The exciting news is that U3A Benalla now has 400 members! This is a 22% increase in membership from 2022. It reflects the variety and number of courses which we offer our members. My thanks go to each and every Convenor for the time and effort they put into making their courses so interesting and attractive.
Our presentation to the Mayor, Councillors and CEO of Benalla Rural City Council on 30 August went very well. I would like to thank Bev Lee for her assistance in putting the slides together. Geraldine and I expected the ten-minute presentation to be followed by 5 minutes of questions. However, we had about 35 minutes of questions, and Geraldine helped with quite a few questions which was great.
The Councillors related to the presentation. Cr King told us that he saw a photo of his grandmother in one of the slides, whilst another Councillor told us there were a couple of U3A groups that he thought he would like to join.
To sum up the questions, the Councillors were not interested in spending money and building on this site. They wanted current council buildings to be better utilised. To this end, Geraldine and I are going to be given a tour of the Town Hall with a view to seeing if the supper room there would be a suitable larger meeting room. There is a lift which services the supper room from the ground floor. However, the majority of our programs will still operate next year out of our current meeting rooms at 18 Fawckner Drive.
Another aspect of our presentation was that we told the Councillors that there were acoustic problems with the Auditorium. Council is looking at applying for a grant for a Hearing Loop for the Auditorium.
The Mayor and Councillors were receptive to the idea of changing the name of this building from the Benalla Senior Citizens Building to the Benalla Seniors and Community Centre. In the presentation I stressed to Councillors that relations with the Senior Citizens had improved, and that U3A felt the current name did not reflect U3A use of the building. The mayor asked for a formal letter signed by myself on behalf of U3A and Val Burke on behalf of the Senior Citizens saying that both organisations were in favour of the name change. This letter was handed to the Customer Service Department of BRCC on Thursday 14th September.
October is Come and Try month. If you would like to try a new or different U3A course to what you are currently enrolled for, please contact the Convenor of the course you would like to try, and go along to it. Likewise, tell your friends about U3A Benalla, and bring them along to something which interests them during October. There is no charge, and your friends may get the same enjoyment from U3A that you do.
Geraldine took part in the U3A Regional Meeting on Wednesday 12 September. Some U3A’s are finding 5 to 8 weeks courses are popular, including a First Nations Course. A Tutor data base is being launched sometime in September. However, this is more applicable to suburban U3As than regional ones.
The guest speaker for Meet and Mingle on Wednesday 18 October is Fiona Kleinitz from the Stroke Foundation. This will be followed by morning tea. At 11.30 am we have arranged for Leading Senior Constable Lisa Atkinson to speak to us about cybersecurity, with a focus on 'Scams'. A BBQ lunch will follow at 12 mid-day - also is part of Get Online Week. This is supported by a grant we obtained from the Good Things Foundation. We have also asked Jenny Sawyer and Robyn Lukey from our Be Connected program to answer questions about their Tech Savvy programs. The Ukelele group will provide a little music during lunch.
Two dates for your diaries. Wednesday 15 November at 10am is the U3A Concert and Patchwork display in the Auditorium. The program will feature the Recorder Group, the Ukelele Group as well as the Singing for Fun Group to entertain you. Please bring your friends as we want as many people as possible to enjoy the morning.
The second date for your diaries is Friday 17 November which will be our Christmas Lunch at the Red Stag at Myrtleford. Cost is $50 per head for the two-course lunch. There will be a bus leaving Benalla Bus Lines for those who do not wish to drive. Further details in next month’s newsletter.
Margaret Jenkins
Our presentation to the Mayor, Councillors and CEO of Benalla Rural City Council on 30 August went very well. I would like to thank Bev Lee for her assistance in putting the slides together. Geraldine and I expected the ten-minute presentation to be followed by 5 minutes of questions. However, we had about 35 minutes of questions, and Geraldine helped with quite a few questions which was great.
The Councillors related to the presentation. Cr King told us that he saw a photo of his grandmother in one of the slides, whilst another Councillor told us there were a couple of U3A groups that he thought he would like to join.
To sum up the questions, the Councillors were not interested in spending money and building on this site. They wanted current council buildings to be better utilised. To this end, Geraldine and I are going to be given a tour of the Town Hall with a view to seeing if the supper room there would be a suitable larger meeting room. There is a lift which services the supper room from the ground floor. However, the majority of our programs will still operate next year out of our current meeting rooms at 18 Fawckner Drive.
Another aspect of our presentation was that we told the Councillors that there were acoustic problems with the Auditorium. Council is looking at applying for a grant for a Hearing Loop for the Auditorium.
The Mayor and Councillors were receptive to the idea of changing the name of this building from the Benalla Senior Citizens Building to the Benalla Seniors and Community Centre. In the presentation I stressed to Councillors that relations with the Senior Citizens had improved, and that U3A felt the current name did not reflect U3A use of the building. The mayor asked for a formal letter signed by myself on behalf of U3A and Val Burke on behalf of the Senior Citizens saying that both organisations were in favour of the name change. This letter was handed to the Customer Service Department of BRCC on Thursday 14th September.
October is Come and Try month. If you would like to try a new or different U3A course to what you are currently enrolled for, please contact the Convenor of the course you would like to try, and go along to it. Likewise, tell your friends about U3A Benalla, and bring them along to something which interests them during October. There is no charge, and your friends may get the same enjoyment from U3A that you do.
Geraldine took part in the U3A Regional Meeting on Wednesday 12 September. Some U3A’s are finding 5 to 8 weeks courses are popular, including a First Nations Course. A Tutor data base is being launched sometime in September. However, this is more applicable to suburban U3As than regional ones.
The guest speaker for Meet and Mingle on Wednesday 18 October is Fiona Kleinitz from the Stroke Foundation. This will be followed by morning tea. At 11.30 am we have arranged for Leading Senior Constable Lisa Atkinson to speak to us about cybersecurity, with a focus on 'Scams'. A BBQ lunch will follow at 12 mid-day - also is part of Get Online Week. This is supported by a grant we obtained from the Good Things Foundation. We have also asked Jenny Sawyer and Robyn Lukey from our Be Connected program to answer questions about their Tech Savvy programs. The Ukelele group will provide a little music during lunch.
Two dates for your diaries. Wednesday 15 November at 10am is the U3A Concert and Patchwork display in the Auditorium. The program will feature the Recorder Group, the Ukelele Group as well as the Singing for Fun Group to entertain you. Please bring your friends as we want as many people as possible to enjoy the morning.
The second date for your diaries is Friday 17 November which will be our Christmas Lunch at the Red Stag at Myrtleford. Cost is $50 per head for the two-course lunch. There will be a bus leaving Benalla Bus Lines for those who do not wish to drive. Further details in next month’s newsletter.
Margaret Jenkins
