Quarterly newsletter June 2021 - U3A Banyule

Quarterly newsletter June 2021

In this edition ... This edition coincides with National Volunteer week so we acknowledge the wonderful volunteers who keep this organisation afloat. In particular we feature the Jaga Jaga volunteer awardees on page 2 and the Course Coordination team on pages 3 to 5. Read about some of the exciting events this year on pages 6 and 7.

Don’t forget the Meet and Greet Sale of the hand-made items made by our members during the lockdown in 2020.

Friday 11 June ILCH CMR 2 11am to 1pm (We hope!)

You can have a chat and a cuppa and purchase items (all under $10) in aid of Banksia Palliative Care.

Liz Waud

President’s report for the June Newsletter 2021 Here we are half way through the year but what a good few months we have had. Our new premises are spacious, comfortable and state of the art. There have obviously been a number of hitches with the AV equipment but as we all get more experienced in operating it our classes will run more smoothly.

The program for Semester 1 has been excellent and there have been some wonderful sessions and activities. I have attended so many and not been disappointed with any.

Unfortunately, there are still some enrolled students who are unable to attend a class but don’t withdraw from it in time for someone else to attend. We understand that circumstances may occur on the day of the class but if you are not going to attend at all please withdraw according to the instructions on page 8. I know the signing-on issue annoys a number of members but we still need to abide by the YPRL requirements and our own. This means you must sign in at reception through the QR code or at the desk (for the YPRL) and you must also note your presence at the class that you attend (for U3A). This is to protect yourself and others in an event of COVID continuing to rear its ugly head!

Semester 2 is now upon us and I know you will be excited to see the new program. As usual it is of a very high quality. While some COVID restrictions remain, numbers are still limited to 50%, so enrol quickly to ensure a place. However, please make sure you can attend the class before you enrol.

There is no need to enrol in ongoing classes.

A limited number of newsletters and the program will be available in the office for those of you who don’t have ready access to email.

Our membership number has exceeded 700, so thanks once again for being such loyal members of U3A Banyule.

Enjoy the new semester and this newsletter.

Kindest wishes

Joan

2 U3ABANYULEINCQUARTERLYNEWSLETTERJUNE2021

Jaga Jaga Volunteer Awards

Valerie Fletcher Valerie has been one of U3A Banyule’s longest-serving tutors. From 2010 to 2019, she organised four trivia sessions each year for members to enjoy. These quizzes were always attended by an enthusiastic following of members who enjoyed and appreciated this opportunity to test their knowledge in a fun, relaxed setting. A cup of tea was always included, and the social aspect of the sessions was an important element.

Julie Marshall Joining U3A Banyule in 2006, Julie gives travel talks every year. She and her husband Alan travel to very 'out of the way' places and their experiences are then used to produce material for U3A members' travel talks. Julie has a large following, and her talks are always well subscribed. ln addition, Julie served for several years as Minute Secretary and later as Secretary on the U3A Committee of Management, and was very involved in the negotiations to change the name of the organisation.

Margaret Murphy Margaret joined U3A over 20 years ago and she became involved as a tutor straight away, making her one of the longest serving tutors in U3A Banyule. She ran two year-long courses in literature; then started a film group which is still going today. Margaret also tutored a Cryptic Crosswords group for 20 years and she has run a Book Club since 2011. Margaret is a dedicated volunteer whose commitment to life-long learning motivates her to share her love of books, words and films with those who join her classes. Margaret was also a committee member for 5 years way back when Leslie Claydon was President.

National Volunteer Week 2021 2020 was a challenging year for all of us because of the pandemic, and the disruptions continue as outbreaks occur in quarantine and the vaccines are rolled out. The committee members and tutors and many other volunteers in U3A Banyule worked tirelessly to keep members connected throughout the lockdown via Zoom classes and our Still Connected newsletters, which were hand delivered each fortnight to non-email members. Added to that the opening of ILCH created a seemingly endless lists of logistical and technological issues that needed to be ironed out before the new program could get up and running in the new community hub.

National Volunteers Week was 17–23 May 2021, so this is a good opportunity to thank everyone in U3A Banyule who volunteered throughout this difficult time and will continue to contribute to their communities.

National Volunteer Week 2021 “Recognise. Reconnect. Reimagine.”

