​​Armchair travellers met for the first time in 2018 on March 20.  After a planning session looking at possibilities for the remaining 4 sessions for 2018, Rupe  and Gwen Cheetham showed us video of the first part of their 4WD journey through the centre of Australia but we did not quite make it far past Uluru to the Gunbarrel Highway section in Western Australia. We hope to resume that trip at our next session on May 15.  Jan Andrews then completed her group  walking tour through some of the lovely country tracks in the south of England, much of it in Dartmouth.

Next May we also plan to revisit Antarctica with Marg Law, and Jan will again take us walking, this time in New Zealand.

John Avery

We resume our travels at 10.00am on Tuesday March 20 at the U3A room.  Jan will complete her group travel in rural UK.  We hope also to do some bush-bashing in outback Australia with Rupe and Gwen. 

With 8 new members and 12 continuing from last year we hope for a lively year.  However we desperately need more volunteers to tell us about their travels. 

If you do not have slide shows, DVD, or PowerPoint presentations to support your story don’t be put off.  Just contact me on 0418 576 155 and I will help by working out some visual support
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John Avery

Two sessions of Armchair Traveller have been scheduled for March and May in Semester 1.  With U3A Benalla's new Travel Club active during 2018, there will be even more opportunities for the sharing of travel tales!  

Our next Armchair Traveller is on Tuesday November 21 at 10:00 am.
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John Avery

Judy Perry entertained us with 90 minutes of DVDs of her recent cruise on the Sun Princess to the islands of Papua New Guinea. There was much entertaining by the village people dancing and singing, and many markets where crafts and food was sold. The woodwork products were generally of high quality and Judy had purchased some which she had on show. Many of the men seemed to chew the betel nut which was obvious from their red tongues and mouths. Judy highly recommended the trip as the people are still so friendly and welcoming and seemed to enjoy life.
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Jane Parris

Yes, the timetable for Semester 2 left September 19 out, but it is on! Reina and I are apologies, but Bill Parris, backed up by Rupe Cheetham, has agreed to act as Convenor.

Armchair Traveller for September 19 will be a colourful presentation on Papua New Guinea of a recent visit by Judy Perry.

The video features a dramatic journey around many of the islands. It covers: the dances, music and festivals of the Trobriand Islands, interviews with local village schools and a commentary on their subsistence lifestyle, WW2 history of the Battle for Milne Bay, The Battle for Rabaul including its tunnels, wrecks and War Memorials and the volcanic destruction of Rabaul after the 1994 eruption as well as a visit to the volcanology centre. Also a brief look at Honiara, the Solomon Islands capital, and the Folkloric Festival.

There is something of interest for everyone in this presentation

​John Avery 

We meet again on Tuesday July 18 in our new room at the Senior Citizens’-- please enter thru the side door under the carport.  Jan will take us hiking thru the Maples – Fall (Autumn for us aussie speakers) – Ontario, Quebec Vermont, New Hampshire.  We will have also have a 4WD trek in the Simpson Desert in outback Australia with Gwen & Rupe.

Note that no meeting has been scheduled for September in the Semester 2 timetable.  Our most likely presenters will all, co-incidentally, be visiting Canada/USA, and possibly having a first-hand viewing of the lovely scenes which Jan will show us in July.
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If there are any volunteers to take us for a journey on September 19, please contact John (0418576155 or 57621818) and we can re-schedule the session.

We met with a good attendance on May 16.  First presentation was a video of a 4WD visit to Cape York Peninsula from Rupe and Gwen.  It was a trip not for the faint-hearted, in about 2008, mostly on the old telegraph road.  Lots of creek crossings and mud, but fascinating and colourful despite some technological glitches. 

Jan followed with a PowerPoint presentation of a group back-packer trip to Italy several years ago. 

​Thanks Rupe and Jan, much enjoyed.

We don’t meet again until Tuesday July 18, with the program yet to be finalised.  Watch this space!