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Albury-Wodonga U3A is located atThe Albury-Wodonga Community College

63 High Street Wodonga VIC 3690PO Box 129 Wodonga VIC 3689

College Reception (02) 6043 8200U3A Mobile 0499 895 117

alburywodongau3a.com > Contact Us

September Newsletter 2017Editor : Edward Voogt | Publication Date : 20 September 2017

Albury-Wodonga U3A 2017-18 Committee MembersEdward Voogt (Acting President & Member Services Director) • Dianne Fontana (Secretary)

Keith Martin (Treasurer) • Pat Madin (Programme Director) • Peter Massey (Systems Director)Meryl Allworth (Programme) • Gudrun Reid (VicNet & Regional Liaison)

2017 Semester 2Mid-semester break: Friday 22 September

Recommences: Monday 9 OctoberEnds: Friday 8 December

Next Committee MeetingFriday 6th October, 9.30 a.m.

October Coffee MorningFriday 13th October, 10 a.m. till 12 noon

Guest Speaker : Dianne Wicks❝ If you're not dead, you're not done ❞

"This quote of Craig Groeshal’s does much to summarise my retirement philosophy. Retiring at age 65 from a career in nursing, I moved to Bengaluru India for a post-retirement adventure. Teaching English, in a school committed to educating children from local rock-quarry communities, became my career for the next two years." - Dianne WicksCome along and hear Dianne share her adventure of volunteering in a foreign country, living alone as a mature-aged woman in a different culture. She will share her experience and the insights gained. Dianne has recently returned from another visit to India.

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A New Short Courseis being offered for 6 weeks during Term 4,

2017: "Conversations in Wodonga"Co-ordinator: Michael Evans

Venue: AWCC, 63 High Street, WodongaDay: Mondays, 10.00 -12.00 noon

Duration: 9th October – 20th NovemberClass size: 15

Course Description: (continued, Page 2)

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up, or you can email any suggestions to me at U3A@awcc.edu.au.Co-ordinators:Thank you to all co-ordinators for the work you are doing. It is much appreciated. It is also time to begin planning courses for 2018. Information will be given out to all co-ordinators to see if you are interested in continuing with your course in 2018 or if you want to make changes to your current course outline. Information sheets will be found in the folders with the rolls at the U3A office.Thank you to everyone who is marking the roll and returning it to the U3A office. This year we seem to be having a problem with people enrolling then dropping out of classes or not even attending a class. I realise that people go on holidays, are ill, etc., so whilst we need to be flexible we do have a waiting list for some classes. It makes life easier if everyone can mark the roll and return it to the U3A office. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. - Pat Madin

Coffee Morning ReportFriday, 8th September

On a “very crisp” morning we were comfortably warm in Room 9, with the spring sunshine streaming through the windows, we were taken on a journey through the wonderful work of Parklands Albury Wodonga by Danny Jones.The theme for the day was People Power, discovering what has been achieved over the past 20 years using the community volunteer “in kind” work of twelve “Friends” groups, comprising 1,960 volunteers to regain, restore and retain natural bushland, revegetation, accessibility, developing walking and cycling tracks, protecting river fronts from erosion and degradation. to enable sustainable places for us to enjoy.My understanding of “parklands” had been the notion of pretty areas within the city featuring lovely flowers, expanses of lawn and botanic gardens. Pleasant areas for passive recreation and possibly sporting fields for the more agile and active.Danny showed us that it is so much more than that. It means reclaiming natural bushland by

“Conversations” – An opportunity to have a loosely structured discussion about selected topics using insights drawn from philosophy and the life experience of members.The discussion will touch on the relevance of the topic to us personally, its place in history and its ethical implications. We look at questions, rather than supply answers. We don’t have to agree and we don’t have to reach consensus. Michael will provide some written remarks with some suggested reading and links for those who want to delve more deeply into the topic.Prerequisites: curiosity, thoughtfulness and life experience.Topics: Michael has suggested starting with Education and Forgiveness and then will offer the group a choice from a number of topics for the following four weeks.Michael is presenting this course at Indigo U3A, Beechworth this year and has kindly offered a six week session for the Albury Wodonga U3A, beginning on October 9th. Michael says he is not an academic philosopher but is someone who has had a long term interest in phi losophy and scepticism.If you are interested in joining the group, would you please fill out a class enrolment form at the Albury-Wodonga Community College Office before the end of Term 3. - Pat MadinPlease note:The Following Classes will resume in Term 4.

