Staying in Touch May 2020

FROM THE PRESIDENT

On 12th May the committee was able to meet for the first time since the suspension of our activities. One of the main issues addressed was the way we can reconnect with our members during the period we will be in lockdown. We decided to issue periodic newsletters entitled “STAYING IN TOUCH”. It is hoped that members can contribute to the newsletter in many ways, for example:

Providing personal profiles;

Providing interesting snippets, articles, recipes or anything that you can share with our members;

Updates on the health of our members;

Tell us about any good books you have read lately;

Quizzes;

On-line course details. We can now meet in groups of 10 which may increase later. Consequently, our special interest groups could reconvene subject to the convenors being available, and the Library being available, or someone from each group could volunteer their home where they would be able to provide social distancing. Bear in mind each member should consider their own situation and the risks involved to join such groups. If you would like to contribute please email u3acharlessturt@hotmail.com with your profile, or quiz etc.

Col Levy

Due to resume on Monday July 13th. The kiosk should be open as well as toilets. Please email us so we can let June Littleford know if you are interested in attending.

CONTACT DETAILS

Email: u3acharlessturt@hotmail.com Website: www.u3acharlessturt.com Guest Speaker Meetings:Tuesdays: 1:30 – 3:00

Fulham Uniting Church Hall Madeline Cres, Fulham

Special Interest Groups meet at Henley Library Learning Room,

379 Seaview Road, Henley Beach and

Botanic Gardens, North Tce, Adelaide

OFFICE BEARERS

President: Col Levy Vice President: Pam Fidler Treasurer: Aldis Auliciems Secretary: Pauline Lane Public Officer: Pam Fidler

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Jennifer Brown Ros Emms Cherie Levy Geraldine Smith Melva Tripodi Program Co-ordinators: Geraldine Smith and Pam Fidler Outings: Ros Emms Website/Records: Pauline Lane Caterers: Geraldine Smith and Melva Tripodi Publicity: Ros Emms Newsletter: Committee & Jennifer Brown Auditor: Allan McDonald U3ASA Delegates: Sandra & Steven Carr

U3A is a learning co-operative of ‘Third Age’ people (people who are over 50 and no longer working full time or retired). It is a self-help and

non-profit organisation that encourages a positive approach to ageing by enhancing self-esteem and independence and by sharing experiences

including educational, creative and leisure activities.

Pauline Lane

Moving to South Australia

My husband Frank was transferred to Adelaide from Melbourne as Manager of ACI in 1976. At the time I had been

working with Freighter Industries, manufacturer of semi-trailers, vans, and containers (and buses) as secretary to the

Design Engineer, and later moved to Head Office as secretary to the Engineering Manager.

When we moved, I was able to transfer to Freighter Industries Adelaide office, (which was a bus building plant),

starting in May 1976 working for the Supply Manager, and shortly after was promoted to Secretary to the General

Manager.

Frank and I separated and later were divorced in 1980. We both stayed on in Adelaide as we had come to love the

life style in this city. Frank eventually obtained his owner/trainer license for race horses, and enjoyed some success.

Frank’s brother was Geoff Lane, who was a successful jockey in the 1960’s and 70’s.

Freighters were taken over by Leyland Motor Corporation in 1977, eventually becoming P.M.C. a division of JRA

Limited, and later by the Clifford Corporation. The firm eventually went into liquidation, thus I lost my job after 25

years.

After a fairly stressful time, I eventually obtained a position at St Michaels College at Henley Beach, working in the

office as an ESO – Education Support Officer. My duties were in the general office area and the print room. I met

Peter Wallace at this time; he was semi-retired but was still hard at it taking photographs of all events at the school.

I retired in 2008, and soon after met Noeline Laing at a walking group at the Henley Community Centre. Noeline

suggested that I would love U3A, and so I joined up and have enjoyed this activity ever since, also making new

friends. I joined the committee in 2014, was assistant secretary in 2017 and have been U3A Charles Sturt Secretary

since 2018. I set up our website in 2018 and have been the administrator of it since then.

Cherie Levy

The first 30 years of my life were spent with my mother and younger brother in Melbourne where I graduated as a

kindergarten teacher in 1968, teaching in suburban kindergartens while raising 4 children, one of whom was

fostered. In 1982 a near tragedy shattered the family when a home invasion resulted in my husband being shot.

