A reminder that our usual 'As Time Goes By' class date would be tomorrow from 2 to 4pm and that the plan is to endeavour to email stories to [email protected] by then.  They will then be added  to a 'passworded' page on the website for us to read and comment on before general release on the website.  

This process commenced with the 'Making Waves' topic in late March. Six 'Making Waves' stories, with a comment or two on each, are now generally available on the website.  I really enjoyed reading these stories - an underlying theme was the anxiety involved and resilience required to 'make waves' and the reinforcement of personal integrity which can result.  

Making comments in writing proved an interesting if tricky experience.  How did you find it? 

​Writing in terms of the following responses may make commenting less confronting.  Remember, your comment doesn't need to be long.  A sentence or two is fine!

1. Did you relate to the story? Did you empathise with the writer?  
2. Did the story trigger memories for you?  Perhaps with an example or two.
3. How did you react to the story?   How did it make you feel?  

The comments made on the Making Waves stories seem to fit these 'gentle guidelines'...for example 
1.  Did you relate to the story, empathise with the writer?  
"I can relate to that.  You were a woman with initiative."  
"Well done. I have always impressed upon junior staff that your integrity is everything. If you compromise your integrity, you also compromise your credibility." 
2.  Did the story trigger memories for you, reflections on the past?  For example?
  ... "Your story brought back memories to me of people I knew who had polio as children, of receiving the Salk vaccine on a little block of sugar, and more." 
 "An interesting subject. My oldest daughter attended a high school where wearing a uniform was optional (1978 onwards). She chose not to wear it. My youngest daughter attended a prestigious high school where no girl would dare disobey the school rules on uniforms. Both girls are successful in their careers and are among the important 'behind the scenes' workers in the management of COVID-19."  
3.  How did you react to the story?  How did it make you feel? 
"What an amazing story of perseverence; of acting with authenticity based on deeply held values; of continuing and skilful efforts to work towards justice. .."
"Another wonderful poem, one which creatively explores an issue you are passionate about. It also conveys a sense of the emotions attached to 'Making Waves'. It can be unsettling 'letting go' to express ideas we are passionate about which make waves..." 
"This must have been like an undercurrent impacting upon you fairly constantly requiring resilience, with the occasional big wave when the issue would surface yet again requiring strength and determination to overcome..."    

Hope this helps!  Don't feel that you need to comment on everyone's story - or that you need to comment at all if you find this doesn't come easily to you. 

Here again are the April topics just in case you need to have them at hand:  

• The first topic, suggested by Barry O'Connor as our class follows two days later, is 'Anzac Day'.  A chance to reminisce about memories of Anzac Day (or Days) which have stayed with us over time.
• The second topic is inspired by this month's story by Margaret Nelson's story 'Do you remember the polio epidemic' (see below).  Has the current COVID-19 ‘Pandemic’ triggered memories for you relating to infectious diseases, whether local, epidemic or pandemic?
• The third topic, as set on our list of topics for the first four months, is 'Winging It' or 'Taking the Plunge' - Do you have a story about taking a risk and winging it?

The topic for May is 'Turning Point'  - an example from Life Matters '500 words' ...Leaving London on the Brink of War  If the topic 'Turning Point' doesn't suit you, catchup on an earlier topic; draw from your 'Ideas Piggy Bank' or little book of 'triggers'....(choose two elements from either of these sources and write a story of about, each of 250 words or so on each) or write on a universal topic such as 'The year that made me'; 'New in Town'; or 'Someone who Shaped me'.

Please give me a call on 5762 8171 or 0478 607 838 if you have any questions,


Beverley

With our 'As Time Goes By' memoir writing group meeting late in March and new COVID-19 Regulations being released daily, it soon became obvious that we would be unable to proceed with our March meeting.  

However, we have developed a plan! Having shared stories online in the past through the website on 'Our Stories' and with even more time to write, we're trialling a system of sharing our monthly stories on line through the website.

Early this week the first six stories for our March topic, 'Making Waves', were shared on-line. Currently password protected as members have the chance to read, comment on and even add additional stories, the plan is to make most if not all 'Making Waves' stories available for all members to read on the website in coming weeks.

We have three topics for April - choose any or all - with a submission date of Monday April 27th.

• The first topic, suggested by Barry O'Connor as our class follows two days later, is 'Anzac Day'.  A chance to reminisce about memories of Anzac Day (or Days) which have stayed with us over time.
• The second topic is inspired by this month's story by Margaret Nelson's story 'Do you remember the polio epidemic' (see below).  Has the current COVID-19 ‘Pandemic’ triggered memories for you relating to infectious diseases, whether local, epidemic or pandemic?
• The third topic, as set on our list of topics for the first four months, is 'Winging It' or 'Taking the Plunge' - Do you have a story about taking a risk and winging it?

U3A members who enjoy writing and are finding themselves with more time on their hands are welcome to join with us in sharing stories on-line. All you need to do is to email [email protected] - you can write the story in the body of the email or attach it as a word or pdf document.  The suggested, but not heavily policed, word limit is 500 words.

Bev Lee


COVID19 - Do you remember the polio epidemic? 
 
“Do you remember the polio epidemic in 1949—50, or previous flu epidemics before vaccinations were available?  They were worrying at the time, but nothing compared to the present pandemic, made even more frightening because of the frequent TV updates, and no available vaccine.

I clearly remember the polio epidemic—most people knew of someone who caught the disease and become crippled, or worse, ended up in an iron lung to enable breathing, or even died. The people were advised to avoid crowds.

My most vivid memory is of my first day at Benalla High School.  Our family had just returned from a beach holiday on the Saturday for the start of school on the Tuesday. I duly went off on the Violet Town school bus with my local state school friends who started that day, decked out in my new uniform and hat.

When the bell rang, we assembled in the quadrangle, and it was announced that anyone who had not been at their residence in the last two weeks had to stay away from school for the next two weeks.  This was scary to a shy little country girl!  There were a few others from Violet Town and we had to fill in the day wandering the street and gardens till bus time at 3.30, then go back on the bus with the other children.  So much for isolating us from the others.

Another two weeks at home!  Fortunately, the local headmaster felt sorry for me and set some maths and English for me so I wouldn’t get too far behind.  Eventually I restarted at Benalla High School, but the others had had their intelligence test and were allocated their form and their sports houses.

Not an ideal start, but I got going.

It was much later before a vaccine was produced.  Salk, an injection, and later perfected to a syrup, Sabin, which was successful”.

Hopefully a vaccine for COVD19 will soon be available.’ 
​      
Margaret Nelson, March 2020