Now we’re into Term 2 things have settled down a bit and we hope you have found at least one class to attend. This month we are appreciating all our volunteers, and reminding you about name badges, apologies and waitlists. There are also a few new classes starting this term and Term 3 you may be interested in.
The “Guess How Many Lollies” competition above is part of the Thornburn Ladies Badminton Association’s Biggest Morning Tea on Thursday 22 May at the Hub. Come along and support their fundraising for cancer research.
It’s National Volunteer Week
National Volunteer Week 2025 celebrates the power of volunteering to bring people together with the theme ‘Connecting Communities’.
U3A Nunawading is a great example of how all our volunteers connect our community – from Class Leaders to Reception Desk volunteers, the Course Admin team, Committee of Management, AV/IT Support and all the members of our other committees and teams – everyone is a volunteer.
Tell us who you are
Thank you to all members who are now wearing their name badge whilst attending classes in the Hub and outside locations. This helps identify you as a member of the U3A Family and helps in the case of any emergency.
Image: President Gary Walker inspects Reception Desk volunteer Peg Wong’s name badge.
Let us know you’re away
Many of you are on holidays. Enjoy and remember to take care. Make sure you have put in an apology for your absence.
Waitlists
Many of our classes have large waitlists. If you find you can no longer attend a class, please remember to advise the office either via the website or email. This helps us reduce the waitlists.
If you are on a waitlist and find you no longer want to attend a class, please withdraw from the waitlist.
We have several new classes commencing in Term 2 & 3. For details see below.
Biggest Morning Tea this week!
Thornburn Ladies are once again hosting their Biggest Morning Tea for cancer research.
I know many of you have experienced either directly or a loved one needing to deal with cancer of some kind and will want to support this event.
The morning tea will take place on Thursday 22 May. If you are in the Hub or wish to support this worthy cause, you would be most welcome.
You will also find a “Guess How Many Lollies” jar at the reception desk. All money will go to this fundraising event.
Current classes with space
25HIS052: Unravelling the Mystery. Monday 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm. Meeting Room 5, Leader Joan Kelleher.
Unravelling the Mystery is a friendly, cheerful and uplifting class in which we explore the many things we don’t know that we don’t know! People, history, myths, legends, unexplained phenomena and anything else that catches our fancy and imagination are all examined and discussed. There is lots of discussion and laughter. So come along and join the merry band.
New classes in Term 2
25ARTS31: Picture Framing 4. 3-week course. Commencing 27 May. Tuesday 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Leader Michael Chan. Venue to be advised.
The course is free but students need to pay a nominal fee of $10 to the class leader for materials used in practice session. The course is mainly hands on under the guidance and supervision of the leader. The workshop is equipped with semi-automatic pneumatic machines for use in designs, cutting, joining and fitting. Safety is paramount in the workshop and all students take responsibilities for their own safety.
25MUS014: Guitar Basic Beginners. Commencing 15 May. Thursday 1 pm to 2 pm. Studio 9, Leader Masa Ike.
This is a class for people who have never played a guitar before. It is NOT suitable for people who can already tune their guitar, play a few chords and/or pick some notes.
We will cover the basics from finding/selecting a suitable guitar, how to tune your guitar, string numbering, and how to play a basic scale and simple chords. You will need to bring your own six string guitar. See the course description for more details. If you have not purchased an instrument yet, please contact the Class Leader () to discuss before spending any money.
25GAM009: Contract Bridge Beginners. Commencing 19 May. Monday 11:35 am to 12:25 pm. Meeting room 2, Leader Michael Coates.
This course will prepare students to participate in the unsupervised class on Monday afternoon and will concentrate initially on the bidding protocols using STANDARD AMERICAN. Abbreviated notes will be distributed to all students. Exposure to 500 or a similar card game will be an advantage but is not essential. The fun starts with discussion on the play of the cards as part of game play. This is a place to learn how to play bridge in a safe and encouraging environment.
25HUM036: Memory Presentation. 1 Session. Thursday 19 June. 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm. Studio 5, Leader John Podolak.
Both human and computer memories have some common requirements. Each requires an accurate input of information to be stored and recovered later. The computer storage is limited to whatever subsequent steps were decided on by the programmer. The human storage is much more complex: it depends on the neurological predisposition of the total system.
In addition to just improving the memory the presentation will include topics such as: philosophy, psychology, hypnosis, emotion and logic NP. Each of the above will include enjoyable activities for the participants.
New classes in Term 3
25LANT01: Thai Beginners. Commencing 23 July. Wednesday 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm. Studio 3, Leader Sue Pipat.
This class will introduce you to the Thai Language that is used every day. It will also introduce you to the culture and customs of the Thai people.
25LANE30: EAL Intermediate 6. Commencing 21 July. Monday 9:30 am to 10:30 am. Meeting Room 1, Leader Charlie Kavanagh.
The aims of this small, friendly class are to increase your understanding of both spoken and written English and to develop your confidence when you want to communicate using English. Pronunciation, vocabulary, understanding of grammar and different sentence structures will be continually improved through discussion and conversation as well as short reading and writing tasks.
Do not apply for this class if you already in an EAL Intermediate class.
25ARTS33: Picture Framing 5. 3-week course. Commencing 29 July. Tuesday 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Leader Michael Chan. Venue to be advised.
The course is free but students need to pay a nominal fee of $10 to the class leader for materials used in practice session. The course is mainly hands on under the guidance and supervision of the leader. The workshop is equipped with semi-automatic pneumatic machines for use in designs, cutting, joining and fitting. Safety is paramount in the workshop and all students take responsibilities for their own safety.
25ARTS35: Picture Framing 6. 3-week course. Commencing 26 August. Tuesday 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Leader Michael Chan. Venue to be advised.
The course is free but students need to pay a nominal fee of $10 to the class leader for materials used in practice session. The course is mainly hands on under the guidance and supervision of the leader. The workshop is equipped with semi-automatic pneumatic machines for use in designs, cutting, joining and fitting. Safety is paramount in the workshop and all students take responsibilities for their own safety.
Elsie Mutton OAM
Course Administrator