September 2015 - U3A Armadale WA

U3A ARMADALE NEW SLETTER
SEPT EMBER 2015
Message from the president
N EWSLET TER — SEPTEMBER 201 5
August 2015 has seen the end of an era for U3A Armadale. Our long serving President, Marie, has declared time on what was a very long and effective presidency. In the relatively short time I worked
with Marie, she left me in no doubt that the best interests of U3A were always upper most in her
mind. On behalf of all our members I thank Marie for her dedicated years of service to the organisation.
Congratulations to all the committee members who were elected at the AGM and in particular to the
new faces on the committee. A busy year is ahead of us but I am sure that we can achieve an interesting and varied program that will stimulate our minds and help to attract
new members.
The Presidents Report generally provides an opportunity for the President to
report on various aspects of the organisation. At the time of the request for
this report I had been in the chair for two days so I am unable to provide
much in the way of organisational feedback. Instead I would like to talk
about ensuring that we have effective means of communication between all
of us so that the committee is able to deliver the type of organisation that
you want.
Communication between members is a vital part of a healthy organisation and this newsletter is one
avenue we can use to disseminate information to all. However, a newsletter does not offer the opportunity for feedback so I ask all members who wish to have input into the running of their organisation, or simply want to make a comment about a particular subject to speak to me or any committee
member either by phone or email or, best of all, have a conversation with one of us during morning
tea on a meeting day.
An innovation introduced a few months ago was for committee members to wear a name tag in a distinctive colour. So for any member wishing to speak to a committee member look for somebody
wearing a different colour name badge to yours. Also provided in this newsletter and displayed on
the notice board at each meeting are photographs of all the committee along with their contact details.
The first meeting of the new committee will be held on 20 th August. At this stage the Committee will
meet monthly at the Kelmscott Library. Recent experience of increasingly large agendas has led me to
ask the committee to meet monthly but if the volume of business warrants it we will alter the frequency to suit.
I NSIDE THIS ISSU E :
World Wide Web!!
armadalewa.u3anet.org.au
Don’t forget to check the web for information about us! If anyone has anything of interest that they would like to have
mentioned on the web page, please contact Graham Nielsen
gramarg@nielsen.id.au
Have you seen the U3A Network web page?
https://sites.google.com/site/u3anetworkwa/
this will give information on other U3As in
Western Australia.
RESULTS OF MEMBER’S MEETING 2
RESULTS OF MEETING C ONT
3
C ANCELLATION OF D AY
SUB-CLUB NEWS
TRIP
3
4
THINKFEST
5
CLASSICAL DANSE ORIENTALE
5
SEMINAR & NETWORK AGM
7
MEET THE NEW COMMITTEE
8
MEET THE NEW COMMITTEE
9
DIARY OF SPEAKERS JUL—DEC
10
N EWSL ET T ER — SEP TEMBER 2015
D ISCU SSION R ESUL TS OF M EMBER ’ S M EETING ON 5 TH M A Y
A meeting was held on 5th May for all our members to have their say on what they would like to see
at the meetings, their thoughts on outings, sub clubs, events and how information is distributed. The
following information was collated:
The day, time and venue of regular meetings:
The majority were happy with this; however there was one comment regarding tinted windows. Marie
advised that the Council would be refurbishing the John Dunn Centre in 2019.
The committee will refer the matter of tinted windows to the Council at that time.
It was also suggested that if the chairs were placed to face the bar area this may negate the problem
with the sun. This has now been tried for a number of meetings and was successful in reducing the
glare problem. However, sitting this way round means that power and sound cables which are run
across the floor are a tripping hazard. In order to overcome this hazard, the chairs, speaker’s table and
the screen will be placed on a diagonal line, facing the corner where the football club has its trophy
cabinet.
Length of Meetings:
A number of members felt the question time after the speaker was not long enough and asked if our
time at the John Dunn Centre could be extended by half an hour. The Committee felt it would be too
much of a financial impost if we ran for another half an hour as rent would have to be paid. It was felt
that if the opening and closing of the meetings could be streamlined we could gain extra discussion
time.
