It is with pleasure that I present the Annual Report of U3A Benalla for the year ending 31st December 2024.
At the end of 2024 we had 420 members, a 5% increase on the figure at the end of 2023. In 2024 we introduced two new groups, Cooking Solo and Chess, both of which were successful.
Two significant events happened for U3A Benalla in 2024. At the AGM we adopted the Model Rules for U3A Benalla. These replaced the Constitution which had been in place since 2011.
In 2024 we also fulfilled the requirements of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission or ACNC and became a registered charity. This meant that we do not have to fill in an Annual Return for the Australian Tax Office. When we went to register as a charity, we discovered that U3A Benalla had been a registered charity in about 2008, but unfortunately the paperwork had lapsed and to restore the charity status we had to fill in the paperwork for each year from 2010 to 2023. This was a substantial job and took several hours to complete.
I would like to sincerely thank all Convenors of Groups at U3A Benalla for the past year. Convenors are the backbone of our organisation, and we all know that without a convenor there would be no group. All our Convenors are volunteers who have a great knowledge about their subject, and are willing to impart that knowledge to the people attending their group. Often there is considerable planning before a group happens, and this takes time and effort. So, thank you to our Convenors. U3A Benalla are fortunate to have so many and varied groups, and this comes back to what the Convenors are able to offer.
I would like to thank all members of the Committee for their assistance throughout the past year. As our organisation has grown the amount of work has increased, and each person on the Committee has always been available to help with whatever job needed doing. I would particularly like to acknowledge the people who are retiring from the Committee at this AGM.
Dorothy Webber has been on the Committee since 2010 and was President from 2017 to 2021. Dorothy has been a great support to me as the immediate Past President, and this year has taken over the role of welfare officer sending cards to those members who are ill or have lost loved ones as well as looking after the kitchen requirements for our morning and afternoon teas. Thank you, Dorothy, for all your hard work.
Geraldine McCorkell is also retiring from the Committee having joined the Committee in 2009. Geraldine was President of U3A Benalla from 2012-2013 and was then Secretary from 2017 to 2023. Geraldine has looked after the photocopier machine, and has been responsible for sending out all the printed Newsletters for many years, as well as numerous other jobs. Thank you, Geraldine for all your work for U3A Benalla.
David Palmer was our Publicity Officer for three years until ill health meant that he could no longer participate in that role. David worked as a journalist during his working life. Hence the role of Publicity Officer really suited him. Thank you, David for the articles that you submitted to the Benalla Ensign.
During 2024 Julie McNeill resigned from the Committee due to ill health. Julie took on the task of writing job descriptions for all Office Bearers and other positions such as Publicity, Membership Secretary, Newsletter Editor and Website Manager, and these provide an ongoing framework to use when talking to new prospective office bearers about what the position entails.
Communication within U3A Benalla is extremely important. My thanks to Heather Wallace for her continued role as Newsletter Editor. Our monthly Newsletter is very popular with members as it contains reports from each group, and also some great photos.
My thanks, also, to Bev Lee who has been a very successful Webmaster of our wonderful website which is so much better than many websites of other U3As in Victoria. Also, Bev has played an important role in supporting those members who required Power Point or other presentations for Community Projects.
Moving onto the beginning of 2025. This year U3A Benalla have introduced eight new courses including American History, Car Torque, Colour Mixing and Watercolour Technique – Botanical, Come and Learn Croquet, Exploring Collaborative Writing of Children’s Books, French at the Table, Mahjong and Train Buffs. We have also re-introduced Collectors to our program.
This morning, I have been informed by Len Jeffers our Membership Secretary that we have reached 430 members. This is a record number of members for U3A Benalla and is the third year that we have recorded over 400 members.
Accommodation is tight. We have one session a month where Room 1 is vacant. Otherwise, it is booked solid Monday to Saturday for two sessions each day, and three sessions several Tuesdays when German fits in at lunch time. Room 2 is useful for small groups up to 8 people or for one-on-one sessions such as Tech Advice or Family Research -Getting Started. This year with the co-operation of the Benalla Senior Citizens we are using the Auditorium for Exercises for Fun each Monday morning – this group has 80 enrolled for it, Mahjong each Monday which follows Exercises, Let’s Talk Books on the first Monday of the Month and Colour Mixing and Watercolour Technique – Botanical twice a month on Wednesday mornings. On 2nd April 2025 U3A Benalla are doing a presentation to the Councillors and our accommodation problem will be part of that presentation.
