Welcome to the July 2023 monthly newsletter.
Building Maintenance and Renewal
As the boards of our outdoor decking on both sides of our lobby have been deteriorating, work has begun during the current semester break (while our venue is closed) on repairing and replacing the support structure and the decking boards. We expect the work to be completed by the time the second semester starts and classes resume on Monday 10 July.
Work on the removal of the Glen Huntly Road and Neerim Road level crossings has continued. The new / re-built Glen Huntly station is taking shape and a substantial amount of work has been done to drop the rail line into a 1.2 km long trench. Neerim Road was previously closed to traffic but is currently open during the day and closed from 7 pm to 5 am each day. Glen Huntly Road is still closed to all traffic (both cars and pedestrians) and that will continue for several more weeks. Although substantial progress has been made on the project, getting to our campus will continue to be a challenge in the weeks ahead.
When you are here, please continue to think of our local Glen Huntly shop traders. They are experiencing very tough times. Take time if you can to get around the barriers and support their efforts to stay open and in business – buy your lunch or coffees or shoes or whatever you need. They will appreciate the business and we want them to be around to serve us when the rail crossing works are completed.
Courses – What’s New?
There are some great new short courses on offer and some vacancies in existing courses.
To enrol, you can log in at https://gleneirau3a.org.au/members or email enquiries@gleneirau3a.org.au or phone the office on (03) 9572 0571.
Here are some available short courses so book now!
23COM09 – Create A Photobook – from Friday 28/7/23 to 1/9/23 – 10.00-12.00
Transform all those special photos on your mobile or computer into a beautiful photobook using the Snapfish program. Basic computer skills are needed.
23DIS16 – Psychology – Brains and Behaviour – from Friday 6/10/23 to 1/12/23 – 10.00-11.30
NOTE: This is a repeat of 23DIS07 Introduction to Psychology: Our Brains, Our Behaviour
This course introduces the basics of psychology and what makes us who we are. It covers areas such as personality, intelligence, learning, memory, language development, motivation, sensation, perception and emotion.
23DIS12 – Development of an Australian Identity – from Thursday 13/7/23 to 23/11/23 – 9.30-11.30
Development of an Australian “Identity”, if such a concept exists, is the focus of this course, from 1850 Pre-Federation up to the current period and the year of The Voice. Although the content of the course will evolve in accordance with the interests of participants, discussion will recognise divergent opinions with tolerance and respect.
23DIS17 – Effective Committee Membership – from Tuesday 5/9/23 to 26/9/23 – 11.45-13.15
The Glen Eira U3A Committee provides both governorship and administrative leadership. Many members have expressed an interest in being part of the Committee and have questions about what is involved. If you have had little or no experience but are interested in the work of the Committee, then join this short course.
23DIS18 – Create & Maintain a Safe Work Environment – from Tuesday 3/10/23 to 17/10/23 – 11.45-13.15
How to create and maintain a safe work environment. This short course will offer different scenarios illustrating what is a safe work environment, the role of a Health and Safety Representative, what are the legal requirements, and how to investigate or report on incidents. This course is appropriate for Glen Eira U3A Committee Members and Office Volunteers but also for anyone with a general interest in this topic.
23GAM23 – Fearless Sudoku – It’s Logic Not Maths – from Tuesday 26/9/23 to 3/10/23 – 9.30-11.00
Join the fray of solvers – we will be starting easy and learning strategies over these 2 sessions, with the aim of having fun and exercising our brains. The tutor will bring puzzles.
23GAM24 – Fearless Sudoku – Post Beginners – from Tuesday 26/9/23 to 3/10/23 – 11.15-12.45
Welcome Sudoku-ers! To figure out if this class will be good and fun for you, please try the following puzzles:-
23GAM25 – Cryptic Crosswords for Beginners – from Thursday 27/7/23 to 14/9/23 -11.00-12.00
If you have ever wanted to attempt cryptic crosswords but did not know how or where to start, this course is for you. It will introduce you to the wonderful world of cryptic crosswords.