To facilitate this, two changes to our routine have been made. The first is that the hours of hire of the
John Dunn Centre have been changed from 9.30 am to 12.30pm. This will allow half an hour for the
setting up of the chairs and for those rostered on for the kitchen duty to prepare morning tea.
The second change is the timing of the meeting which will now be as follows:
10am
The speaker is introduced and commences presentation
10.45am
Morning tea
11.05pm
Meeting recommences with completion of presentation/questions/discussion
11.30am
Presentation ends and speaker departs
11.35am
U3A notices and discussion led by President and Vice-President
12 noon
Meeting ends and cleaning commences
12.30pm
John Dunn Pavilion closed
Speakers will be advised of the time allocated to them when they are contacted to ascertain their
technological requirements.
Members can also get updates on U3A Armadale from the newsletter and noticeboard.
What Members look for in U3A
U3A provides Friendship, Learning, Stimulation etc. and this is what all our members are looking for. It
was felt that workshop activities and demonstrations would be better resourced via sub clubs. However, it was suggested that an Education Officer be appointed from the membership who would investigate where people could go to learn about modern technology.
N EWSL ET T ER —S EPTEMBER 2015
D IS CUSS ION R ES ULTS
OF
M EMBER ’ S M EETING
ON
5 TH M AY
CON T .
Speaker Subjects
A wide variety of subjects were suggested and we will incorporate as many as we can in the future.
We also had some members offering to speak and gave information on other speakers.
Members Input
Some Members felt there was an information gap. The Committee encourages Members to read the
newsletter and noticeboard and if necessary make notes. For more information Committee members
can be approached. Committee members now wear brightly coloured name badges so they can be
easily identified. It was noted that a suggestion box had been used in the past and when opened was
always empty.
Newsletter
If anyone has an interesting item, a recipe, a joke they should forward it to Sheila or hand it to a Committee member.
Sub Clubs
All the sub clubs are listed in the newsletter and a list is pinned to the noticeboard.
Sub club leaders need to let Sheila know what they are doing so the information can be put in the
newsletter and may help attract more members to the sub clubs.
Outings & Other Events
We had a good response to the request to suggest places to visit; these have all been noted and will
be reviewed in the New Year when we set up our new program. It was suggested that trips to regional
and country Centre’s lasting longer than a day could be organized. As this is a very different proposition to our normal outings, the Committee resolved to appoint somebody to investigate how this can
be done
A Bring and Buy was deemed to be unsuitable at this time as we do not have sufficient space for storing items.
A Q&A type of debate may be used if a speaker is unavailable.
Entry Table
The entry table is an important function administratively as this is the point at which we need to note
who is at the meeting and to collect visitor fees and morning tea money.
In an attempt to make entry to the centre easier and quicker we now have two committee members
managing the process. One checks members and visitors in and the other welcomes visitors and
guests and introduces them to other members. This system appears to be working although members
need to be a bit patient if too many people arrive at the same time.
TOODYAY DAY TRIP
It is with regret that we have cancelled the day in Toodyay on Wednesday 7th October. However, rest
assured that the committee is working towards a program of interesting and fun outings for 2016.
N EW SLETTER — SEPTEMBER 20 15
S UB - CLUB NEWS
Book Club
Unfortunately, due to family commitments the Book Club has been suspended at least until the New Year. If
any Member wishes to take over as leader of the Book Club, please contact Sheila on 0439926333.
Movie and Theatre Group
We have continued our Movie Tuesdays, with members attending both Paradiso and Armadale cinemas. Movie Tuesday is held on the second Tuesday of the month.
Morning Melodies at his Majesty’s have included classics from the Catalina days and Opera in an
informal setting. On Aug 26th we listened to “All The Way’ with the Charlie Moon Quintet. On Dec
16th it will be the Christmas Choral Concert. It is important to try to come to the December show, as
we then make bookings for the following years’ concerts, at a special rate. There were 4 concerts
this year and we paid $21.00 for each show, rather than $27.00 for individual shows during the year.
