Kyohei Fujiie joined Benalla U3A in January 2018, having lived some years in the district. He would say, "Just call me Fuji," and used that name on his U3A nametag.

He and Tomoko joined the U3A Recorder Group. They played various instruments, and were already involved with community performances, to which they invited the Recorder Players. Fuji had a good sense of rhythm and was very insistent on keeping time in the pieces played. He added to the U3A group's repertoire by adapting some musical pieces for the recorder.

Fuji and Tomoko joined the U3A Easy Walks bushwalking group, delighting in the outings and the beauty of the countryside. Fuji organised walks with very precise planning, measuring distances, drawing maps, and highlighting points of interest. He also shared with the group information and photos of walks he and Tomoko had done in State and National Parks. An enthusiastic and talented photographer, some of Fuji’s photos have featured on the U3A website.

As Margaret Walshe said, "Fuji, thank you for sharing your love of the Australian bush with fellow U3A walkers."
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The U3A Easy Walks bushwalking group will schedule a repeat of the Mt Pilot walk Fuji had choreographed so well in April 2021.

​Andrea Stevenson

An Age Friendly community is one that is good for everyone.    By creating a community where older people can live safe, purposeful and healthy lives – in mind and body – we are creating a community where everyone, no matter their age, benefits.

Benalla Rural City, along with most places in the world, has an increasing proportion of its population over 55 years of age and living for much longer and can be supported to remain active, valued and as healthy as possible - in other words, to age well.

An Age Friendly Benalla will be a place where the community - including all its residents, its businesses, all levels of government and organisations mindfully work together to address the challenges and opportunities of ageing well in a rural setting. 

​One of the Committees of Age Friendly Benalla is the Age Well in Benalla Info Hub which is available in the Benalla Library every Thursday morning from 9.30am to 12.30pm.   It is a friendly referral service for older people to come for a chat if they have a concern about accessing information to make their lives easier.   The Hub looks at linking people to services and facilitating information.     It is a community volunteer group.

At the recent U3A enrolment day volunteers from this group set up a table in the Seniors room to promote this service to the Community.   It was a great opportunity to promote the info hub and provide guidance to older people in our community.    For example, the info hub was able to advise 15 people on the day about the $250 energy rebate that is currently available and assist with how they can apply for this.   The info hub also received a couple of enquiries regarding home assistance, held conversations regarding council exiting out of the Aged & Disability Services and also received interest from a member of the community wishing to join the Age Friendly Benalla Reference Group.

Heather Wallace

With lock down a thing (hopefully) of the past and restrictions on gatherings having eased somewhat, groups were able to meet more readily again in November/December.  A number celebrated year's end and the upcoming festive season, while the U3A Christmas Lunch in mid November was able to go ahead. Attracting 63 members, the luncheon at the acclaimed Chrismont Winery restaurant in the King Valley proved to be a joyous occasion! 

​Here are links to photos of some of these year end meetings and celebrations -
 
​Christmas at Chrismont Winery
​Singing for Fun at the Golf Club
Easy Walks at Mokoan Hub
​Creative Writing at 'the Northo'
Investment - '& the winners are...!'
Lifeball Photo Shoot
Recorder Group 'new and old...'
Saturday Cards '500'
Music Appreciation 'Class of 21'

​The U3A Benalla and District website is a wonderful way to

• Remind ourselves about dates and times – just go to the home page and scroll down the calendar
• Reminisce about the activities we’ve participated in with our group/s (Hint:  when you get to the bottom of the group’s page, just click on ‘previous’ to go to earlier entries.)
• Find previous newsletters – for example, to find last year's December's newsletter, check out the side menu on the About/Newsletter page and click on December 2021.  
• Search for people, activities, events from the past – just use the search box at the top of the page
• Access the U3A Benalla and District Facebook account – just go to the top menu and click on FB.

We are delighted that Janice Ellis (pictured) has volunteered to work on the website.  Janice is currently learning to add newsletter reports to the website.  Thank you, Janice!
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I'd also like to thank Be Connected andTech Savvy Beginners - Apple convenor Jenny Sawyer and Tech Savvy Beginners - Android convenor Robyn Lukey for incorporating ‘learning to use U3A Benalla's website’ in their classes.   Thank you, Jenny and Robyn. 

Last but not least, thanks go to the convenors and ‘news correspondents’ whose newsletter reports and photographs are posted on the website each month.  What a wonderful resource you provide.

The U3A Benalla and District page on Facebook has gradually grown to 200 followers.  It’s a very gentle site, with a small audience and to date, no ‘trolls’.  Roving photographers and Facebook contributors Bev Thornell and Andi Stevenson's regular posts are always engaging and also provide a wonderful resource for the website.  Thank you, Bev and Andi.
 
