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. ​

This session, presented on Friday 30th November 2018 to 33 U3A participants, was the second in the series on Advanced Care Planning. 

Brendan Smith From Smith Dosser Accountants/Financial Planners, outlined and provided a copy of a framework for consideration of retirement and end of life issues. 

Damian Feehan from N J Todd Funeral Directors discussed the roles and responsibilities of funeral agencies and the need to preplan and communicate preferences prior to this stage of life.

Jo O’Brien and April Betheras from the Palliative Care Service outlined their roles and once again emphasised the need for people to record their care options/choices under certain scenarios when they are actively able to consider them.  They outlined how this can help care givers and families at a time when communication becomes impossible.

Useful Resources: 
From Palliative Care, Benalla Health:  https://www.advancecareplanning.org.au/resources/case-studies/case-study-8-tips-for-living-and-dying-well?utm_source+facebook
From U3A member Judy Perry: http://cotavic.org.au

Wendy Sturgess and Margaret Walshe

A number of new courses are being offered in 2019.    There are alterations to times for a number of subjects, please check to see if times have changed for groups you enroll with! These changes are to enable us to run more classes.   Terry Case case.terence@gmail.com.au

A Night at the Opera – French Style   2nd Wednesday 7 pm  Presenter Meg Dillon

This season we will take a look at some of the great nineteenth century French composers like Berlioz, Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc who were interested in opera as a musical form. Lovely arias, tuneful music, great singers and performances.

As usual the group meets at the presenter’s house on a Wednesday evening at 7pm. Drinks and light refreshments are offered. Maximum of 10 participants can be seated.

Beginners’ Patchwork  2nd and 4th Tuesdays 1 to 4 pm   Presenter Heather Sloan

The course will cover the basics of patchwork and quilting whilst making a small panel. It is designed for people with no experience of patchwork, and does not require a sewing machine. By the end of the semester participants will have the skills to make a basic quilt.

Booker reading group   3rd Friday 2-4pm Presenter Meg Dillon

The annual Man Booker Prize is awarded to the novel deemed best by an extensive panel of judges in Britain. Writers in both America and post-colonial countries can also enter. Each year the search is narrowed to a Long List of 13 books, then the Short List of 6 from which the winner is chosen.

These novels are not for the faint hearted! They often explore contentious contemporary issues or the lives of families or individuals experiencing  the difficulties of modern life.

The judges said of the Long List:   All of these books – which take in slavery, ecology, missing persons, inner-city violence, young love, prisons, trauma, race – capture something about a world on the brink. Among their many remarkable qualities is a willingness to take risks with form. 

The 2018 winner of the Booker was The Mars Room  by American writer Rachel Kushner. You can google the 2018 Man Booker Long List to see the complete list.

If you are curious about some of the best contemporary fiction of the last year…please join us.

You will be expected to obtain your own copy of the books the group chooses to read, either by buying an e-book version, borrowing from a library, or purchasing a hard copy
.
German for Beginners  Mondays, 12 - 1 pm Presenter Pauline Bailey

This course should give you a good understanding for basic communication in German. There are no set texts, but a small German-English  dictionary would be useful. Notes will be provided at each session.

The first 10 weeks will provide the vocabulary and grammar underpinning the language. After a winter recess, we will resume for more advanced learning.

History

After the Victorians   3rd Tuesday 9.30-11.30 Presenter Terry Case
The 20th century saw enormous changes in the period from 1900-1939. From the Boer War and Federation in Australia we then look at the White Australia policy and the fear of Japan as a world power. Germany and the USA overtook Britain as the leading industrial and military power. The Bolshevik Revolution was a turning point not just in W.W.1, but in European history.  Socialism, Fascism and Communism challenged existing orders.  The British Empire reached its peak in the 1930s, but the belief that Britain had a right to rule was challenged by Gandhi and others.  DVD’s will be used to illustrate the sessions. 

An Introduction to Western Civilization  2nd & 4th Friday 2-4pm, Semester 1 Presenter Meg Dillon

History helps us understand some complex issues, even though it can’t and doesn’t predict future outcomes. Today our Western Civilization is strongly attacked as corrupt, militaristic and nihilistic.

But is it? How did it evolve and what aspects of should we embrace and be proud of?

