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Welcome to our members newsletter for July 2024. Even though it’s cold and wintry, there’s still plenty going on in U3A Healesville. |
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Term 2 has drawn to a close and what a bitterly cold conclusion it has been. Morning temperatures have regularly been as low as 0 degrees and on occasions headed into minus territory. Well done to those ‘troopers’ amongst us who had courses starting first thing in the morning. Deciding to leave warm homes to brave the cold took quite an effort. The U3A State Conference will be held in Melbourne later this year between 2-4 October exploring the theme of Forty and Fabulous – What Next. An interesting and varied list of keynote speakers, including Dr Norman Swann, will provoke thought on a range of issues, and their challenges, relevant to how the U3A movement in Victoria moves forward over the next 5 years or so. The invitation is there for any members to attend. Further details will be posted on our website for those who might be interested. Finally, I wrote in the June edition of the newsletter about the importance of volunteers for the wellbeing of our community. Many of those volunteers are our course leaders and form the basis of our core business. However, it is easy to forget that amongst our volunteers are members I call our ‘unsung heroes’. These volunteers often slide under the radar of attention but continue to give us wonderful support without any fuss. They mow the Court House lawns, weed and mulch the garden, vacuum and clean the rooms, clean the toilets, help course leaders set up/pack up each session or step in to help when needed, help individual members with gardening, trim hedges, solve technology problems or transport props to The Memo – and more. Sometimes it is easy to take these things for granted. But their contributions are one of the real strengths of our organisation. We are all grateful for their commitment. John Pascoe |
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Bon voyage and thank you Val! |
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Sadly, this month we say farewell and bon voyage to Val James who will return to the United Kingdom to live with her daughter. Val’s contribution to U3A Healesville over the past 18 years has been enormous. Her friendly, generous and kind personality has affected so many of us who have had the privilege of knowing her. Val was a foundation member of U3A Healesville, joining in 2006 when Ian Tinney was president, and also took part in the registration days. She was one of the great drivers of U3A, joining the committee in 2008 where she put her marketing and journalist skills to good use. Val wrote for the newsletter, including profiles of members and event reports, and was a key promoter of U3A. Previous president, Julian Higgs said that most of the promotional activities in those early years — such as running a U3A stall at the local markets — were inspired by Val. She also played a significant role in U3A’s participation in the 2014 ‘150 Years of Healesville’ celebrations. However, she will perhaps be best remembered for her on-stage presence in various productions where her wonderful soprano voice and sense of the comic were always a feature. She was one of the instigators of the first Thespian Concerts at Yarra Glen and the High School that preceded the current Theatrical Performance Group’s performances at The Memo. She was particularly versatile in her character roles but quite enjoyed playing the role of villain where her ‘manic laughter’ always delighted audiences. Last year at our final Friday at 5, Val was recognised with a Certificate of Appreciation for her 15 years of course leadership with her laughter group which she spoke about and demonstrated at the Afternoon Tea in 2023. At a theatre group luncheon on Thursday 27 June, held to celebrate Val’s time with us, she was presented with a photo album reflecting her special contribution to U3A Healesville. We wish Val all the best as she moves ‘home’ to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. |
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Meet your committee members |
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Jane Judd is in her third year on the committee having joined U3A Healesville in 2019. At that time she was working part time but wanted to expand her hobbies and social group prior to retirement. Jane joined the ukulele group led by Doug Fudge and loved it. She sees U3A as a dynamic organisation and is keen to support it in whatever way she can. Jane is passionate about helping U3A Healesville build supportive partnerships with other community service organisations to grow our vibrant and dynamic community network. This year she is in the Uke Group, Garden Lovers, Philosophers Lunch, and Wine and Cheese Club. She says they are all great fun. Her interests include promoting community participation and engagement, improving access to health and community services, politics, live music and supporting the local economy. She is a member of Healesville Connect, the Eildon Branch of the ALP and Chair of Services for the Healesville Hospital. |
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Michael Vassallo joined U3A in 2022 and joined the committee in 2023. He says he had been looking for a local ukulele group and finally joined up when Covid lockdowns made it possible to have ‘gatherings’. He’s currently helping develop our new Facebook page as part of our marketing team. He attends Uke Believers, Healesville Community Choir and Strings N Things and counts among his interests listening to and playing music, walking, reading, travelling, people and U3A! |
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The committee has recognised the need for a Wellbeing Officer, and George Doig has offered to take on that role. The aim is to provide members who feel they may benefit from some wellbeing support to have a point of contact at U3A Healesville. George will work with those members and their course leaders, as appropriate, to provide some support. Course leaders and other members are encouraged to get in touch with George if they feel wellbeing support is of interest to them. George can be contacted by email at gbhdoig1@yahoo.com.au |
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Ukulele celebration
On Tuesday 25 June, the U3A Uke Believers took to the stage at the Healesville Senior Citizens Club to perform for the Club’s members. They played and sang for an hour, with the audience clapping time and singing along to the familiar tunes. There were cries of ‘encore, encore’ as they finished their set — and the group was invited to have tea and coffee after their performance. A huge shout out to Peter and Sue Broman for their guidance over the last couple of years, consolidating the group and increasing their knowledge and skills. Special thanks to 2 of the players who couldn’t perform on the day but came along to support. And congratulations to those players who performed for the first time!
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Call out to all Latin teachers
U3A members have expressed an interest in learning Latin. If there are any budding Latin teachers or members out there who are interested in teaching Latin, could they please get in touch with Lucia Messina or Phill Hipwell, our course coordinators?
Welcome to Shakespeare
This new course arose from a number of people interested in studying ‘the Bard’. So far this year, the course has viewed and discussed 3 Shakespeare plays: Twelfth Night, Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, generally with subtitles as it helps in understanding some of the complexity of Shakespearean language. Most play studies take 3 weeks – to view and to discuss. Although created hundreds of years ago, the course members agree there is much to be learnt from Shakespeare – from the ‘magical’ settings he chose, to the complex family conflicts, to the inclusion of key female roles and the sympathy often shown to the ‘bad guys’. All also agreed that, in general, Shakespeare is non-judgmental. He shows people as they are – just people. Next term’s agenda includes Anthony and Cleopatra – no doubt discussion will be lively!
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Navigating the Future
Upper Yarra U3A is running a course, Navigating the Future, from Thursday 25 July fortnightly on from 2pm to 3:30pm. It will be at no cost to U3A Healesville members. It will cover topics such as ‘The Environment, Climate and Sustainability’, ‘Global and Regional Issues’ and ‘Futurist Views’. Contact Upper Yarra U3A if you are interested in finding out more.
Click here for their website.
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Yarra Ranges sessions on Healthy Ageing
Yarra Ranges Council is inviting older adults (aged 55+) as well as those planning for their healthy ageing (aged 40+) to share their views on what healthy ageing means to them. There will be a session in Healesville on Wednesday 10 July at 10:30am. If you are interested, check the details on the Healthy Aging poster below.
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OHS. If you have concerns or issues you would like to report re safety around the venues used by U3A Healesville, remember to report them to Bec Doig at rebeccadoig@gmail.com Covid is still around. We care for everyone’s health and wellbeing, so please stay away from class if you are unwell and also let your course leader know if you can’t attend class. Please wear your name badge to your class/activities
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Please let us know of events, activities, highlights and news about your courses that we can share with members. We love people stories! Our roving reporters are happy to chat with you. U3A Healesville is all about people, and we are here to support you. |
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We thank Ken Fewster, Healesville Senior Citizens Club and Yarra Ranges Council for their ongoing support. |
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