboriginal recognition in the Constitution. We have had a number of speakers visit during the year. Jim Evans, president of Bendigo Historical Society, regaled us with tales of life on the Goldfields and answered our queries about Bendigo’s early history. Jo Johnson gave us the benefit of a lifetime’s experience in architecture and town planning, explaining how both have evolved over time. In November Anne Sanderson introduced us to Ian Bennett, who was in Bomber Command during the Second World War and later delivered food to a starving population in the Netherlands. Prior to the General Election we invited all the Bendigo candidates to come and speak to us. Our offer was taken up by One Nation and Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party, resulting in some very lively discussion. We are fortunate to have Ruth Hosking, Bendigo Aged Care Advocate, as a member of our group. Ruth has kept us up to date with the hearings of the Royal Commission and has been able to answer our questions about accessing the services we may all require in the future. Our thanks go to Alison Oppermann for organising a series of ABC podcasts offering expert opinion and educating us on a range of current issues. Members have brought in books they wished to recommend to the group and showed us items of special significance to their owner. Some were heirlooms handed down through the family, including military medals from the First World War and a Victorian brooch made from human hair. One member had a treasured box of gumnuts, a parting gift from a friend, to remind her of a park she loved. For our final meeting of the year, Lee Griffith supplied us with questions from the Australian Citizenship Test. (Most of us failed miserably.) We thank Karl Jackson for his sterling service as co-coordinator this year, and especially for the terrible jokes we have all loved and without which our meetings would not be complete.

MONDAY

20

1.30pm - Office - as needed

Computers for Beginners

Convenor Tom Dewhurst

There is now strong demand for manipulating photos. Many people have a muddled

collection - often hundreds - of photos in their smart phone. They want to know how to

copy a selection of pictures on a particular topic and put them in a special category. Also,

instead of passing the smartphone around for viewers to see the pictures on the small

phone screen, they want larger pictures on the computer screen or on the television

screen.

I have much enjoyed the sessions, as have the participants.


Chess

Convenor David Guymer

The game is played by millions of people

worldwide. Chess is believed to be derived from

the Indian game chaturanga sometime before the

7th century. Chess reached Europe by the 9th

century, due to the Umayyad conquest of

Hispania. The pieces assumed their current

powers in Spain in the late 15th century; the

modern rules were standardized in the 19th

century.

A game of strategy. How many permutations and

combinations are there? Challenge your mind!!

MONDAY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaturanga

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_conquest_of_Hispania

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_conquest_of_Hispania

21

9.00am - Room 2 & Offsite - Weekly

Mah Jong

Convenor Phyll Reid and Carolyn Smith

We meet every Tuesday morning from 9 am to 11.45 am hail, rain or shine

There is often so much laughter and story telling that it can take ages to finish a game.

Some of the players have so much fun playing that they play on the 1st and 3rd Thursday

mornings of each month.

We play the westernised version of the ancient Chinese game of Mah Jong … skills are

not needed … lots of help is given to learners.

TUESDAY

22

9.00am - Office - Weekly

Administration

Workers Jill McArthur, Bron Dixon and Coral Christensen

Office Tasks:

Dealing with requests from members, e.g. re-issuing ID badges,

photocopying, changing members details on the data base, accepting

payments for enrolments and outings.

Enrolling new members, and issuing relevant information, such as

prospectus and Buzz.

Checking telephone for messages, returning calls and dealing with

queries.

Photocopying and collating documents such as prospectus and

forms.

Dealing with mail requests from members.

Helping prepare for special events such as Open Day & Enrolment

Day

Stamping blank envelopes with return address.

Preparing mail outs to members and printing address labels for monthly Buzz.

Making notes of office supplies needed for treasurer to purchase.

Filing.

Kitchen Tasks:

Clean kitchen, check supply of biscuits, milk, and sugar.

Purchase supplies as needed.

Check notice board and discard old notices.

Change tea towels.

Empty rubbish bins.

TUESDAY

23

10.00am - Room 1 - Week 1,2,4,5

Short Courses

Convenor Wilf Savage

The Tuesday morning weekly program of talks presented by local members and visiting experts has long been a core part of U3A Bendigo’s business.

"You don't really start getting old," someone said once "until you stop learning." For

those of us who still enjoy learning, the Tuesday program fits the bill perfectly: lots of

interesting ideas presented in a fairly informal and friendly interactive environment

with lots of opportunities to ask questions and share one’s thoughts. As usual this year brought us a very varied and fascinating range of topics; from

the Life of Queen Victoria (Brenda Stevens-Chambers) to

the Geology of the Local Region (John Neil); from

Robotics (Michael Gallagher) to

Irish History (James O’Brien); from

The Significance of Rituals (Christine Haddrick) to

The Benefits of Conviction in Australian history (Howard Nathan); from

Travels in India and Nepal (Cilla Brady) to

analyzing artworks (Clive Stratford); from

Movement and Dance (Zoe Wallace) to

Understanding Aboriginal Australia (Diana Collier); from

“Interesting Bendigo Women” to “Early Bendigo Scandals (Brenda again). As well as these we’ve had practical training sessions on the new U3A Membership

Administration System (UMAS) and on using the defibrillator. And these were just the presentations by our own members !! . . . Add to these the talks given by outside experts:

an explanation of local water resources, given by Steve Healy, the Executive

General Manager Climate & Population Adaptation at Coliban Water;

a look at Mathematical Problem solving in Ancient Greece, given by Terry Mills,

Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at La Trobe University;

a presentation on Reconciliation Issues given by John Bonnice a distinguished

member of the Bendigo Reconciliation Committee, and

a two part talk on Caroline Chisholm given by Tom Comerford, a very eminent

and highly respected member of Castlemaine U3A who has presented close to

fifty history courses during his many years with that organization.

TUESDAY

24

10.00am - Hall - Seniors Week October

Open Day

Convenor Wilf Savage and convenors

TUESDAY

25


Health & Wellbeing

Convenor Susan Korecki Over the life of U3A there have been many sessions on health related topics. The current group grew out of a short course in 2018 and has continued monthly this year and plans to follow up in 2020. There are also some short courses – the course coordinators organised a Defibrillator use session and a First Aid Revision this year. Most of the other U3A activities have health benefits – walking and exercise groups, yoga, meditation and all the activities make us use our brains! The Health and Wellbeing group has covered a lot of issues this year. We started off by collecting a list of topics from the group and used those as a basis for the monthly sessions. I also used some health alerts, medical news and online topics to add to the information. We started with exercise – that was easy as everyone in the group was already involved in aerobic exercise. Some of us were not doing balance training or strength /resistance training so that is something to add. The quote is “ the only time you can coast inlife is when you are going downhill” Nike “Just do it” Even starting with 2 minutes helps! The nutrition one focussed on healthy eating. It’o]s also simple – lots of variety especially colourful vegetables and less processed food. Reading food labels was an interesting exercise – the processors seem to add sugar to everything. A question about palm oil sent me off to research that [worse for the environment than the body]. Nutrition led on to the microbiome – all the trillions of helpers we have in our guts. There was a debate about probiotics and prebiotics. Yvonne shared a scoby later. My fondness for Dr Michael Mosely was obvious here. Vitamins and supplements – should we take them. Two group members ran this session while I was off helping in a family emergency. Medical evidence suggests we don't need to waste money on them but every individual knows their own body. Preventive Health looked at some changes in medical recommendations. Should we all take small dose aspirin? There are arguments for and against. Influenza vaccination is still recommended for elders. As we had looked at the internal environment it is not surprising that we also looked at climate change and the environment generally. There was an interesting sharing of alternative to and how to avoid plastic. Mental health and sleep added some clues to the restful night. We returned to nutrition with a look at gluten sensitivity, coeliac disease and food allergy. We concluded with a talk from a local podiatrist on foot health. Drying between the toes, moisturising and shoes are important. He answered all our questions about foot problems.

TUESDAY

26

12.30pm - Room 1 - Week 3

Monthly Movie


February 19th: The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

March 19th – Jersey Boys

April 16th – The Water Diviner

May 21st – Ladies in Black

June 18th – Siam Sunset

July16th – Lady in the Van

August 20th – The Book Club

September 17th – The Jazz Singer Neil Diamond

October 15th – A Town Like Alice

November 19th – The Bookshop

TUESDAY

27

1.00pm - Hall - Weekly

Yoga

Convenor Isobell Truscott


Cribbage

Convenor John Lane

15_2, 15_4, 15_6, 6 for 3 and 1 for his Nobs for 13.

What is this code ?

Does it require the Bletchley girls of WW2 to break the

code ?

No. It is just the U3A Cribbage people having fun.

The groups of 2, 3 or 4 are chasing the ever elusive total of

29 and are all familiar with the 15_2 theme.

The Cribbage group over the years has had many members who pass on the joy of this

game to their grandchildren. Age is no barrier to the interest of this card and numbers

challenge. People of all ages play, even those well into their 90's !

We do have a good time chatting and playing this card game.

There it is again. 15_2, 15_4, 15_6, 15_8 and 12 for 4: that's 20.

Pretty good but still not the elusive 29 !

TUESDAY

28

1.30pm - Room 1 - Week 2 & 4

Radio Players

Convenor Barb Richie

This Tuesday afternoon class began in 2015 as a Drama Group . For some years it remained

as such, presenting plays at our monthly meetings or any other opportunity that came along,

we became the Radio Players when we were able to acquire a collection of radio plays from

another disbanded group in New South Wales. This collection of plays gave us an extended

repertoire of plays to work on.

Since then we have been involved in presenting a variety of plays at the U3A annual concerts

and other special events. Both the players and the audience always seem to enjoy the

entertainment. The number of people in this class seems to fluctuate, but it is always fun.

There have been several people who have been leaders over the years, all have been excellent

in giving their time and expertise in teaching this craft.

We would love to have many more of our U3A members coming to join us. We can assure you

it is not frightening or taxing and is really a most enjoyable way to spend two hours. Practice

reading aloud with expression, meet new people, enjoy another experience and support our

U3A.

Some of the plays we have done;

Father Knows Best, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Sorry Wrong Number, Brief Encounter,

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Just a few but we could possibly do them again

2.00pm - Offsite - Weekly

Embroidery and Craft

Convenor Pat Campbell

I was asked to start an embroidery class nearly 30 years ago. Over

the years the class has worked at a number of sites, longest at the

Spring Gully home. It is a comfortable place to work, heated and

cooled as required.

