Articles that have appeared in email updates
By Brian Ruck
The April Forum was one of the most eye-opening, thought-provoking and inspiring talks I’ve heard in a long while. Guest speaker, Mark Balla, related stories of his experiences on a business trip to India a few years ago where schools often don’t have toilets.
With International Women’s Day celebrations, our monthly Forums and a U3A Social Committee, the Hub is taking on a whole new aspect as members enjoy new opportunities to socialise. None of this would be possible, of course, if we did not have Council monitors checking the vaccination status of everyone entering the Hub each day.
After two stop-start years, it is great to have had an uninterrupted Term 1, where almost all classes operated face-to-face at the Hub and our off-site classes also had a clear run.
We have a number of new classes starting in Term 2 and members who have not yet paid their membership fees should do so as soon as possible.
Computer classes for Term 2 are now available for enrolment online or at the Office. We have some new and interesting courses on offer. Though some computer classes will continue on Zoom, we have an equal number of courses finding their way to the Hub for face-to-face delivery. This is the kind of flexible learning that all ages need. It can be both engaging and challenging, enhancing our skills, abilities and knowledge.
Our Four O’clock Forum on 25 May to be presented by Dr Keith MacDonald (PhD) will delight you and equally, he will challenge your ‘neural plasticity’ asking you to change your perspective on how you view a piece of art.
The buzz of being able to socialise again ‘normally’ made the celebrations for International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March at the Hub very special. Supporting the campaign theme #BreakTheBias, the camaraderie and the chatter of happy people were infectious as members enjoyed home-baked treats with tea and coffee.
The Marvellous Melbourne walking group visited central Melbourne on Wednesday 2 March to explore some of the hidden aspects of our city and the stories behind them.
U3A Network Victoria is launching a photography competition called ‘Show Us How You U3A’ to source images of U3A members being active and social, learning, teaching and having fun to use in their marketing and advertising campaigns.
Entries close on 29 April 2022.
It’s great to see our wide range of classes settling in as members get better acquainted. Our 2022 program of Four O’clock Forums is also underway with a great talk by the Director of our Royal Botanic Gardens late last month, and a new Social Committee has been formed with the brief to give members the opportunity to once again enjoy the social side of their U3A membership.
We have a number of new and interesting short courses starting in Term 2, but we are always looking for more potential Class Leaders who have an interest or particular skill they want to share. Our Scrabble Class is looking for additional members and if you have been accepted into at least one class you should have paid your fees by now.