Welcome to our August 2025 Monthly Update
As we begin the second semester, it’s remarkable to think that two months have already passed since our well-attended Have Your Say Afternoon Tea on 25 May. What was expected to be a pleasant social gathering turned out to be much more — a valuable opportunity for members to share ideas, voice concerns and suggest improvements.
During the three discussion sessions, participants raised a range of thoughtful — and sometimes challenging — issues for us to consider.
Some of the key questions that emerged included:
- How can we better support members with disabilities?
- Should we introduce preferential enrolment for previous participants in certain courses, such as languages?
- What steps can we take to resolve ongoing frustrations with members experiencing difficulties using technology to enrol in courses online?
- How can we best resolve the challenges of course capacity limits, room sizes and availability and the increased number of members who wish to enrol?
- Are we adequately prepared for medical emergencies in classes?
- Could we make greater use of external venues?
- Should we offer more evening or weekend activities?
- Might we allow wait-listed members to attend classes when enrolled members are absent?
Each of these points is currently under consideration and we are grateful for the insight and engagement shown by our members. Your feedback continues to shape the future direction of Glen Eira U3A in meaningful ways.
On a personal note, my wife and I recently returned from a holiday in Europe. Although the warm weather — at times a bit too warm — was a welcome change, returning to a chilly Melbourne winter was a sharp contrast! Throughout our travels, we found ourselves sharing the Glen Eira U3A story with many people. With over 1,200 active members, nearly 200 courses, and an entirely volunteer-run operation, our organisation often drew reactions of surprise and admiration — especially from North Americans. Many found it hard to believe that such a vibrant, member-led learning community exists. This experience only reinforced for me how unique and valuable our U3A truly is — a community resource not to be taken for granted.
Of course, keeping Glen Eira U3A running smoothly involves many moving parts and a wide variety of skills. If you’ve ever considered volunteering, now is a great time to get involved. Whether you have technical skills, organisational experience, or simply a desire to contribute, we welcome your enthusiasm in whatever capacity suits you best.
Looking ahead, please mark your calendars for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday, 7 October at 2:00 pm in the Green Rooms at our Glen Huntly campus. Several long-standing Committee members have indicated they will not be standing for re-election, so we strongly encourage anyone interested in joining the Committee — or learning more about what’s involved — to speak with a current Committee member or contact me via email at: president@gleneirau3a.org.au
A reminder: our constitution requires a quorum of at least 10 percent of eligible voting members, either in person or by proxy. Nomination forms, proxy forms, financial statements, and other AGM materials will be available on our website in the coming weeks.
As always, thank you for your ongoing involvement, support, and enthusiasm. We look forward to seeing you around the premises — and at the AGM.
Warm regards,
Mark Rubinstein
President, Glen Eira U3A
Reminder – Justice of the Peace (JP) Free Service
A Justice of the Peace (JP) is a volunteer who offers their services such as witnessing statutory declarations or affidavits or to certify copies of original documents. One of our members, Harry Pose, is a JP and has very kindly offered to conduct a free JP ‘drop in’ service for our Glen Eira U3A members on a Monday from 11.30 to 12.30. The free ‘drop in’ service will be located in the Glen Eira U3A foyer or in a more private room if required.
The initial time and date is Monday 18 August from 11.30 to 12.30; additional sessions on subsequent Mondays will be arranged, as required. An appointment is not normally required but there may be a waiting time.
Congratulations to Dan Phelan – 2025 Tutor Recognition Award from U3A Network Victoria
 | Dan Phelan, a longstanding and dedicated member of Glen Eira U3A and a former Committee member, has been honoured with the 2025 Tutor Recognition Award by U3A Network Victoria. |
His outstanding commitment to the values of U3A is evident in both his long-term teaching and his pivotal role in helping establish the purpose-built Glen Eira U3A facility, which now serves over 1,200 members. His work involved years of consultation with government bodies, local council, and builders, culminating in our building’s opening in 2010. Our website has Dan’s summary of all the work that went into making our facility a reality.