It is always good to meet afterwards for a good value light lunch upstairs at the Maj.
The Don Russell Theatre in Thornlie has provided us with some very good Morning Melodies. It only
costs $12.00 a show, including a morning tea and again we generally book a few shows ahead but it’s
not too late to join in. We finish the year in December with The Spirit of the Street Choir. Please feel
free to join us for lunch at the local pub afterwards. Please speak to Di or give her a ring on
93997087 to take part in fun times.
Photography
Margaret ran one successful session for the keen photographers and David Box ran another. Unfortunately Margaret had to postpone further sessions due to family commitments. However, if anyone
is interested in joining the Photography group please contact Margret Laing on 9459 5295 as she
hopes to recommence the sessions in the new year. Margaret is a keen photographer, although she
admits most of what she knows has been self taught but would love to share her knowledge and
learn from others.
Philosophy Group
Meet on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 30 Emerald Place, Armadale. At
the present time there are 6 –8 people who meet regularly, but would love to
have more. Please contact Renee Bennett on 9399 3455 for further information,
Renee would love to hear from you.
Renee is also wanting to start up a Gourmet group, and Scrabble/board game group. If you are interested please give Renee a ring on 93993455
Drawing & Painting for beginners
Second and fourth Thursday of each month from 2pm –4pm. Learn to draw and paint in various
ways. Beginners welcome. Contact David Box 9399 6665 or 0488392931
Music
Thursday mornings 10am-12pm. Learn to read music and play the recorder. Anyone can do it with
a bit of practice. It is fun without any pressure
Contact David Box 9399665 or 0488392931
Singing Group – First and third Thursday of each month from 3.30 –5pm. Organised by Helen Treloar and held at David Box’s home at 19 Lilika St. Armadale. Tel 9399 6047 or 0404 733 586
NEWSLETTER — SE PT E MB E R 2 015
T HINKFEST
The Naturaliste U3A branch invited members from other branches to a Thinkfest meeting in Busselton on May 9th, where Margaret River, Mandurah, Naturaliste and Armadale had an opportunity to
meet and share ideas.
Pam and Diane attended this and it proved to be a useful and revealing get-together. Suggestions
about how to attract and keep active members was a common theme though probably more challenging for Armadale, which is more a family orientated centre than a place to retire.
The South-West region has the advantage of being home to many retirees and their breadth of experiences leads to a variety of courses run by members. Venues are sometimes a problem and several courses are held in private homes and are usually over-subscribed.
Don McDonald, a representative from U3A Network, which runs on a shoestring budget, is keen to
have more interaction between branches and suggested that this could be done electronically by
Skype for example. He asks that all committee groups consider attending Network meetings if possible.
Our Armadale Newsletter and flyers, both in content and presentation, really impressed the group
and we are apparently alone in providing spectacular Morning Teas.
It was recognized that Armadale U3A operates from a very different background of a young, working community but all were supportive of the principle of co-operation with all branches. Maybe
this could extend to other metropolitan groups, too.
Classical Danse Orientale
After a very interesting talk on The Bedouins of Bahariya by Belyssa Radzivanas at our meeting on
7th July, some of our members attended an afternoon of belly dancers performing the gorgeous
Classical Danse Orientale along with some folkloric dance from regional Egypt on Sunday 19th July.
It was great fun, with most having a go at belly dancing!
Belyssa teaches belly dancing in her beautiful home, where she has turned her main living room
into an exotic studio. Her students vary from young 20 year olds who were very thin, to, shall I say,
more mature ladies, who carry slightly more weight !
Belyssa told us that Danse Orientale, taught musicality, body confidence, graciousness, special
awareness, individuality and empowerment. To watch the dancers interpreting the music that Sunday afternoon was both erotic and fascinating and made us realise how hung up we all can be over
the shape of our bodies!
