As we continue to uncover the great stories behind our talented and dedicated class leaders and volunteers, this month we talk to Carol O’Brien who has been a part of the magnificent team manning the reception desk for the last eight years.
Hello to Carol O’Brien
Carol loves the social connection of U3A Nunawading and helping members at the reception desk aligns with her keen interest in learning about people and places. Carol estimates that she has travelled to over 100 countries and she is not done yet!
The travel bug begins
Born in Yorkshire in the UK, and after studying early childhood development, Carol travelled to Greece and Cypress, where she worked as a night club manager, then she loaded up a Volkswagen camper to see the sights of Turkey. Back in the UK, Carol landed the perfect job working as a travel agent and, of course, travelling was a must to provide first-hand advice! Other adventures included travelling to Zambia where Carol worked as a kindergarten teacher for six months.
“Only half of the children spoke English, so it was challenging, but it was a great experience,” Carol said.
Again, back in the UK, Carol met and married an Aussie, and they made their way to Australia via the Middle East, visiting Iran and Afghanistan. South America and Africa have also been ticked off the list. Marriage and a family didn’t dampen Carol’s adventurous spirit, and her husband and their two oldest daughters, lived in Greece for three years.
“We thoroughly enjoyed living in Greece, but for the girls’ benefit who were starting school, we decided to return to Australia,” Carol said.
“Our family grew to include another daughter and as they got older, they became interested in gymnastics, and this led to another travelling opportunity. I took up coaching gymnastics and judging national competitions around Australia.”
Making the most of each day
Earlier this year, Carol went to Bhutan with a tour group. The Kingdom of Bhutan has only recently opened its borders and is in the Eastern Himalayas between China and India.
“The people of Bhutan are Buddhists, and I’ve always wanted to visit there,” Carol said. “I liked that it was not the usual tourist destination, and it was wonderful to be immersed into their unique culture and country.”
In addition to Carol’s U3A volunteering duties, Carol has done many different classes and is currently enjoying Feldenkrais: Functional Mobility, which is an exercise class that focusses on different muscle areas each time.
“As a spiritual person, I also like reading tarot cards, meditating, studying herbs, and for my competitive spirit, my weekly game of table tennis is good fun,” Carol added. “I also help look after my twin grandchildren. I’ve been lucky enough to follow my dreams throughout my life and my family and travel have been at the heart of it all, and I’m not done yet, there are more adventures to conquer!”
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