Newsletter

Vol 1 February 2020

Reg No.A0053888V PO Box 1074 Bacchus Marsh 3340

www.u3abacchus.org.au Editor: Judy Archer u3abmnewsletter@gmail.com

Meet and Greet on the 4th of February provided another opportunity for long standing

members to meet newly enrolling members and interested visitors. Group leaders

presented the many and varied opportunities spread across our timetable.

Thanks to those who provided the refreshments around which lively conversation

followed the introductions. Thanks also to Terry and Ian for the photographs.

Above: Leaders Sharon and Terry, and right: newcomer Lynda

Below left: Anneli and Toni; Right: Annie and Coral

Above: Secretary Helen

More Meet and Greet Pictures

Barbara Judy and Ruth

Laurel

Left: Ian and

Louise

Right: Maria

Below left:

Pam and

Juanita

Below Right: Barbara and Gayle

Left: Pam, Vittoria

and Brenda.

Right: Margaret

TIMETABLE 2020 Monday French: Weekly 10.00 - 11.00am Lerderderg Library. Jean Ormes Room Cost 3.00 Contact: Lyn 0488 588 011 Science and Maths- Group 1 Weekly 1.00 - 3.00 pm With "The Doc” at Darley N'Hood House Contact: Pamela 0400 387 841 Cost 4.00 Walking Slowly: Weekly 8.00 - 9.00. Peppertree Park, (near the swimming pool) Contact Louise 5300 4980 / 0415 105 655.

Tuesday Tai Chi:

Each Tuesday. 11.00 - 12.00pm Providence Village Hall Instructor: Jan 5367 8750

Third Tuesday Book Club:

3rd Tuesday of month 2.00 - 4.00pm At Lerderderg Library Contact: Heather or Alan 9743 0317 Games - Cards and Board Games:

4th Tuesday of month. 2.00 - 4.00 pm Providence Village Hall

Wednesday Painting for fun: Every Wednesday 9.30 - 12.00 pm, Darley N’hood House Contact: Laurel 0423 500 019, Cost $4.00

Brush up your Shakespeare:

Every Wednesday 1.30 - 3.00pm Lerderderg Library, Jean Ormes Room Contact: Geoff 0400 367 288, Cost $4.00

Coffee Club:

Meets 1st and 3rd Wednesday

10.30 am for coffee/tea and a chat.

Venues vary – see year calendar or

Contact: Sharon 0407 480207

Thursday Quilt Making: Weekly 9.30 – 12.30pm, Darley N’hood House. Cost $4.00 Contact: Judy 0408 582 272 Singalong: 2nd Thursday of month 1.30 - 3.00 pm Providence Village Hall Contact: Sharon 0407 480 207 Discussion Group: 3rd Thursday of month 10.00 - 12.00pm Current Affairs Discussion Lerderderg Library, Cost $4.00 Contact: Terry 0412 939 935

1st Thursday Book Club: 1st Thursday of the month 2.00 – 4.00 pm Lerderderg Library Contact: Terry 0412 939 935

Science and Maths - Group 2

Weekly with "The Doc" 1.00 - 3.00 pm Darley Neighbourhood House. Contact: Pamela 0400 387 841 Cost $4.00

Gardening Group: 3rd Thursday of month 10-12pm Venues vary – see year calendar or Contact Wendy 0411 889179 Mazi 0409 245 881

Friday German Language: Weekly 10.30 - 11.30 Darley N'hood House. Contact: Christine 5367 5875 Cost $4.00

Other Activities - Not day Specific: IT Help - Computers, iPads, Phones etc. Ring Ross for appointment 0418 514 496 NOTE: Some classes have limited numbers and may be at

capacity. Call contact for information.

Where there are no costs for some activities the venue has

no hire charge

Bacchus Marsh U3A Inc

Reg No: A0053888V

PO Box 1074 Bacchus Marsh Victoria 3340

FRENCH

Following the sudden death of our Language teacher, Roger Rivenell, last year, we are

relived and delighted that Lyn Gorman has stepped in to conduct French lessons.

Lyn, who is a well known member of Bacchus Marsh U3A, is fluent in French and highly

qualified to teach.

French lessons are conducted at the Library from 10 until 11AM on Mondays.

Participants need to be members of U3A; contribute $4 each, each session, to cover the

hire of the Jean Ormes Room. Members of the French Group are working through a

required text book. Contact: Lyn 0488 588 011

Pictured left to right: Nola, Stella, Lyn, Jenny, Anneka, Allan and Adrian.

Congratulations John Spain

Shire of Moorabool Citizen of the year

2020

As well as being a member of

Bacchus Marsh U3A

John supports many other community groups.

Well done John!

TAI CHI

Tai Chi Leader Jan Jackson welcomed a crowd of newcomers to join her

sessions at the Providence Hall as the 2020 year began.