Over the years we have tried many types of embroidery. Some large

pieces, others just samples to try them out.

In winter people often knit and from time to time we are joined by

village students.

The Frog embroidery is the work of Elaine Swanson, Elaine is a

prolific embroiderer and often works very large pieces

TUESDAY

29

TUESDAY


Good Vibrations

Convenor Mary Touhey

Good Vibrations

Is a celebration of popular music, with a

focus on pop and rock from the period

1950s to 1980s. Using video clips we aim

to showcase some memorable artists,

tunes and performances.

30

3.00pm - Room 1 - Week 2 & 4

Flower Arranging

Convenor Sally van Gent

Flower Arranging last year had an enthusiastic and creative group of participants, all

eager to hone their skills.

Sometimes our flowers were bought, but mostly we used those from our own gardens

resulting in original designs not seen in a florist’s shop. Native flowers and foliage were

popular, and we found succulents to be ideal for long-lasting arrangements in the hot

weather.

We began with shallow designs suitable for table settings, later incorporating candles,

before moving on to gift boxes and baskets. One week we brought unusual containers

such as coffee pots and jewellery boxes and a member produced an especially beautiful

design in a hollow log.

We had fun using fruit and vegetables and discovered how the colours of curly kale, red

cabbage, spring onions and chillies added to the beauty of our arrangements.

In later sessions we attempted Japanese Ikebana where only a few flowers, leaves or

twigs are needed. Careful study was required before deciding on the perfect position in

which to place each stem.

TUESDAY

31

9.00am - Offsite - Week 1

Table Tennis

Convenor Lynne Davis/Michelle Robinson

WEDNESDAY

32

10.00am - Hall - January 23

Enrolment Day

Committee and convenors

WEDNESDAY

33

10.00am - Offsite - Week 3

Art Gallery Group

Convenor Val Wellings

U3A members have enjoyed another year meeting at the Art and Tea sessions run by the

friends of the Bendigo Art Gallery. Some of the speakers focused on the art gallery

exhibition which was titled Tudors to Windsor’s – British royal portraits. Highlights for

the year were Kenneth Parks’ talk on the royals, Jennifer Thompson, the manager of the

Bundanon Trust (Arthur Boyd), and eX de Medici whose work and life story were

amazing. A diverse range of speakers makes for very interesting sessions with

something to appeal to everyone. 20th FEBRUARY, Cancelled

20th MARCH, Speaker: Damon Moon

17th APRIL, Speaker: Kenneth Park

15th MAY, Speaker: Emma British Empire and Imperialism , chocolate and the BBC 19th JUNE, Speaker: Dr. Eugene Barilo von Reisberg

17th JULY, Speaker: Jennifer Thompson on ‘Arthur Boyd’

21th AUGUST, Speaker: Shonae Hobson 18th SEPTEMBER Speaker: Kylie Banyard:

16th OCTOBER, Speaker: eX de Medici:

20th NOVEMBER Speaker: : Meet the collector: The Hon Paul Guest OAM QC

WEDNESDAY

34

10.00am - Room 2 - Week 1 & 2

My Story

Convenor Sue Fraser (week 1) and Jo Johnson (week 2)

Joining a My Story group is a great way to begin

your story.

Two hours once a month is all it takes. Our routine

is to choose a topic, discuss it, write about it and

then share it. In our groups, apart from our stories

we have developed an atmosphere of caring and

sharing, friendship and fun.

Members say:-

...”gives me confidence”...

...”very supportive”...

...”get it all down before I forget”...

...”sharing gives me ideas”...

...”everyone should join ‘My Story’”..

...”no homework!”...

...“I write for my grandchildren”....

...“a glimpse of other people’s lives”....

Some topics - A Relative, Sport, Books, Fire, Meals, Houses,

Free Range Children, Music, First Job, School, A Travel Tale,

Birthdays, Corner Store, and reminiscence, stimulated by

bringing an object to write about.

Listening stimulates imagery, imagination and memory. Our

stories contain joy, humour, fun, sorrow, surprise, change,

suspense, love, comfort, fear, contemplation and reflection.

30th Anniversary “My Story is my favourite day of the month. Sharing often long-forgotten

memories with new friends takes us back to a simpler life.

Family and friends also look forward to the latest stories. I’ve even been known to

send one with a Christmas card.” Rhonda Pascoe

friendship

writing

reminiscences

reading & listening

WEDNESDAY

35


French Conversation Intermediate

Convenor Yvonne Bahen Polish up your French. The Intermediate French group is comprised of U3A members

who have studied French to Intermediate or Senior level and who wish to refresh or

continue to advance their fluency. Members prepare a short speech on a particular

subject; we revise some elements of grammar chosen to advance and enrich competency

in the language; and each week we read a passage of a French story, often with questions

relating to the story or themes arising from it.

Members Comments

Languages are fun and make an important contribution to retaining our cognitive

abilities. I joined U3A so I could pick up the French l left behind at school and love the

potpourri we are served by Yvonne. Where else could you have a Mandarin speaker who

also understands phonetics and juggles the different abilities and interests of her

students? I love the peppermints she gives us, but can’t tell my fricatives from my elbow,

or my sent from my son or my dent from my dans. Is it tuition, maintenance or a social

club? No exams and no failures. It is a lot we ask and I doubt if the convenors generally

are adequately recognised for their efforts, but we thank Yvonne.

Vive l’U3A.

M

After spending 12 months living overseas and finding the French word would be the one

dredged up from the depths of memory when I needed it, I decided to reconnect with

French through U3A after an absence of 57 years since any formal language lessons . I

started in the Beginners but found I recollected a reasonable amount so moved into the

intermediate group where I have enjoyed the range of activities Yvonne provides for us

and my linguistic confidence is slowly growing.

J

Reason for doing French… B… wants to become a Swiss citizen! Because I’m married

to H… who was born Swiss I am eligible for Swiss citizenship if I can show competency

in one of the National languages of Switzerland which are German, French, Italian and

Romansch; so I choose French. I’m probably ‘drawing a long bow,’ I suspect the Swiss

definition of competency is way different to my optimistic view but you never know. One

of Heidi’s sisters lives in Biel/ Bienne which is in the French part of Switzerland she is

fluent in French and it would be nice for me to be able to join in the wider family

conversations; my German is hopeless so I’m hoping to do better in French.

In any case as Heidi also confirms our Intermediate French classes are highly

educational, very rewarding and above all a bundle of fun! We are really looking forward

to continuing in 2020. B

WEDNESDAY

36


French Conversation Advanced

Convenor Yvonne Bahen Les francophones et les francophiles qui prennent part au groupe français discutent des

problèmes du monde et de la société, racontent des histoires de leur vie, ou simplement parlent

entre eux sur n’importe quel sujet. De temps en temps on examine un thème particulier ( comme

la peur pour exemple ) ou des subtilités de la langue français, et chaque semaine on lit un extrait

de la litérature. Pour exemple, récemment le groupe a lu la nouvelle Le Silence de la Mer. C’est

un groupe très amical et parfois très amusant aussi.

Members Comments

Adrenaline was running high in French

classes as we relived and imagined

childhood traumas and perilous situations

while learning to use words meaning fear.

Reading highlight – we were captured by the

drama and romance of Silence de la mer. I

couldn’t wait for the handouts, bought a

copy and read it straight through. A real

page turner! MM

I was giving our French experiences some

thought. I have loved French from my very

first French lesson when I was 10 years

old. I remember the very sad story we read

that first term. It was about Madame and

Monsieur Souris and their family and how

the house cat killed one of the parents,

leaving the little mice with only one

parent. It was so sad but it got me

hooked. From then on the highlight of my

school week was French lessons. However,

in the end, by mere chance, I did primary

education instead of going on to do French at

Uni. Still the love of French lingered and so

it was through U3A that I joined the French

class with Madeleine 10 years ago in the old

U3A rooms at La Trobe Uni. We feared and

loved her approach but she inspired us, I believe, by her passion and commitment. I

remember our first lesson with her too. It was all about les cignes in the park and a little

girl who visited them. I felt like I was 10 years old again!! Nevertheless we persevered and

I remember you came to join the class. The rest you know so well. I have continued to love

French although the learning of it does not come so easily now and the actual language has

changed so much. Our group has undergone lots of changes but we do love being together as

a group and having you as our very dedicated and supportive leader over such a long

time. Merci beaucoup. S

WEDNESDAY

37

1.30pm - Hall/Narthex - Weekly

Choir

Convenor Carol Aylward

The choir had a lovely year, and did quite a few performances

April 23rd Carshalton House (Golden Oaks)

April 24th We sang at the U3A AGM

May8th Vision Australia

June 26th Stella Anderson

July 23rd Carsharlton House

July 24th U3As "Christmas in July

July 31st Mirradong Nursing Home

August 14th . Joan Pinder Nursing Home

November 27th. At the U3A concert we did a medley of

Australian songs to fit with the Australian theme. We

dressed in colonial/convict costumes and added some light comedy into some of the songs.

December 11th Christmas songs at Joan Pinder

December 17th We sang at the Christmas service, after which we had a lovely lunch together at

the Kennington Tavern to finish the year off.

WEDNESDAY

38

1.30pm - Hall - Week 4

Social Gathering


February 27 Speaker Kerry Graham

Kerry had recently returned to Australia after four years as Principal of VISS, an

international school in “Sharjah”, one of the seven Arab Emirates. Sharjah is the third

largest and third most populous of the seven Emirates, the national language is Arabic.

March 27 Speaker Daryl Fleay

We were very pleased to have had the well-known Bendigo nature

photographer Daryl Fleay speaking to us and showing us some of his

collection of photos.

Daryl (a retired teacher) has a love and strong interest in filming raptors, eagles, etc, as

well as other birds and wild-life. This was an event not to miss

April 24 Annual General Meeting

elections to the new committee and

several matters affecting the smooth and ongoing

operation of U3A Bendigo.

May 22 Three-course Chinese Banquet

It was three-course Chinese Banquet—entrée, main, dessert, tea and coffee.

BYO your own bowl, plate and cutlery!

June 26 Speaker: Louis Roller

Louis Roller was born in Paris of Jewish parents three months before the fall of Paris to

the Nazis.

