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30 June 2021
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Dear <<First Name>> (ID No. <<ID No.>>)

In this issue:


Winter Lunch: Don't Miss Out!

Friday, 27 August, 12:30 pm
William Angliss Institute, 555 La Trobe Street, Melbourne

Illustration of bread, water and bowl of food

This will be a fun event and an opportunity to get together face-to-face!

For those who haven't been to William Anglis, you won't be disappointed. Even though this is a hospitality training centre the food and service are first class. It will be the best $35 you will spend this year.

As well as the three-course meal, a glass of wine (more available at an inexpensive cash bar), the company and the musical entertainment, there will be door prizes!

Bookings will open on 14 July, on TryBooking (https://www.trybooking.com/BSPKJ) and close on 23 August. At this stage there is a COVID-related limit of 75 places (but this may increase to over 100 as restrictions ease). In these circumstances we are limiting attendance to members only. Depending on restrictions and overall interest, we might be able to open the lunch to guests of members later on.

Don't forget that you will have the opportunity to request to sit on a certain table (e.g., Tuesday Cycling) when you book on the TryBooking system. If you aren't with a group, there will be unassigned tables available as well.

Term 3 enrolments

Blackboard with "Term 3" written on itDon't forget to enrol in Term 3 courses. The Term 3 course guide can be downloaded, or you can view the courses in the MyU3A Portal.

Enrol via the MyU3A Portal (preferred)

  1. Log in to MyU3A and select the Classes 2021 button.
  2. Select the Day-of-the-week or the Course category from the boxes at the top of the page. This will give you a shorter list of courses to choose from.
  3. Tick the check box next to Request the course you want.
  4. Check the last column for the course enrolment status: Open, TBA, Wait list.
  5. Very important: SCROLL ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE and click on the Next button.
  6. Check that the class you have just enrolled in is Listed. If it is not listed then you did not succeed in enrolling. You will need to try again.

For more detailed information, see the instructions on How to use the MyU3A portal.

Enrol via the office

The office is closed at present (it reopens on Monday, 12 July, see below), but enrolments can be done via email or phone. Note that if you phone you will need to leave a voicemail and an office volunteer will return your call. Email is quicker for you to get a result and easier to handle for our volunteers.


Illustration of person with arms above head next to an 'open' signThe office is reopening!

The office will open to members again on Monday, 12 July - first day of Term 3 - from 11 am to 2 pm, Monday to Friday.

Membership cards

Members who do not have a 2021 membership card should come to the office at Level 5, 168 Lonsdale Street, to collect their card.

Illustration of an online surveyReminder: Member survey

Don't forget to complete our member survey! It's open until Friday, 2 July.

Forthcoming webinars

Enrol now through the MyU3A Portal (see below). Note that enrolments for webinars now close at midnight the day before the event.


Up next:

Thrive in Retirement

Thursday, 15 July, 2.30 pm

Photo of Patricia HowardPresenter: Patricia Howard, financial planner and author

Prior to establishing her own financial planning business, Patricia was a senior finance writer with The Age newspaper.

Her webinar will discuss a broad range of topics impacting the retirement plans of members. For instance, she will give a run-down of the recent proposed changes outlined in the Budget relating to the Downsizer Contribution requirements and the Abolition of the Work Test requirements. Her goal is to help retirees maximise their income while minimising risk throughout their retirement.

Patricia wants Australians to look upon retirement as the best years of their lives. She knows this means more than achieving financial security. With presentations like this and as the author of The No-Regrets Guide to Retirement, she shows how people can really thrive in retirement.


Art in the Plague Years: The Black Death to Current Times

Thursday, 29 July, 2.30 pm

Presenter: Sharon Carter

Carving depicting "death and the maiden"Join Sharon on an art journey like no other. We will begin our exploration in the 14th century, during the era of the Black Death, and look at the beginnings of the grim reaper and dance of death themes. As we travel to the 15th and 16th centuries, we will explore the death and the maiden motif, and look at Holbein and Brueghel paintings. Moving to the 17th century, we'll consider the great plagues of London and Italy before jumping to the Spanish Flu in 1918 to look at artists who died from the flu, and finish with street artists and painters during COVID-19 creating hope and solidarity.


How to build a more compassionate world for refugees

Thursday, 5 August, 2.30 pm

Photo of Kon KarapanagiotidisPresenter: Kon Karapanagiotidis, OAM, CEO and Founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

"We cannot have a truly inclusive, fair and welcoming Australia for all, one that embraces our multiculturalism and values our diversity, if we continue to imprison refugees, keep families apart and leave thousands in destitution and despair instead of enabling our newest Australians to settle, contribute and thrive. When we stand with refugees and centre their voices, building coalitions of community, compassion and hope together, anything is possible. The answer is not building tougher borders or higher walls but a longer table where everyone has a seat at the table." Kon Karapanagiotidis

Don't miss this opportunity to listen to Kon discuss his ideas for welcoming refugees in Australia. His biography is available for download.