U3ABANYULEINCQUARTERLYNEWSLETTERJUNE2021 3

Course Coordinator’s Message June 2021 Janice Kelly

What a difference a year makes! This time last year we were meeting on Zoom and now we are holding the majority of our courses in the new Ivanhoe Library Cultural Hub. I think you would all agree, it is a beautiful space. I hope you like the classrooms and are taking the opportunity to spill out into the community area to socialise or relax over a cup of coffee in the café.

The two classrooms are very comfortable and spacious allowing us to run two concurrent classes with the combined rooms providing a large space for physical activities, like Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates as well as the Monday, Wednesday and Thursday lectures.

I want to thank all the ongoing tutors for their patience and dedication during the last year and the way in which they have embraced and overcome the challenges of adapting to teaching at ILCH. We offer a huge range of learning opportunities from languages, humanities, art and craft, music, science current affairs and physical activities. I have been especially pleased to add additional courses: German Beginners, Advanced German, French conversation for Beginners, Pilates, Gentle Yoga, Scottish Country Dancing and Fun Quizzes, which will all continue into Semester 2. They are all going well and I’m personally enjoying Joyce Parson’s Scottish Dancing, so lively and lots of fun.

The talks program offers a wide range of topics to stimulate the mind and thanks must go to the Course Coordination Team members for all their hard work. In Semester 2 many of our popular presenters are returning; David Dorward will present more on current Global Issues, Charles Young on Metals and Plants, Alex Tyrrell will present another series on The Music of History, which will be complemented by Peter Bandy on famous composers.

This is my last year as Course Coordinator and Council Liaison for ILCH. I have enjoyed my time as a volunteer for U3A Banyule serving in different capacities over quite a few years. It is a fantastic organisation.

Live, Learn, Enjoy and Volunteer!

Best wishes,

Janice Kelly

Now meet the wonderful volunteers who support the Course Coordinator

Margaret Fievez Course Information Manager and Venues Coordinator Margaret has two hats: In her role as Course Information Manager she enters the 99 different course offerings (times, day of week, dates, individual codes, course descriptions, venues) into MyU3A, and then ensures that this same information is available for non-computer-using members to access. Margaret says she proofreads the program for accuracy, as part of a team effort involving the Course Coordinator and other Committee members, and keeps the online information up-to-date and accurate.

As Venues Coordinator, Margaret liaises with venue managers and tutors, organises bookings, negotiates timetables and drops off keys. With the move to ILCH the number of venues in the program has decreased but many new issues have arisen, and Margaret has met these challenges in her calm, affable manner and kept the program running smoothly.


Meet the wonderful volunteers who support the Course Coordinator

Have you ever wondered about the wonderful

volunteers who put together

the programs each semester?

Maria Axarlis-Coulter Public Lectures The monthly Public Lecture program for Semester 2, presents highly regarded guest speakers on a range of significant topics, some suggested by U3A members. The topics include Australia’s greatest inventor and innovator Henry Sutton, the political and humanitarian situation in Myanmar, UnderstandingHumanTrafficking and the Olympic City of Melbourne, past, present and future perspectives. All guest speakers give generously of their time welcoming the opportunity to share their expertise and engage in discussion with participants as part of the Q&A. Past guest speakers have commented about the perceptive questions and discussion by U3A members. Early enrolment is recommended.

Diana McCormack Art Appreciation The Cry of the Land exhibition at Heide Museum of Modern Art is on 13 August but I am unable to lead the excursion because I’m having knee surgery in July. The NGV are not taking group bookings at the moment so I have had difficulty in putting together visits to NGV exhibitions, but the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces 2021 The French Impressionism From The Museum Of Fine Arts Boston and She-Oak and Sunlight: Australian Impressionism are must see events. The Lume at South Wharf, which opens sometime in August, promises to be a multi-sensory experience that transports you into the world of the artist and brings to life epic scale masterpieces woven together with stunning musical landscapes and evocative aromas, centred on the vibrant works of Vincent Van Gogh.

