Download April - June - Hervey Bay

Newsletter
April –June 2017
Management Committee for 2017
Patron - Councillor George Seymour
President – Noel Partridge
Vice President – Peter Wells
Secretary – Petra Rohrs
Treasurer –
Committee Members - Denise Hardy, Maureen Chesterfield, Lyn Quince
Course Co-ordinator - Peter Wells
Publicity, Webmaster and Newsletter Editor Lyn Quince
Events Co-ordinator – Denise Hardy
Committee meetings are held at the USC rooms
on the third Friday of the Month at 9.30am.
All members welcome to attend.
Thanks to the office of Ted Sorensen MP for the printing of this Newsletter
COMING EVENTS
Add this date to your diary!
Mid-Year lunch
Tuesday 11 July
11.30am for 12 noon
Hervey Bay RSL
Don’t forget you can find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/u3aherveybay/
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Hello there U3A Members, and welcome to our first newsletter for the new year. Many
of us would have met and chatted at our Christmas Lunch late last year, and our recent
Sign-on Day last month. Well our course program is up and running for the 1st
semester, and I hope you are settled into the schedule, and both tutors and students are
enjoying your special interests.
My recent correspondence to you unfortunately has focussed on our difficulties
establishing a workable Management Committee following our recent AGM on 17th
March. Specifically, we have had difficulties finding interested individuals to take on the
responsibilities of Secretary and Treasurer. While the position of Secretary has now
been filled, that of Treasurer remains vacant. Your Committee is essential to manage
our routine affairs; coordinate with our major supporters (such as USC and FCRC), guest
speakers and tutors; and broaden our reputation in the local community. Now this stuff
may not be everyone's cup of tea, and I appreciate that many of you are only interested
in the course/s that you attend. However, all of us have ideas or suggestions to
contribute from time to time, the committee is a friendly, supportive and enthusiastic
bunch, and all-comers will be welcome. Please re-consider your circumstances, and
help where you can ... this will be greatly appreciated and promote the U3A that we all
enjoy.
Our on-going initiatives this year will be to develop our access to USC facilities to
improve our programming flexibility; broaden the variety of interesting courses we can
offer by attracting new tutors with new ideas; and of course expanding public awareness
of who we are and what we do.
I look forward to meeting and chatting with you over the coming months ... perhaps
around the corridors of USC, our Stockland information desk, the Senior's Expo or our
Christmas in July Lunch.
Best Wishes,
Noel Partridge
President HB U3A
Jasper Jones – the book and the movie. A review by Chris Henderson
Members of U3A’s Book Club recently attended Big Screen Cinema Hervey Bay to see the
movie, Jasper Jones. When the group read the book, written by West Australian author, Craig
Silvey, nearly eighteen months ago, we had no idea we would have an opportunity to see the
story come to life at our local theatre.
The book and the movie were both well received by our group. We all enjoyed the style of
writing by the young author as we were all quickly absorbed in the story of a town, and its list
of issues which involved everyone. We were witness to very clever boyhood banter between
two young teens, the main character, Charlie Bucktin and his best friend of Vietnamese origin,
Jeffery Lu, which, by today’s standards, may be considered politically incorrect language.
Charlie, an only child, lived in a small mining town with his very conservative father and
restless mother. However the events leading up to their idyllic lifestyle imploding and
innocence shattering made for riveting reading.
The story began when late one summer evening Charlie was awakened by Jasper Jones, the
town outcast, banging on his bedroom window. Ordinarily Charlie would have been afraid of
Jasper because of the stories he had heard about him but this night something in Jasper’s
urgency created an unusual trust between the pair as they set off to Jasper’s isolated bush
camp. As soon as they arrived Charlie was shocked and sickened to find the body of a girl
who had been reported missing hanging from a tree. She also happened to be the sister of a
girl in town whom he was smitten with.
Jasper encourages Charlie to assist with the disposal of the body into the pond there and
swore him to secrecy about their actions on this fateful night. This was to deflect suspicion
onto Jasper as his status in the town was not highly regarded by most the town folk, other
than the recently departed. The two had been romantically involved.
As a consequence of this event, Charlie’s world went into a spin and boyhood innocence lost
forever. He discovered more about Jasper’s tragic upbringing, unravelled the mystery of the
relationship between the town’s hermit and Jasper, the abuse suffered by the suicide victim
and the racial discrimination and ignorance held by some of the people in the community. He
also witnessed his own mother’s shortcomings, an event that totally shattered his world and
family unit.
The movie and the book provoked great empathy for the characters. The author was able to
immediately engage the reader with the world of innocence of life in the 60’s, and the actors
in the movie portrayed all the characters authentically.
