Welcome to the first Newsletter for 2023 which has lots of photos of enrolment day and end of year activities, together with reports from December 2022 and information on courses being run in 2023.
 
We welcome new Convenors to the U3A Benalla family and hope that you have an enjoyable year working with your respective groups.
 
Interested in becoming a Committee member at Benalla U3A for the coming year?     The AGM is being held at the March Meet and Mingle meeting, click on this hyperlink to download a copy of the Nomination Form for Committee.
 
For new Members, to read the Newsletter, click on the following hyperlink  U3A Benalla Newsletter February 2023 and the Newsletter which is on the U3A Website will be opened on your computer for you to read.   
 
Enjoy,
 
Heather Wallace
Newsletter Editor

Email:  newsletter.u3abenalla@gmail.com
Phone:   0418353244
 

Where has the year gone?   Only two weekends to go and Christmas will be upon us.    I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a safe, Happy New Year.

The link to the December Newsletter is U3A Benalla Newsletter December 2022 - it is also available on this page, the home page and the News page.

There will be no newsletter in January, however reports and photographs submitted during December will be added to the website and included in February’s newsletter.

Registration Day for U3A Benalla is being held on Wednesday 11 January, 2023 commencing at 9.30am in the Seniors Auditorium.    Full details of courses and timetable will be forwarded to you by Email at the end of December for you to peruse and select  the courses you would like to attend.    Details of new courses being offered can be found in this Newsletter and on the U3A Website.

Look forward to seeing you all at Registration day on Wednesday 11 January 2023.

Heather Wallace

Hello everyone.  It's still wet and wintery!  

The November Newsletter can be found on the link  U3A Benalla Newsletter November 2022.

There are still spaces for the Christmas lunch and break up to be held at the King River Cafe on Wednesday 23rd November.  The booking form can be found at the link U3A Benalla Christmas Lunch and Breakup Form. Money can be left at RedB4 books next to Hide's Bakery by November 9th – don’t forget to put your name and phone number on the envelope.  

Also, a reminder that links to the Newsletter can be found on the home page, news page, drop down menu and also on the side menu of this page if you are away or just want to catch up on back issues (just scroll down).

Heather
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What a lovely couple of days this weekend has produced.      It is so good to feel some warmth at last.

The October Newsletter can be found on the link  U3A Benalla Newsletter October 2022.

The Christmas lunch and break up will be held at the King River Cafe, the booking form can be found at the link U3A Benalla Christmas Lunch and Breakup Form.

Just a reminder that the Newsletter can be found on the U3A Benalla internet page, if you are away or just want to catch up on back issues.

Enjoy this bumper issue,


Heather Wallace

Good evening all,
 
Spring is here, at last.     Now we can watch the blossoms bloom, the bulbs coming to life, leaves sprouting on the deciduous trees, blue skies and spring rains.    Not only are the plants making their mark in our gardens, but we can watch the lambs, calves and foals romping around in paddocks.   Such a beautiful time of the year
 
Click the link to the September edition of the U3a Newsletter - U3A Benalla Newsletter September 2022.    There is a lot to read about – what happened last month and what is going to happen in the coming month and more.
 
Enjoy
 
Regards
 
Heather Wallace
Editor – U3a Benalla Newsletter
​

Good evening all

It is nearly Spring.    The plants will start responding to the upcoming warmer days and our gardens will be full of colour again.     Once these frosty mornings abate, we can look forward to some really warm, Spring days.

The link for the August Newsletter is U3A Benalla Newsletter August 2022.    I hope you enjoy this month’s edition.

Regards,

Heather Wallace
Phone:   0418 353 244

What a beautiful, sunny weekend we have just enjoyed.    It maybe cold at night, but we can rug up and enjoy our days.

As you will see when reading the Newsletter, June has been a very busy with a number of exciting activities taking place.

The Link for the July issue is U3A Benalla Newsletter July 2022

The timetables for the next Semester activities are available in the drop down box under 'Join' button on the top menu..

Heather Wallace
Newsletter Editor

Email:  newsletter.u3abenalla@gmail.com
Phone:   0418353244

​Good evening all

Brrrrr;  isn’t it cold.    Just as well the June Newsletter is ready for you to read, whilst you are cosy and warm at home.     Hope you do enjoy this months issue, which can be found at the following link : U3A Benalla Newsletter June 2022

Regards,

Heather Wallace
Newsletter Editor

Email:  newsletter.u3abenalla@gmail.com
Phone:   0418353244

Today is the 1st May, where is the time flying.     Attached is your Newsletter for May.     All you have to do is click on the link,  get yourself a tea or coffee, sit back and relax and read.    The link is U3A Benalla Newsletter May 2022 

I hope you enjoy this month's issue.