These history sessions will look at the current situation, then briefly explore those past cultures that have created our complex Western world.
Ancient Greece: it all started with the Greeks and their vast cultural agenda. Art, sculpture, philosophy, science and much more was developed by this squabbling, argumentative but lively group of city states and colonies, known as the Greek World.
The Romans: masters of war, engineering and administration. Their Pax Romana (The Roman Peace) was spread across Europe in the largest ancient empire prior to the British Empire. The Romans would colonize and civilize other cultures but would brutally suppress any rebellion.
The Italian Renaissance: The rich Italian city states of the thirteenth century rediscovered the Ancient World of the Greeks and Romans through their discoveries of surviving sculptures and ancient manuscripts. The result was a reintroduction of many of the achievements of these cultures that had been lost in the previous 1000 years. The Italians built on this foundation advancing both the practice of the arts and that of diplomacy in an era that was fractured by minor wars between the city states and the Papacy.
The Reformation: In the early sixteenth century Martin Luther started a vast religious  movement protesting against some of the corruption and excesses that had developed in the Catholic Church. The succeeding growth of Protestantism turned many parts of Europe into mercantile hubs where vast wealth started to be made by a merchant class, while more austere religious and communal practices were adopted by whole populations in Northern Europe.
The Enlightenment: The age of science burst into being in the eighteenth century in England and France. Gentlemen ‘scientists’ started to look at the way the physical aspects of our world worked. In France the French Revolution in 1787 followed naturally from this development as the middle classes refused to accept the older corrupt  rule of King, Church and nobles. This was the start of our era in which science and government would dominate our thinking and lead to Western democracy as we know it and the vast scientific knowledge that has changed our world and lives.

Discussion and suitable video and other images will be used to convey some of the key attributes of these  major historical influences that have formed the Western world.

Meditation   1st & 3rd Monday 4-5pm. Presenter Caroline Sims

Attention to all members with portable computing devices

• smart phones
• tablets
• iPads
• laptops

During the summer break, there will be continuing Be Connected sessions.  If you weren’t able to attend any or all of the previous sessions last semester and you would like to extend your computing knowledge and skills we are running four sessions in January on Wednesday mornings at the U3A room.

Be Connected has added some extra modules to their course. They are:

• Online Hobbies
• Apps
• Games

 
Dates - JANUARY  Wednesdays 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th   Time - 10:00am - 11:00am
 
Jenny Sawyer     Phone 0409 545 182

Exercises for Fun with Helen Jeffree
Mondays from 9.30 to 11.30 Main room, Benalla Senior Citizens Community Centre 
Have you heard the saying "If you don't move it, you lose it"?
Well, these mild exercises to music are fun for all ages and will be held weekly.
Come along, enjoy the morning, and socialise with a cuppa after.  All members welcome!

Recorder Group with Janet Douglas
Main session on the fourth Wednesday from 10 am to 12 midday, with a lunchtime practice session on the first Wednesday from 12.15 to 1.15 pm.
‘I wish I hadn’t given up  learning …music, the violin. piano, recorder, guitar…’  Music teacher Janet Douglas says she would be very wealthy if she received $1 every time she heard an older person say this!  .Janet believes it’s never too late to learn music or to learn a musical instrument and considers the recorder a good choice as it is such an accessible instrument.   A group for beginners to intermediate, there will also be scope for more proficient users of the recorder to play together and mentor others.   Unlike most U3A courses, there will be homework.  You will need to practise--there’s no other way to learn and improve!   

Some Moments in Australian History with Meg Dillon
Second and fourth Fridays 1.30 to 3.30pm first semester only.
“History” is very much a “shape shifter”. It’s a personal presentation that reflects a particular historian’s point of view. So there is no such thing as infallible history only various propositions about what probably happened. We can never truly recreate the past, but only interpret it according to the best evidence that has survived and our personal beliefs about what the evidence shows.
We will use discussion, art, photos and videos where possible to explore the following five topics that are based mostly in the nineteenth century.
· The indomitable Captain William Bligh: Hero or Villain?
· The Squatter Kings in Grass Castles
· The Large Hole in the Ground
· The Boom/Bust Years. Is it all about greed?
· The Growth of the Labour Movement in the 1890s

Stock and Land/Country Matters/ (Name to be finalised when group meets) 
Led by David Palmer & Kathy Murphy on first Tuesday 10-12
Are you a regular watcher of ‘Country Wide’ or reader of ‘Stock and Land’ or ‘The Weekly Times’? Did you grow up on, run, still run, or downshift into Benalla from a farm? Perhaps you studied or taught food and agriculture related courses or worked in an area related to agriculture? Or perhaps, like most of us, you are interested in where food comes from. This group aims to provide a regular forum for members with interest and experience in agriculture to discuss agricultural issues and current developments in farming. Monthly two-hour sessions will feature well informed speakers from particular areas of farming who will share their story, their understanding of current issues and developments in their field of farming. This will be followed by questions and discussion. The group will also discuss current news and events in farming and share stories of ‘our farms’.