Belyssa has spent many years travwhere she has studied the Bedouins
the desert. Belyssa has travelled to
not normally venture and has first
the desert. Belyssa experienced livin their primitive goat hair tents and
they are not so isolated as many
more tourists, this has bought an
is not uncommon to see locals driving access to Wi-Fi , computers and
elling back and forth from Egypt,
in great depth and their life style in
remote places where tourists do
hand experience of the magic of
ing with and amongst the Bedouins,
concrete huts. However, these days
would think. With the influx of
increase in financial fortunes and it
ing four-wheel drive cars and havmobile phones.
However, despite all the modern
abandoned their culture and their
technology, the Bedouins have not
famous hospitality.
N EW SLETTER — SEPTEMBER 20 15
A POEM THAT SOME OF US CAN RELATE TO
I remember the cheese of my childhood,
And the bread that we cut with a knife,
When the children helped with the housework,
And the men went to work not the wife.
The cheese never needed a fridge,
And the bread was so crusty and hot
The children were seldom unhappy
And the wife was content with her lot.
I remember the milk from the bottle,
With the yummy cream on the top,
Our dinner came hot from the oven,
And not from the fridge; in the shop.
The kids were a lot more contented,
They didn't need money for kicks,
Just a game with their mates in the road,
And sometimes the Saturday flicks.
I remember the shop on the corner,
Where a pen'orth of sweets was sold
Do you think I'm a bit too nostalgic?
Or is it...I'm just getting old?
I remember the 'loo' was the lav
And the bogey man came in the night,
It wasn't the least bit funny
Going "out back" with no light.
The interesting items we perused
From the newspapers cut into squares,
And hung on a peg in the loo,
It took little to keep us amused.
The clothes were boiled in the copper
With plenty of rich foamy suds
But the ironing seemed never ending
As Mum pressed everyone's 'duds'.
I remember the slap on my backside,
And the taste of soap if I swore
Anorexia and diets weren't heard of
And we hadn't much choice what we wore.
Do you think that bruised our ego?
Or our initiative was destroyed?
We ate what was put on the table
And I think life was better enjoyed.
Now, if you can relate to all of the above
You have been on the retired list for several years now!!!
N EW SLETTER —SEPTEMBER 2015
Cheese Run coach trip
We left the John Dunn Pavilion car park at 9am on Tuesday 9th June. Although it was a chilly start,
the sun soon came out and we were lucky again to have a sunny
warm day for our outing.
Jen from Go on a Bus was our host and driver and took us to Bibra
Lake for one of her famous morning tea/coffee breaks, which included egg sandwiches, cakes and Anzac biscuits. We had an hour
at the lakes where we could walk around and view the wild life or
just catch up for a chat over our coffee.
Our first stop was at the Borrello Cheese Company along Thomas Road, where we given some cheese
to sample and were able to buy a variety of cheese.
Prior to lunch Members had the opportunity of looking round the local shops before having a fish
and chip lunch at the old character Mundijong Hotel.
After lunch we stopped off at the Rose Valley Cheese shop in Wungong which is
family run and sells Italian cheeses and
a visit to All Things Craft and Dolls
shop in Mundigong, which sells all
kinds of craft wear and even had two
rooms dedicated to Elvis Presley!
U3A 2015 SEMINAR and Network AGM
The U3A 2015 Seminar took place at the State Library in Perth on Wednesday 22nd July. The topic for
the seminar was The Power of Ageing and how future planners would have to prepare for an era
where priorities will be set by the need and desires of seniors.
Ken Marston the CEO for COTA,WA gave a talk on how seniors are growing in number, making up
50% of voters in many electorates. Ken spoke about giving seniors a choice in housing, consumer
affairs and lifelong learning. And how seniors are living longer and are more active.80 years old is now
the new 60!
Greg Mahney the CEO of Advocare
receiving aged care services in their
ties. He also raised awareness about
discussed advocating for those
home and in Residential faciliElder Abuse.
Professor Christopher Ethertonin geriatric care and medicine.
available to seniors when they bethemselves.