Heather Wallace
Newsletter Editor

Email:  newsletter.u3abenalla@gmail.com

Autumn has finally arrived.    I think it is a lovely time of the year, with the change of colours in our trees, cooler days and nights.   Now you have the April Newsletter to read as well.  

Click on the following link  U3A Benalla Newsletter April 2022 to access this month's Newsletter.   

Enjoy!


Heather Wallace
Newsletter Editor

Email:  newsletter.u3abenalla@gmail.com

Autumn has arrived and with a bit of luck less humid weather and lovely colours in our gardens and trees.     It is good to see some rain which has be desperately need for our gardens.    

Here are the links to the March Newsletter and Nomination form for the Committee of U3A Benalla.   If you would like to be on the Committee please complete a form and return to Geraldine McCorkell by 9th March. 

U3A Benalla Newsletter March 2022  

Nomination Form

Heather Wallace
Newsletter Editor

Email:  newsletter.u3abenalla@gmail.com
Phone:   0418353244

Whenever I meet anyone these last few days the topic of conversation is ‘how are you coping with this humid weather’.     We have had plenty of rain (good for the garden), lots of thunder and lightning (not good for my dog who is scared of storms), and lots of humidity (which makes me think twice about going for a walk, shopping etc.    Even the chore of hanging the washing on the line one gets very wet & it is exhausting).     Once the weather settles we can once again enjoy the wonderful autumn weather.  So looking for the cool change we have been promised by the BOM.
 
This month’s newsletter has limited reports as classes only commenced today.    It will be so good to get back into attending activities, catching up with old ‘classmates’ and welcoming the new.    So much to look forward to.
 
To access this month's newsletter, click on the direct link -  U3A Benalla February Newsletter 2022   to open the document.   By opening the link, there is no reason to attach a document.  Links to the current newsletter are also available each month on the U3A Benalla website.

When you visit the website, spend some time looking at the various drop down menus and their contents.    The U3A Website is easy to use and has lots of wonderful information.  Also don’t forget the U3A Benalla Facebook Page.    This keeps members up to date on what is happening with the Group.

Heather Wallace

Happy New Year to you all.   Now 2022 is here we can only look forward and keep our fingers crossed that Co-vid wears itself out and we can all get back to some normality.

January is a big month for U3a.     Enrolment day is being held on Wednesday 12th January, commencing at 9.30am in the Seniors Building.     Membership forms have been forwarded to those members who receive their Newsletters by Email, together with course information etc.    Programme information has also been included in this Email.
 
Here is the direct link to the latest newsletter -  U3A Benalla January Newsletter 2022 . Links to the current newsletter are also available each month on the U3A Benalla website.   

In case you need them, here are links to the 2022 Full Timetable with Dates and the Program and Activities Guide for 2022.  These are also available in the 'Join' section of the U3A Benalla website.  

Regards

Heather Wallace
Newsletter Editor

We do apologize for the late notice, but the newsletter email address has been changed.  The new address is

newsletter.u3abenalla@gmail.com

In most cases you will receive a 'bounce back' notice if you send the reports to the previous address.  If you are in the practice of also sending your report/s to either Heather at wallacewinton@bigpond.com or to me at bevlee47@gmail.com we will receive them - I will forward those sent to me to Heather.

It would be wonderful if you could make the change in your address book/contacts list to ensure that when you send in reports in future they don't automatically go to the old address. 

We do apologize for the short notice and inconvenience.

Bev and Heather 
​'Media Team'

Heather's Phone Number - 0418 353 244

The past two months have been particularly busy for our President, Dorothy Webber, who is packing up her house and downsizing for her upcoming move.    Dorothy has also been helping family during this time.   U3A has, however, not been far from her mind as Dorothy has still been working with U3A Victoria for the betterment of our group, as well as maintaining contact with council and other entities to ensure that our future is sound.     We thank Dorothy for her continuing work during this time.  

Our Secretary, Geraldine McCorkell, has been keeping in contact with members in outlying regions as well as those who are not able to travel into town, making sure they are coping with the current Stage 3 restrictions.    Our thanks go to Geraldine for her time and efforts in making sure vulnerable members of our group do not feel abandoned.
 
There are further examples of concern and support for others in this newsletter.  This is what community organizations are all about, working and supporting other people during their time in isolation.