Despite life-threatening events and many near-misses, Louis survived the holocaust

and arrived in Australia in 1947. He was the first refugee seen at the primary school he

went to; had no English and was highly traumatised. Despite all this, Louis has

managed to have a successful academic career in pharmacy and medicine.

WEDNESDAY

39


Social Gathering


July 24 Speaker Georgina Paterson

Georgina is one of two workers for the Smith Family; they are based at

the Eaglehawk Secondary College. Georgina told us how the Smith

Family had now changed its way of helping families by creating the

Learning for Life program which concentrates solely on educating

disadvantaged children and youths. The idea is to give a ‘hand up, not a

hand-out’ The results of this Learning for Life Program have been astounding!!

August 28 Speaker James Lerk

James Lerk has documented many aspects of Bendigo’s history. The

Queen`s birthday honours list recognised James contribution to this field

resulting in James being honoured with the Medal of The Order of

Australia. James is also a recipient of the prestigious Award of Merit from

the Royal Historical Society. James has received these awards for his

significant contribution to documenting and preserving the history of

Bendigo.

James has published many books on the history of mining in Bendigo which

is poignant given that mining is fading in the memories of a past Bendigo.

September 25th Speaker: Steven Lee

Steven Lee is President of Bendigo’s Legacy Australia, Legacy is

dedicated to caring for the families of deceased and incapacitated

veterans. Legacy is a voluntary organisation supported by

veterans, service men and women and volunteers from all walks of

life.

There are over 4,000 active volunteers around Australia who act as

mentors to ensure Legacy’ s promise to care for the families of

deceased veterans to the widows and their families who may be suffering financially and

socially after the death of a spouse or parent. veterans is kept.

October 23rd A NON TRIVIA QUIZ

A quiz designed to make peoples' brains work pretty hard for half an hour

or so, and the usual questions on sport and TV were studiously avoided.

WEDNESDAY

40

1.30pm - Hall - July & November

Trading Table

Convenor Margaret Hanson

The Trading Table has become a welcome addition to fund-raising efforts of U3A

Bendigo. Every month members brought along lovely items, both practical and

attractive, to sell during the course of the Social Gathering.

The Trading Table originally commenced by Helen McIntyre at U3A rooms at La Trobe

University and when times were tough raising $100’s then resuming at St. Mary’s in

response to fundraising measures and has raised many hundreds of dollars for the group,

which supported courses and other initiatives organised by the

committee.

The Trading Table is fresh and alive. The lovely items including,

cakes, hand crafts, books, toys and plants are on sale during the

meeting in July (Christmas in July) and again for November

meeting (last for the year/ Christmas).

During the coming years we hope members support this initiative

and contribute items and also find a little something that will

bring them joy.

Thank you to all those who have contributed to the Trading Table

over the years – onward and upward – always.

WEDNESDAY

41


Social Gathering Concert


WEDNESDAY

42


Spanish Conversation

Convenor Leonie Lewington

Sometime in late 2016 I heard my mouth say to the then Course Coordinator “I could do

that”, THAT being to run a 6 week “Introduction to Spanish” course.

Some 36 people expressed interest in the course, requiring a move to the larger venue of

the Hall.

Three years later, there are some 8-10 people meeting weekly for Spanish conversation.

The composition of the group has changed over the intervening time, but still includes

some originals from 2016/17. Various reasons have been given for interest in the

language, ranging from brain stimulation to wanting to converse with Latin-American co

-grandparents, in-laws and grandchildren, to travel preparation.

I have had many rewards in sharing my interest in this warm and rich language!

WEDNESDAY

43

3.00pm - Room 2 & Hall - Weekly

Ukelele Convenor Sue Tapp

The U3A ukulele group continued on for its second year in 2019 and has had some great

successes as well as much sadness. The group leader for 2018 Tony Sedawie became very

ill and passed away in March. His enthusiasm and energy was the starting force behind

the group and members felt committed to carry on his legacy. Theresa Smith, one of the

original members took on the leadership of the group as it grew with many new members

and the group developed new skills and strong bonds between members. Theresa also fell

ill during the year and we were greatly saddened to hear of her passing on the same day

as we had our end of year breakup. Her smile and enthusiasm and the delightful way she

managed the group will be fondly remembered. Our thoughts continue to be with the

families of Theresa and Tony.

The remainder of the year we continued with Deb and Rae Moran taking the group as it

divided up into a Musical play along group and a more Advanced group working on

advanced skills. We are very grateful to Rae and Deb for their very fine work in teaching

the two groups and to Rae who, when Deb had to step back, for taking on both groups

and leading us for performances at the U3A open Day session and the U3A Christmas

Party.

We have had a wonderful time learning the instrument and performing as a group.

Music is wonderful for lifting the spirits, working the brain and a lovely way to make

new friends. Performing together enables us to share the joy of music and friendship

with others.

The weekly ukulele gathering continues on in 2020 in its format of two groups. Our

hopes are for a successful new year of fun, singing and playing.

WEDNESDAY

44


Bush Walkers

Convenor Margaret Hanson and Jo Walter

The U3A Bendigo Bushwalking Group consists of members who engage in physical activities in a social context. Our walks cater for the diverse needs and abilities of our members. Throughout the year members lead walks in many different areas of Bendigo and surrounding districts. Our walks have taken us to some very interesting locations including Heathcote, Bridgewater, Castlemaine, Maldon and even as far as Echuca.

During winter (March-November) our walks are approximately 7-10km. The Bushwalking group often car-pool when the walks are further afield. During summer (December – February) our walks are a little shorter and generally local. Whilst on our walks we enjoy sharing members’ expertise and interests, such as local history, native fauna & flora and geology. There have been many highlights over the year. It has been mentioned many times that each week the group enjoys being out in the bush, usually an area new to many of us. Sometimes the walks are a challenge but we always enjoy the bush, the weather, the company of friends and fellow walkers and coffee at the end.

Our five day camp, combined with the Hikers and Bush Wanderers was held in Halls Gap this year. A great time was had by everyone relaxing, walking, and socialising in a different environment.

Our annual breakfast and Christmas Lunch was combined with the Bush Wanderers, which gave everyone an opportunity to catch up in a social atmosphere with friends from the Bush Wanderers

THURSDAY

45


Bush Wanderers

Convenor Judy Johnstone, Anne McKarney, Ron Nixon

MAY

2nd Springs Road along the race towards Bendigo Approximately 5kms- easy

9th Hunt's Gap Road walk, some off - track.5kms- easy with some slight rises.

16th Bushwalk From Mandurang Oval Approx. 5kms- easy.

23rd One Tree Hill Race Walk Approximately 4.5-5kms- easy/medium

30th Streamside Reserve Bendigo Creek, Huntly approximately 5kms- easy.

JUNE

6th Wellsford Forest Box Loop track. 5.5kms– easy.

13th Sheepwash Creek Trail, Strathfieldsaye. 5kms. easy. 20th Exploring around Axedale. Leader:: 5kms. easy.

27th Springs Road along race towards Bendigo. 5kms: easy.

JULY

4th Pearce's Rd. to the old mine.5kms,easy.

11th Guys Hill Road bushwalk 5kms. easy, short car pool.

18th Hidden Bendigo East.5.5 km. easy.

25th Bendigo Bushland Trail Loop walk from Cousins St. Medium, some street walking, 5.5kms.

AUGUST 1st: “The fabulous rocks walk”. 4.5kms. easy/ med.

8th: Walk from Kairns Road, Strathdale. 5kms. easy/med.

15th: Victoria Hill Reserve( gold mine historic site). .4-5kms.easy.

22nd: Notley's Whipstick walk. 5kms.easy.

29th: Strathfieldsaye Bushland reserve. 5kms. easy.

SEPTEMBER 5th Greater Bendigo National Park from Marnie Rd. Easy / medium; 4.5-5kms. Short car pool. 12th Outskirts of Golden Square; urban/ bushwalk. easy 5.5kms followed by coffee at Bev's Cafe. St.

19th Kennington Reservoir/ Strathdale Park easy, approximately 4.5kms.

26th Looking for the Bendigo wax flower in Solomon Gully. medium,5kms.

OCTOBER

3rd Lake Neangar and Lake Tom Thumb. easy 4.5kms.

10th Mt. Alexander Ridge walk. easy 5kms.

14th to 18th Bushwalkers Camp at the Grampians. various walks for Wanderers, easy, 6kms.

24th Great Dividing Trail, Kangaroo Flat. easy/ medium 5kms.

31st Wild Flower walk, South Mandurang, bottom of the Range. easy 5kms:

NOVEMBER

7th Bendigo National Park- Kairn Rd. Easy/ medium 4.5kms.

14th Whirrakee Walk.. easy 4.7kms.

21st O'Keefe Trail( Heathcote) and Pink Cliffs easy,5kms.

28th Storey's Road, Sedgwick Forest.. easy/ med. 4.5kms.

DECEMBER

5th O'Keefe Rail Trail circuit. easy 4.5kms; short car pool.

12th Quarry Hill and Surrounds; easy/ medium 4.5kms.

19th Jobs Gully Reserve walk. easy 4.6kms.

26th Boxing Day-no walk.

THURSDAY

46


Walking for Fitness

Convenor Jan Maling

JANUARY 3rd Lake Weeroona Coffee Schaller Studio. 10th Kangaroo Flat Coffee Coffee Club Lansell Plaza 17th Strathdale Ramble Coffee Edwards Providore, Kennington Village. 24th White Hills Coffee Bendigo Pottery. 31st Crusoe Gully Coffee Peter’s home., FEBRUARY 7th - Allingham Street Coffee Garlands Bakery, Kangaroo Flat. 14th - Kennington Reservoir Coffee Bendigo Club. 21st - One Tree Hill Coffee Country Kitchen Strath Village. 28th - One Tree Hill Coffee Country Kitchen Strath Village. MARCH 7th Maiden Gully Coffee Marion’s home. 14th Kangaroo Flat Coffee Garlands Bakery, Kangaroo Flat. 21st Strathfieldsaye Coffee Strathfieldsaye Bakery. 28th Jackass Flat, Coffee Elaine’s home. APRIL 4th Strathdale Coffee Strath Village. 11th Town Coffee Bayleaf Cafe. 18th Maiden Gully Coffee Balgownie Cafe. 25th Mandurang Coffee Spring Gully Store MAY 2nd Eaglehawk Coffee Eaglehawk Hot Bake 9th Specimen Hill Coffee Bendigo Stadium. 16th White Hills Coffee McDonalds, Epsom. 23rd Golden Square Coffee Christina’s home. 30th Spring Gully Coffee Spring Gully Store. JUNE 6th Eaglehawk Coffee Eaglehawk Hot Bake 13th Diamond Hill Coffee Peter’s home. 20th White Hills Coffee McDonalds, Epsom. 27th Kangaroo Flat Coffee to be advised.