Apple iPad for Beginners 
1st and 3rd Wednesday 1:30 - 3:00 pm  U3A Meeting Room      
Contact Jenny Sawyer   Ph: 0409545182
Do you have an Apple iPad and don't know where to start?
We hold two sessions per month for beginners keen to develop skills and confidence in using and managing their device for emails, photography, internet searching and more.
Tech Savvy mentors will provide one to one assistance and small group tuition.
You can borrow one of our iPads if you don't have your own.

Tech Savvy Projects with Bev Lee will be offered by Bev Lee and specialist tutors on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday between 1 and 4.30 pm in the U3A Meeting Room.  
Have you a project you’d like to work on using information technology?  Tech Savvy Projects provides the opportunity for members to complete family history projects using Ancestry.com; create a photo-book; develop a blog or a website; or even create a small robot using an Arduino board. An alternate fortnightly session will provide a drop in opportunity to gain additional support for projects.  Small group sessions.  

U3A Benalla Travel Club    
Judy Perry is convening a new activity - the U3A Benalla Travel Club - for those who love to travel but don't always want to travel alone.  The  Benalla U3A Travel Club will particularly appeal to budget solo and 'timid travellers'. Two trips inside Australia and one overseas trip each year will be preplanned by the convenor, experienced traveller Judy Perry, in consultation with group members.  Regular sessions will be held each month to discuss plans and trips.  A wonderful chance to keep your travel options open!

Jenny Sawyer, convenor of Tech Savvy Beginners, pictured with Patsy at enrolment day, January 2017.  In 2018 Jenny is convening 'iPad for Beginners'.  

Intrepid traveller Judy Perry has decided to share her love of travel with other U3A members in an active and exciting way.  Judy will be running a new course in 2918 - the U3A Benalla Travel Club:  

Judy has already designed the first trip - it will commence on March 18th and provides a wonderful way to travel and enjoy Kangaroo Island....

If you are interested in finding out more, please phone Judy as soon as possible as she needs expressions of interest as soon as possible.  

​A great follow up to U3A Legal Matters sessions. Advanced Care Planning can be a confronting subject but was made comfortable, acceptable and necessary by the presenters: Deb Smith, Community Health Nurse, Benalla Health; Chris Thorne, Aboriginal Support Worker, Central Hume Primary Care Partnership and April Betheras, Loss and Grief Counsellor, Benalla Health. 

Margaret Walshe (right) introducing from left Chris Thorne, April Betheras and Deb Smith.

Our first ‘Facebook for Mentors’ short course concluded recently with a post course follow up session directed towards applying what we learnt during the course when mentoring others.  We practised posting to our ‘secret Facebook group’ and explored resources and strategies we can draw upon when mentoring beginners who are keen to use Facebook.   Course evaluation indicates that after the course participants felt more confident in being able to explain basic Facebook features and encourage Facebook skill development; have a greater awareness of Facebook’s privacy features; consider their skills in using Facebook have increased and are able to participate as a member of a Facebook group.

The dates have been set for our second course in November.  All sessions will be from 1.30* to 3.30 pm.
​  
Tuesday 31 October  Precourse registration and 'recognition of current competence' session - U3A Meeting Room (BYO Devices/Laptop)
Tuesday 14 November  GOTAFE Session 1 Tuesday  at GOTAFE (PC based)
Tuesday 21 November   GOTAFE Session 2   at GOTAFE (PC based)
Tuesday 28th November Postcourse Follow up and Evaluation Session  - U3A Meeting Room. (BYO Devices/Laptop)

Places are still available – contact Bev for an application form 5762 8171 or bevlee47@gmail.com

Bill’s Railways returns.Bill Dewing will present a single session on Tuesday 12 December from 10am-12 noon.

The session will feature the famous “New River steam train” which runs in West Virginia for 2 weekends in November to view the famous colours of “the Fall”.

This is the final Rail presentation by Bill, who was a former Benalla Stationmaster and life- long rail enthusiast! Bill made 5 trips to the USA between 1960-1999 and has great knowledge of USA trains. At the end of his presentation Bill will show a DVD given to him by Wendy Sturgess on her return from a rail-touring holiday in the USA. There is spectacular coverage of the “Cardinal” train on its run between Chicago &Washington, traversing the route of the New River Gorge which is shown after a heavy snowfall. Clips of high speed steam tours on this route in the fall are included.
​
Bill would be delighted to see ex members of his classes and newcomers. Phone Bill (5762 5883), or join him on the day.