Give us some of your great ideas for our U3A
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We are always looking for ideas/suggestions for activities and courses for Benalla U3A. Do you have any you would like to share? Contact us through the form on this page.
Ideas for our courses come from many sources. After hearing about a popular play reading group at Deniliquin U3A and an Antiques group at a Melbourne U3A, programs were developed for 'Play Reading' and 'Collectors'. 'Bird Watching' was inspired by observing a member with undoubted skills in this area, while 'Demystifying Psychology' was inspired by the name of a course offered by U3A in Shepparton and knowing a psychologist happy to introduce it ‘when I retire’. Some courses have been developed with a suitable convenor to meet demand, such as 'Photography'. Other courses have involved sourcing a teacher prepared to offer it as an associate member. Most courses are ongoing and offered on a year-long (10 session) basis. Semester length courses of five sessions are also offered from time to time such as Meg Dillon's 'A Night at the Opera - French Style' and John Barry's popular course about World War I, 'Over There'. Jane Rushworth offers both a semester length 'Demystifying Psychology' introductory course and a year long 'Demystifying Psychology' discussion group. Short courses of two to four sessions are offered at times, including John Barry's 'Legal Matters'. Single session courses on 'Living in Your Home for Longer', 'Advanced Care Planning' and 'End of Life Care & Decision Making' have been popular. The U3A meeting room at the Seniors Community Centre is in constant use, with three sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays, and two sessions on other days. 'Exercises for Fun' and 'Let's Talk Books' are held in the Auditorium while 'Family Research--Getting Started' and 'Tech Talks' are using the small classroom in 2025. 'Hands on' courses in Room 1 include 'Play Reading', 'Recorder', 'Patchwork', ‘Brain Games’, and 'German'. |
A light-hearted ‘hands on’ activity in the meeting room is ‘Cards '500’, held on the first and third Wednesday afternoons. Chess hopes to continue in 2025 with cooperatively run rostered sessions, while Mahjong is joining Cards '500' in our games portfolio.
Serious matters are discussed in 'Politics and Current Affairs', 'Sustainability' and ‘Investment’. Monthly ‘Meet and Mingle’ sessions feature a guest speaker on a matter of community interest, together with a news update from the executive committee. 'Stock and Land' also features monthly guest speakers and an excursion or two throughout the year. Courses offered at outside venues include 'Lifeball' (Benalla Leisure Centre); 'A Taste of Art' (Broken River Painters' Studio), 'Art Appreciation' (Benalla Art Gallery); 'Singing for Fun' & 'Community Singing' (Cooinda's Hub). 'Garden Team' and 'Pagemakers' are held at people's homes, while 'Garden Appreciation' draws upon venues with exceptional gardens throughout the region and 'Birdwatching' our local lake and bushland habitats. Local restaurants provide the venues for monthly ‘Chat ‘n Chew’ lunches, while regional wineries and restaurants are visited by ‘Wine Appreciation’ members each month. Drawing upon adult learning principles, 'Collectors', 'Coin Collectors', 'Creative Writing', 'As Time Goes By', 'Family Research', 'Let's Talk Books' and the 'Film Discussion Group', involve class members contributing content. Lesson content is included on the website for later review for 'German' 'Music Appreciation', 'Exploring the Universe', 'Family Research-Getting Started', ‘Tech Talks’ and more.. Our 'Be Connected' course offerings continue to evolve to meet the digital literacy needs of members, with 'Tech Advice' sessions now providing one to one support for members facing problems on their devices.
Our involvement with 'Be Connected' is also reflected during 'Get On Line Week' activities during October. |
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2024, a year of consolidation, brought three new courses 'Cooking Solo', 'Chess' and 'Spanish' following a major effort to introduce new courses in 2023 after Covid.
New courses for 2025 include 'Car Torque', 'French at the Table', 'Mahjong', 'Train Buffs', 'Exploring Children's Book Writing' and 'Drawing and Painting with Water Colours', Perhaps you’ve heard or thought of an idea for a course. The possibilities are endless! If you have an idea for a course or activity, completing a Program Proposal can help to clarify your ideas. Anyone with an idea for a U3A Benalla course is encouraged to contact our Course Coordinator Anne Nelson on 0438 447 379. Also, Anne is available to talk with any Convenors who need assistance. |
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