Upon his recovery we moved to Darwin where I worked in office equipment sales and then back teaching where I

landed a job teaching blind and vision impaired students. After 3 years and a marriage slowly disintegrating I

decided that it would be wise to secure future employment by gaining extra qualifications in special education,

majoring in vision impairment. I then took my two youngest children, who were teenagers, to Melbourne for 12

months while I studied. The three of us had a fabulous year and returned to Darwin to start a new life on our own.

At that stage, at aged 42, I became a grandma for the first time so enjoyed both returning to my old job and the joy

of being a grand parent. In 1991, 6 months after returning from Melbourne, I met Col who had been seconded to

Darwin from Adelaide for work with the ATO.

Throwing caution to the wind my youngest daughter, aged 15, and I moved to Adelaide where Col and I set up house

in Henley Beach before buying our own place in North Brighton at the end of 1992. Col’s 2 children had already left

home by this stage.

Soon after arriving in Adelaide I was offered a job at Kilparrin Teaching and Assessment Unit in the grounds of

Townsend House, Hove, both as a classroom teacher of blind and vision impaired students with additional disabilities

and later as a visiting teacher supporting and helping classroom teachers program for their integrated students both

in the suburbs as well in country schools. I worked in these roles for 10 years before I retired at the end of 2002.

Since early 2003 we spent many years happily travelling in our caravan, often for long periods of time, as well as

some overseas trips whilst various family members lived in our house, at different times.

In October 2003 Col and I decided to celebrate Col’s 60th birthday in style at the Glenelg Function Centre, surprising

everyone by inviting a celebrant to marry us in front of all our family and friends, which was great fun.

After a few years travelling we did more shorter trips and decided we would include U3A Charles Sturt into our busy

lifestyle, which we have really enjoyed. With Col now being president over the last 3 years, my involvement on the

committee and a range of interesting speakers we are very pleased to be involved with this community.

Although we still visit family, which includes 14 grandchildren whose ages range from 29 to 6 who live in Darwin,

Melbourne as well as Adelaide we have sold our caravan and now plan to enjoy more road trips and interstate travel

when it is possible to do so.

Col Levy

I was born in 1943 at Glenelg, the youngest of 4, 2 brothers and a sister. When I was 5 we moved to Largs Bay as

they had bought a newsagency at Exeter. From an early age I was the envy of my friends as I had an unlimited

supply of comics. I attended Largs Bay Primary School which had over 1200 students with class sizes often over 50.

From there I went on to Woodville High School.

One interesting snippet is that next to our house in Alexander St lived the Minister of Lands in the Playford

government, Sir Cecil Hinks. In the house next to him lived English migrants Mr and Mrs Jim Neal, who had 2

children, Eric and Yvonne. Eric went on to become the Governor of South Australia and Yvonne married her

childhood sweetheart Dean Koch who lived on the other side of the road. When I was 13 Dean and Yvonne had a

son, David and as our family were friends with the Neals my mother and I both went to visit. It was many years later

I found out that the baby was the David Koch from TV.

After leaving school in 1960 I worked at CSR in the sugar division as the Accounts Clerk, during which time I studied

Accountancy part time. I married in 1967 and during that year I left and joined the Australian Taxation Office.

Within a year we built a house at Morphett Vale, had our 2 children and I continued with my studies which I

eventually completed in 1969. In 1972 we moved to Henley Beach to be closer to family and civilisation. We then

built a house at West Lakes Shore where we resided for the next 14 years.

During my 34 years working for the ATO I was an assessor, auditor, investigator, manager and technical advisor. My

most interesting time was when I was involved in the “bottom of the harbour” investigations. This was a time when

companies were involved in tax avoidance schemes by creating many subsidiary companies and moving funds to try

and disguise the true profits from the organisations. They moved their funds around to such an extent that we had

several trips interstate to track them down. Many a time we ploughed our way through papers kept in basements,

warehouses, etc. I can recall many spreadsheets I prepared of the movements of funds, all done by hand as

technology wasn’t available.

My great passion from my early days was sport. I played grade cricket with Port Adelaide for 11 seasons, then

Adelaide for 5 seasons before finishing my career with Grange Cricket Club for 4 seasons. Interspersed in the off

seasons I played competition squash for many years. After my cricket days were over my membership came up at

the Grange Golf Club where I was a member for 20 years. I am currently a member of the Vines of Reynella Golf

Club.

After 23 years of marriage my wife and I decided to go our separate ways, my children were 22 and 20 so they had

left home. In April 1991 my life changed forever as I was asked to relieve the audit manager in Darwin for 6 months.

