NEXT CLUB MEETING - Tuesday May 15 th

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1 PAPAKURA U3A NEWSLETTER APRIL 2018 PRESIDENT Margaret Gane Phone: NEWSLETTER EDITOR Iris Durney Phone: Website: papakurau3a.wix.com Greetings from the President I have been very encouraged to see new faces at our first two meetings which means that the message is getting out here about the existence of our group whether by word of mouth or other forms of advertising. I was also very inspired to hear one of our members describe her experiences with online learning and for a number of us, this may be an alternative way to extend our knowledge in our own time and at a comfortable pace! You will find the websites mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter. You never know, it may be the beginning of a whole new adventure! Don t forget to share it with us! Best wishes. Margaret Cheerful good wishes to any who are not well at the moment. SUBS are now due for this financial year and have been set at $30 per member. Payment can be made by cash, cheque or direct into this account ASB Contact Ruth NEXT CLUB MEETING - Tuesday May 15 th GROUP NEWS Do Try One. Don t be shy, Roll up Roll up! Everything you need to know for the months entertainment and social activities. Contact the Coordinators. Different Faiths Coordinator Iris Durney Monthly get togethers at different venues or a trip generally on the first Monday of the month First visit will be on Monday May 7 th to the Synagogue on Greys Ave in the CBD 10:30am 5 people attended the first meeting to discuss how the group would work. We agreed on the first Monday of the month starting in May due to Easter dates. We came up with a long list of potential places to visit. Iris will arrange the visits / venues. The visit will conclude with a lunch or afternoon tea for discussion. The Romantic Poets a Short Course Coordinator Peter Durney Monthly Meeting, on the second Wednesday at Peter s This course will run for 3 more sessions ie. April, May & June Next Meeting will be held on Wednesday April 11th at 1:30pm. ALL WELCOME!! Subject: The poems of Keats

2 A small group of 3 met to discuss Byron and some of his poems, The Vision of Judgement, Poems of the Separation and some of the Hebrew Melodies. It was an enjoyable hour of discussion around the lives and times of the Romantic Poets. Writing Your Memoirs Coordinator Iris Durney It will meet monthly on the Third Monday of the month All welcome. Next Meeting Monday April 16 th 10:30am at Jean Four of us met to have a chat over a cup of tea about Writing our Memoirs. We discussed different formats we could use, resources we could use and we read a little of what we had done up till now. Discussion Group 1 Coordinator Heather Meets First Friday of the Month various venues 1:30pm Next Meeting Friday April 6 th at Art s house 7 people attended the group. The topics included the good and bad of social media and its use in today's society. The ozone effect of growing and exporting flowers from the use of insecticides and air miles, The usefulness or otherwise of "Tumeric." The need to spend $ at a supermarket to receive a free cloth bag created discussion into weekly spending on groceries. The TV programme "Casketeers" received compliments and complaints in the Herald and varying responses from the group. The Winter Olympics were enjoyed and the group finished with Christmas Poem on "Then 12 days of Christmas on the theme of cooking a turkey. Art Cattell will host the group on Friday 6th April. Discussion Group 2 Coordinator Nolene Holman Meets Second Wednesday of the Month at Nolene s house 1:30pm Next Meeting Wednesday April 11th 8 Attended and 4 Apologies. 30 people in Ireland over 100 years were asked what they thought had helped them live so long. 1 had smoked all her life. 1 had never eaten vegetables except potatoes. 1 had been a prostitute. They were living with and supported by their families. No retirement homes! China with its one child policy is having issues because if the children move away there is no one to care for the elderly. Noelene's neighbour is 96 still driving and only has help for two hours a month. Robin knew someone who learnt to fly at 75. Keeping active in mind and body and feeling needed and of course good health must help. Should Guy Fawkes be only for public displays. Why do we still celebrate something that happened hundreds of years ago? Our local council office is being centralised to Manukau. That will make it a lot harder to pay rates and ask questions about any concerns we have. Marco Polo Group Coordinator Iris Durney Meets second Monday of the Month at the Drury Library 10am for cuppa, 10:30 for the talk Next Meeting Monday April 9 th - Presenter Tel Cattell on the Mayans and Aztecs About a dozen people enjoyed Wendy s talk on her trip to Alaska. The beautiful pictures that accompanied her talk showed us what a fascinating state Alaska is. There were ancient copper mines, aerial shots over spectacular valleys enclosed by towering, snow-clad peaks. We learned about the famous huskies, the remnants of the times when Alaska was part of Russia. The place is so isolated that the children often get their pilot s licence before they learn to drive. Alaska is a special place, largely dependent upon tourists for its economy. It s easy to see why. Book Group Coordinator Ruth Bourne Meets fourth Thursday of the Month at the Drury Library 1pm

