​Writing in the September Newsletter that coin collecting has been an interest/hobby of mine for a long time, I invited anyone with a similar interest to contact me with the view of forming an interest group within U3A. Since then I have had a positive response and six of us met to discuss the possibilities on the 8th October. A Course Proposal was completed and submitted.  The Committee is quite happy for us to meet as a Coin Collecting Group and has given us the meeting time from 12.15 pm to 1.45 pm on the first Wednesday of each month at the U3A rooms.

The first meeting will be held on Wednesday 6th November with a second meeting following on 4th December.

I am pleased that some keen interest has been shown by people who have been putting coins aside and like me have not yet sorted or catalogued their collection.  I am looking forward to seeing your coins and sharing our stories.

As this is a lunchtime meeting, bring some nourishment along and tea and coffee will be available.   To register your interest or answer any queries please phone me, Alex Adkins, 0427 820 287, or come along on the day.

Alex Adkins

Helen Margaret Mitchell died on 17 October 2019, aged 89 years, following a long period of ill health. A service to celebrate the life and times of Helen was held at the Uniting Church, Benalla on Thursday, 24 October 2019. This celebration of Helen’s life was attended by foundation, early and current members of U3A Benalla.

Helen Mitchell was the inaugural U3A Benalla President in 1996 and held this position for 1997, continuing her involvement and interest in our U3A for almost two decades.  In 2002, she chaired the U3A Benalla Health and Well-being in Later Life seminar with the aim of working with allied health professionals and other organisations. Attended by 120 participants and service providers, the outcome resulted in extending the opportunity for members.  Successful ongoing U3A Benalla programs such as, Singing for Fun, with the initial sessions held in the Mitchell home, Lifeball and Easy Walks were added to the program.  U3A members were also invited to attend appropriate established programs at Community Health, Aquatic Centre and other groups.
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Helen enriched the lives of her community with her diverse interests including ongoing education; public health issues; local government; music and the arts, holding several senior positions. U3A Benalla extends sympathy to Helen’s husband, Graham and to their family.   

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​Congratulations are in order to Rupe and Gwen Cheetham on their 60th Wedding Anniversary. What a milestone. Best wishes to a lovely couple.

It’s 'Taster Time'!  It is possible to attend many courses and activities during October and November as a 'taster'.  If  you know anyone who is thinking of joining U3A next year, please let them know about this. They need to speak with the convenor first & put their names of the roll on the day, but do not need to join until next year.

It's also the time when new course ideas floated during the year begin to firm up.  Keen coin collector Alex Adkins would like to gauge interest in organising an ongoing Coin Collectors group.  Other course ideas for 2020 include Hot Topics, first piloted in 2018; Pitman Shorthand for past users of Pitman Shorthand (this is being run very successfully at U3A Melbourne); an Art group in partnership with Broken River Painters at their studio in the Migrant Camp precinct; greater links between our Tech Savvy Family History Projects group and the Benalla Family Research Group and a  group which discusses current television series, such as Hand Maid's Tale; Poldark; Sea Change.  Hot off the press - a new course 'Demystifying Psychology' with Jane Rushworth!

Some courses have decided on a name change - with E-Books becoming ......; some courses are advertising for new convenors - Collectors and Chat n Chew -  and may go in to recess until one can be found. Courses only offered in Semester I may be reinstated.

Watch out for details of new programs to be offered in 2020 in upcoming newsletters and on the web site.    Please contact our Program Coordinator, Terry Case (0427 621 700)  if you have ideas for new courses or any other queries. ​

People over the years have bags, boxes or tins of old coins of pre decimal and decimal currency.  My interest started in the early 1960’s when Australia went to decimal currency in February 1966, and I am still collecting today.
 
If this is an interest or hobby of yours and you would like to discuss the significance of coins and notes with all their different designs that commemorate the events and people that create a history of Australia perhaps we could look at forming a group with U3A.

To gauge the interest in coin collecting could you please contact me, Alex Adkins on 576262457, Mobile 0427820287 with the view of having a meeting and organising an ongoing U3A Coin Collectors group. 