JULY 4th Strathdale Coffee Cafe Fresh, Strath Village. 11th Strathdale Coffee Max Bakery, McIvor Rd. 18th - City Streets Coffee Bayleaf Café. 25th - Long Gully Coffee McDonalds, Cal Gully. AUGUST 1st -Spring Gully Coffee Spring Gully Store. 8th Garden Gully Coffee Corner Café 15th Kangaroo Gully Coffee Garlands Bakery. 22nd Kangaroo Flat Coffee Garlands Bakery. 29th Spring Gully Coffee Spring Gully Store. SEPTEMBER 5th Golden Square Coffee at Bendigo Stadium. 12th Eaglehawk Coffee at Eaglehawk Bakery 19th Jackass Flat Reserve Coffee To be advised. 26th Golden Gully Coffee at Adam & Eve OCTOBER 3rd Strathdale Coffee at Country Kitchen, Strath Village 10th Beacon Cove to Sandridge lookout and Westgate Park Coffee to be advised! 17th Spring Gully Coffee at Spring Gully Store 24th -Eaglehawk Coffee at Let’s get Saucy, Eagle-hawk. 31st Quarry Hill Coffee at Adam & Eve. NOVEMBER 7th One Tree Hill Coffee Country Kitchen, Strath Village. 14th Maiden Gully Coffee Maiden Gully Bakery 21st One Tree Hill, Coffee Country Kitchen, Strath Village. 28th One Tree Hill Coffee Spring Gully Store. DECEMBER 5th Strathfieldsaye. Coffee Strathfieldsaye Bakery 12th Kangaroo Flat Coffee Peter’s Home. 19th City streets. Coffee Bayleaf. 26th Town walk Coffee Schaller Hotel.

THURSDAY

47


Hiking

Convenor Laurie and Judy Edwards, Anne Bridley and Liz Findlay The hiking group revels in the opportunities offered to explore the natural bushland in a 50 km radius around the city of Bendigo. The city is ideally situated for all walkers to appreciate the diversity of vegetation, flora and fauna, natural features like granite outcrops, river flats and gold-digging relics. From the mountains of Kooyoora, Alexander, Macedon, Ida, Tarrengower, Moliagul to the magnificent goldfields track which extends from Bendigo to Ballarat we challenge ourselves. The group walks each week over 12 months. In summer we have a Summer Walks program limited to urban areas, shorter distances and earlier starts to avoid the heat of the day. Each season has its own special charm, whether it be wildflowers in Spring, mists in winter (especially on Mt Alexander), autumn in Macedon, water channels and the dry Whipstick box ironbark forests. Some comments from the hiking group participants- great walks, challenging, awesome fun, Thursdays are sacred, good social group, very compatible walking abilities, great to be out in the bush or on a walk every week of the year. Little wonder the U3A bushwalking groups are so popular. So much so that in 2014 the numbers were so large that

we split the group into the Hiking and Bushwalking groups and just recently the Bush wanderers have taken on their

own agenda. It all bodes well for the future of Bushwalking in Bendigo U3A.

In October each year all bushwalking groups share a camp for four days alternating between mountains and seaside locations.

Hikers on Mt Alexander

THURSDAY

48

9.00am - Room 2 - Week 1 & 3

Mah Jong

Convenor Carolyn Smith

Tiles

Dragons: Red, White, Green

Winds: North, East, West, South

Characters: 1-9

Circles: 1-9

Bamboos: 1-9

Basics

Pairs (2), Pungs (3), Kongs (4), Runs

Ordinary, Honours,

Examples of Special Hands

Wriggly Dragon, Wriggly Snake

Gates of Heaven, Confused Gates

Moon at Bottom of Well

Three Philosophers, Three Great Scholars

Up You Go

Hovering Angel

Dragon’s Gates, Dragon’s Teeth, Dragon’s

Breath, Dragon’s Run

Guardian Winds, Guardian Dragons

Unique Wonder

Apple Blossom

THURSDAY

49


RUGS Book Club

Convenor Mary Toohey

At Enrolment Day in January 2018 I was fortunate to gain the last place in the RUGS book club.

Participating in a book club was an activity I had wanted for some time, so I was very happy to

join the other members, who had been meeting for some time, and to discover books I might not

otherwise have read.

In the two years I have been a member of the group I have been impressed by others’ ability to recall

the books they have read, and their ability to analyse an author’s style. I have enjoyed the many

discussions , both humorous and serious, which have been sparked by the books we have read.

THURSDAY

50


Book Chat Group

Convenor Mary Toohey

THURSDAY

The members of Book Chat love books and reading. We are happy to share comments with each other about what books have entertained us, pricked our curiosity, enthralled us, made us laugh or annoyed the hell out of us. Often our comments will lead on to a general discussion about an issue. We like to swap books with each other too. And we love to laugh. It is fascinating to hear what everyone has been reading in the past month or so, because we are all different and our tastes range widely.

51

10.00am - Room 1 - Week 2 & 4

Music for Pleasure

Convenor Jo Johnson

This group listens to music of all kinds. A theme is chosen for each session such as -Spring, The Sea, Children’s Music, Folk, Dance, Nature , Concertos, Chamber Music, Unusual Music - and members bring CDs to share, evoking the theme. Here are some members’ comments...

“I love it and find I am learning a lot from listening to all kinds of music”

“Joining a group that appreciates music has been a joy. So many different tastes in music - I find I’m being edu-cated and learning to hear in a different way.”

“This is a pleasant and civilised time for listening to each other’s choices, time for silence when the music is playing, then brief discussion about it. I look forward to Music for Pleasure each fortnight.”

“Spending time choosing a selection of music to play has changed the way I listen to music. I am much more aware of what I am listening to as a result of participating in the group.”

..5 of our 12 members....

“Music gives pleasure and we enjoy listening to a wide range of music. Sharing our vari-ous favorites and learning that the world is full of different tastes. Often we hear music we might not normally play where we are surprised to find our tastes are wonderfully ex-panded.”

THURSDAY

52

11.30am - Hall - Weekly

Yoga

Convenor Marilyn Grossman

Yoga is an ancient science, its development dating back thousands of years. The meaning

of the word yoga is to yoke or unite. It involves the whole human being – mind, body and

spirit. Meditation is seen as the peak of yoga experience and it is in this state that

enlightenment can occur.

There are many branches or paths of yoga. Some of which are Bhakti,

Gnana, Karma, Raja, and Hatha. The Western world has mostly

adopted the path or system of Hatha yoga. It is a wholistic discipline

or approach concerned with physical effort to attain good health,

control of the body and breath, and works on all our body systems.

A sense of well-being and health can be achieved with simple practices involving

stretching, postures (asana), breath awareness (pranayama) and relaxation. These

practices can be the foundation for meditation.

Yoga is ideally suited for people of all ages. Continued practice can bring about enhanced

peace off mind, harmony, clarity, flexibility, connection to self, and a greater sense of

consciousness.

These are some of the simple postures we do and we finish each class with a 15 minute

relaxation session.

The child - pranatasana

Cat - marjariasana

Chair - utkatasana

Triangle - trikonasana

Hero - virabhadrasana 2

Mountain - tadasana

THURSDAY

53

12.00 noon - Room 1 - Week 1 & 2

Digital Phone Users

Convenor Michael Gallagher and Geoff Pelly

My daughter sent me a text message with a photo of my grandchildren attached

How do I save it to my photo gallery?

How do I put it on a USB stick so I can print it at Officeworks?

How do I send a photo to my daughter?

How do I make a slideshow and display it on a smart TV?

How do I listen to ABC radio on my phone?

What is a podcast? How do I access podcasts?

How do I access programs on ABC iView or SBS on Demand?

How do I install apps on my phone or tablet?

How do I arrange to receive email on my device?

Can I access multiple email accounts on my device?

How do I regain access to my account when I forget my password?

What is two-factor authentication?

How do I book accommodation, concert tickets, airline flights on my device?

Is this update message a scam?

How do I use the calendar, the stopwatch, check the weather, access eBooks from

Goldfields Library, bookmark a website?

What is the Cloud?

These and many other questions are aired in iPad and iPhone and the Android and

phone and tablet user groups. Members come with particular problems. Almost always,

someone in the group is able to solve the problems raised. Some come with no particular

problem in mind—they simply enjoy learning more about their device by watching as

others solve problems.

THURSDAY

54

12.00 noon - Room 2 - Weekly

Cryptic Crosswords

Convenor Geoff Ireland

There are lots of cryptic crossword conventions, but seven of the most common are;

the synonym,

the anagram,

the ‘parts stitched together’,

words spelled backwards,

words made from their letters, and

the hidden word.

Q: Can you solve these cryptic clues?

Crooked inclination (4 letters) __ __ __ __

Wyatt sharpens up listening devices (9 letters) __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Snakebite from too much proud talk (8 letters) __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ANSWERS TO CRYPTIC CLUES

BENT – a double meaning. This clue is fairly obvious and has no definition.

EARPHONES, ie. EARP and HONES.

“Earp” refers to Wyatt Earp, then “hones” is another word for sharpens. The straight

definition, located at the end of the clue is “listening devices”.

BOASTING, i.e. BOA and STING stitched together.

“Boa” is a kind of snake, and a bite is known as a “sting”. The straight clue, the

definition, can be found at the end, “too much proud talk”.

THURSDAY

55

12.00 noon - Offsite - Week 1

Thursday Lunch

Convenor Maureen Smith

7th FEBRUARY - The One Tree Hill Hotel.

7th MARCH - The Borough Club in Eaglehawk.

4th APRIL - Reservoir Hotel (160 Condon Street), near Strath Village.

2nd MAY - the Windermere Hotel (112 High Street), in Kangaroo Flat.

