The Convenors' meeting held in late October was very well attended, as the photo reveals!  The meeting proved most informative, with each Convenor sharing information about their course or activity.

As enrolment days for 2020 draw near, it's time to thank Convenors who have stepped back and new convenors who are 'stepping up' in 2020.  

Thank you so much Judith Borthwick (Collectors); Meg Dillon (Moments in Australian History; History of Western Civilisation; a four year 'opera subscription' series; Art Appreciation) ; Shirley Kearney (Chat N Chew) and Les Rogers (Tech Savvy Talks and Tech Savvy Talkers), for the important and highly valued roles you have taken in convening programs for U3A Benalla over the past four years.  Thank you for contributing to the newsletter and website - we hope you enjoy looking back at your reports over the next few years.

To Alex Adkins (Coin Collectors), Neville Gibb (A Different History of Germany), Brian Harker (The News - Fact or Fiction?), Janet Martens (German Conversation), Carol Perry and Broken River Artists (A Taste of Art), and Jane Rushworth (Demystifying Pschology), thank you for offering new programs. To Dorothy Webber (Collectors), Neville Gibb (Tech Savvy Talks), Max Powell (Life Ball) and others who have stepped up or are stepping up in 2020 to convene existing groups - thank you.  The preparedness to offer new programs and keep successful programs going makes U3A Benalla thrive.

Bev Lee
Programs Committee/Web Manager

Photograph:  David Palmer

Timetable and enrolment documents for 2017 are now available on the 'Join Us' page of this website.   Convenors are listed in the Course/Activity and Contacts List for 2017 sent out with the November timetable and available on this page.   There will also be a holiday mail out (postal and email) containing course information and other enrolment documentation in early January. 

While there have been no significant changes in the timetable pending a possible move in mid 2017, there have been two changes to thematic course names.     'Opera' now reflects the theme 'In the Mood for Opera' while 'Astronomy' is broadening it's scope to 'Exploring the Universe'. They both sound rather magical and inviting.

The Tech Savvy program has drawn upon this year's experience in offering a fortnightly 'Tech Savvy Beginners' and alternate fortnightly 'Tech Savvy Plus' courses. These are both 'hands on' courses, with participants bringing their own devices or using our iPad or Samsung tablets which are available on loan.   'Tech Savvy' will continue, but under the name 'Tech Savvy Talks' to reduce confusion with the other groups.  An intermediate course may be offered in Semester II for continuing beginners.

Terry Dillon has been working in consultation with the Executive to develop a data base which will provide easily updated and accessible class lists, listings of courses being taken by individual members and other reports which may be required during the year.  

The transition to the new data base will  involve some changes in the enrolment process to be trialled in January. The key change is that renewing members will proceed to a table where they will be given a form generated from the data base containing their already listed details and a list of courses/activities for 207. Renewing members will make any changes to their address details, use the list of courses and activities on the form to 'tick' their 2017 courses then return this form for input into the data base.   The usual membership and enrolment forms will continue to be used for available for new, postal and RedB4 bookshop enrolments and as website linked pdf's.   

Judith Borthwick and Geraldine McCorkell are travelling to Melbourne on Friday 9th December to attend U3A Network Victoria's annual Course Coordinators' forum. The title of this year's conference is "The Power of Evaluation and Feedback". It will be good to hear back from Geraldine and Judith about the many forms of feedback and evaluation we can tap into for use at our U3A's to be covered.  

Keep an eye on the U3A Network's E-Bulletins on the U3A Network's website - you may like to put your name down for next year's conference, which is always held at the end of the year.    (The November 16 bulletin includes information about a new U3A Online course - 'The History of Espionage'!  Perhaps you might know someone who'l like to do such a course online, or even better, us the course materials to host a class group for Benalla U3a members?)

There will be a Convenors' meeting on February 17th from 2 to 3.15 pm in W4.  

BL