In July I met Cherie and we spent a lot of time together before I was due to return to Adelaide. I managed to get a 2

month extension and returned in the December. Cherie had 2 visits to Adelaide and we both visited Bali before she

and her daughter arrived permanently in Adelaide in June 1992. Cherie has already mentioned in her profile about

our lives from then on.

CAN WE HELP?

The next few months are going to present a challenge for everyone. Many people will have to self-isolate and stay

away from group activities. All local U3As have closed.

U3A Online members know that studying at home is the best alternative if you can’t get to a local U3A. There are

two main ways to use our service:

• Anyone can join up as an Individual Member for $30 a year and study as many courses as they like during the

following 12 months; or

• A U3A can join as an Organisational Member for $15, then pay $20 per course to use with their own members who

do not have to become Individual Members.

U3As who become Organisational Members can then arrange for groups to study in their own homes and use our

online discussion forum to ‘talk’ to each other. All members using this method can be given the log in and password

given to their U3A. It could be arranged for the group to do the course at the same time so they will see each other’s

comments as they are posted. A U3A can buy as many courses as they require.

This is something U3A Online has never done on such a scale and, like all U3As, we are staffed by a small band of

committed volunteers so please be patient if there are occasional glitches on the website. Be assured we will do our

best to keep it up and running to its usual high standard. One thing to note is that some browsers (Chrome, Safari,

Firefox, etc.) support our website better than others and if you have problems try changing to a different browser.

I’m sure we all hope that we will be back with our local U3As eventually but in the meantime happy online learning.

All our courses cover the following areas: Lifestyle, Nature, Science, World Affairs & History, Writing & Creativity and

some Short Courses. For more detail go online www.u3aonline.org.au

Jean Walker, U3A OnLine

COVID 19 Pandemic STEP 2. On 8th June, the Federal and State government has proposed that

provided each person has a space of 4 square metres, 20 people are able to be in a room. We are very keen to

resume Special Interest Groups after that date. We will keep you informed of the date each group will resume.

Unfortunately we will be unable to return to our Guest Speaker program on Tuesday afternoon for a while. Our

program co-ordinators are in constant contact with the proposed guest speakers and will be able to have the

program up and running quickly when we are given the green light.

TEST YOUR POWERS OF

DEDUCTION!! EACH OF THE FOLLOWING CRIPTIC CLUES HAS A COMMON WORD IN THE ANSWER - CAN YOU

WORK IT OUT?

Examples: A real cool customer = Jack Frost / Cider brandy = Apple Jack

1. You win the Grand Prize 9. Looking for water in high places

2. An American relative of John Walker 10. Quiet Farnham album

3. Handy fellow 11. Did Pandora lift his lid?

4. Type of card game 12. Quiz show rival of Bob Dyer

5. Outback apprentice 13. Caltrop

6. Symbol of Britain 14. This sort of stealing is especially low

7. You need earplugs when using this 15. A good Canadian feller

8. Probably a cholesterol conscious fellow

16. This one was from London, not Yorkshire

ANSWERS NEXT ISSUE

If you have some extra time on your hands while social isolating, why not enter the Bridport Prize. This annual

international creative writing competition has been going since 1973 and launched the careers of several best-selling

writers. It attracts entries from 85 separate countries and there is $40,000 prize money on offer.

The Bridport has sections for poetry, short story, flash fiction (maximum of 250 words). There is also a section for

novels but that is for UK writers only.

Everyone is advised to carefully read the rules, entry requirements and eligibility before submission. Entries close by

31 May.

Find more information on their website: www.bridportprize.org.uk As well as competition guidelines it has plenty of

writing tips amongst its resources section.

¾ cup chopped and seeded dates and 1 teaspoon bi-carb soda

Pour 200ml (1 cup) water over dates. Boil. Add soda and leave to stand.

Cream:

60 gms butter and½ cup castor sugar

Add 2 beaten eggs

Fold in:

1 ½ cups G.F. self raising floor and ½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Then add date mixture and vanilla.

Grease and bake in muffin tins. 180º C for approx 25-30 minutes

Sauce

¾ cup brown sugar, ½ cup thickened cream, 130 gms butter, and ½ teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce and simmer for 3 minutes. Pour over puddings and serve.

BOOK RECOMENDATIONS compiled by Sheena Gray U3A Prospect

Kindly printed by the office of Matt Cowdrey OAM, Member for Colton