Demystifying ComputersPhotographyHow To Take Good Photos

The Following Class will not run during Term 4.The Incredible Human Journey

Course Ideas for 2018It is now the time for all members to take the opportunity to look at what courses are offered and to think about what they want from the U3A. If you have any ideas about new courses, or know someone who is able to take a course, please let me know. I am usually in the U3A office on Monday mornings if you want to catch

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Parklands, Huon Hill Parklands, Eight Mile Parklands, Gateway Island Parklands, High Country Rail Trail, Bonegilla Migrant Centre,

Danny Jones

Kiwa River Parklands, Murray River Parklands, Bhutanese Community Farm. All of these have made huge areas reasonably easy to access through walking tracks, and passive recreation, fishing and just generally getting out into the many beautiful areas of natural bush surrounding our towns and cities.Danny, quite rightly said that the process of achieving all these was as important, if not more so, than the end results. I don’t know about anyone else, but I will be dusting off my hiking boots and getting out there.Thank you Danny for sharing this with us. - Gudrun Reid

How The Other Class Lives

Sewing Class - "A stitch in time!"

planting 28,000 seedlings; restoration of two of the wondrous trestle bridges on the old Shelley railway line; 4 km of fencing; 38 km of fuel reduction firebreaks; installation of 183 nest boxes to encourage native birds and tree-dwelling animals (reversing some of the effects of their natural habitat being engulfed by the urban spread); spraying and eradicating weeds (many introduced species which threaten to choke out natural flora); seven Threatened Species Recovery projects; 211 km of nature trails maintained; 386 hectares of woody weeds removed.It means the establishment of 60 garden beds (Community Farms) by and with the Bhutanese Community and maintained with the help of volunteers, work-for-the-dole and community service participants and other volunteers and friends, enhancing community integration and encouraging relationships as well as providing a measure of food security. Much of the produce grown there are vegetables which are not easily obtainable here but which are an important part of the Bhutanese diet.While Parklands A-W relies very heavily on volunteer workers, there are employment opportunities and these concentrate on local people. Last year they employed nine youths and two refugees.Danny spoke with quiet passion and enthusiasm about the health outcomes of this program of connecting with nature; about the sense of achievement and real contributions made by Disability Services, Social Enterprise, a refugee-managed community farm also employing refugees; Horticulture therapy; refugee trauma of fleeing homeland and many years in limbo. Food Security: growing food and sharing with local Foodshare engaging local Bhutanese, and an African community with local helping agencies.He talked about making the impossible possible by working and negotiating with communities, e.g. funding was achieved for clearing and restoring access through Middle Creek; getting farmers to see mutual benefit for allowing access across their properties and to river frontages (fencing, gates and defined paths). Danny refers to this as “listening to resistors”. The outcomes? Baranduda Parklands, McFarlands Hill

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"And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she  deserves?" asked the father."I will concentrate on my studies," the young man replied, "God will provide for us""And children?" asked the father. "How will you support children?""Don't worry, sir, God will provide," replied the fiancé.The conversation proceeded like this, and each time the father questioned,  the young idealist insisted that God would provide.Later, the mother asked, "How did it go, honey?"The father answered, "He has no job and no plans, and he thinks I'm God."

The Best Lawyer Story of the YearThis actually took place in Charlotte, North Carolina.A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against, among other things, fire.Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars, the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company.In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost 'in a series of small fires.'The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.The lawyer sued and WON!Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous.The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, in which it had warranted  that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable "fire" and was obligated to pay the claim.Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company 

Chess Class - "Deep Think"

Tarot Class - "On a Journey to Self-Discovery"

A young woman brought her fiancé home to meet her parents. After dinner, her  mother asked her father to find out about the young man. The father invited  the fiancé to his study for a talk."So, what are your plans?" the father asked the young man."I am a biblical scholar," he replied."A biblical scholar, hmmm?" the father said. "Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in?""I will study," the young man replied, "and God will provide for us."

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"What is legal but not logical, logical but not legal, and neither logical nor legal?"To the professor's surprise (and embarrass-ment), all the students immediately raise their hands."All right" says the professor, and asks his favourite student to answer."It's quite easy, sir" says the student."You see, you are 75 years old and married to a 30 year old woman, which is legal, but not logical.Your wife has a 22 year old lover, which is logical, but not legal.And your wife's lover failed his exam but you've just given him an "A", which is neither logical nor legal!!"

accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars that perished in the "fires".Now for the best part....After the lawyer cashed the cheque, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!  With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine. This true story won First Place in last year's Criminal Lawyers Award contest.ONLY IN AMERICA . . . !

A young Law student, having failed his Law exam, goes up to his crusty old professor, who is renowned for his razor-sharp legal mind.Student: "Sir, do you really understand everything about this subject?"Professor: "Actually, I probably do. Otherwise I wouldn't be a professor, would I?"Student: "OK. So I'd like to ask you a question. If you can give me the correct answer, I will accept my marks as they are. If you can't give me the correct answer, however, you'll have to give me an "A".Professor: "Hmmmm, all right. So what's the question?"Student: "What is legal but not logical, logical but not legal, and neither logical nor legal?"The professor wracks his famous brain, but just couldn't crack the answer.Finally he gives up and changes the student's failing mark into an "A" as agreed, and the student goes away, very pleased.The professor continues to wrack his brain over the question all afternoon, but still can't get the answer.So finally he calls in a group of his brightest students and tells them he has a really, really tough question to answer:

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