Below:

Leader Jan

Eager participants

Louise, Roger,

Barbara, Nick, Rene,

Vittoria, Beryl,

Alison, Marj, Helen,

Gaye, Toni, Fran,

Jan, Norm, Faye and

Shirley.

Tai Chi meets

weekly on Tuesdays

at 11 AM.

Contact Jan

5367 8750

QUIZ

1.What river reaches the sea at Marlo, East Gippsland?

2. By what name was Helen Porter Mitchell better known?

3. In 1944 Iceland gained independence from which country?

4. Name the Skyhooks first Album.

5 Who is the President of Indonesia?

6. Phillip (Pip) Pirrip is a character in which Charles Dickens’ novel?

7. Which abbreviation is a type of motor vehicle brake and a statistical

agency?

8. Who won the 2020 Australian Open Women’s Grand Final ?

9 What was the code name of the Allied invasion of Normandy in W War II?

10.What number does Giga stand for?

THE COFFEE CLUB meets at 10.30 AM on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of

each month, rotating around our local coffee shops. The calendar has been sent

out or you can check on our website.

The Coffee Club will meet on March

4th at The Jolly Miller; on March 18th

at Angelo’s; on 1st April at The Coffee

Club Village Shopping Centre; and on

the 15th April at Loot –all in Main

Street.

Pictured right at Mel and Joe’s on Feb.

19th: Sharon, Juanita, Sue and Terry.

Pictured below at The Flour Pot on Feb

5th: John, Anice, Terry, Yvonne, Ian and

Juanita.

Thanks Terry and Sharon for the pictures.

U3A Garden Group Bacchus Marsh Events for 2020

This year our focus will be on sustainability, recycling and planting to do our bit for

climate change. Following is a roster of events:

The group will meet on the third Thursday of each month. At each meeting there will be a

food and goods swap. ie eggs, jams, vegetables or plants.

March 19th 2020 (Thursday 10:30) – Sustainability Awareness

Mazi will talk about sustainability at The Green School in Indonesia. This will involve a

cook-up with participants bringing ingredients for quiches, pizzas, stir fry and Jam tarts.

Address: 36 Cosgrove Drive, Maddingly.

April 16th 2020 (Thursday 10:30) – Cuttings for various plants

Rosa is to demonstrate propagating geraniums and daisy cuttings. Wendy will do

succulents cuttings. These plants will later be sold in July/August as fund raising activity

for garden group. Members are welcomed to bring any other cuttings or empty pots on

that day.

May 21st 2020 (Thursday 10:30) - Recycle, Reuse and Reduce

Wendy will show us her new hot-house and wall gardens by using second-hand materials.

More topics on how to care for environment and a commitment to sustainability.

Handouts to various open gardens in the region will be shared on the day.

June 18th 2020 (Thursday 10:30)- Workshop

At Rosa’s – Use of pallets and other scrap material to make wall gardens – Grayce to

demonstrate.

Activities for following dates will be announced a few weeks prior to the date:

July 16th

August 20th

September 17th

October 15th

November 19th

Our members share seedlings, cuttings, plants, magazines, books, garden expertise and

knowledge. Most importantly we have fun and make friends through activities.

We welcome any new ideas and recommendations for future activities.

Our garden group leaders contact details:

Mazi (0409 245 881) Rosa (0405 588 048) Wendy (0411 889 129)

ODE TO U3A Came the time in my life and I knew it felt right I reached the age of retirement. The first 6 months was all catch up and rest, Then something happened, you may have well guessed I had all day to fill and nothing much planned Deciding to find something to do is in hand So I looked around locally and internet too Even Google wasn’t helpful, didn’t give me a clue The local newspaper I usually browsed I spotted an add, my thoughts were aroused U3A, learning, socialising, fun, laugh were words they used So I decided to join and to see if I can be amused. A membership form with the fee I sent A little unsure if this is what I meant Have a go I thought, what can I loose If I don’t like it, I can withdraw if I choose. I started with one session and was totally hooked There was fun, laughter and sharing so another session I booked By now I made new friends and we all seems to click Maybe because we were like minded, that’s how we tick.