For around 24 years, Dan has been tutoring a highly regarded course on the Theory and Practice of Bridge, which blends instruction in game theory with practical play. His engaging and collaborative teaching style has attracted a steady group of over 25 weekly participants.
Dan’s deep knowledge, leadership, and enduring dedication continue to enrich the learning experience and community at Glen Eira U3A and we are very grateful for his efforts over many years.
2025 Courses for Enrolment
We continue to have new courses offered to our members and there are some courses with spaces available. A list of courses with vacancies is always available from the homepage of our website. Enrol now!
25CRA09 and 25CRA10: Mini Dried Flower Arranging – one-day workshops
. 25CRA09: Monday 25/8/25 – from 10.00 to 11.30
. 25CRA10: Monday 29/9/25 – from 10.00 to 11.30
Discover the artistry of crafting mini dried flower arrangements in our upcoming course! Join us for an immersive experience where you will learn the fundamentals of selecting, preserving and arranging delicate blooms into stunning compositions. From choosing the right flowers to mastering design techniques, this hands-on activity will unleash your creativity. Perfect for beginners and enthusiasts alike.
Members will need to pay $20.00 to cover the cost of a vase, foam and flowers.
Scissors and floral tape will be provided. Jinny is an experienced mini dried flower arrangement tutor.
25CRA07: Make a Mosaic Picture Frame – short weekly course – Wednesday 20/8/25, 27/8/25 and 03/09/25 – from 13.00 to 15.00
Join this fun and creative class to construct a mosaic picture frame. You will follow a step-by-step guide to bring your mosaic picture frame to life.
Members will need to purchase a mosaic kit for making a picture frame, e.g. Mandala Art Ocean Mosaic Photo Frame Craft Kit, available from Bunnings for $23. This kit will need to include the mosaic pieces, the board, glue and grout. No previous knowledge is required.
25GAM13: Cryptic Crosswords for Beginners – short weekly course – Thursday 7/8/25 to 25/9/25 – from 11.30 to 12.30
If you have ever wanted to attempt cryptic crosswords but didn’t know where to start, this course is for you. This course will introduce you to the wonderful world of cryptic crosswords. Stephen will cover all the basic fundamentals and different types of clues you will encounter. This will give you the knowledge to tackle cryptic crosswords with confidence. Learning will be carried out in a fun group environment. Warning: Cryptic crosswords can be addictive!
25DIS17: Travelling with Frequent Flyer Points – weekly course – Thursday 7/8/25 to 27/11/25 – from 11.45 to 13.15
One issue is that many, if not most, retired people either have a lot of frequent flyer (FF) points which they rarely use on themselves or think it’s just not worth the bother! This unit will explore how using FF points can not only maintain an involvement in annual overseas travel as we age, but introduce students to the concept of using FF points as an excellent way of:
- Reducing costs,
- Extending trips,
- Getting you into the front of the plane; and
- Enhancing the ‘Slow Travel’ concept and enabling you to spend more time in different cultures.
Note the dates and times:
- Thursday, 11.45 to 1.15 on: 7/8, 21/8, 4/9, 18/9, 2/10, 16/10, 30/10, 13/11, 27/11
- Thursday, 12.15 to 1.15 on: 14/8, 28/8, 11/9, 25/9, 9/10, 23/10, 6/11, 20/11
25COM17 and 25COM18: Apple iPhone/iPad Problem Solving Q&A – short fortnightly courses:
. 25COM17: Tuesday 09/09/2025 and 23/09/2025 – from 13:30 to 15:30
. 25COM18: Tuesday 07/10/2025 and 21/10/2025 – from 13:30 to 15:30
Do you want to know how to update your Apple device or how to download an App or how to save your photos?
These two informal sessions are designed around your questions about your Apple iPhone or Apple iPad. We will help you to find the answers to these questions.