6th JUNE - The Tysons Reef Hotel. 2 Weeroona Avenue.

4th JULY - The National Hotel Inn High Street Near The Central Deborah Mine.

1st AUGUST - The Hibernian Hotel, corner of High and Beech streets, in Golden Square.

5th SEPTEMBER - the Marong Family Hotel.

3rd OCTOBER - The Camp Hotel In Eaglehawk.

7th NOVEMBER - the Kangaroo Flat Sports Club.

5th DECEMBER - The Huntly Hotel. - it is on the right when you get to Huntly.

What a year we have had! Lots of nice meals and lots of chatter and laughter. We have

made new friends and there has been at least one day in the month when no meal has to

be prepared.

THURSDAY

56


Social Bridge


So far this year Social Bridge has involved more teaching than playing but the small

group is now coming together and beginning to play testing their memory and clear

thinking skills. The age range is from 60 – 93. We are hoping that we can encourage

more players – in 2020. Each week a little more is learnt and confidence is

growing. Laughing and social interaction is a big part of the afternoon activity. This

activity has improved memory and is certainly mentally stimulating.

THURSDAY

57

1.30pm - Office - 2nd last Thursday

Buzz Newsletter

Editors Alison Oppermann, Judi Fisher

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

compile newsletter each month from contributions by members

save and email to politicians to print

email to Helen Bandrowski for folding

email to Michael Gallagher to put up on website

Michael Gallagher team email members copy of newsletter

Folders Helen Bandrowski and team

1 Jacinta Allen and Marree Edwards alternated printing around 300

newsletters each month. We provide paper.

2 Copies are picked up by Helen Bandrowski or other team member.

3 They are taken to St Mary’s and the team fold each one.

4 Sometimes they need to insert a flyer.

5 They attach the address from sticker sheets printed by Jill McArthur.

6 They sort each folded newsletter into postcodes.

7 Helen or team member takes the folded, addressed newsletters to the

post office.

8 Posties deliver these newsletter to members.

THURSDAY

the BUZZ

58


Bookworms

Convenor Megan McCallum

The Bookworms have devoured a range of diverse novels this year travelling through many

countries and to medieval Italy where we descended into Dante’s Inferno. From Japan we read

the Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide, a book that gave rise to many interpretations. An Icelandic

novel, Independent People, by Nobel prizewinner, Halldor Laxness, was an account of the dire

conditions and struggle to survive of Icelandic farmers in the 1920s. For light relief we turned to

Australia and Hannie Rayson’s amusing memoir Hello Beautiful. We returned to childhood to

read an annotated version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking

Glass. The annotation provided information about the political and cultural references that occur

in the books and also noted where the chess moves occur in Through the Looking Glass.

Bookworms is a new name for this group. It was known as The Monthly Book Club when Patricia

Reynolds started it up in 2012. Among the founding members were Lillian Alden, John Bomford,

Jeannette Clark, Michael Ryan and Fran Sodell. Lillian, Jeannette, Michael and Fran are still

members. We all thank Fran for her dedication in selecting and collecting the books from the

Library each month. In 2019 we discovered we were not alone, that a number of book clubs had

evolved within the U3A and all were meeting monthly. We needed a new name to distinguish

ourselves. After a hotly contested competition, Bookworms was finally agreed on.

Here are Lillian’s thoughts on the year’s reading, “the books I have most enjoyed this year

involved discussions which moved beyond just the storyline of the book but also those which have

led to wider discussions where we have also looked at the role between the writer and the reader

which promoted an interesting discussion about the author’s lifestyle and the content of the book

and whether we can truly exclude considerations of the author when reading and just focus on

the writing. I also enjoyed those we read in translation which led to a discussion on the role of a

translator.”

To celebrate the end of the year we all contributed to an afternoon tea to follow the talk. Graham

Greene’s dark tale, The End of the Affair, was a sombre note to end the year on but did give rise

to an entertaining discussion.

THURSDAY

59

2.00pm - Room 1

Week 1 Apple Mac

Week 2 Windows PC Users

Convenor Michael Gallagher, Ray Tampion, Geoff Pelly, Robin Bland

How do I attach images and documents to emails?

What are PDF documents and how do I create them?

How do I save attachments received in emails?

I don’t want to pay for Microsoft Office—is there another way to create word

documents?

I regularly send emails the members of my Book Club—how do I set up an email

group?

What options do I have for backing up data?

How do I download files from internet sites?

I have a CD music collection—how can I convert tracks to files so that I can listen to

them in the car?

What precautions should I take if I engage in internet banking or online

purchasing?

I have established various internet accounts, but have difficulty remembering

access details—is there some way to make access easier?

How can I guard against viruses and malware?

How can I recognise scams?

My computer is 10 years old—should I replace it?

These are among the many problems that users raised at sessions. As for the phone and

tablet user groups, almost always, someone present would be able to solve the problem.

Frequently, individual users were able to obtain one-on-one assistance from an

experienced helper.

Members solving problems at a PC Users Group Session

Attendees taking a break at an all-day Digital

Day Out workshop

THURSDAY

60


Digital Photography

Convenor Geoff Pelly

For members who take photos with a digital camera, tablet or smart phone and want to

know how to move them between devices, and how to store them on a PC or in the Cloud,

display them on a TV, and do basic editing. At the sessions we start by asking members

if they have any questions or queries, and often one of us (there are usually some helpers

at each session) will sit alongside you on a 'one on one' basis.

We encourage members to show us some or your photos on our TV screen. Bring along

some photos, on your laptop, or on a USB flash drive or SD Card, and we can show you

how, or we can arrange to show them via one of our laptops. Try and keep the number of

photos to 30 maximum.

We may have a field trip, eg to Crusoe Reservoir No7, and it will be impromptu (due to

the weather), so bring along a camera/mobile phone to the sessions. If we do a field trip

then in a subsequent session, people who want to, can show us some of the photos taken

– on our TV screen.

Finally, check out the PDF document: 'Transferring photos from mobile phone to

computer' on the U3A Bendigo website (in Learning About Your Technology - Android

Users). The procedure is applicable to Android mobiles and tablets.

THURSDAY

61

2.00pm - Offsite - Week 1 & 3

PANDI Games

Convenor Nola McIvor

THURSDAY

MEMORY GAMES PANDI Games means Party and Intellectual Games.

It’s an ongoing group and includes Charades,

Celebrity Incognito Category, The Adverb Game,

Chain Reaction, ad hoc Limericks and many more.

Have fun and keep your neurons active.

Numbers are limited.

For information & venue please call Nola.

Office, desk, lamp, switch, over, land, mine, pencil, lead, case, load..

WRITING STORIES

Such as: The bear stood quietly behind the tree, waiting for the people in the scattered tents to go to sleep.

The start of an unlikely story “The

mosquitos were having a conference..”

to be continued around the group. CHARADES

CATEGORIE

S

WORD GAMES

Three letters are provided and

words are built up . E.g.

4 P a r t

5 P a r k s

6 P a r d o n

7 P a r s i n g

8 P a r a b o l a

9 P a r q u e t r y

10 P a r a p l e g i c

11 P a r a c h u t i s t

12 P a r a l l e l o g r a m

13 P a r s I m o n I o u s

14 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Lots of laughter and some-

times a better vocabulary

and sharper mind.

CONSEQUENCES

WORD SKILLS

LIMERICKS

There once was a man of Bengal

Who was asked to a fancy-dress ball;

He said, "I will risk it

And go as a biscuit"

But a dog ate him up in the hall.

BONGO

B L A C K

S O N A R

X I O

N D

D O O R S

62

2.00pm - Room 1 - Week 1 & 3

Poetry Appreciation

Convenor Brenda Stevens-Chambers In 2019, as the new convenor of Poetry Appreciation, I was stepping into the hallowed shoes of long-term co-ordinator, Allison Ross. A little concerned about how to start I was rescued by St Valentine’s Day, our first session together, so began with a little romantic poetry. And what better poetic volume to start with than “Women in Love – Eight Centuries of Feminine Writing”, edited by Evelyne Sullerot, published in France in 1974 and translated into English soon after. Off to a flying start, so we continued, mostly concentrating on female poets, French, English Australian, all largely neglected, their poetry covering a vast field of topics enabling participants the appreciation and awareness they were seeking from the sessions.

Afar She looks across the long dry grass Like a lover into the future An unknown place - Looking closer she Sees a joyful insect world Within the grasses ever present Reassuringly before her.


Handshake I want to be where your warm hand clasps mine In friendship and trust I want to be where the language of a handshake Is truer than the spoken word As deep as a mountain lake More lasting than honeyed sentiments I want to be where no mischievous Shakespearian Character lurks Behind a smiling face I want to be where none but the purest soul Is enshrined in the truest handshake


U3A, MY THIRD AGE

The years stretched ahead into old age, How would I fill the rest of life’s page? Life could be passing me by, Then came Bendigo U3A, Now I’m filling that page. This University Needn’t be scary or hard. I can try something I’ve always wanted to learn, Visit a garden, Enjoy something new, Revisit something I’ve enjoyed in the past; ChooSe from physical fitness or something for the mind, Indulge in a movie, or Thursday lunch. Take time for some art, or music. You can learn ukulele, French or Spanish. Opt for the choir and sing along with Carol, For fitness, go walking or hiking; try some Tai Chi. The Christmas concert, Highlight of the year, is never to be missed. Embroidery is the go if you like to sew. There’s always something for you. Help is on hand for the digitally challenged; MIchael’s computer team have the clues. WRite your own story, Draw, paint, or write poetry. At the monthly gathering, Get together with friends, make some new ones, and Enjoy your U3A day.

Ronda Pascoe

THURSDAY

63


Online Support Team

Convenor Michael Gallagher

Via a survey sent out in 2015, many members expressed their desire for assistance with

the operation of their digital devices: phones, tablets, computers, TVs etc. The survey

also revealed that members possessed a wide spread of technology skills. U3A Bendigo

responded by forming the Technology Support Team to deliver expanded technology

support.

Harold Allen, Lyn Goodall, Jan Govett, Christine Haddick, Geoff Ireland, Sue Nuttall,

Beverly Omerod, Helen Reeves, Mick Sheridan, Ray Tampion, Chris Vigor, Anton von

Sierakowski and Michael Gallagher offered their services. In time, members were drawn

away by ill health or pressing commitments. Others stepped in to take their place: Robin

Bland, Geoff Pelly, Doreen Donaldson, David Gymer and Barry Fordham. Since its

inception, there have always been a group of six to eight team members providing U3A

Bendigo with on-going technology assistance.

