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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