As the beautiful weather is with us and members are returning home, our classes are as active as ever.

Following is part of a letter sent to all U3A members 

‘I am delighted to share with you the news that the U3a Movement in Victoria has won the Age-Friendly Victoria award, for an organisation in our State that promotes active ageing. The awards were presented on 9 October at Government House by the Honourable Linda Dessau AC. Governor of Victoria. We at Network were thrilled that our movement has been recognised during the Seniors Festival as playing such an important role in the lives of seniors.
Network Victoria President Susan Webster’

We should all feel justly proud.
​
Dorothy Webber President

With Spring in the air, the Program Committee is busy planning for next year.  We are always looking at new courses.  If you have one in mind, please let us know.

Our Membership continues to grow. It's very gratifying to be told we have something for everyone.

Mine and the Executive Committee’s thanks go to Cheryl Turner for her time on the Committee.  We will miss your input, Cheryl.  All the best.
 
Members attending our ‘Morning Tea and Poetry Reading’ on Thursday 25 October during the Seniors Festival may also like to stay on and enjoy Lunch with members of the Seniors.  Lunch needs to be booked and costs $11.30. Please see the Seniors’ notice board for booking.
​
Dorothy Webber
 

I have had a wonderful trip to Melbourne and lunch with great friends I've not seen for a number of years, all because of modern technology catching up on Facebook. You too can do this by joining the Be Connected Program and learning the ins and outs of your device.

We have three new iPads to lend out. Try before you buy. We thank Age Friendly Benalla for the iPads.
​
Dorothy Webber

Mid-Winter and members that are home continue to enjoy what we have to offer.  I think it’s good to have place to be on a miserable day and friends to share it with. We continue to welcome new members and are closing in on 300.

At our July Meet and Mingle, members were greatly entertained by our guest speaker, Tim Bowtell, and now we all wish we could paint a portrait upside-down.

In Thursday, 25th October, for Seniors Month, we are holding a morning tea. More about this later.

We now have a microwave oven in the kitchen beside the fridge.
​
Dorothy Webber President

Firstly, a very big thank you must go to Benalla Rural City for the Grant of $900 from the Community Grants Program.
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After a couple of weeks of problems with the air-conditioning all are now fixed. We have moved into our office space. Thanks to Council for removing the hand-basin and supplying a desk.

As we head into the depths of Winter, make sure to keep those cold and flu bugs away. For those on their annual pilgrimage North, think of us on these cold, frosty mornings.

Please note my new e-mail address is dotwebber2608@gmail.com

​Dorothy

The Annual Network Presidents Briefing Day was held on 16th May. My thanks go to Margaret Jenkins for attending in my absence. Some points that came out of this meeting are:-

• U3A has 109 branches with 36,000 members in Victoria
• U3A has more members than Mens’ Sheds
• Mens’ Sheds have received $4.3 Million in funding since 2010
• Membership fees range from $40 to $75 per annum. Benalla is the only group in the state with a membership fee of $30
• A number of groups receive council funding up to $1500
• Most councils see U3A as a positive effect on the ageing population
• Funding is a major concern for many U3As
• Some U3As report that Utility charges are up to $6000 per year

U3A Benalla is indeed fortunate that previous committees have used good management and have been able to show a surplus over several years.

Starting in June the Recorder Group will be meeting at NEA on the second and fourth Wednesday from 10am-12noon.

Any group using a bus for outings must have it approved by the Committee.

A Blu-ray CD/DVD player has been purchased and installed and I hope this solves the problems that have occurred in the past.

As we will need up-to-date figures for grant applications, all convenors of external groups need to get their First Semester records to Geraldine at the end of the semester.
​
Dorothy Webber, President

On Friday, 27th April, I received a letter from Tony McIlroy, C.E.O of Benalla Rural City Council. We have now been allocated office space in the old rest room. We are extremely pleased to finally have an office of our own and have spoken to Elsie Northey at the Council regarding sourcing a desk.  