The Technology Support Team

meets monthly to plan and

prepare activities. At the

outset, they determined to

focus on assisting members use

the devices they possessed

rather than offering

generalized sessions.

Over the years, they delivered one-off information sessions, all-day workshops and short-

courses and convened on-going user support groups. In addition to running Learning

About Your Technology sessions, team members managed the U3A Bendigo Website and

Facebook page. They procured, set up and maintained equipment and supported

conveners, office bearers and admin staff. They managed broadband access and the WiFi

network. They set up and maintained a local fileserver as a centrally accessible space

where the vast volume of files prepared by conveners and office bearers can be safely

stored.

Technology support personnel command substantial wages

in industry. U3A Bendigo’s volunteer technical support

personnel teach themselves how to provide technology

support and are rewarded by the thanks they receive from

members and by the fun and satisfaction they gain from

working in concert to help others.

THURSDAY

64

8.30am - Room 1 - Trial

Beginners Meditation

Convenor Lyn Goodall

A four week trial


Meditation

Convenor Lyn Goodall U3A Bendigo approved a Meditation group to start in late 2011. Lyn Goodall has experience in facilitating Meditation Groups both here and in the UK. Lyn wanted to share her love of Meditation to include Stillness / Mindfulness Meditation, Guided Visualisations, Transcendental Meditation, Buddhist practices, Process Meditation and many more types of Meditation practice. Some members have been with the group for 6/7 years. The group operated at first out of one of the La Trobe campuses at Osbourne Street, in the small porta cabins. Members used Yoga mats or chairs to meditate on. Then came the move to Golden Square. While the rooms were larger, they were also colder in Winter and hotter in Summer. With the move to Kangaroo Flat the group started to grow strong. The science was in. Stillness / Mindfulness Meditation was good for you and could assist with a number of issues including de-stressing, managing post-traumatic-syndrome (PTSD), lowering anxiety levels, helping with some cancer treatments and assisting with getting a good night's sleep to name a few. The scientists used electrodes to map brain activity and they could see remarkable differences in test groups of Meditators, even if people only meditated for very short periods of time. Short periods of time, done regularly is better than none. The turning point was when Stillness / Mindfulness Meditation began to be taught in schools. U3A Bendigo grandparents could now chat about it to grandchildren. In this fast-changing world of ours it's good to know that we can find a level of calmness, just by improving our ability to observe ourselves, our thoughts and related emotions. We take particular note of our breathing. There are several patterns of breathing that are really helpful in certain situations. Practiced regularly, when it's needed, it's easy to access and draw upon the strength and calmness we build up during our practices. Breathing in a particular way has also helped many members improve their sleep patterns. In 2019 Lyn started a "Beginners" group. For 4 weeks before Christmas a small group met to look at the basics of Meditation. During 2020 Lyn will run a 6 week Beginners Meditation to focus on the basics of what we do in the main group. It will be a pre-requisite to joining the main group. Lyn considers she is very fortunate to have a room full of like-minded members in the main group.

Everyone is on their own Meditation journey. Some further along than others, but that doesn't matter,

as long as members know where they're at and what they'd like to work on. The main group and the

beginners group are a really friendly, supportive group of people. Confidentiality is respected and

what happens in the group stays in the group.

FRIDAY

65


Watercolour continuing

Convenor John Lane and Judy McGrath Every first Friday of the month at 0930 am sees our small group of people entering room 2 U3A. Here aspiring artists under the tuition initially by Judy McGrath and then John Lane are supported in a friendly relaxed atmosphere to achieve our artistic goals. Firstly we catch up with each other. Then the latest artworks are shown and discussed. Next we commence painting. Our jars are filled with water, paper attached to the backing boards, brushes made ready and watercolour paints squeezed onto palettes. Now what do we paint? Sometimes we have a set subject eg. Flowers. Sometimes we continue with a work in progress. At other times it is a personal choice with subjects varying from landscapes, portraits, animals, flowers and still life. On October Orientation Day we are happy to display, discuss and share some of our artwork. At the end of the session at 1130 am paints and artwork are packed up. The subject we can attempt to paint over the next month has been determined. We leave with promises of seeing each other in one month feeling positive and enthusiastic about our watercolour journey.

9.30pm-Hall–Weekly

Tai Chi

Convenor Alison Oppermann So, my Cloud of Hands is more a flurry of fingers and my Repulse Monkey will never be mistaken for the real thing. However I can Lead the Goat, Wipe the Sugar from the Table and Carry the Tiger to the Mountain. Never a dull moment in Tia Chi.

FRIDAY

66

10.00am - Offsite - Week 2&4

Visiting Gardens

Convenor Barb Ritchie This is not a class as such, more of a gathering of like-minded people interested in the growing of

plants, flowers, shrubs and trees.

The gardening group began in 2010 changing leaders several times over the years. The group

started with small numbers and has now grown to forty-fifty regular participants. The sharing of

knowledge among the group and discussing the qualities of plants and gardens is an excellent

medium for learning.

Interesting things have happened to us over the years and one in particular stands out. A

member of our group was very ill, her garden which she loved badly needed TLC, we decided to

do a good deed, street name and number were emailed out, but unfortunately the email had the

wrong street number. Many of our gardeners did an excellent job of weeding this rather unkempt

garden, filled the green bin and then realised they were at the wrong address after seeing other

members on the other side of the road. Would have loved to have seen the faces on the residents

when they came home.

The garden group have visited small gardens, big gardens, and farms with lovely gardens. It was

interesting to notice our gardeners were just as interested in the cows, sheep, alpacas, geese,

turkeys as they were in the gardens.

There have been excellent Coach trips, beautiful Sunnymeade out from Euroa, a lovely early

autumn day to the Lily farm in the Yarra Junction, the Macedon Ranges , where we visited three

gardens, Tieve Tara, Duneira and Gresford, the trees had their autumn colours on show for us, a

wonderful days outing, then of course to Noorilim at Nagambie, what an experience that was.

We visited the B&B herb farm in Nth Bendigo, Ruk Zwaan, a large seed growing business in

Daylesford producing vegetable seeds for farmers. Then of course so many local gardens, Lambly

Hall at White Hills, our own Botanic gardens also at White Hills, a sheep farm garden out

through Inglewood with a beautifully landscaped lush garden in the midst of dry arid paddocks,

all built by the owner herself. Another garden never to be forgotten was an ultra-modern house

and garden in Golden Square, just stunning.

We occasionally have speakers to our meetings on the different aspects of gardening. Our garden

group members simply go on learning about plants, there are always new plants and new ideas to

consider.

FRIDAY

67


Watercolour for Beginners

Convenor Judy McGrath The opportunity to learn a new skill is one of the joys of membership of U3A,My Art Life started about 20 years ago. In common with many others I decided if I was ever going to learn to paint that there was no time like the present. So ,bit between the teeth I launched into learning something about painting, help from many generous people, both in their knowledge and their encouragement made this a great time. A chance to have a class for beginners was a time to pay back the people who helped me. So a few groups have been together and it is great to see the skills that they have honed and to see people help and encourage each other and some really lovely work be produced. 2019 began with a new group, some with quite a bit of knowledge and some whiz bit of trepidation as to how they would go. Its so common for us to expect to produce masterpieces at our first attempts. I’m sure that Leonardo or Michaelangelo could not have painted he Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel after a couple of lessons. Its amazing to for us to expect do do this immediately. It is also wonderful how a little knowledge of some simple techniques can be a big help with some practice. What is most important is that we enjoy our own journey, have fun, and if you get the chance, Have a Go.

FRIDAY

68

10.00am - Room 2 - Week 2&4

Latin

Convenor Wilf Savage

Not everyone sees the point of studying Latin. “You can’t use it on

your overseas holidays; nobody speaks it any more.”

In fact those of us who sit once a fortnight talking about verb

tenses, parts of speech, noun declensions et cetera don’t feel that

we’re wasting our time on a ‘DEAD LANGUAGE’.

On the contrary, we find that studying Latin teaches us a lot about

the structure of our own language and invites us to think a lot more

about English as we use it and as people use it around us.

We learn how much of our own language derives directly or indirectly from Latin, and

those students lucky enough to know a language like French, Spanish or Italian will

appreciate the influence of Latin on

those languages.

The Cambridge course book that we

have been following also has the

advantage of telling us much about

Roman history and culture, and

presenting very human stories which

are often quite engrossing and

sometimes very humorous.

Sadly at some time in the past fifty

years someone decided that Latin had

lost its relevance in the modern world.

Even our once a fortnight excursions

into the Cambridge course have

sharpened our appreciation of how

much the Roman Empire has shaped

European history, and how much the

first “World Language” – used for over

2,000 years - has influenced and helped

structure the language that we use

from day to day.

FRIDAY

69


Walking Futsal


Walking Soccer for Seniors. This activity is held indoors so it can continue all year long

no matter what the weather conditions are.

The rules are simple – NO RUNNING – Walking only – 5 players per team and the ball

must travel along the ground. Suitable for both Male and Female participants.

When the activity was first started most of the players had not kicked a soccer ball some

had but a long time ago some were used to having a kick with the grandkids. The group

struggled to play 8 minute halves, then as the fitness levels improved for the players we

gradually snuck it up to 10 minute halves now 15 minute halves are the norm. The year

culminated with a male Bendigo U3A Team and a Female U3A Bendigo Team

competing in the World Cup in November of this year. At this competition the teams

played 3 games made up of two 10 minute halves so for the day the team played 3 x 20

minute games one after the other and all who attended managed quite well. There were

two zones in the men’s competition our Bendigo team won all games and Beechworth

Team also won all of their games in their zone so on a count back Beechworth had kicked

more goals and took the winners trophy with our Bendigo Team coming runners

up. Our ladies team came third for the day a great effort. It is evident that the fitness

level, agility, balance and confidence of those who have participated I have improved

greatly. There is also a lot of laughter every week. I encourage members to come along

and join in the fun.

FRIDAY

70


Guitar

Convenor Gary Clancy

We have played at Stella Anderson, palliative care day group, vision Australia Day

group, Golden Oaks, St Mary’s fair, U3A Open Day and U3A Christmas concert.

