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U3A Newslink August 2015

Information and Inspiration for U3A Committees of Management

U3A Network NSW Inc. www.nsw.u3anet.org.au

IRT Foundation Community Grants 2015 Congratulations to three U3A entities which were awarded grants for community development projects by the IRT Foundation. After careful consideration of the 127 applications received, 20 projects totalling $142,966 were approved for this round of funding. Among them were –

• U3A Network NSW – Brain Games Project to develop resources to conduct regular U3A classes to encourage mental agility in older people through exercises to stimulate different parts of the brain.

• U3A Northern Illawarra – Technology Improvements - Computer upgrade to allow for speakers’ requirements and additional microphone to allow members to better hear presentations and debates.

• Shellharbour City U3A – Lifelong Learning Classes in computer use and/or social media for senior members to enhance social interaction.

Pictured at the award presentation - Toby Dawson (Manager IRT Foundation) Ireena Hardy (Northern Illawarra U3A ) Kristine Hughes, (Shellharbour City U3A) Ainslie Lamb (U3A

Network NSW) and Ron Browne. Photo by Greg Ellis, Illawarra Mercury Wednesday August 19, 2015

IRT Foundation’s Community Grants Program is part of IRT (Illawarra Retirement Trust) Group's commitment to give back $20 million to the community by 2020. The Program seeks to engage with local communities to improve the lives of older people by funding practical initiatives through Not-for-profit organisations, community service groups, registered charities and local councils, within its operational areas in New South Wales, the ACT and Queensland. The IRT Foundation also funds academic research which assists in a greater understanding of the ageing process and the care and wellbeing of older people.

Also in this issue …

� President’s

Column

� Network News

� Regional news

� Sharing the

Load

� U3A and LGAs

� Palliative care in

Rural NSW

� Research sites

and more …

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President’s Column

Welcome to Spring. It has been very wet and windy in the last weeks of August, and many towns, particularly in the southern coastal areas, have been badly affected with floods. I hope that our U3As and their members are safe. The Network Committee has trialled its first online Committee meeting, over 5 days in the last week of August. Initially, we thought it would be limited to reception of reports, but inevitably, decisions arise out of the

reports and various proposals within them. The process was a little confusing at first, as each report involved a separate ‘thread’ for discussion, so that at any one time there were 9 or 10 emails travelling back and forth “reply all”. I thank the Committee members, especially Secretary Jean who managed the process, for their co-operation and considered contributions which made the online meeting a success. However, issues which need more discussion are generally more effective ‘face-to-face’, so that will be the mode next time. The Network Committee has been invited to become a member of the NSW Ageing Alliance, a co-operative grouping of 26 (now 27) NFP organisations that operate in NSW providing services to people aged 50 and over. The purpose of the Alliance is to promote the needs, rights and interests of such people, and to develop and advocate policies by government and industry, that will maintain the quality of life of those people as they age. Its secretariat is managed by COTA NSW. The aims of the U3A Network NSW also include co-operation with and support for applied research into lifelong learning and related aspects of ageing. There are two invitations ion this newsletter for participants to engage in research surveys: please encourage your members to participate.

Best wishes, Ainslie ____________________________________________________________________________

Eastlakes U3A invites you to the Network Conference and AGM 2016

Staying ConnectedStaying ConnectedStaying ConnectedStaying Connected

At the Belmont 16ft Sailing Club, Belmont NSW, 27th

– 29th

April 2016.

Put these dates in your diary now! For information, contact Sandy 02 4946 7225.

Program, accommodation and registration details will be available in October.

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Network News Network Website.