Elaine Rees Excursion coordinator As a newcomer to this position, I have found many twists and turns that I hadn't expected as I complete the task of finding and booking stimulating outings for our members. Probably the most frustrating one in recent times is the fact that many organisations that previously ran tours are still out of action due to COVID 19. The Semester 2 Excursion that I would recommend to members is a visit to Buda in Castlemaine on Wednesday 28 July 2021. We will have an 11am guided tour followed by a 2-course lunch in the Garden Room, all for the small fee of $30! Buda is an authentic house and garden surviving from the gold rush era. Its name is derived from its Hungarian owner, Ernest Leviny, as a reminder of Budapest.

June Sharp Lingering lunches Lingering Lunches are a social get-together for chatting and enjoying good food and wine. The restaurants chosen offer us a different dining experience with atmosphere and good service. We have sampled French. Italian, Greek, Japanese and Australian seafood. Personally I loved Grossi Florentino, Rubira's Seafood in Port Melbourne and Bouzy Rouge Portuguese in Richmond.

Lecture Excursion

Talks

Events

Theatre Arts Short courses


Meet the wonderful volunteers who support the Course Coordinator

Kevin Whiting and Roger Jones Monday Talks Team Being new to our role the primary challenge has been to find speakers on topics that provide variety to U3A’s program. We are gradually developing a new skill, keeping eyes and ears open at all times. Suddenly everyday activities like talking to friends, watching the news on TV or reading a book all become potential sources of inspiration.

Ultimately, it is both satisfying and humbling to find experts willing to give their time, and share their passions with U3A members. However, it does require both patience and persistence, as potential speakers can be tardy to say the least in responding!

Margaret Jack and Sharon Karasmanis Wednesday Talks Team We are new to our role and found there were several avenues to seek suitable speakers for the program. Fortunately, there were several speakers who had requested opportunities to speak; we also wished to ensure that our local library and gallery resources were promoted to our members. The hardest part is to ensure diverse topics across the semesters and we aim to have speakers around relevant historic events, such as Anzac Day and Reconciliation Week; this works really well.We have been thrilled with the quality of our presentations to date! We wish to thank our contributors for the work and energy they put into their presentations, so well received by our audiences. We look forward to Semester 2, and bringing more joy and entertainment to our U3A friends.

Elizabeth Drummond and Helen Cochrane Thursday Talks Team Elizabeth and Helen took on this role without having had a great deal of prior involvement with the U3A program of talks. However, both say they are thoroughly enjoying the challenge of sourcing likely speakers, making contact with them and doing all the necessary arranging to slot them into the syllabus, then hosting their presentation on the day. Prior to joining U3A Banyule in mid 2019, Elizabeth was research coordinator at Peter Mac, and her skills and experience prepared her very well for the Talks Team role. Likewise, Helen’s career as a teacher of maths, science, and information technology, and co-author of a science textbook series, make her an excellent fit for the Team. What’s coming up in Semester 2? Amongst a varied program of 18 talks, Elizabeth is excited that Dr Catherine Crock, founding member of the Hush Foundation, will be with us in October. A selection of Hush CDs will be available on the day. Helen is especially looking forward to a talk about Grandmothers for Refugees, to be presented by one of our own members, Jan Connor.

To you all ... A big thank you from U3A Banyule members


‘Twas a grand night we had, to be sure by Helen McKinnon Who knew there are so many U3Aers with Irish blood flowing through their veins? And so many would-be Irish? They were out in force at the Ceilidh held in East Ivanhoe on 26 March, organised by our redoubtable President Joan Learmont and her band of merry leprechauns. Everyone wore a bit of the green, and the hall and tables were decorated with many Irish touches. A feast of Irish food was provided by the hard-working kitchen team – oat cakes with cheese, beef and Guinness pies with greens and spuds, and green jelly with orange cream dessert, all washed down with Guinness. The highlight of the night was the arrival of the Blarney Stone, carried in with appropriate ceremony and placed in the centre of the proceedings. Genial compere Jim Murphy kept everyone amused throughout the night, and musicians Kathryn Clements, Lisa and Mark McDonnell and Robert Bender were a delight. Len Kelly’s impromptu rendition of a song from his misspent youth was much enjoyed. A demonstration of Irish dancing was followed by many taking to the floor to strut their stuff, causing much hilarity. It was a grand night, and warmest thanks go to Joan, Danny and the rest of the team.