In summary, thank you to our Convenors, the Committee and all the members who have made the past twelve months so successful. I would like to move that my report be received.
Margaret Jenkins
March 19, 2025
Two significant events happened for U3A Benalla in 2024. At the AGM we adopted the Model Rules for U3A Benalla. These replaced the Constitution which had been in place since 2011.
In 2024 we also fulfilled the requirements of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission or ACNC and became a registered charity. This meant that we do not have to fill in an Annual Return for the Australian Tax Office. When we went to register as a charity, we discovered that U3A Benalla had been a registered charity in about 2008, but unfortunately the paperwork had lapsed and to restore the charity status we had to fill in the paperwork for each year from 2010 to 2023. This was a substantial job and took several hours to complete.
I would like to sincerely thank all Convenors of Groups at U3A Benalla for the past year. Convenors are the backbone of our organisation, and we all know that without a convenor there would be no group. All our Convenors are volunteers who have a great knowledge about their subject, and are willing to impart that knowledge to the people attending their group. Often there is considerable planning before a group happens, and this takes time and effort. So, thank you to our Convenors. U3A Benalla are fortunate to have so many and varied groups, and this comes back to what the Convenors are able to offer.
I would like to thank all members of the Committee for their assistance throughout the past year. As our organisation has grown the amount of work has increased, and each person on the Committee has always been available to help with whatever job needed doing. I would particularly like to acknowledge the people who are retiring from the Committee at this AGM.
Dorothy Webber has been on the Committee since 2010 and was President from 2017 to 2021. Dorothy has been a great support to me as the immediate Past President, and this year has taken over the role of welfare officer sending cards to those members who are ill or have lost loved ones as well as looking after the kitchen requirements for our morning and afternoon teas. Thank you, Dorothy, for all your hard work.
Geraldine McCorkell is also retiring from the Committee having joined the Committee in 2009. Geraldine was President of U3A Benalla from 2012-2013 and was then Secretary from 2017 to 2023. Geraldine has looked after the photocopier machine, and has been responsible for sending out all the printed Newsletters for many years, as well as numerous other jobs. Thank you, Geraldine for all your work for U3A Benalla.
David Palmer was our Publicity Officer for three years until ill health meant that he could no longer participate in that role. David worked as a journalist during his working life. Hence the role of Publicity Officer really suited him. Thank you, David for the articles that you submitted to the Benalla Ensign.
During 2024 Julie McNeill resigned from the Committee due to ill health. Julie took on the task of writing job descriptions for all Office Bearers and other positions such as Publicity, Membership Secretary, Newsletter Editor and Website Manager, and these provide an ongoing framework to use when talking to new prospective office bearers about what the position entails.
Communication within U3A Benalla is extremely important. My thanks to Heather Wallace for her continued role as Newsletter Editor. Our monthly Newsletter is very popular with members as it contains reports from each group, and also some great photos.
My thanks, also, to Bev Lee who has been a very successful Webmaster of our wonderful website which is so much better than many websites of other U3As in Victoria. Also, Bev has played an important role in supporting those members who required Power Point or other presentations for Community Projects.
Moving onto the beginning of 2025. This year U3A Benalla have introduced eight new courses including American History, Car Torque, Colour Mixing and Watercolour Technique – Botanical, Come and Learn Croquet, Exploring Collaborative Writing of Children’s Books, French at the Table, Mahjong and Train Buffs. We have also re-introduced Collectors to our program.
This morning, I have been informed by Len Jeffers our Membership Secretary that we have reached 430 members. This is a record number of members for U3A Benalla and is the third year that we have recorded over 400 members.
Accommodation is tight. We have one session a month where Room 1 is vacant. Otherwise, it is booked solid Monday to Saturday for two sessions each day, and three sessions several Tuesdays when German fits in at lunch time. Room 2 is useful for small groups up to 8 people or for one-on-one sessions such as Tech Advice or Family Research -Getting Started. This year with the co-operation of the Benalla Senior Citizens we are using the Auditorium for Exercises for Fun each Monday morning – this group has 80 enrolled for it, Mahjong each Monday which follows Exercises, Let’s Talk Books on the first Monday of the Month and Colour Mixing and Watercolour Technique – Botanical twice a month on Wednesday mornings. On 2nd April 2025 U3A Benalla are doing a presentation to the Councillors and our accommodation problem will be part of that presentation.
In summary, thank you to our Convenors, the Committee and all the members who have made the past twelve months so successful. I would like to move that my report be received.
Margaret Jenkins
March 19, 2025