On a final note, our ‘Facebook Post of the Year’, posted in August by Andi Stevenson, features Betty Milligan's poem, 'Here We Go Again'.  It received 14 likes, 4 comments and 15 shares!

Bev Lee, Web Manager

This is a message to members who have not yet had the Covid-19 statement on their entry form endorsed by a Club Official.

We have run into a small problem with New and Renewing members submitting membership forms at RedB4 bookshop.  Members have ticked that they have had their Covid-19 Vaccinations, but there has been no option for members to have their Covid-19 vaccination certificate sighted and certified by a Club Official (Convenor or Committee Member) at the bookshop.

To overcome this please take a copy of your Covid-19 certificate to the first session of each of your classes and have your Convenor mark a “YES” on the subject roll.

This problem has only occurred to about 15 existing or new members.

Thanks for your cooperation.
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Len Jeffers
Membership Officer

​Nomination of Geraldine McCorkell for Benalla Citizen of the Year

U3A Benalla has nominated Geraldine McCorkell for Benalla Citizen of the Year in 2022. The nomination was co-ordinated by Wendy Sturgess, our Publicity Officer, with the assistance of other organisations and members of U3A.

We have received notification from Benalla Rural City Council that the presentation of Australia Day awards will take place on Wednesday 26 January 2022 Benalla from 10 am.  Winners of the awards will not be announced until the day.

Benalla Rural City Council has announced that the planned event has been scaled back and will now be live streamed to the community.  

Benalla Rural City’s Australia Day Award presentations can be watched online from 10am on Wednesday, January 26, at benalla.vic.gov.au. 

​Further information can be obtained by contacting the Council’s Event Coordinator, Sharon Geer on 0498 204 648 or sharon.geer@benalla.vic.gov.au     Good luck Geraldine!

What a successful enrolment day!  Although enrolments will still come in over the next few weeks, it's highly likely that the bulk of enrolment forms for 2022 were processed on Wednesday.

It was wonderful to see so many members attending and the Age Friendly Benalla Hub in action. 

Thanks go to the dedicated committee members and convenors who welcomed and supported attendees and to the 'Memberships Team' who worked so effectively to process enrolments. 

​Bev Lee 

News Update - we've just received news that the launch of John Barry's book 'Whatever of Glory' at the Benalla Library on Monday 17 January we posted news of in late November last year has been cancelled. However, U3A members will be pleased to know that John will be speaking on his writing of 'Whatever of Glory' at Meet and Mingle in mid February!

Interested?  Enrolment Fees are $30 per person each year, with $10 extra if you would like the newsletter posted by mail.  Come along to Enrolment Day on Wednesday 12 January from 9.30 to 12 midday or check out the 'Join Us' page on the website for other ways in which to enrol.  

The funeral of Kyohei Fujiie will be held on Saturday January 8th at 1pm, at the John Cooper Hall (opposite Coles).
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* Only immediate family and friends to be present *

There will be an opportunity for 1 or 2 people at a time to be led inside during the service, to light Kyohei's Incense and offer prayers.

After the funeral, 2/2:30 pm onwards, there will be a wake at Benalla Botanic Gardens.

There too, attendees may light an incense in his name. (Information courtesy of Rodan Fujiie)

​Andi Stevenson

The Mackeys’ Lookout walk in December was the final U3A ‘Bushwalking - Mid-Week Walk’.  U3A’s partnership with the Benalla Bushwalking Club (BBC) commenced following a forum Margaret Walshe helped organise in 2002 which identified three layers of exercise and the need to be able to ‘upshift’ and ‘downshift’.  Margaret, a member of both U3A and the BBC, liaised with the BBC President at the time, Terry Sydes, who supported this principle.  Terry became the first convenor of Mid-Week Walks, with BBC organised Mid-Week Walks for adventurous bushwalkers offered to U3A members alongside Easy Walks.  Margaret played an important role in promoting the program and later became convenor.  Avid U3A bushwalker Vaughan Cowan then convened Mid-Week Walks for many years, with John Boehm taking over the role in 2019.

With fewer U3A members participating, the BBC committee recently decided to revert Mid-Week Walks back to its Benalla Bushwalking Club program origins.  U3A Benalla would like to thank the BBC for operating in tandem with the U3A Bushwalking program for almost two decades.  Thank you, John Boehm, for convening the group for the past three years, thanks also to Bev Thornell for the wonderful reports and photographs in the newsletter, Facebook and Mid-Week Walks  web page.    

​U3A members are welcome to become members of the Benalla Bushwalking Club and participate in their activities.   

​Source:  News Update, U3A Newsletter, January 2022