The Network website hosts 41 U3As (including the site for U3A Network NSW); 3 Regional sites; 2 Network related sites (Remember when … and Resources Library); 7 Working and tutorial sites ; and 2 Webmaster Tutorial and test sites. In early August the domain suffered a major attack by a hacker (or hackers). At its worst all 55 network websites were down. How the hacker gained access to the site is a mystery. While Web Administrator Ern Hollebone was trying to cope with this problem, the domain was attacked generally and all sites became inaccessible. Ern called upon a colleague ( former Network Committee member, initiator of our website project) Peter Anderson for advice and support which he willingly gave. Together they worked with our service provider (located in Texas), and managed to restore order and return the domain. Since then Ern has taken steps to block illegal access to our site. It is important that all the sub-domains take similar action. Obviously an attack on the domain can be made through a weakness in any one of its sub-domains. The grateful thanks of the Network Committee and all the sub-domain users goes to Ern and Peter for their extensive work to restore our web system. Forum sites Following the request at the Members Forum at the 2015 State Conference, Ern has also established two ‘forum sites’ on the Network website, under the Menu header ‘Private Forum’. The first site is ‘Information Technology’ in which members can discuss management and enrolment systems available to assist with computerised organisation of U3A records, use of iPads, etc. The second is ‘Website Q & A’ in which you can ask Ern for advice about your website. The forum is password protected. The current password is Education.

Management systems

While the Network does not endorse or recommend any particular system, a database software system called MyU3A

has been developed by Ken Steele of Geelong U3A which is used by several U3As. A recent trial of the system at Kempsey Macleay Valley U3A is reported as having worked well in their Term 3 enrolment period. Sydney U3A is also investigating a changeover to this system. For information about this system, go to www.myu3a/network.html or Google - The MyU3A Network

Keeping The Marbles Rolling™

In the May edition of Newslink, we reported that Peter Beale of Eastlakes U3A has generously made his Keeping the

Marbles Rolling (KTMR) available for use by U3As. The only condition is that U3As must sign an agreement that it will be used solely for the U3A to which it is provided and not for any other purpose.

Information about the program can be accessed via the Network website under the ‘Network services’ Menu. The agreement to use the program can also be downloaded from the site, with instructions on how to complete and post the agreement to Peter.

Peter will also make himself available to advise groups running the program. It is currently running successfully in Eastlakes, Lake Macquarie, Tuggerah Lakes and Southlakes U3As and expected to start in another 8 groups in 2016. Network 25

th Anniversary and History

Update

After some preliminary discussions in 1989-90, the NSW U3A Council was formed in 1991. It changed its name to U3A Network NSW Inc in 2006. The Network will be celebrating its 25 years in 2016, to coincide with the State U3A Conference in Belmont. Dr Ron Browne, a member of the Network Committee 2007-11, including President 2010-11, has been appointed by the

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Network Committee to update the history of the Network. He has available minute books from 1991, as well as the memoir Looking Back prepared by Cecily Butcher in 2011 at the time of the 20th anniversary of the Network. He will also be contacting long time U3Aers for their recollections and reflections on U3A in New South Wales.

Can you help?

Ron would like to receive any photographs, or other printed memorabilia such as conference programs etc, that U3A members may have collected over the years. If you have any such documents, you can send them to Ron at 12 Station Street Corrimal NSW 2518, or send scanned copies to him at ronkbrowne@hotmail.com

Balance ‘n’ Bones DVD

The DVD continues to receive a positive response from U3As as an easy-to-use and useful addition to their class offerings, and from individual members who want to keep up their exercises during term breaks. The exercise program was devised and is presented by Beth Denny, an experienced and qualified fitness instructor, especially for older people, to strengthen bones and balance. Beth, who lives in Wollongong, has offered to visit U3As or clusters within a reasonable (same day) travel distance to provide workshops on the program. If your U3A would like Beth to visit, contact her at beth.in09@gmail.com Additional copies of the DVD are available for sale at $20 each, plus postage ($5 for single copies, postage free for batches of 5 copies or more). For copies, contact Ainslie Lamb, 12 Station Street, Corrimal NSW 2518, enclosing a cheque or money order payable to the U3A Network NSW Inc, for the relevant amount.

Addition to the Resource Library

Catalogue - Tony Whittingham’s presentation to the 2015 Network Conference on Third Age Learning in a

Digital World and a list of resources can now be accessed by a link to his website.