There will be a list of sample questions that will be emailed to members prior to the course and you will have the opportunity to add your own questions.
Attendees will need to bring either an Apple iPhone or iPad fully charged and with passwords to log in.
25GAM26: Fearless Sudoku: its logic, not maths – short course, Tuesday 9/9/25 and 23/9/25 – from 10.00 to 12.00
This is a beginner’s course, for those wishing to join the fray of solvers – we will be starting easy and learning strategies over these two sessions, with the aim of having fun and exercising our brains. The tutor will bring puzzles.
News from the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Team
What goes in your green bin?
Food such as vegetable and fruit scraps, meat scraps/bones, dairy leftovers and eggshells, newspapers, used paper towels and tissues can all go into your green bin. Paper bags can be used as a food wrap or as kitchen caddy liner. You can also use layers of newspaper or leaves to prevent scraps sticking to your bin.
Find out more on the Glen Eira Council website at www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/food-waste
Disposing of electronics safely
Do you have batteries or electronics that you need to recycle or dispose of? The items should not be placed out for hard rubbish collection or be placed in yellow or red bins.
You can take batteries, appliances or electronics to a number of locations, e.g. Glen Eira Library, many of the Woolworths or Coles stores and Officeworks.
Winter Gardening Update
The more astute of our members may have noticed there were some “subtle” changes made to our gardening environment over the semester break!
It may look like scorched earth policy, but we are concentrating for the moment on trying to get the garden beds into the best possible condition before replanting in the late winter/spring.
A lot of eucalyptus leaves and branches in the soil have made it very dry and hydrophobic which we are attempting to change with a mixture of compost, manure, followed by newspaper (to discourage weeds) then a layer of mulch. This is after removing the material which has not broken down. There has been a lot of work carried out to get the beds to this point and you will notice we are concentrating on one bed at a time.
A big thank you to the volunteers who have helped so willingly. More are always welcome! In recent weeks, the Garden Volunteer team has had multiple sessions in the garden but usually works on the third Friday morning of the month. If you would like to help, please enrol in course 25AAV07 Gardening Team
As several of the wooden garden benches have collapsed, we are looking at applying for grants to help with the purchase of new garden furniture and raised planter boxes for herbs and smaller plants for members use.
If anyone has information or photos of the original garden, we would love to hear from you – contact us at enquiries@gleneirau3a.org.au
Fascinating Art Videos by Eitan Froumine
I wanted to share a brief introduction and links to a series of fascinating art videos.
I recently watched the Masterpiece Art series, produced by ODDY STUDIO using artificial intelligence. These videos creatively bring to life legendary master artists such as Van Gogh, Dalí, Monet, Picasso, Kahlo, and Vermeer. Their iconic paintings and sculptures are reimagined as hyper realistic runway fashion shows, blending classic art with modern digital creativity.
I believe all our members—especially the art students—will enjoy watching these videos. The ODDY STUDIO AI-generated video playlist is available at:
I also recommend watching the 12 Most Famous Paintings of All Time video by Touropia, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y65_Qs1Wq0w
Tuesday Morning Art Class – 25ART15 Self Help Multi-Medium Art by Fortuna Schachna
What a pleasure! What fun! Such camaraderie! Laughter and encouragement!
Thank you to Tova Seelig and Susie Ades for organising for some of our resident artists (Becca, Kay, Kylie) to come and teach us and entertain us as we learn new techniques to enhance our art skills.
Tuesday morning has been a highlight for many of us attending this Art class.
Puzzle Exchange
The Puzzle Exchange has been exceptionally popular and we hope members are enjoying these jigsaw puzzles especially during these colder evenings. We are happy to continue to accept good condition books and jigsaw puzzles to be exchanged with other members.
Some members have been bringing in their DVDs and leaving them in the Puzzle Exchange and Book Exchange area. It would be appreciated if they were placed on the table near the kitchen area rather than the exchange area for members to take or borrow.