Beer from UWA is an academic
Chris gave a talk about options
come unable to look after
The seminar was followed by the U3A Network AGM. Don McDonald was elected as the new President; Peter Flanigan is now vice-president,; Helen Baker is secretary and Jean Duff the Treasurer. The
Network has advised that they will be in touch with Armadale U3A soon.
N EWSL ET T ER — SEP TEMBER 2015
MEET THE NEW COMMITTEE
President—Paul Fahie
I was born in Colchester, England. I trained and qualified as a Telephone Technician with Post Office Telephones, the forerunner of what is now British Telecom. In 1969 I emigrated to Perth with my wife of 3 months. My early career
focused on enhancing and building my technical skills and in 1980 Jan and I established a business in Bunbury selling and servicing a broad range of office
equipment. In later year I worked for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
(DIMA). My first job at DIMA was as a Community Liaison Officer in the Settlement Department
and later was promoted to Executive Level , managing the Settlement Department in WA. My
next Management job was based at Perth International Airport where I was the Border Manager
and had responsibility for immigration functions at all international airports and seaports in WA.
I retired in 2008, to pursue my hobbies and catch up with friends. I have been a member of U3A
Armadale for 2 years.
Vice President— Diane Flegg
I was born in Bognor Regis, England and spent two years in Weymouth, Dorset
qualifying as a teacher. In 1966 Diane and her family arrived in Australia, where
I continued with my teaching career. After retiring, I did the Morgan Gallup Poll
for a few years, also worked on a Stocktaking team, counting everything from
bikinis in Surf shops to nuts and bolts in hardware. More counting in the last
three Census teams and in Federal and State Elections, then volunteered with the Home Tutor
group and later Silver Chain Recollections, the Armadale Information Centre and currently I am
with Read Write Now. I have been a member of U3A Armadale for 2 years.
Secretary—Val Jarrett I was born in Kent, England ; at 17 I joined the Women’s Royal Navy and after
completing basic training at Reading, I was posted to Portsmouth as a Radar Operator. After marrying my first husband who was a sailor in the Australian navy, I
moved to Sydney and trained as a Book Keeper. After two years we moved to
Perth, where I worked for an agency filling in for people going on leave. Eventually I was employed by Watsonia as a finance clerk and then went on to work
with Robe River Mining; the company was eventually taken over by Rio Tinto. I eventually left
and went to work for the Dept of Treasury for two years and eventually went to work for my
son, running his office. I finally retired in 2014 and have been a member of U3A Armadale for 2
years.
Treasurer—Mike Reed - I was born in Kent, England; and left school at 16
years of age and went to work in accounts for companies involved in import/export,
real estate/auctioneers and building supplies until I decided I needed a career with a
pension so joined the British Post Office working initially behind the counter then in
admin. In 1962 I married Val and following several exams and interviews I transferred to British Telecom as a Sales Rep and moved to Devon. Following a few
years in Sales then Planning we moved back to Kent and I was promoted to manage a Sales
Team which involved work in Training, Marketing and Sales Support. My final move within BT
was managing the City of London Business Centre. We eventually moved to Australia in 2013,
when our son married an Australian girl and we moved to Perth to be near to them. I have been
a member of U3A for a total of 15 years, spanning both England and Armadale WA.
N EWSL ET T ER — SEP TEMBER 2015
MEET THE NEW COMMITTEE
Terry Crow -I was born in Plymouth, England and migrated to Adelaide, Australia with
my first wife and 2 children. I worked as an engineering tradesperson until moving to WA
in 1975 where I worked in Fremantle as a ship engineering. After my divorce in 1980, I
met Val and lived in various locations around Perth until moving to Pingelly . We returned
to Perth in 2003 and I worked as a tree lopper before retiring in 2010. My hobbies include,
car restoration, reading, crosswords, photography, home restoration and gardening.
Margaret Laing - I was born in Bournemouth, Hants, England, when I was six, I went
up to Scotland with my mother to live with an aunt and that is why I have a Scottish accent! In 1969 I emigrated to Australia and went to live in Sydney with my husband and
three children. Not long after we moved to the Blue Mountains, which I adore. Eventually my eldest daughter and her family came to live in WA, so I followed with my youngest child. I have now been in WA longer than I was in Sydney and would never go back.