3 Next Meeting Thursday April 26th 5 members present at Drury Library. Books discussed were: The Third Twin by Ken Follett.A Thriller in which a geneticist has misused IVF technology. Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson. A once great family has become a dysfunctional bunch. Imaginative & amusing. Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. A dementia sufferer searching for her friend Elizabeth remembers a 70 yr old search for her sister. The Fatal Englishman by Sebastian Faulks. Non fiction. The short lives of 3 men, Artist, Spitfire Pilot & Playboy. One night in Winter by Simon Sebag Montefiore s Stalinist Russia. After a shooting a witch hunt ensues. Based on real events. Heartstone by C J Sanson. Of the Shardlake Series, a lawyer in the reign of Henry V111. When the Children Came Home by Julie Summers. True stories of refugee children after WW2. Indoor Games Group Coordinator Nolene Holman This group will run in Terms 2 & 3. Date of commencing will be in the newsletter prior to commencing. Film Appreciation Group Coordinator Rod Baldwin Monthly date and time arranged depending on Film, usually Hawkins Theatre or Rialto, Newmarket. Rod to get put on his ing list. Next outing to movies Friday April 13, 12:30pm "Sweet Country " Hawkins Theatre, Papakura Report from March outing: Only Jim Kelly and I from the Group made it to see The Party at the 10am showing at the Hawkins Theatre on Friday 9 th March. The others must have known something we didn t as it is not a movie I would recommend. It was a strange compilation. I expected a comedy, and it was funny in (a very few) parts, but it was really a short story of some very sad characters, dominated by a theme of Lesbianism Gone Wrong. It was (thankfully) very short at only 76 minutes, and filmed entirely in black and white, which strangely suited its sad story. In February we had a very good turnout for a movie screened at 12:30. For the next few movies I will plan on suggesting that time to see if it better suits people. Out and About Group Coordinators Helen Higgott and Anne Pointon Monthly date and time arranged depending on event. Phone Helen or Anne to get put on the ing list for information if you would like to join in. Register your interest for an event with the organiser advertised. April Outing is on 11 April to the Auckland Museum for the exhibition Let Me Be Myself: The Story of Anne Frank. For car pooling meet by 9:30am behind Hawkins Theatre, $5 for a ride to the driver please. Or you can go by train to Parnell and walk up to the Museum from there. Please contact the Coordinator Lynette McInnes by 9 April. March Report Two trips this month!! They are on a roll! Sunday 11 March trip was a Coast to Coast Walk. 5 members travelled to Onehunga by train to take part in this event. The weather was perfect with a reasonable amount of cloud cover and a light breeze. Highlights included listening to members for whom some of the places held such fond memories eg Onehunga, former Auckland Teacher s College, the architecture of the early homes, the huge pohutukawa trees whose branches are supported by metal poles, the green spaces of One Tree Hill as well as the smaller parks such as Melville and Jellicoe, sharing lunch and walking through the middle of the former Auckland Teacher s College. All of us enjoyed the opportunity to appreciate our diverse city from a walking perspective rather than a car or train viewpoint! Margaret