Regions of the Network

For Regional Representative contact details, see pp. 11.

Metropolitan – Sydney U3A

North West – Armidale, Inverell, Moree, Namoi, Tamworth, Warrumbungle U3As North Coast - Ballina/Byron, Brunswick Valley, Clarence River, Coffs Harbour, Dorrigo Plateau, Forster-Tuncurry, Gloucester, Grafton, Kempsey-Macleay, Manning Valley, Nambucca Valley, Northern Rivers (Lismore), Port Macquarie Hastings, Port Macquarie Watonga, Tweed Coast U3As Central Coast-Hunter – Central Coast, Cessnock, Eastlakes, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Myall, Newcastle, Norfolk Island, Port Stephens, S.A.M., Singleton, Southlakes, Tuggerah U3As. South West/ACT – ACT, Cootamundra, Corowa-Rutherglen, Deniliquin, Goulburn-Mulwaree, Griffith ISSA, Snowy Mountains U3As. South Coast - Bateman’s Bay, Bermagui District, Central Illawarra, Kiama, Milton-Ulladulla, Northern Illawarra, Sapphire Coast, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Wollongong, Southern Highlands, MacArthur, Liverpool U3As.

Central West/Blue Mountains – Bathurst, Cowra, Forbes, Hawkesbury, Mudgee District, Nepean-Blue Mountains, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Dubbo U3As. Interstate member U3As – Armadale (WA), Bunbury (WA) Mandurah City (WA), U3A UWA (WA), Manjimup(WA), Geraldton (WA), Atherton Tablelands (Q), Cairns (Q), Mackay (Q), Charles Sturt (SA), Gawler (SA), Mount Gambier (SA), Noarlunga (SA), Port Adelaide (SA), Yorke Peninsula (SA), Strathalbyn (SA), Tamar Valley (T), Hobart (T), Kingborough (T), Meander Valley (T), Port Sorell (T), Wynyard (T).

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Regional News

Manning Valley U3A From Manning Valley U3A Term 3 newsletter

Our Silver Tones Singers held two fund-raising concerts last year to provide equipment for the children’s ward at Manning RR Hospital - an Airvo 2 machine which aids respiration, was approved and has finally arrived. For the presentation of the cheque, President Ern, Pam Archer and several of the founding members made the presentation to Tracey Laidlaw, Nurse Manager of the Paediatric Unit.

Bathurst From the Bathurst U3A Term 3 newsletter

Congratulations to two members of the Creative Writing Group who both won first prizes for pieces entered into the Royal Bathurst Show writing competition - Jan Shepherd in the Open Poetry section for her poem The Miners Cottage, and Graham West (Champion) in the Open story section for his story My Life As a Dog.

The Friday DIY group, which meets at Bunnings at 2 pm on Fridays, have taken part in the restoration of an old bench in a session called ‘Restoring Outdoor Furniture’. The finished bench is expected to have a plaque on it noting that it was restored by U3A members and it will be donated to the Bathurst Community Garden.

Got something to share? A new course, a district honour, a community event? Send news or articles to editor@nsw.u3anet.org.au or ainslielamb@gmail.com Deadline for the next issue of Newslink is 30th October

Sharing The Load

By Aileen Harland,

Liaison Officer, Wollongong U3A.