Alex Adkins

​How can we make Benalla Rural City a better place for older people to live in?  An invitation to help to develop the first ever Age Friendly Benalla Strategy and learn more about what has been learnt so far.  Wednesday 11 September 10.30am to 1 pm, Lakeside Community Centre. RSVP by Friday 30 August to council@benalla.vic.gov.au or phone 0357602600

​U3A Benalla welcomed thirty-four people to the BBQ held on Wednesday 3rd July to mark the beginning of the Be Connected course. Cooking for the BBQ was capably done by Benalla Lions Club in the carport near our U3A entrance. Those who came to the BBQ enjoyed sausages, beef or chicken hamburgers, fried onions with various sauces and cold slaw followed by tea or coffee and small cakes. Everyone settled in the U3A room to enjoy their lunch with plenty of chatter and a great atmosphere. We had Meg from the Benalla “Ensign” there with her camera, and a good report of the event appeared in the “Ensign” the following Wednesday.

The Be Connected course is being promoted by the Federal Government in an aim to get more senior Australians familiar with the Internet and doing things online. U3A Benalla applied for and received a Community Engagement Grant to hold the BBQ on 3rd July. The BBQ was to encourage not only U3A members but all people over 55 in Benalla to come and be part of the Be Connected program. 

U3A Benalla is conducting the Be Connected course using the overhead projector in our U3A room every Wednesday from 2pm to 4pm.  You can follow the progress of the course on the Tech Savvy Hands On - "Be Connected" page on this website. 

Margaret Jenkins ​

Saturday afternoon activity – Come and play the card game 500!

Many people have mentioned that they stay home on Saturdays and as they are not interested in sport often feel lonely.  Interest has been expressed in conducting an activity on Saturday afternoons in the U3a Rooms at the Senior Citizens building. 
   
It is proposed to play the card game 500 to kickstart this afternoon of fun.    It will be a social activity, commencing at 1.30pm to 3.30pm with afternoon tea provided. 
  
This activity will commence on 6th July and will be held each Saturday from that date onwards.    

​If you are interested in attending please contact Heather Wallace on 0418 353 244
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Heather Wallace

Newcomers to U3A are likely to find 'like minded' people appear in a number of their groups. Noel Meagher, who passed away recently, was a member of the first classes I chose--Politics, Music Appreciation and Wine Appreciation--and later came along to Tech Savvy groups I taught, often accompanying Dorothy.  Noel was also a member for many years of the 'Investment' groups and worked alongside Keith and Heather Rogers to convene the Wine Appreciation program and the annual Christmas luncheon for many years. 

Memories of Noel are reflected in these photographs from U3A Benalla's website collection.  Taken from June 2014 to December, 2018 they feature Noel's interest areas of Investment, Music Appreciation, Politics, Wine Appreciation and Christmas lunches! 

Noel made me so welcome at U3A from the beginning.  A very intelligent and thoughtful 'life longer learner', he will be missed at U3A.   

Beverley Lee

​​Congratulations to our two new life members Joyce Borschmann & Vaughan Cowan who were presented with life membership badges at the Annual General Meeting on the 20th March this year.

​Joyce & her husband Bob started the Singing for Fun group and Joyce has been the convener from the start till last year. Over the years the singers have gone from strength to strength and have become one of the most popular groups.

​​Vaughan has likewise led the Bush Walking groups for 16 plus years.  It is always great to see the photos of smiling faces and wonderful scenery on our website and Facebook page.

Both Joyce and Vaughan started with U3A in 1996 & after U3A closed down took up their roles when U3A reformed in 2002.

Dorothy Webber 
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See also:
Thank You - Vaughan Cowan
Thank You - Joyce Borschmann

This is a note to recognise the contribution of Wendy Rush to Benalla U3A. Wendy was convenor of U3A Games group for three years to the end of 2015, taking on the role after Sue Hughes stepped down from the position. Wendy died on 27 December 2018 after a long battle with ill health.

A keen and talented Scrabble player, Wendy also filled in for the card players if they were short of players. And she supplied plenty of nibbles to keep up our minds sharp.

Wendy was very proud of her two sons and six grandchildren. We miss her bright personality and positive attitude to life, despite the challenges of her failing health in recent times.
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Kathy Costello and Alice Bell

2019 Benalla International Women’s Day Celebration

Thursday 7th March  6:30pm

Lakeside Community Centre, Arundel  Street, Benalla. 

Guest speaker – Christine Nixon.  

Tickets $40.00 include a light supper with drinks at bar prices. 