About 20 new songs this year including Hallelujah, Sounds of Silence, Down Under, Billy

of Tea, Always on my mind, Song Sung Blue, All my Loving. Four strong winds, Pretty

woman.

FRIDAY

71

1.30pm-Room1–Weekly

Musical Instrument Group

Convenor Lorene Gottschalk and David Dunnicliffe

Leader Bron Nelson Mozart’s Rondo, When I’m Sixty-Four’ by Lennon & McCartney, Beckett Blues by Pitt, Hebridean folk song ‘An Eriskay Love Lilt’, ‘Go Down Moses’ and other spirituals, ‘Gavotte’ by Bonsor, folk music from many countries – all these and many, many more wonderful pieces contribute to the musical tapestry that unfolds each Friday in the Bendigo U3A Musical Instruments Group. Currently, the clear, sweet sounds of recorders of various sizes – descant, alto, tenor and bass – blend with violins to produce a wide variety of musical colours and tones. Players of any instruments and of all ability levels are welcome to join this eclectic group of music enthusiasts. Fun and laughter, fuelled by a love of making music together, is a wonderful characteristic of our Friday afternoon sessions. We also enjoy sharing our music and in 2019 performed at an Aged Care facility, entertained enrolees at the U3A Open Day and played at a local fund-raising Open Garden event.

‘Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.’ – Plato

FRIDAY

72

2.00pm - Room 2 - Week1

Chatterbooks Group

Convenor: Bobbie Ireland

The U3As newest book

club:

“Chatterbooks”

FRIDAY

73

Anytime - Offsite

Swimming

Convenor Barb Ritchie

Swimming classes began at the Eaglehawk swimming pool more than 20 years ago, (now

the Peter Krenz Centre), the classes continued, on and off and ten years ago our U3A

swimming teacher started teaching over the summer months in the open air pool at her

own home. This turned out to be a very successful move, learners appreciated the privacy

and the pleasant gardens surrounding the pool.

There have been numerous successes from these classes, with many students overcoming

traumatic experiences prior to the lessons. One student had been caught in the mud at

the bottom of a river, another thrown into deep water when they couldn’t swim, many

such stories have had a detrimental effect on peoples’ endeavours to brave the water,

however people can and do conquer these fears and become good swimmers.

There are other outstanding successes from these classes, one lady while holidaying with

family was always left sitting on the beach on a Caribbean island while the family were

out snorkelling in the distance, one summer of lessons resulted in a beautiful swimmer,

never left sitting on the beach again. Then there are those people who want to swim with

grandchildren, they are stuck standing on the side of the pool, a summer of lessons and

they can now enjoy their time with the grandchildren in the water.

The most satisfying successes are the people with health problems, when they find that

with proper technique of breathing and the correct swim strokes, they are improving

their health with exercise. Many of these people continue swimming all year round at

one of the local pools.

Another of the recent successes of this class has been the change of a group class to now a

one on one situation, one teacher one pupil. The class is for one hour, depending on the

student’s fitness, this tends to bring the student on more quickly with the teacher’s full

attention.

There have been so many happy people coming out to these classes over the years, the

teacher explains how her knowledge and understanding of swimming has grown so much

with the experience of working with older people, their patience and enthusiasm makes

teaching swimming such a pleasure.

We are fortunate to have Barb as our instructor, she has done the VicSwim in

Melbourne, the Aus Swim in Bendigo and has worked with local primary schools, the

special development school and now U3A.

WHENEVER

74

Anytime - Offsite

Out & About

Convenor Pat Friswell

Out and About was established in 2019 to cater for some of the social needs of members

who are single or do not have anyone to go out with, especially in the evenings and at

weekends. We have a monthly dinner and an activity in between. So far we have been to:

The first get together was on Thursday 8th August. It was a fine start meeting at

The All Seasons for dinner, introductions and planning future activities. Eight of us

enjoyed the convivial company and a good meal.

The next function was at the Star Cinema on the 24 August to see The White Crow

the story about Rudolph Nureyev.

The Four Ponies was the next destination on Wednesday 11th September at 7pm.

We met at The Soldiers Memorial Museum in Pall Mall at 2:30pm on Saturday 28th

September followed by Stella in Bull St.

On Friday 11th October our monthly dinner was at The Lake View Hotel at 7pm.

We went to Mali Thai for dinner on Saturday 9th of November. and

The Marong Family Hotel for lunch on Sunday 8th December.

Who comes changes a bit each time but generally we get 6-10 members to each function.

It is always a good number for chatting and getting to know each other. New friendships

are developing and we welcome new members each time.

WHENEVER

75

Anytime - Hallway

Library

Convenor Barbara McDougall and Mary Fry, Librarians

Enter the front door of the U3A complex and you are instantly in the Library.

This is a pleasant location for your librarians since we meet members who often stop for

a chat, which usually centres on books: readers’ recommendations (or not), requests for

particular books, helpful suggestions. It is also an opportunity for us to catch up with

members we have not seen for awhile. This can result in much chatter and laughter and

sometimes leads to a traffic jam at the door but nobody seems to mind.

Early in 2019 we carried out a thorough assessment of the library. Every book was

examined (should we keep it?; is it in the right place?). Library space is limited and we

want to make the best possible use of the space we have. It was a big job but despite

dusty corners and an indignant spider or two it is now complete making the Library

much more pleasant and easy to access. Any books which we culled have been donated

to the YMCA for their book sales.

The Library was built up over many years entirely from members’ donations of books and

the good work of former librarians. It has now extended to DVDs and this year to music

CDs launched by the Rob Young Collection and continuing with CDs from other

members.

Part of the Library holdings are being cataloged and the catalogs are displayed on the

U3A website: the Great Courses DVDs, the music CDs, Biographies and Classified Books

(mainly non-fiction).

We trust that our members will continue to use and enjoy all our Library has to offer.

WHENEVER

76

Then & Now

Jo Johnson Every activity needs a venue, and much of my involvement in U3A has been in the teams advising on

the three venues we have used over the past 30 years. This page is a record of our previous two venues

leading to St. Mary’s: a reminder of then and now.

The big classroom contained almost everything! The library, the kitchen, notice board, chairs, tables....

.....and with no porch, papers often went flying with the wind . Everyone had to pass through the room to get to the smaller room and offices…………..!

The administration group were most efficient and long-suffering, operating in two confined spaces, the second one only being accessible through the first. But there was a great spirit of make and do then!

LOOKING BACK

The smaller room with dodgy electrics

77

Then & Now

Jo Johnson

LOOKING BACK

..... and then, on 19th April, 2012 we moved to Golden Square.....

LAY-

Golden Square Uniting Church Parish Centre

....but more important than venues are the wonderful courses run by expert members - philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, languages, geology, literature, end of life matters, writing - the list is long, which have brought learning - our core purpose - friendship and social connection. Our ageing popu-lation is growing in number, so U3A is vital in helping us to keep our mental and physical health so we can continue to contribute to society. Josephine Johnson B. Arch.(Melb) DipTP(Lond.) FRAIA MPIA (ret.)

..... and so, on 13th December, 2013 we moved to St. Mary’s.....

....&.. the kitchen and the store .....&..... the narthex of the church - an excellent space for discussion groups & social gatherings. There were occasional gatherings in the church as well....BUT........ ..larger premises were required...

Remember the

courtyard

and

small theatre?

78

History

Diana Collier Quite a memory test thinking back to early 1990s! It was quite exciting meeting in the one-time Deaf School (now Univ. Admin and Building departments) planning for a University Third Age organisation. Different interest groups shared the one big hall, and we used off-campus halls, rooms and some private homes for some activities. Later U3A moved to the earlier Teachers College (SCV) Osborne Street classrooms. But before mentioning some of the activities, it is worth adding that an aim initially was to provide courses for retired people who have not had the opportunity of any further study during their lives. These courses were not to duplicate or copy courses that were already being conducted at University or Tech Colleges. We were informed that Toulouse University (France) had instituted this U3A system when the French Govt had raised the age of retirement as many retirees would be “of University age”. U3As became popular over France ,UK, Aust. One Interest group met in the YWCA in Condon street, which was excellent for Folk Dancing sessions and was lucky to have the excellent dance rhythm pianist from Bendigo Bush Dance organisation. A Table Tennis group used various church halls. The Photographic group moved around and had many excursions “en plein air” beyond Bendigo. A popular Current Issues group “debated” (discussed with feeling) current contentious issues of the day, eg the” Third World Debt and how it affects us - a boomerang”, “Social Justice and first Australians”. A Social Issues Journal ( a Community Aid Abroad) - was a source for such issues. This group continued for a great many years. Aboriginal History was a very active group and included excursions - one overnight in the Barmah Forest and the Danyah Centre at which our Yorta Yorta Host Wayne Atkinson, took us to many middens, camp ovens, scarred and toe-holed trees, and prepared Bush food over the camp fire. Thrilling for those who had never seen or heard such before. Two became involved in looking for and photographing scarred trees during their own private trips. A Camping trip to Lake Mungo was lead by Carolyn Briggs leader at BCAE Aboriginal Student Support Unit (now Elder, Aunty and Professor at RMIT), and a great source of advice and history. There was co -operation with the Dja Dja Wurrung Association, so that a balanced presentation could be achieved. One Open Day (public) Celebration was held in Community Centre in Crook Street where each Subject group held its usual session activity, and public visitors were welcome to join in according to interest. Another couple of times we joined with the Castlemaine U3A for combined session, which was held in the Students’ Union (quite new building at the time) of the extended BCAE. Very joyous occasions I recall. One custom which I think was very practical and useful was on application for membership , each applicant was asked to state what skills he/she might have and what he/she would have like to learn. eg: if involved in housework all her life that housewife would really have liked to learn Motor Mechanics, or perhaps, French. And men likewise who might have been accomplished in plumbing/teaching/engineering, and now were interested in Embroidery or Painting. These skills and likes were paired up and a possible class was arranged. The Co-ordinator was always the leader of the Subject course (identified as given) and All applications went to the relevant Subject Co-ordinator as he/she needed to know numbers and made direct contact with the would-be student. [Of course, Contact was made only between the applicant and the coordinator, no cross references to any one else unless specifically given by applicant]. The chosen courses were of different duration eg a term which seems in line with the original intention of U3A s. I do not remember any limited to one day or 2-3 sessions, [ this is not to refute the need for other interest or activity Groups - a different organisation? There was discussion originally of limiting terms of office to 3 years at a time. This was already established in

Castlemaine U3A and has meant sometimes very excellent performances and sometimes less so but a nice

variation of method - less scaring would – be officers off; and a sharing of responsibilities and a “learning”

period for all, one original aim of the U3A. I think this limiting of ‘tenure’ is a preferable system. Taking

responsibility is sometimes a problem with either system.