Take care of yourselves and take the time to make that phone call to someone who you know.    It will almost certainly brighten their day and be important for their well-being.
​
Heather Wallace, Newsletter Editor

Vale Ken Whan  A commemoration of Ken’s involvement with U3A will be included in our next newsletter.

Apology – Unfortunately Jacquie Schwinde’s report for Collectors, Janet Marten’s report for German Conversation and all photos submitted for Garden Team weren’t included in last month’s newsletter.  We have added them to each group’s website page and amended the May 2020 Newsletter to include them.   

Convenors - please continue to send in reports if you have made alternative arrangements for your groups to continue or if you have things to report on (for example, events occurring when ‘Exploring the Universe’)

Members – we’d love you to contribute musings on Covid-19 , stories, interesting ‘snippets’, photos of creative projects you have been working on, and more

Please send items to newsletter@u3abenalla.com by 25th June.

Also – don’t forget to Follow us on Facebook -  facebook.com/U3abenalla/- and ‘like’ some of our posts.

Media Team

As we are all aware by now, U3A Benalla has closed its classes, due to the current Corona Virus-19 restrictions currently in place.

It is proposed to commence classes in June, but as you will all be aware this will be dependent on Government restrictions and the current state of health of all residents in Australia.

Now that there is closure of so many daily activities we participate in,  we are able to stop and relax somewhat and there will be many hours of solitude for each of us.   What are we going to do to fill in our day???    A concern with the current isolation restrictions is that U3A members may miss their monthly reading of the Newsletter and the ability to keep in touch with each other during this period.   Following a number of requests it is proposed to send out a Newsletter each month, though not be in the current format of monthly reports.
​
If Convenors wish to give an update on their courses, if members have information of books they have read, have any tips on the growing of vegetable/plants, a ‘funny thing happened…’ story, or info of how they are coping with the isolation which my help other members, all will be welcome.

I will start this off with something that happened to me during our compulsory isolation.   Hope you don’t mind…..
 
On 30th March my Granddaughter, Brooke, turned 18 which she was unable to celebrate with her friends.   Her older brother, Callum, had returned to Melbourne from University in Carolina, USA the week before, hence the family being in isolation.

I received a Facetime call at 8.00pm and ran over to her other grandmother Rae,  who happens to live opposite me, and we joined our family in singing Happy Birthday to Brooke.    We were so thrilled to be included in her celebrations.   The wonders of the modern world and Mobile phones.
 
If you have anything you wish to share please send it to me at newsletter@u3abenalla.com and where possible I will try to include it in our Newsletter.    

Heather Wallace
Newsletter Editor

21 March 2020:  Further Update:  ​The following email was released by email on 21 March

Corona Virus - U3A Benalla to close until further notice 
Because of the situation with Corona Virus and the latest spatial requirements the Committee has decided to shut down U3A Benalla.

We will review this decision at the end of Semester 1. This  decision includes all off-site Groups.

We hope that when we resume you are all fit and healthy. Stay safe.
​
Dorothy Webber
President

20 March 2020:  A number of courses and activities being held in external settings have been cancelled in accordance with the decisions made by the organizations involved in relation to COVID - 19.  Group Activities have been cancelled by the Library until further notice; the First Monday's Art Appreciation session at the Art Gallery has been cancelled; a group gathering such as Chat 'N Chew has also been cancelled according to restaurant protocols re government guidelines.

Classes at the Seniors Community Centre and outdoor activities will continue with if Convenors are comfortable in doing so. If anyone does not want to lead their class that class will close down.  The situation may change again if the Council or Government close the building down -- however until then courses and activities can continue operating if the convenor wishes to proceed.

Decisions about whether to continue classes are now being made on a rolling basis.Easy Walks convenors Margaret Walshe and Wendy Sturgess have decided that Easy Walks will be discontinued until further notice.  

We will be able to advise members about changes from April on in the Newsletter and on the website.  Please let Bev (0478 607 838) know if you are making changes before April 7 so that they can be included on the website's calendar before the next newsletter comes out.  

Bev Lee
Media Team/Website Manager

A notice to members This April newsletter is last newsletter for members who have not paid their 2019 membership.

A notice to Convenors and Newsletter Correspondents

• The email address for newsletter reports is now newsletter@u3abenalla.com. 
• Please make sure  the new address is in your contacts list & remove previous addresses as they are no longer operational.

A reminder to convenors  and newsletter correspondents - if reports are not received by the newsletter deadline it will generally be assumed a report is not required for that month.

​If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Newsletter Editor Heather Wallace newsletter@u3abenalla.com  or 0418 353 244.