Pam Mazzucchelli - I was born in Farnborough, Kent, England and migrated to Australia as a young child in 1950. I worked as a telephonist at the Armadale Telephone Exchange, working 5 days a week over a shift of seven days. I married Alan in 1963 and left
the exchange to move up to Darwin, so start married life. I enjoy bushwalking, cooking,
music and am a volunteer for Radio Lollipop at Armadale Hospital. I have been a member of U3A Armadale for the past 2 years.
Alan Mazzucchelli I was born in Subiaco, WA and was Educated at Dalkeith and
Claremont Primary Schools and Claremont High School. I commenced work as an office
boy for The Swan Brewery Co Ltd in 1952. I served in many roles with Swan in Perth and
Darwin, with my final position being General Manager of Hotels and Properties. My
sporting interests have been soccer, golf, squash and, for 26 years, lawn bowls and I am
a life member of the Roleystone Country Club.
Roy Jones - I was born in Gravesend, Kent, England. My wife Margaret and I arrived
in Perth on the Queen’s birthday in 1969. I commenced work as a plumber in Karattha
for 3 months, but the heat was too much for us so we moved down to Perth where I
worked for eight years as a plumber at Vivian's in Cottesloe. I then worked at Marine
& Harbours where I helped to build the groynes in Fremantle harbour for the America’s cup then onto Hillarys to start building the Groyne for the harbour. I finished off
taking over the running of their Main store until I retired in 1993.
Sheila Shenton - I was born in Reading, Berkshire, England and after training as a Community Housing Property Manager I moved to Perth in December 1999 with my partner
Robert Jones. I worked as a Property Manager in Community Housing in and around
Perth from 2000—2012, when I retired and joined the U3A in Armadale. I enjoy catching
up with friends, travelling, gardening and craft.
Val Reed - I was born in Tonbridge, England and spent most of my adult working life
working in a solicitors office. After meeting and marrying Mike we eventually moved to
Tonbridge, until Mike was promoted to a job in Devon where our son was born. We
moved to Australia in 2003, to be nearer to our son, who had married an Australian girl. I
have been a member of U3A for over 15 years, both here in Perth and in England.
N EWSL ET T ER — SEP TEMBER 2015
U3A ARMADALE SPEAKERS September—November 2015
DATE
TOPIC
SPEAKER
1.9.2015
Silver Chain Recollections
Annice Henderson
15.9.2015
Teaching Aboriginal Children
Ray Buzza
6.10.2015
Eyecare
Paul Todd—Spectrum Eye
20.10.2015
Starlight!
Linda Butnay
3.11.2015
No meeting—Melbourne Cup
17.11.2015
Heritage Perth
1.12.2015
Christmas Party - John Dunn Pavilion
29.9.2015
Richard Offen
Officers & Committee
President -
Paul Fahie -
T 94515203
E pbfu3a@gmail.com
Vice President -
Diane Flegg -
T 0422994874 E nevdi@upnaway.com
Secretary -
Valerie Jarrett -
T 9390 5374
E valeriej@westnet.com.au
Treasurer -
Mike Reed -
T 64616334
E valndmike@gmail.com
Committee Members
Publicity -
Kitchen -
Sheila Shenton -
T 0439926333 E robnsheila345@gmail.com
Roy Jones -
T 94901240
E roy.marg@optusnet.com.au
Margaret Laing -
T 94595295
E emel2@optusnet.com.au
Pam Mazzucchelli - T 9390 2197
E alan.almazz37@gmail.com
Alan Mazzucchelli - T 9390 2197
E alan.almazz37@gmail.com
Terry Crowe -
T 9390 5374
E valeriej@westnet.com.au
Val Reed -
T 64616334
E valndmike@gmail.com
Mailing Address:
PO Box 291 Kelmscott WA 6991
U3A Armadale would like to thank Tony Butti’s office for kindly supporting and printing of this newsletter.