LOOKING BACK

79

From the Beginning—Computers at

U3A

Tom Dewhurst

“To send an email message to a friend, first you type it out to appear on your computer

screen. Now save the message by recording it on your cassette player (remember them?).

Next telephone your friend, telling him to put the microphone for his cassette player near

the phone earpiece. Play your cassette player ( the beep beeping sounded somewhat like

Morse code). This is recorded on your friend’s cassette, and when he connects it to his

computer, your message appears on his screen”

These were Tom Dewhurst’s instructions to the original 1985 (informal) U3A group.

Today, most people are able to do this walking down the street, using their smart phone.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!

But between these two stages, U3A computer learning groups went through many

changes.

Two computers were supplied by the “Vic U3A Network” Two more were borrowed each

week involving much heavy carrying. No computers were purchased for computer classes

– over the years, grants from Bendigo Council and the State Government supplied extra

equipment. Members paid $20 for 5 lessons. We had 4 students for each Monday session

and often another 4 for Tuesday sessions. With $2 for badges ($6 for special badges) ,

Computer classes ran at about $400 profit per year!

Several members including John Lane, Alan Rawlins and Ilsa Ramsay assisted with

classes. While Tom Dewhurst was overseas, Ilsa took charge, and remained in charge

until sadly she became ill and passed away.

Bruno Dik contributed much to the equipment care & use followed by Arto Bohm.

We currently have several volunteers dealing with special areas of Technology. All these

areas are now running smoothly under the direction of Michael Gallagher.

Although he did not take classes, Michael Grounds made a major leap forward in

computer use for U3A data. He wrote the program himself to cover membership status,

address details, their special interests and skills and attendance records. From his

program one could find the member or subject with the greatest number of attendance

hours, and details such as the number of members between the ages of 60 and 70. It was

a great achievement!

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80

30 Years of Technology Usage at U3A

Michael Gallagher

Personal computers (PCs) became available in the mid 1970s. By the time U3A

Bendigo was established in 1990, PCs were commonplace in government, banks,

universities, schools, large corporations and some small businesses. For the most

part, users in such organizations were supported by information technology

support personnel.

There were also computer enthusiasts. They purchased relatively inexpensive

machines such as VIC-20s, Commodore-64s, Sinclair-Z80s, Tandy TRS-80s, Apple

IIs, Ataris, Amigas, etc. The use of word processors, spreadsheets, programming in

Basic and games software were popular PC activities. Laser printers and hard

disks very expensive. Data was saved on audio cassettes and floppy discs. USB

drives had yet to arrive. Advanced enthusiasts accessed remote bulletin boards via

dial-up modems and uploaded programs they had written in Basic to the boards.

The Internet did not arrive until the mid 1990s.

Tom Dewhurst was one such enthusiast. He began running computer courses for

beginners in a Bendigo community house in the mid 1980s. Michael Grounds was

another. He had set up a PC network to run his medical practice. Lyn Goodall was

a third—she had been president of the Melbourne PC Users Group (one of the

largest in the world at the time, with over 2000 members).

From its inception and onwards, Tom, Michael, Lyn and others ensured that

computer technology was used in U3A Bendigo to support the organization and

imbue members with information technology knowledge and skills.

Prior to the move to St Mary’s in 2014, one of the most called-for activities offered

at U3A Bendigo had been computer courses for beginners. Tom Dewhurst and others had gathered enough

PCs to set up a lab. They ran multiple activities over the course of the week to provide members with their

first experience of using computers.

As time passed, many members purchased their own PCs. Demand for PC courses for beginners subsided.

Tom continued to meet the remaining demand via one-to-one sessions in the Admin Office at St Mary’s.

Lyn Goodall convened a Computer Users group to keep members informed about technology developments

and provide a forum where they could obtain advice and assistance re the use of their equipment. Various

other technology courses and activities ran from time to time.

By 2015, office bearers were using information and communication technologies

(ICT) to manage the organization. Course presenters and coordinators were

using ICT facilities to communicate with group members and to prepare and

present course materials. Members required ICT skills to participate in courses

and activities, to access support materials and to remain informed about U3A

Bendigo events and services. The Committee Handbook specified the many roles

and duties related to technology, many of which were shouldered at the time by

Lyn Goodall.

In 2015, Jill McArthur, President, set about spreading the load to ensure

that U3A Bendigo would continue to use information technology effectively

and support its members using technology. The Committee of

Management asked Lyn Goodall, Anton von Sierakowski, Arto Bohm and

Michael Gallagher to form a group to advise it re the use of information

and communication technologies. The result of that decision is told in

pages above.

LOOKING BACK

81

Discussion Group

Dawn Colbourne

A few of the topics discussed over the years

The ‘new Bendigo Bank Headquarters , a sustainable building

The United Nations System (diagram)

10 Points about Asylum seekers

Constitutions of various countries including, USA

NZ Bill of Rights 28/8/1990

Canadian Bill of Rights

TALK by the late Ron Munro on 27/10/2012

‘The time has surely arrived for the complete revision of the Federal Constitution, the Electoral System and the elimination of the States’

Museum of Australian Democracy M.A.D.E. Ballarat

‘The World’s First Sustainable City- Dongtan, China 9/9/2005

Billy Hughes – Australia’s 7th PM b. 1862- died 1928 ...member for Bendigo

What is the IPA ? Institute for Public Affairs?

Visits from candidates for elections: Federal and State

Properties exempt from Rates and taxes

United nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

2008: ‘International Year of the Potato’

Proposed wording of the Preamble referendum

Problems for franchisees

Barak Obama’s speech on Race 1/9/2008

Barak Obama’s speech on Race 1/9/2008

Review of the U3A Current Issues group by members present on 22nd and 29 September 2003

Review of books read by members

Objects of interest

TED talks

These are a sample of topics chosen by members of the Discussion/Current Issues group over decades.

LOOKING BACK

82

U3A Bendigo 30 years old in 2020!

David Elvery

This week I picked up a copy of the April 19’s Buzz. Now aged 90 years, it brought back

great memories for me of activities and members’ friendships when I participated from

the early 1990s onwards. I went to most monthly meetings and was delighted when an

invited speaker was on the agenda. U3A was also important to my planned retirement.

I look back on several years at the old Teachers College site, when I arranged and co-

ordinated In Search of History series of ”tell & show”. The program consisted of several

periods of a speaker(s) time, including BYO lunch; a bus tour(s) relating to the subject

followed a few days later. Popular historic topics were Gold; Bendigo’s architectural

buildings; Coliban Water (at least the bus tours); Castlemaine History; several topics

linked to my LatTrobe Post Grad studies—German Settlement on the Colbinabbin

Range, Village Settlements off the 1890s, Terrick Terricks Settlement.

When asked for some statistics on attendance by Michael Grounds I was surprised when

the total “student involvement” came to 4,000 hours!.

I hope to come to your Social Gathering on 24th April’19 , to catch up with “how and

what goes” with U3A-B/go these days!

LOOKING BACK

83

Kevin Harris

I joined the U3A discussion group hoping to find interesting conversation and new

friendships. I was looking for something more than dramatic news items and the general

negativity around town. To my pleasure I found much more than that. The members of

the discussion group are keenly interested in both local and world affairs and they are

happy to share their views in a respectful and pleasant manner. The group is a lot of fun

and we share a number of laughs together.

In the future I am looking forward to more discussions and interesting guest speakers. I

would recommend the U3A discussion group to anyone looking to spend a couple of

quality hours each week with some interesting people.

Marilyn Grossman

In January 2019 I registered with U3A Bendigo offering to teach yoga classes on

Thursday (as the Tuesday class was fully booked). At enrolment day I discovered many

diverse classes and activities available to join. I signed up to computer classes with Tom

Dewhurst. I attended many of his sessions improving my basic technical knowledge.

Towards the end of the year I discovered the group My Story. I joined this wonderful

activity which involved writing about personal experiences and/or events. After writing

for approximately 40 minutes you can then share your story with the others in the group

if you choose to. There are many other activities I would love to join – if only the time!!!

Jean Sturdy

Having just retired I joined U3A to find my way into a new phase of life. I have found

friendly people who are introducing me to new interests. Tai Chi was an interest I had

in the past. I have now resumed at U3A and found the weekly session always leaves me

feeling invigorated and more confident of my balancing abilities.

? LOOKING FORWARD ?

84

U3A BENDIGO ANTHEM

words by Sheila Metcalf. Barnsley U3A, UK (to the tune of “Blowin’ in the Wind” Some modifications made by Sue Fraser and Carol Aylward!!

How many times did you say in your youth, You’d ne-ver be old and grey.

You said you’d never shirk, and you’d never give up work,

And retirement seemed a million miles away.

But the time has come around, yes and very soon you’ve found,

That you need a way to keep old age at bay.

The answer, my friend, is join a U3A. The answer is you join a U3A.

How many groups can you fit in a week? Five, six or maybe even more.

There’s walking and Tai Chi, lots of technology.

Play Crib and chess, short courses by the score (learn Spanish, French and more)

You can garden, write and sing, and do ‘most anything.

Why don’t you get the time to mop the floor?

The answer, my friend, is you joined a U3A. The answer is you joined a U3A.

How many times do you think to yourself, the garden needs a weed and a dig.

The fridge needs a clean ‘cos the cheese is turning green,

And the pile of ironing’s looking rather big.

You need to clean the loo but have better things to do,

And what the hell, you couldn’t give a fig!

The reason, my friend, is you’ve joined a U3A. The reason is you’ve joined a U3A

Yes the answer, my friend, is you joined a U3A, You joined the BRILLIANT

Bendigo U3A!

? LOOKING FORWARD ?

30th anniversary bendigo 30th... · 2020-04-27 · members wishing to learn a different size...

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