Each month a report is placed in the Newsletter by either the Convener or their nominated person, giving a brief outline of the activities undertake by their group during the previous month.  As a limited number of pages can be folded comfortably in an envelope to be mailed to members who do not have Email access, it is suggested that these reports are concise but informative.  This is not possible in some cases, but please keep it in mind when presenting them for the Newsletter.
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If you have any dates or times that you wish to notify your groups of upcoming activities, please include this information.    This information is then used to keep the calendar on the website up to date, keeping members informed.

Photos are also welcome, but a limit maybe placed on the number used in each edition as these take up megabytes and therefore the final Newsletter is above the required size for emailing out to members.   These photos are also passed onto the calendar convenor/website manager who uses them to update the webpage.

If a report is not received in time, it will be either left out of the Newsletter or a short summary may be inserted by the Editor, depending on information available from members.

The timeline for receipt of Newsletter reports, preparation and printing/emailing is as follows:

• Reports from conveners to be received by 25th day of each month.    Please forward report to newsletter@u3abenalla.com.   If you have the Email in your contacts on your computer/ipad please check that it is the correct email address for the Newsletter.    Old Newsletter addresses are no longer operational.
• Collating reports and setting up Newsletter to be completed by the last day of month.
• Calendar for the following month updated from reports at end of month, formatted ready for printing with Newsletter - this calendar will include the 1st week of classes in the next month.   e.g.  the upcoming April Newsletter has reports of March activities conducted.   Calendar is for April classes plus first week of May activities and attached to the rear of Newsletter.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Newsletter Editor Heather Wallace
newsletter@u3abenalla.com Phone: 0418 353 244

If you have time available in the last week of the month, have efficient word processing  and internet skills and an interest in developing or maintaining skills in working on websites, please consider joining our ‘Media Team’. 

While a number of people are now able to back up as Newsletter Editor if required, we would like to find a volunteer prepared to train and gradually begin to work as a back-up person uploading newsletter reports and photos and updating the U3A Calendar for the website.  

If you are interested, please contact Bev on 5762 8171

After trialling a copy deadline of 28th day of the month for two months, along with the decision to change the publication detail to the upcoming month, we've decided upon a new deadline - the 25th day of the month at midday.  

This provides us with the time needed to prepare and carefully edit the newsletter and put upcoming dates mentioned in the newsletter reports into the website calendar and 'What's On' page. 

The extra days will mean we will be able to publish the newsletter in a more timely way for the upcoming month.

As a general rule the only groups likely to fall on or after the 25th are Wine Appreciation and Garden Appreciation - these groups generally provide details of their next two to three months excursions in each newsletter report. 

Newsletter/Website Team

Last month some U3a members advised that they did not receive their April Newsletter. On further investigation it become apparent that users with “bigpond.com” addresses appeared to be most affected.

​It was also discovered that a few people who thought they had not received their Newsletters were looking for the May edition.

With the advent of the What’s On page and a later date for publication it has been decided to update the heading to the month of issue. You won’t miss out on a newsletter as there will now be a December edition. Hopefully this will avoid any further confusion.

The monthly 'What's On' calendar attached to the Newsletter is for the next month for your information and planning.

Heather Wallace
​Editor

At the AGM held in March, I offered to edit the Newsletter for U3a.    I have been a member of U3a for 3 years and am very impressed with the variety of areas that members can enjoy, learn and discuss.

I love to receive my Newsletter and I know I have a hard ‘act to follow’ from how Judith Borthwick and more recently Freida Andrews and Terry Dillon have produced it in the past.
As with many things, a change of Editor can also be a time for changes to be made in the production of the Newsletter.   The basic format of the Newsletter will not change.

Previously Convenors reports were due in the day after Meet and Mingle activity, which could be the 15th of the month to the 21st of the month.   This was ideal when the reports were handwritten and were required to be typed up.    However, in these days of computers that is not necessary.

I would like to receive the Convenors’ Reports on the 28th day of the month, which means that Convenors can give a full month’s report.

This will enable me to look at the reports and place them into the Newsletter in similar format, ready for forwarding to members in the first week of the month.

The Calendar for the upcoming month will also include the first week of the following month’s activities so that you will have up to date information.

We will give this change a try over the next two months and, if it works, look at adopting in the future.
​
Heather Wallace, Newsletter Editor

We are very pleased to welcome Heather Wallace to the busy role of Newsletter Editor.  Heather is already in the midst of producing her first newsletter, bringing to the role many years of experience working with businesses and organizations and skills in producing documents and newsletters.  We really appreciate Heather's willingness to take on this role.  Thank you Heather, and 'Good Luck'!