4 PS This walk could be repeated later on in the year if there is further interest from the wider membership. Out and About Trip to the Globe Theatre in Ellerslie On Sat 18 March, 5 of us were privileged to have David Lawrence, Head of Research and Director of "The Merchant of Venice" as our tour guide. Not only did David give an excellent introduction to the history of the Globe Theatres in London, but he also provided interesting information about the development of the Pop Up Globe in NZ from Dr Miles Gregory's original ideas. We were able to stand on the stage, peer below the trap door and watch the cast of "A Comedy of Errors" warm up for their afternoon performance. Over 3 seasons this innovative company have made Shakespeare accessible and entertaining for thousands in both Auckland and Melbourne. If you have not yet been to a play at the Pop Up Globe - book now!! The 2018 season has been extended to mid-april. Happenings and News of Interest around Papakura & South Auckland SOUTH AUCKLAND CHORAL SOCIETY First concert for 2018 is on Sunday 29 April, 2.30pm at Crossroads Methodist Church, Broadway, Papakura. The programme includes Gloria by Poulenc and The Great Mass in C Minor by Mozart. Tickets are available from Guys Pharmacy in Roselands, Eventfinda or contacting Lorna Clauson PH (09) or lornaclauson@gmail.com FREE GUIDED AUCKLAND WALK Tuesday 17 April, 9.30am to 12pm. Te Puke Otara/Hampton Park, Otara Meet at 344 East Tamaki Road. To book, kara.goddard@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz FREE GUIDED AUCKLAND WALK FOR MAY Kirks Bush and then on to Margans Bush on Tuesday 15 May, 9.30am 12pm. Bookings are essential. kara.goddard@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz OFF BROADWAY THEATRE, Elliot Street, PAPAKURA Their next production is called One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean May, Keep a lookout for the ticket sales. PAPAKURA MUSEUM New Exhibition on show HOME FRONT - 5 March 21 December, Experiences of the First World War in New Zealand This exhibition looks at how the First World War changed everyday life in New Zealand. It explores how some communities pulled together, while others were pulled apart. CHECK OUT THE HAWKINS THEATRE EVENT AND FILM SHOWS FOR APRIL MANUKAU SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Vodaphone Events Centre, Manukau. Saturday May 19 7:30pm Joy and Passion. Nicolai The Merry Wives of Windsor, Liszt- Piano Concerto No 1, Tchaikovsky Pathetique Symphony No 6. Tickets available from atspragg@gmail.com, Ph ELECTRONIC WASTE DROP OFF DAY Saturday 28 April, 9am 3pm Carpark at First Presbyterian Church (Cnr Coles Cres and 84 Great South Road, Papakura) Many items are accepted free of charge but some items are charged for and some items are not accepted at all. Go to the website for further information OR for large quantity drop-offs, ring the organiser on PH (09) PAPAKURA SUSTAINABLE MARKET Saturday 21 April, 10am to 1pm. (Every third Saturday of each month) Venue Foyer of the Sir Edmund Hillary Library

5 Every monthly market will have a theme around waste minimisation. For more information, go to their website Happenings and News of Interest in the Greater Auckland Area THE GLOBE THEATRE, ELLERSLIE season has been extended to April AUCKLAND MUSEUM from 9 FEB 13 MAY 2018 is LET ME BE MYSELF THE LIFE STORY OF ANNE FRANK. Auckland Museum is the first to host this exhibition in NZ as part of a 3 year tour supported by The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. STAYING SAFE A refresher workshop for senior road users Designed for all senior road users aged 70 and over. For more information, contact the NZ Transport Agency on Here are the notes from Dena Gilmore s 5 minute talk on Elearning. Come on why not give it a go!! Some insights on e learning. My first recommendation may be stating the obvious, but In order to learn on line, you need a reliable and up-to-date device - preferably a lap top or desk top computer. And then you need to be comfortable finding your way around the computer and around the internet, I thoroughly recommend joining Seniornet and taking classes with them. There is a branch of Seniornet that meets here in Papakura. Because I have an imac, an Apple computer, I joined MacSeniornet, which meets in Remuera and Pakuranga. I have learned so much since joining them 4 years ago. In particular, I have learned that the expected life of a computer is 5 years, after which time you are going to have to update, by which I mean, buy a new one. I was shocked and outraged when I first learned this as I had paid a lot of money for my state of the art imac. It s not that the computer dies at the end of the 5 years, but rather that constant updates to the software are needed and eventually your provider (Apple or Microsoft) will stop supporting the software you have on your old (vintage, retro, as Apple described my 2009 model) machine. This is a problem because you will no longer get updates to the security features they provide. Also, you will find that websites use the latest software and your machine will no longer be able to talk to the website. This is important because in order to learn online you have to be able to communicate with the website. Once you have the hardware and software in place, you go to the provider of your online course and sign up. Then you learn in much the same way as you would at a standard college or university. You attend lectures, in the form of video clips, you are given notes, which you can read on line, and/or download to save on your computer or to print out. You are invited to take short quizzes and to submit assignments. You can also take part in discussions by posting comments and questions on the website and by responding to the comments of other students. So far, the only establishment I have enrolled with is FutureLearn. wwwfuturelearn.com. It s free, and I can learn in my own time and am free to take the quizzes, write the assignments and take part in the discussions if I want to but it s not compulsory. To date, I have studied papers on : Shakespeare and his World; A brief introduction to archaeology; Literature and Mental Health (mostly about poetry); Strategies for Successful Ageing; and How to Read a Novel. I m currently studying a paper entitled Start Writing Fiction. Because I am studying purely for pleasure and because I love to learn, I have not worried if I have been unable to do all the suggested reading or the assignments. There s no exam to sit and I m not studying to get a job qualification. So I ve been very relaxed about it. However, I ve been making more of an effort with the latest paper because if you want to know how to Start Writing Fiction, you actually have to start writing. I have been writing short pieces and posting them. And I m thoroughly enjoying myself. I urge you to give it a go. You never know what worlds may open up to you. Some websites are: wwwfuturelearn.com.

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