Welcome to the August 2023 monthly newsletter.
Glen Huntly Road
Work on the removal of the Glen Huntly Road and Neerim Road level crossings has continued. Glen Huntly Road has re-opened to vehicle and pedestrian traffic and the 67 tram is running again. The new / re-built Glen Huntly station – although not fully complete yet – re-opened on 31 July. The trains are running again although lift access to the platforms will not be completed until September.
Courses – What’s New
There are places available in the second semester in a number of courses – take a look and enrol now!
To enrol, you can login at https://gleneirau3a.org.au/members or email us at enquiries@gleneirau3a.org.au or phone (03) 9572 0571 or come in and visit us at 1151 Glen Huntly Road, Glen Huntly.
23GAM26 – Bocce – self managed (Weekly, Monday, 13.00-15.00 – starting 4 September)
We are starting Bocce again. Bocce is similar to bowls and boules and each team takes turns to roll or toss bocce balls towards a smaller ball called the boccino or pallino. The object is to bring the ball to rest nearer to the pallino. Glen Eira U3A has a Bocce court and we are excited to offer bocce again as a self-managed course. We guarantee that after a few games, you will end up loving bocce!
23EXE15 – Tai Chi Style Exercises (Weekly, Thursday, 9.15-10.45)
The class concentrates on a series of slow, low-impact exercises, through gentle movement, stretching and breathing. The many benefits of Tai Chi style exercise include improvement in balance, fall prevention, core strength, cognition, concentration and relaxation.
23LANH02 – Hebrew Advanced (Weekly, Monday, 1.30-3.00)
This course is an advanced conversational course. It is designed for people who can speak an Intermediate level and would like to improve their conversation skills, vocabulary and their confidence with the spoken language.
Note: This course was originally offered on Wednesday but has been changed to Monday.
23DIS19 – The Voice Referendum – what’s it about? (Tuesday 29 August, 9.30-11.30)
23DIS20 – The Voice Referendum – what’s it about? (Wednesday 30 August, 9.30-11.30)
Note: These two courses are the same.
Pros and Cons – a respectful discussion to help you make an informed decision about how to vote. The session will begin with an overview of the Referendum: what is it asking us to vote on, what does this mean, what is required for the Referendum to pass/fail and a look at the issues raised by the Yes and No alternatives and a discussion of the potential outcomes of either result.
23GAM25 Cryptic Crosswords (8 weeks, Thursday 27/7/23 – 14/9/23; 11.00-12.00)
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. The tutor 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.
Note: This class has started but it’s not too late to join!
Cannot Attend Your Course?
Remember: if you are not able to attend a class, you need to submit an apology for your absence. You can do so online at https://gleneirau3a.org.au/members. Submitting your absence yourself online, rather than emailing or calling, is much appreciated.
Planning Ahead
We are beginning to plan for the months ahead, including our Annual General Meeting, Open Day and enrolments for 2024. Although no final decisions have yet been made, we currently expect that our 2023 AGM will be on Thursday 19 October, the same day as our monthly Members Lunch for October. Our Open Day, intended to allow prospective members to visit and see what we have to offer, is tentatively scheduled for 26 October, during Glen Eira Seniors Month.
In a change from prior years, we are considering opening enrolments for 2024 classes in mid-January, rather than has been the practice in prior years of having enrolments start in November. There is no compelling reason to start enrolments in November and doing so in January should help to streamline the whole process, including payment of the membership fee which, in accordance with our revised Terms and Conditions, is due no later than 7 days after enrolment. Classes for 2024 would start on Monday 5 February.
Given the ongoing costs of managing and maintaining our facilities (including the cost of the recent replacement of the outdoor decking on both sides of our lobby), we expect the membership fee for 2024 to be $70.
Members Lunch
The next monthly members lunch will be held on Tuesday 15 August at noon. Although intended primarily for members attending class at the Glen Huntly campus on that day, all members are welcome to attend. The lunches provide an excellent opportunity to meet and socialise with your fellow members. We are holding these lunches once a month, on a different day of the week each month. In addition to Tuesday 15 August, we expect the future lunches to be held on Wednesday 20 September, Thursday 19 October and Friday 17 November.