Our May session began with a new routine - a 'Slam' list on the whiteboard - with people's contributions for the day added as they arrived.  Stories were listed on the two topics for the day, 'Curved Ball' and 'The Year that Made Me',  earlier topics including 'Someone who Shaped Me', and 'other' topics.   
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As last week was Volunteer Week, we began with two fascinating stories about volunteering - David Lowing's 'Someone who Shaped Me' and Barry O'Connor's 'The Year that (made) Challenged Me' - 2013.    

'Curved Ball' challenged us to write about some of life's difficulties, about being thrown a curved ball.   Marg and Helen shared moving stories about serious health issues; Shirley a mother's story of a car accident in which her son was critically injured; Elizabeth a story about  difficulties selling a business,and Joy a story of of her husband being suddenly posted overseas when her children were small and she was about to begin a Diploma of Education at university. The writing and sharing of these stories was made easier by the writers revealing how they were able to deal with the curved balls they were thrown. 

The alternate topic, 'The Year that Made Me' (A topic drawn from an ABC programs which sets this task when interviewing actual or future Australian living treasures.) - drew forth not only Barry's story of volunteering in 2013, but Neville's story which described a fascination with Mary Quant which led to his life changing move to London in 1968!

Catch up stories included Val's 'Someone who Shaped Me' and Moira's memoir review of 'Salvation Creek'.  Our adventure travel writer extraordinaire Bev Morton shared spellbinding memories of camping in Greenland with polar bears in the vicinity.  Ray and Judy read stories which related to a number of  topics/themes - Ray 'Turning Point' and Judy 'A Day for Annie', a beautiful story which won a statewide U3A writing award some years ago.  

Next month' topics  (Monday 28 June)
‘A Childhood Memory’ -  Some childhood memories stay with us despite the passage of time.  Some of these memories involve something which happened which inspired and built on our imagination.  Share a story taking us back to one of your earliest memories. (Checking out Helen’s story at https://u3abenalla.weebly.com/helens-stories/we-have-fairies-in-our-family-a-childhood-memory ​may to help to stimulate your memories).
 
Alternate topic (a previous topic for newer members to class)  ‘My Other Life’ –  Are you a collector of model trains, a swing dance enthusiast or a weekend activist? Share a story about something unusual you get up to outside of work, or a side of yourself that other people don't normally see… Tell us about your unusual passion and how you first got involved in it. How does your ‘other self’ contrast with the side most people see?  What satisfaction does your other life offer you that you don't get from your day-to-day life? How does your passion contribute to you as a whole person?


Bev Lee

Topics shared in April began with ‘New in Town’, which proved a great way for new to class member David Lowing to introduce himself to the group.  Judy and Neville then shared ‘New in Town’ stories with a different twist.  Judy wrote a spellbinding story about sharing moments of revelation and wonder with a little neighbour who is ‘new in town.  New to the world in fact’.   Neville reflected the experiences of migrant children new to Wangaratta when he was at school …’None of them had an easy time… I never wanted to swap places with immigrant boys.’

‘Someone who shaped me’ followed, with Michelle writing about a beloved nanna who was her anchor and who she continued to write to throughout her life, and Elizabeth writing about a childhood neighbour in Ireland, Jim McCormack, who taught her to love and value books. 

Bev Morton’s reflections on ‘Anzac Day’ in Goorambat engaged us all, while David shared an Anzac Day story written about his paternal Uncles, Sgt Walter Harold Lowing MM [1879-1916] and Major Bertie McAdam Lowing MC and Bar [1891-1937], along with a powerful poem he had penned to mark their valour.
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The pleasure of ‘reflecting on a memoir that means something to you’ appears to have been outweighed by the pain of writing it down!  Marg McCrohan persevered, and we all enjoyed listening to her thoughtful, perceptive reflections on Jill Ker Conway’s ‘Road from Coorain’.   Bev developed a framework for the class to approach the task, trialling it to review Claire Bowditch’s ‘your kid of girl’– A memoir’.  

Barry reflected on an ‘aide-memoir’, or 'a memory-aid; a reminder or memorandum, especially a book or document serving this purpose’ that meant something to him.  Initial research on family history by his daughter in 1998 and a family tree developed by Benalla Family History Group given to him by Pamela as a present in 2015 inspired him to further this research when the Covid restrictions were imposed in early 2020.  Barry’s story described discovering more about the life of his great grandfather, James O’Connor, who proved to be a highly thought of founding father of the Wycheproof community.

Looking ahead to Monday 24 May from 2 – 4pm, the topics are -

‘Curved Ball’ – Write about a time in your life when you felt that you were thrown a curved ball.   The ‘curved ball’ may, for example, have been a health/other biological issue, an issue in pursuing your career or business, and more.  What happened?  What did it mean to you at the time?  What does it mean to you now, reflecting back over your life?

Alternate topic (suggested for newer members to class):  ‘The Year that Made Me’ – (A topic drawn from an ABC programs which sets this task when interviewing actual or future Australian living treasures.)  Write about a year which made a particular difference in your life’s journey.   Over to you!
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Bev Lee