Having all this fun is a great way to be, My days were filled with doing things for me Then came the day for our Annual General Meeting Nominate for the committee, my friends said in greeting. So nominate I did and you’ll never guess what I ended up getting the secretary spot The next few years proved to be quite a chal-lenge Arranging, organising just being there was some-times a hard manage. With a full committee and our memberships growing Our classes have increased and our tutors are glowing. Sometimes there are not enough hours in the day To make time for all the activities per say. Now I would just like to say To all the volunteers in U3A A very big thank you for all that you do

You fill the days for many who appreciate you too. Helen Brown Secretary U3A Bacchus Marsh Thanks Helen

Who’s Who in U3A: Don Tucker

I was born into a loving caring family in December 1938 and until the age of 16 lived in Skipton in the Western District. My mother's parents were close by and my Dad was working on a nearby farm. In 1941, when I was not yet 3, and with a younger sister added to our family, WWII caused our Dad to enlist in the RAAF. He was posted to Darwin where he worked in the airfield construction that was required for the World War II defence of the nation. On the 19th February 1942 there were 64 Bombing raids on Darwin. The same carrier-born force that had devastated Pearl Harbour, killed more civilians and sank more ships in Darwin than in Pearl Harbour, a horror largely kept from the Australian public. Back at home we didn’t realize how much danger Dad was in. During the war years I became very close to my grandfather who worked in a general store in Skipton. I accompanied him on his grocery delivery rounds to the local farmers. Every so often along with my Grandmother we would travel to Ararat , to the gas works to get a load of coke for use in the gas producers attached to the rear of cars at that time, due to the scarcity of petrol. On Saturday afternoons I walked with my Grandfather to the local golf course to watch for aeroplanes and report sightings. Laverton, Point Cook and Avenal were training stations and one leg of flights from these airports was Skipton. I remember a twin engine plane landing on the golf course one morning.

Another vivid memory was during January and February 1942 when the landscape was alight with fires from Hamilton to Skipton with very little help as most able bodied men where in the forces. About 15 or 20 people died as 500 homes and hundreds of thousands of acres were lost. As grass fires came very close I remember sitting on my mother glory box on the back of a truck cradling my younger sister watching in horror as the fire approached us. All this drama happened before I started at school No 582: the same school that Victorian Premier Henry Bolte attended. Later my father owned the Bolte residence. When I was about 12 I drove a neighbour’s cow to and from the town common, before and after school for 2 shillings and six pence a week. After reaching Grade 7 at the Skipton State School I attended Ballarat High School, 30 miles from home, travelling to and fro by a bus that left Skipton at 7.30.a.m. and returned at 6 PM. Following an entrance exam I went from form one to form two in a fortnight. I passed my Intermediate Certificate in the December of my sixteenth year after being offered the incentive of receiving a shotgun if successful. By January, at the age of sixteen, I began work in Skipton with the National Bank of Australasia but by May I was promoted to the Ballarat Branch where all male staff wore hats and were called “Mr” with the female staff addressed as “Miss”, as females were required to resign when contemplating marriage.

As a probationer I collected and opened non confidential mail, made the black ink from powder; ensured that the ink wells were full; that nibs were serviceable, that the blotter was fresh and the ash trays were clean. It was my job to sort and deal with cheques, to open the doors at 10 AM and close same at 3 PM. My salary was eight pounds per week while paying five pound per week board. During my 43 year career with the Bank I moved to many places around Victoria from Sale to Mildura, Wodonga to Port Fairy and many Branches in between these towns. I served on the Relieving staff, the Inspecting staff and in the Staff /Personnel Department. My first Manager’s position was at North Essendon/ Niddrie to which I travelled daily from our bank house in Altona. I moved on to the AMP Branch Bourke Street City, then Personnel Manager for Victoria & Tasmania, then Barkly Street Footscray then a Special Project, then back to Niddrie, and on to the Coburg Business Centre. I started in 1955 with steel nib and ink and finished with a

lap top. I met my wife Jan in Ballarat. We were both born there and went to Ballarat High School but were unknown to each other then. We were married in 1967 and lived in Ringwood. Burwood, Hastings, Shepparton and Altona prior to building, during 1973, our home in Keilor East where we lived for 43 years. Our first child was born in Box Hill Hospital, where I stood in a corridor holding up to the nursery window a sign saying " Show me Baby Tucker Girl”. At the Bush Nursing Hospital in Hastings I was invited to call at the Hospital at 11.30 PM to see our son. Our younger daughter was born in Shepparton, then just a fortnight after her arrival we moved to my first Manager’s Appointment at Altona. As far as the Bank was concerned the family was classed as fully mobile. We love our children and they’ve all turned out very well, giving us four grandchildren. Jan and I enjoy the social aspects of U3A and the many and varied activities that are provided.

Pictured: Don

and Jan Tucker

Quiz Answers

1. The Snowy River

2. Dame Nellie Melba

3. Denmark

4. Living in the 70's

5. Joko Widodo

6. Great Expectations

7. ABS: Anti-lock braking system and

Australian Bureau of Statistics.

8. Sofia Kenin

9. Operation Overlord

10. One billion

SCIENCE AND MATHS returns with not just one group but now two:

Group 1 Mondays 1-3PM and Group 2 Thursday 1-3 PM

Above: Welcome back

Pamela.

Above right: Allan and

John.

Above: Heather, Judy,

Pamela and Ian.

Left: Adrian, Jeni and

Gayle.

Contact Pamela

0400 387 841