A good read, and a good movie.
Tech Savvy Seniors has begun for 2017 at both the Hervey Bay
and Maryborough Libraries.
MARYBOROUGH LIBRARY
Introduction to tablets • 4 April • 9:30AM
Introduction to tablets (Ipads) • 11 April • 9:30AM
Computer book club • 18 April • 9:30AM
Introduction to tablets • 2 May • 9:30AM
Introduction to smart phones • 9 May • 9:30AM
Introduction to tablets (Android) • 23 May • 9:30AM
Photography and basic editing • 30 May • 9:30AM
HERVEY BAY LIBRARY
Introduction to tablets • 6 April • 9:30AM
Introduction to tablets (Ipads) • 13 April • 9:30AM
Computer book club • 20 April • 9:30AM
Introduction to tablets (Android) • 4 May • 9:30AM
Introduction to smart phones • 11 May • 9:30AM
Introduction to computers • 25 May • 9:30AM
Photography and basic editing • 1 June• 9:30AM
For more bookings and information please phone:
HERVEY BAY LIBRARY • 41974220
MARYBOROUGH LIBRARY • 4190 5788
More sessions will be available later in the year.
WRITER’S FESTIVAL PLANNED FOR 2018!
A talented group of authors living in the Hervey Bay region, through no fault of
their own, are disconnected.
Now, an initiative to change this situation is in the melting pot.
It is hoped that in March next year a Writers festival will take place on the Fraser
Coast. This event will offer an opportunity to promote local writers while at the
same time provide a two day workshop for experienced writers and beginners. The
intention is for writers to share their experiences from the first draft, right through
to publication, with ideas and tips on how to achieve your writing goals.
Once the event has been launched the plan is for local authors to support each other
by attending workshops in other areas bringing back new information and ideas.
Recognition for our local story tellers, who are proud to call the Fraser Coast
home, will be connected in a supportive way once this project is established.
Invitations to participate in this event will be extended to our council, library and
other businesses who have a strong interest in promoting the arts on the Fraser
Coast.
Our two [U3A] writing classes have been supporting some of these authors for up
to 20 years. The Tutors can take credit for providing support and encouraging
writers to put pen to paper.
It is from this group of people that the initial core committee will emerge to form a
task force to make this proposal become a reality.
‘What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure’ ~ Samuel Johnson
The following proposal has been received from Diana Wylie. The Committee would like
to receive feedback from members as to the feasibility of a programme such as this.
PROPOSAL FOR TAKING U3A TO THE VILLAGES
CONCEPT: Some U3A classes to be held in the Retirement Villages in their Recreational
Hall, or whatever. This does not include classes currently held at specific locations, e.g.
croquet, nor should it diminish the current close connection with the University.
WHY? Some Village residents have mobility problems – no car, use a walker – which
makes it difficult or too expensive for them to attend the University. Many have never heard
of U3A.
MARKETING With the agreement and approval of the Village Manager – Introducing
U3A – possibly via the Residents’ Newsletter, or a letter drop, perhaps a brief talk to a
residents’ meeting, or an information booth at a central location in the Village, or all of the
above. The information would be ‘village specific’, not the general current publicity
material.
This Introduction to be followed by details of classes to be offered at the Village.
WHICH CLASSES? This depends on the tutors and would need to be individually
negotiated. Some may be able to offer a weekly class as well as their current one; some may
prefer a short course, say 5-6 weeks only; some may not be able to be involved at all. There
may be only 2 or 3 classes offered initially, the day of the week and the time to be discussed
with the Manager so as to fit in with other Village activities.
ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED U3A membership Fee – same as for other members?
Insurance – the Village Public Liability Insurance would cover residents attending in their
own Village.
A Sign On Day at each Village?
BENEFITS Spreading information about U3A to a target audience can only benefit U3A
in general even if there is no interest in having classes at particular Villages. Some residents
may be prompted into enrolling in classes already being held.
Keeping mentally active is just as important as being physically active and a great antidote
for boredom and frustration when physical activity is painful and difficult.
PROBLEMS Who is going to organise all this? The Secretary has enough on her plate
already. There needs to be official U3A contact at first followed by the detail organised by a
specific co-ordinator. I am happy to help out with production of information material and
occasionally manning a booth and I would be willing to offer some short courses for Villages
but I do not live in Hervey Bay and I am unfamiliar with the Villages there. A local is
needed.
What comes first, the gauging of whether there would be any interest in having classes in the
Village or finding out which tutors would be able to take part and which classes could,
therefore, be offered?
Diana Wyllie
[email protected] 0434 851 238