We did not succeed in our bid to gain additional storage in the old Red Cross Cupboard.   Noise issues also remain unresolved apart from the Recorder group being required by Tony McIlroy to be relocated. 

​We also remain concerned about reports of U3A members being spoken to rudely or confronted in anger by members of the Seniors.  Please let me or a member of the committee know immediately if this happens.

Next week John Gebauer is painting the Projection Wall with no charge for materials or his time, because, in his words, “We do a great service to this community”.  Many thanks to John.

The Training Days for Equipment for Convenors and interested members will be: Tuesday May 1st at 1.30pm, Wednesday May 23rd at 2pm and Tuesday June 5th at 1.30 pm.

Dorothy Webber
President

My first year has seen U3A move from The Benalla College to our home here at the Seniors’ building. Our thanks go to the Flexible Learning Centre for our time with them and the coffee on moving day.   The move in day was the easy part. As you all know we have had and continue to have many ups and downs.

Currently we have been asked by Benalla Council to provide a submission for the use of the Rest Room and former Red Cross area in the kitchen for our Office and storage.  The Executive is in the process of doing this and it will be submitted by the due date April 13th.

The noise issue also requires a submission along with a proposed solution. A suggestion is that a wall be erected at the end of the corridor as a starting point. As it stands the building is not suitable for multiple uses at the same time.
 
In June we had a display at the Library in their display cabinet. The range of activities on show was very well received, with lots of comments as to the diverse range of courses on offer.

In the 2nd semester of 2017 membership reached 250 for the 1st time this year. We now have 275 and are a growing and vibrant U3A.

I have been thrilled with the way the first semester was up and running in such a professional manner. All the new convenors have settled in well. I can’t thank you enough. Without you and all our existing convenors, Benalla U3A could not be such a success.

I have been to a number of groups and interrupted them with an emergency evacuation procedure.  I feel this is an important exercise and it has shown me that if we stack all the chairs along the wall next to the piano we then have full access to the doorways. When stacked correctly the chairs all fit in this space. This also will give the cleaners a clear access and allows us room to move freely around when members are seated at the tables.

Bev Lee and Judith Borthwick have both resigned from the Committee and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their service to U3A.

Judith has been our Publicity Officer for many years and has been responsible for all the ads and articles seen in The Ensign. She has also been a very capable Newsletter editor for many years.

Bev’s work in helping to establish our Tech Savvy Courses has seen her put in many hours of work and her work on Benalla U3A webpage has resulted in one of the best websites to be found. I thank you ladies for a job well done.

I would also like to thank the members of the Committee for their work during the last year. They have been a tremendous help to me. What they have achieved is truly amazing. I hope the new Committee will go from strength to strength and make Benalla U3A one of the best, if not the best, in the state.

Over the past year we have lost a number of our long term members.  I will not try to name them as I would hate to leave anyone out but I must acknowledge the passing of Life Member Su Hughes. Su was a past committee member and was tireless in her work for U3A Benalla.

Finally, I am very pleased to announce the awarding of a Life Membership to Louise Doddrell. Louise started the Wine Appreciation Grooup 21 years ago, ran it for many years, and has put together a wonderful album of photo memories. Louise is very happy that it has been such a success and finds it hard to believe that the group is still so popular.

​On this happy note I will finish and wish all our members happy U3Aing.
​
Dorothy Webber:  President

One month in and wonderful to see and hear that all groups are doing well.

We still have a noise problem. My hope is next week’s meeting with Council will get a solution (Fingers crossed).

Changes are still happening in our room with the installation of the Overhead Projector, bought and paid for by U3A.

The AGM is in March at our Meet & Mingle. This is an important meeting to attend as this is when the election of your office bearers will take place.

Dorothy Webber
​President

What a fantastic start to the year. So many happy members, new and old, enjoying the existing and the new courses. Once again, a big thank you to all our convenors.

Congratulations to our members who were nominated in the Australia Day awards. The winners were all well-deserved.

Keep hydrated and cool as we face another hot spell.

Just a reminder that our March Meet ‘n’ Mingle on March 21 is our Annual General Meeting.

Dorothy Webber
​President