Tickets available from the RedB4 Bookshop, Bridge Street, Benalla or Steph Ryan’s Office, Bridge Street, Benalla (Cash Only) or contact Pamela  0409 223 974.

​The Annual General Meeting for U3A Benalla Inc. will be held on Wednesday 20th March at our
monthly Meet and Mingle meeting, 10 am in the U3A room, Seniors complex, Fawckner Drive. Benalla.

Nomination Forms for the Committee are available from the Secretary Geraldine McCorkell 5762 2134.

All welcome.

We wouldn’t like to embarrass Vaughan with gushy tributes; nor compare him to his obvious equals, such as Sir Edmund Hilary, Bear Grylls and Russell Coight, but members of Benalla’s Bushwalking Club and the U3A Bush Walking groups would rank our Vaughan right up there.
Vaughan’s membership with the BBC and U3A spans two decades. He put his hand up to organise and lead both the Easy Walks and Mid-Week Walks: a heavy work load for one person to carry. Vaughan, however, took it on with his habitual quiet competence.  Without his extensive knowledge of the bush, wildflowers and his qualities of leadership and enthusiasm, the two Clubs would have not been as strong as they have grown to be.
 
We will all miss him in the driver’s seat and he will be a hard act to follow. To fill the breach, Margaret Walshe and Wendy Sturgess have taken over the reins of Easy Walks Coordinators and John Boehm will be the interim Convenor of the Mid-Week walks. The two Clubs therefore remain in capable hands.
 
No doubt Vaughan will remain an important member of the Clubs, sharing his inexhaustible bushwalking knowledge with walkers.
 
Special thanks must go to Marion Cowan, Vaughan’s cheerful and practical“better half”. As they say: “behind every Great Man (sorry Vaughan!) there’s a Great Woman”. This is certainly the case here. Not only is Marion an excellent cook (our bushwalking afternoon teas are legendary) but she seemed to alwaysmanage to come up with an answer for: “has anyone here brought along a ......?”; “what wildflower is that”; where is.......??

We trust that Vaughan and Marion will continue to remain active participants in future Club walks.

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HAPPY RETIREMENT, VAUGHAN!
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                                                                                                                            Bev Thornell

​At Swanpool Cinema on Thursday 31st January at 1.30 pm and Friday 1st February at 7.30 pm, 'Happy Sad Man', a newly released documentary including Ivan Lister, Benalla Rural Outreach worker. Directed by Genevieve Bailey, the documentary "draws back the curtain on the complex inner worlds of men from across Australian life", including farmers, and "challenges the way we think about masculinity today".

After 13 years as Convenor of Singing for Fun and Harmony Groups, Joyce Borschmann is retiring as Convenor of the groups at the end of 2018.
 
Joyce and her late husband Bob were original members of U3A Benalla when it commenced over 20 years ago. The Singing for Fun group started in Helen and Graham Mitchell’s previous home in South Street Benalla before moving to the CWA Hall for a few months. From there Singing for Fun and Harmony progressed to the Chapel at Cooinda before calling the Baptist Church in Bridge Street home for several years. Eighteen months ago Singing for Fun and the Harmony Group moved to the U3A room in the Senior Citizens’ building.

One of Joyce’s attributes is as a great organiser. She has successfully used this skill to allocate various tasks over the years to her willing band of helpers in the group. Joyce has a beautiful soprano voice and everyone will be delighted to know that Joyce is continuing as part of the soprano singers.

With a background in producing dramatic performances, Joyce has been able to impart some of her skills in this area to the participants of Singing for Fun.  The other skill she has is excellent communication. Joyce has used this very successfully encouraging new people who join the group to feel part of the group very quickly.

Singing for Fun is one of the larger groups in U3A Benalla.  We thank you Joyce for a great job over many years.
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Margaret Jenkins

Our last Meet & Mingle on Wednesday saw 70 members attend. Singers,  recorder players and audience all enjoyed a lovely musical morning. Thanks to the singers for the delicious spread to have with our morning tea.
 
It has once again been a busy and successful year for Benalla U3A. Our membership is steadily growing and the courses we have on offer are attracting many new members.

The biggest of thank you's go to all the hard working and dedicated convenors. With out them Benalla U3A would not be as successful as we are.

On a personal note my thanks to the Committee for a great years work and all the support they give me.

I wish all members a Very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year. 

See you all happy & healthy at Registration Days in January.
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Dorothy Webber:  President