23SCI04 – Reunion Island – Geology and Natural History – Tuesday 17/10/23 – 10.00-11.30 (one session)
Le Reunion, a Department of France in the Indian Ocean, is known for its rugged interior and active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise. This talk will explain how this volcanic activity has created the spectacular scenery of this island.
23SCI05 – Microbes and Us – from Tuesday 24/10/23 to 31/10/23 – 9.30-12.00
Join us for a virtual tour of the amazing world of microbes. This short introductory course will explore some of the more memorable members of the microbial worlds and our relationships with them.
There are still vacancies in other courses and here are just a few options:
· 23ART11 – Painting – self help
· 23ART14 – Pastel Drawing – self managed
· 23GAM03A – Learn to Play Lawn Bowls
· 23HIS04 – Vespasian – Ninth Emperor of Rome (Zoom)
· 23SCO01 – Biology (Zoom)
Tutor Needed for Hebrew Advanced Class – Can You Help?
We are still looking for a tutor to take on the 23LANH02 Hebrew Advanced Class and continue running the course. This weekly course is currently conducted via Zoom on Mondays at 11.45-12.45 and through to 20/11/2023. This course could be run via Zoom or be held at the Glen Eira U3A campus.
Please, if you are able to help, please contact courses@gleneirau3a.org.au.
Member Feedback
Member Pam Goldman provided feedback on course 23EXE13 Conscious Breathing. She said:
“Just a brief report on a new course I thought I’d share. We really enjoyed it and hope the tutor runs another next semester.
Delivered with immense passion and vast knowledge of the topic, Jeff Cox presented a short course on how breathing incorrectly may impact our well-being. Insomnia, low energy, stress, infections – these are some of the disadvantages of mouth breathing for example. Thank you Jeff for the extensive list of recommended reading and introduction to topics like Cadence breathing. Look forward to learning more in the future.”
We appreciate hearing our members’ views – good and bad – on our courses so please let us know what you think. If you have ideas or suggestions for new courses, please let the Course Coordinator know.
Planning Ahead
We are beginning to think about planning for the months ahead, including our Open Day, Annual General Meeting and enrolments for 2024. Although no decisions have yet been made, we currently envision that the timetable will be similar to last year. If we follow that schedule, our 2023 AGM would be on Thursday 19 October, the same day as our monthly Members Lunch for October.
Information or Ideas for our Newsletters?
Do you have information or ideas for our newsletters or do you have a brief news item you would like to be included? If so, let us know at newsletter@gleneirau3a.org.au so that we can keep everyone informed about events and news at Glen Eira U3A.
Membership Statistics
As of June 30, we have 1044 active members, including 766 women and 278 men. We are pleased that our member numbers have continued to improve from the low points caused by COVID and are hopeful that with an increasing number and variety of courses, we will be able to continue to attract both renewing and new members. In addition to our active members, we also have nearly two thousand inactive members – members who were previously active but who are currently not enrolled. If you know any of them or know others who would enjoy what we have to offer, your help to “spread the word” about Glen Eira U3A will be very much appreciated.
Members Lunch
The next monthly members lunch will be held on Monday 17 July 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 Monday 17 July, we expect the future lunches to be held on Tuesday 15 August, Wednesday 20 September, Thursday 19 October and Friday 17 November.
Volunteers
As you know, Glen Eira U3A is run entirely by volunteers, including all our tutors. Several of our office volunteers have been in the office during the semester break, as there is always work to be done and we are very grateful to them for their efforts. If you would like to volunteer, either in the office or as a tutor, please let us know – it will be much appreciated!
Garden Club
The gardening club continues to come out once a month to look after our garden. If you would like to help, please come and join us for our regular session in the garden on the third Friday of the month – our next date will be Friday 21 July from 9 am to 11.30.