Justin Art House Museum: Naoshima Art Island, Japan

Thursday, 19 August, 2.30 pm

Presenters: Charles and Leah Justin

Photo of metallic sculpture on Naoshima Island, JapanJoin Charles and Leah Justin who have been collecting art for over 40 years. They share this collection through their house museum experience in Melbourne. They are avid travellers who will share their experience of visiting Naoshima Art Island in Japan.


Art in a Frame 2

Thursday, 14 October, 2.30 pm

Photo of entrance to National Portrait Gallery, CanberraPresenter: National Portrait Gallery Canberra staff

This is our second virtual visit to the National Portrait Gallery, coming during History Month. So this program will explore portraits of people who have influenced Australia's development and history.


Enrolment information

There is no cap on the number of webinar participants. To enrol:

  • log into MyU3A and search for "Webinars Program 2021" via the Classes 2021 list; or
  • send an email to the office on citymelb@u3a.org.au; or
  • leave a voicemail on 9639 5209.

Prior to the webinar each enrolled member will receive details of how to participate.

Note: Enrolments for webinars close at midnight the day before the event.

For further information, contact the office on citymelb@u3a.org.au.

Spotlight on our volunteers: John Waldie

Photo of John WaldieUnless you have attended Movies of Merit you may not know that Melbourne City U3A harbours its very own David Stratton. John Waldie has been running this year-long course since 2008, with the current total of films shown standing at 495 - so popular is his course that the waitlist is almost as long!

Our members have not only been able to watch the cream of films from around the world but also discuss them in detail afterwards. The class has its own ratings system - current top spot is held by the 2006 German film The Lives of Others, about the monitoring of residents of East Berlin by the Stasi.

John was born in England in Leamington Spa but spent his childhood in Bridgwater, Somerset, where his father worked for British Cellophane. He attended the local Dr Morgan's Grammar School where, in order to escape sport, he hid in the laboratory and almost blew himself up. This didn't put him off science and he went on to study chemistry and landed a job at British Cellophane. After his father died he moved on to London to another experimental job in an underground lab in Wigmore St and it was here he lost his West Country burr. The four guys with whom he shared a house talked incessantly about coming to Australia and John was persuaded to join them.

After a few years with a polymer company in Botany Bay, John left Sydney with newly acquired wife Jan, and came to Victoria to join the chemical company Rohm and Haas where he switched to marketing. This led to travel across South East Asia and eventually to the head office in Philadelphia.

And it was in Philadelphia where his love of cinema burgeoned. Deprived of the company of Jan and their two children, John frequented the city's three arthouse cinemas and discovered the wealth of cinema outside the Hollywood machine. Since then John has acquired an enviable collection of 1200 foreign films and a library of related books.

Most of John's time is spent at their Castlemaine home where he is involved in the local U3A running another Movies of Merit course and being a past committee member. He has been awarded Life Membership of both Castlemaine and Melbourne City U3As. Also a member of the Victorian Goldfields Railway, a tourist attraction which runs from Castlemaine to Maldon, he relaxes by building scale models of steam engines.

Despite a recent serious illness, John has kept going with his activities in Castlemaine and Melbourne, and recently was helped by Mike McKay to deliver our Movies of Merit via Zoom. COVID willing, the course will be back at Docklands Library in Term 3. So thank you John for your incredible contribution to the U3A over so many years. And a footnote: John doesn't always agree with David Stratton - the latter is a Fellini fan, whereas John's most admired director is the Russian Andrey Zvyagintsev (yes, I had to Google him) - so you see what an education you get when you have a conversation with John!

Merilyn Harris

Other items of interest

Disclaimer: Your committee has agreed to advertise the following external events, opportunities and other items of interest, but this should not be taken as an endorsement or recommendation to participate. Members are solely responsible for their own choices and any consequences that may result.


Research: Understanding mental health under COVID

Logo of the University of QueenslandUniversity of Queensland PhD candidate Carissa Roberts is seeking participants aged 50 years and over to participate in an Australia-wide and international anonymous survey (online, or paper-based upon request) regarding their COVID-19 experience. The research will help in our understanding of the effects of the pandemic and to identify potential protective mental health factors (e.g., wisdom, optimism). The survey has no related follow-ups or commitments for participants. Download the flyer for more information.


Research: Gut bacteria and gut pH

Monash University logoMonash University is conducting two studies relating to the gut:

Download the flyers linked above for more information.

U3A quick links

Office contact details

Phone: 03 9639 5209
Emailcitymelb@u3a.org.au
Office hours: Mon-Fri, 11:00 am-2:00 pm
Closed on all school and public holidays
Office address: Suite 1, Level 5, Greek Centre, 168 Lonsdale Street (corner of Russell Street), Melbourne VIC 3000
Postal address: PO Box 24149, 111 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3001


U3A Melbourne City membership is open to persons aged 50 years and over who are retired or semi-retired. VCAT has exempted U3A MC from the age discrimination section of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010.

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