Member of U3A Network Queensland

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ABN 88 945 460 759

Contact address:

Beaudesert U3A Inc

P.O. Box 561
Beaudesert, Qld, 4285

Email: u3abeaudesert@gmail.com

Street map of Beaudesert

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Office Bearers:

President
Andy Fechner

Vice President
Lise Leatherbarrow

Secretary
Yvonne Berry

Treasurer
Helen Atkinson

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Committee members:

Course Co-ordinator
Tina Jones

Membership Secretary and
Assistant Treasurer
Michele Goucher

Publicity Officer
Cheryl Folley

Newsletter
Yvonne Berry

Webmaster
George Evans

Social Activities Facilitator
Di Johnson

Facebook Co-ordinator
Carol Castles

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Beaudesert U3A Facebook Page

Committee Contact Details

Friends of the Committee

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Join Beaudesert U3A

Our Sponsors

Our Newsletters

Courses Time Table

Contents Page

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Dates - Activities

B.U.G.s Latest News.
Use Gardening Group Button at top of this page.

Term 3 starts 13th July ends 18th Sept.

Queensland School Term Dates for 2020 can be found on the Contents Page.

Next Committee Meeting
Friday 28th August 2020 09.30am Venue 12/61-85 Brisbane St (RSL Sub Branch Upstairs).

Important Notices

U3A Network
The official (New) U3A Network website is up and running with a link to Network News, the home page of the website and also Facebook:

click here to go to U3A State Web Network News

click here to go to U3A State Web Site

Click here to go to U3A State Website Facebook Page

Click here to go to Brisbane U3A Web Site

Next Social Lunch Outing

(Please read page two of O.W.L.s U3A Newsletter for details).
RSVP to Di ASAP Email - candyroxy1946@gmail.com Phone/text - 0468 849 448

New Groups and Recessions
A number of new groups have started, due to seasonal changes, some have gone into recess and some restarted. For more information, please go to the time table for term 4 in the contents page.

Click here for Mount Tamborine April Newsletter and Courses

Beaudesert Tennis Club Some of our members belong to the local Beaudesert Tennis Club. By reciprocal arrangement and for the benefit of members, we have agreed to a link between our Web Sites click here to go to Beaudesert Tennis Club Web Site

WHAT IS A U3A
The University of the Third Age is a mutual aid self-help movement - a modern community of scholars and artists, catering primarily for people in the Third Age of their lives.

OUR AIMS
The overall aim of Beaudesert U3A Inc. is to provide the members with both the stimulus of mental and physical activity and the satisfaction of a continuing contribution to society. It will enable them to take up new interests and to extend old ones. It will offer the joy of learning for the sake of learning: it will open up new horizons for them - unrestricted by the requirements of vocation or the desire for qualifications, and it will do so, principally by drawing upon the extensive life experience, skills and energies of the members. It is a mutual aid self-help movement - a modern community of scholars, catering primarily for people in the Third Age of their lives.

Beaudesert U3A promotes the joy of learning for the sake of learning, and seeks to open up new horizons for its members unrestricted by the requirements of vocation or the desire for qualifications. It does so, principally by drawing upon the extensive life experience, skills and energies of members.

HISTORY OF U3A
The history of U3A and how they operate is on this page.

Hello fellow U3Aers,

“It is with deep regret that I must advise you of the death of our Past President Hennie van Dyk, who passed away suddenly on the Gold Coast on the weekend.

Those who knew Hennie will remember him for his dedication to our Beaudesert U3A and the difference he made to our organisation.

He was instrumental in establishing our website and facilitating our computer group and development.

Our thoughts and condolences go to his partner Margaret Kendrick and family and friends at this difficult time”

Andy Fechner
President U3A Beaudesert Inc

You can discover the “virtual classroom” which is being offered through Beaudesert U3A and our membership of an autonomous, worldwide group, U3A Online.
With the coronavirus lockdown still part of our lives, we can’t go out and join a group – but we can communicate and learn via online courses.
Beaudesert U3A members can take up one or more listed courses as part of the Beaudesert group membership of U3A Online.

This wide variety of courses comes under several general headings:
• Lifestyle
• Nature
• Science
• World affairs and history

To check out the background and the full list of options, Click here to go to www.u3aonline.org.au website.

While individual membership of U3A Online costs $30 plus separate fees for selected courses, our members can gain virtually free access to one or more courses for the total Beaudesert membership fee of $25 – with the bonus that once the coronavirus lockdown is over, you’ll be eligible for any of our 20+ locally-run classes as well as continuing with your online groups. Course members study at home and use an online discussion forum to “talk” to each other. They’re given their own U3A group’s log-in and password.

Where to start? The list seems endless, but a few options include: Australian flora, writing for pleasure or writing your family history; introduction to IT skills; improving your camera skills. The person to contact for more information is U3A Beaudesert course coordinator Tina Jones at email t.j.16@bigpond.com or mobile 0418 780 861.

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U3A president seeks his replacement.

Our long-term president of Beaudesert U3A (Andy Fechner) has signalled his retirement, while making a plea for a member to step up and "shadow" the position with the aim of taking on the president's role in March 2021.
Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Beaudesert University of the Third Age, Mr Fechner said he had held the position for six years and felt it was time for someone else to take on the job.
"Every president will have their own style," he said. "I took over from someone with a very different way of doing things and the next person in the job will find the same thing applies. You'll find your own path."

Mr Fechner confirmed the temporary suspension of most U3A courses because of coronavirus fears and restrictions placed on public gatherings. "However, I point out that this year Beaudesert U3A joined U3A online so that is available to our members," he said.

Division 4 councillor Michael Enright conducted the election of new officers, which resulted in two new committee members, Carol Castles - who takes on Facebook monitoring from Finella Loch, and Tina Jones, who steps into Laurel Fechner's shoes as course coordinator.

   
Cheryl Folley
Publicity Officer

Croquet: the Clayton’s exercise that challenges

One of the more unusual sports played in the Scenic Rim is croquet, which to the lay person might seem to involve a leisurely stroll around a lawn while taking shots at a ball with a strange bat (known as a mallet).

To the keen members of Beaudesert U3A’s croquet group, it is both intellectually challenging and a surprisingly good exercise, with coordinator George Evans sometimes logging up to 10 000 steps during a morning session.

“That’s more than our average, as I have to lay out the hoops and play area around the green before and pick up afterwards,” he says. “But there are players who walk around six kilometres in a morning.” George says croquet demands discipline and is surprisingly difficult to learn, although he says a beginner can play “a reasonable round” within about four sessions of three hours each.

The U3A players meet on Tuesday mornings from 8 – 11 am at Everdell Park, Gleneagle.
Games are played as either singles or doubles, usually around a course of 13 hoops. The atmosphere is keen but not too competitive, and there’s always a morning tea break and the chance for socializing.

“Now that we have started playing again after the lockdown, we sanitise all equipment and bring our own mugs for morning tea,” says George. “Actually, croquet is an ideal sport for social distancing, in the way it is played!” Any Scenic Rim seniors interested in finding out more should contact George or Rita Evans on 5541 0706.

   
Cheryl Folley
Publicity Officer

Beaucare Bus Trip information.

For the convenience of U3A members Beaucare Bus trip information has been included on a separate page. Please make bookings through the Telephone number listed on that page. Beaucare Bus Trips