Robert Bender

Jim Murphy

Mark and Lisa McDonnell

Blarney Stone

Kathryn Clements

Pride of Erin

Irish dancers


Shakespeare event ET TU, AUDREY?

Friends, Banyulians, fellow U3A students, lend me your eyes! I write to praise The Bard, not to bury him. But also to tell you about the recent road trip that a group of Audrey Davies’ Shakespeare class took to Stratford on Avon (in Gippsland, near Sale) to attend the Shakespeare on the River Festival. The program included: Friday night 30 April, a performance of Julius Caesar by The Community Players, and on Saturday night 1 May, The Bard’s Banquet and Toga Party, as well as some improvised theatre sports-style entertainment provided by a Melbourne group called The Soothplayers. A jolly good time was had by the 10 of us who went. The performers were all amateurs several of them local primary school teachers. The performance of Julius Caesar came as something of a surprise, plus a "feast" for the eyes: it was staged as a high camp disco event, with the appropriate accoutrements of a disco mirror ball, large helpings of gender-bending, cross-dressing (not salad dressing) and drag queens in lashings of glamour, glitter and glossy, garish wigs. There was some confusion about whether Caesar wanted to be crowned "Emperor" or "Queen". Audience participation was encouraged. Some rather shapely pairs of shaved male legs were spotted on Brutus and Cassius. Methought: what a waste on a pair of blokes. I suspect there are many women who would gladly swap legs with them! Shakespeare may have been turning in his grave, but we thought it was a load of fun. We all made an effort with improvised costumes for the toga party, but a few people rate a special sartorial mention: Muriel Ball searched the web for “what they were wearing” in Roman times, and made from scratch a very professional, complete Roman matron’s outfit, including hat and handbag. Audrey was dressed as a classic, elegant Roman goddess, and June Molnar as a stylish and refined Roman lady. Some of us (including me) relied heavily on creative use of bed sheets. And here I take my leave of Brutus, Caesar, Cassius and the rest. Rosemary Sceats

THE PLEBEIANS’ UPRISING IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF STRATFORD GIPPSLAND

Eight valiant plebeians from Audrey Davies’ Shakespeare class joined her in a journey to Stratford on Avon in Gippsland, in the first weekend of May. This small town with a big name honours the famous playwright with an annual Shakespeare Festival. The 2021 offering was Julius Caesar, performed as Shakespeare never imagined it, in drag. The sparkling production featured Julius, Cassius, Brutus and their fellow Romans costumed in dresses, wigs and high heels. Energetic dancing, music such as Bohemian Rhapsody and songs from Abba, and the enthusiasm of the actors (who were word perfect) made it a night to remember. And there was more! The following day, the valiant U3Aers donned Roman dress and feasted at the Bard’s Banquet. Entertainment was provided by a group from Melbourne, the Soothplayers, who presented an improvised drama entitled The Dirty Roman Slipper, as Shakespeare never wrote it, but in his style. Another unforgettable night! We congratulate the Stratford community on their enterprise. All hail to Audrey, organiser extraordinaire, who made this U3A excursion possible. Helen McKinnon

Robert Bender, Helen McKinnon, Patsy Stiema, June Molnar, Graeme McKinnon, Rosemary Sceats, Muriel Ball, Audrey Davies, Philippa Merchant


U3A website instructions Please send a text message or email to your tutor:

• if you will be absent from a class just for a day.

Please follow these instructions to:

• enrol or withdraw from a class or for an ongoing absence from a class.

Log in

https://www.u3abanyule.org.au/

Click on Member Login

Type in your Member ID and Password.(sent via email from [email protected] when you joined.)

Click on Log in button.

You will now see your Membership Status 2021.

To notify your tutor of an absence from class:

At the bottom of the Membership Status 2021 screen type in the date(s) and then click Apologise.

To enrol in a class: At the bottom of the Membership Status 2021 screen click on Classes 2021.

This will take you to your Class Status 2021 screen and the list of classes in which you are enrolled. Click on Classes 2021. This will take you to the current program. To enrol in an Open class with vacancies, or to add your name to a class with a Wait List, click on Request. To withdraw from a class:

In the Class Status 2021 screen, click on the box next to the class from the list at the top of screen. Then select a reason, and then Delete Class.

Documents

Quarterly newsletter June 2021 - U3A Banyule