It's always a problem. Organizers seeking to put on a variety of courses face a huge strain in finding the human resources to maintain a vibrant, challenging program. Often it can seem that there are never enough people willing and able to carry out the research and deliver the presentations. One answer is to share the load by encouraging speakers from one U3A to travel to other nearby branches and deliver the same or similar presentation more than once. Wollongong and Northern Illawarra U3As have added a rich component to their overall offerings. Every term, each branch sets out a program of movies in their newsletter. Members watch the movie as a group, then remain afterwards to discuss and critique what has been shown. The overarching aim is to bring together like-minded people who enjoy experiencing a broad selection of classic films. The Coordinator of both groups, Rick Thompson, has a wealth of knowledge and experience behind him. Originally from the USA where he initially held the position of Research Manager for the American Film Institute Centre for Advanced Film Studies and, then, that of lecturer in the UCLA film school (California), Rick accepted an offer to establish a Cinema Studies Program at La Trobe University in Melbourne, which he conducted from 1980 to 2010. Both U3As are fortunate to have him coordinate the film program - at separate venues, some 25 kilometers apart. The two groups are coordinated as follows: * The films chosen each week for Wollongong are different to those shown at Northern Illawarra. * Members of one of those U3As may choose to attend the viewings set up by the other. * By wearing their own U3A membership tag, no additional cost is incurred for either of the two groups for this one component.

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Sharing a resource in this way does NOT seek to diminish the value of each individual U3A: every branch has its own unique identity and character, forged by those people who gather together from one area and exchange common interests and ideas as to what their U3A should be. Sharing a resource in this way multiplies rather than diminishes the value of each individual one. For presenters, there is the advantage of maximizing audiences for a given amount of preparation; for U3A members, the advantage of fresh infusions of insight and information; and for organizers - some blessed relief from a Herculean task! If you would like to know more: email - aileenharland@optusnet.com.au OR phone – 4229 3549/ Mobile 0401 160

Speakers Registers

Some time ago, the Network proposed to establish a Speakers Register of U3A members willing to travel to other U3As to deliver specialist lectures or courses. It has now been decided to regionalise the list, so that Regional Representatives will recruit speakers and circulate the details to the U3As in their Region. Speakers willing to travel to other U3As in their region are requested to contact their Regional Representative with details.

GEMs is a free monthly email newsletter sent by U3A Online to any interested person in any country. You don't need to join U3A Online to receive GEMs. GEMS provides website access to a great range of sites for mental stimulation, current research, wellbeing for older people, and more: subscribe (free) to this online newsletter at www.u3aonline.org.au A particularly useful site is Open Culture

which contains thousands of interesting articles, and access to free online courses and books, language lessons, movies, advice on writing, and loads more.

Book Review The Bush: Travels In The Heart Of

Australia, by Don Watson

Review by Ann Pryosusilo

reprinted from the U3A Armidale June 2015

Newsletter.

This beautifully written and extensively researched book recently won the Book of the Year prize in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. For Don Watson, all land outside the big cities is 'the bush'. His experiences growing up on a farm in Gippsland, his use of accounts written by a variety of settlers since 1788, and his recent travels in many parts of Australia, combine to make an extremely interesting and informative book. There is no mistaking his sympathy for the heroism and suffering of pioneer farmers. At the same time he laments their unintended environmental impact and the bloody conflict resulting in Aboriginal dispossession. Successive administrators and white settlers brought with them their Northern hemisphere vision of an 'agrarian dream', a society of prosperous farmers. Excessive land clearing, Soldier Settlement schemes after both World Wars, the spread of the pastoral industry, all had unintended and sometimes tragic outcomes, while the introduction of plants and animals for both economic and purely nostalgic reasons has often been disastrous. Think of foxes, rabbits, European carp and the cane toad, prickly pear and lantana. Many of today's difficulties have their roots in former policies. Only 15% of our population live outside our cities, yet our politicians speak of 'bush values' including 'practical mateship' as truly Australian values. Australians take to the road to see the bush after spending years in the suburbs. Watson concludes that the bush 'is the source of the nation's idea of itself’, part fact, part fiction. Most of our readers thoroughly enjoyed this book. I want to keep my copy in order to dip into it again. [I heartily concur – Ed.]

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U3A and your LGA

Does your U3A have a good relationship with

your local Council? How might this change as a

result of potential amalgamations. Barrie

Brennan of Tamworth U3A ponders the issues.

My comments following are the result of my observations about the role of Local Government Councils. The observations result from my activities for COTA, the local Country Music Museum and our U3A. My focus here however is our U3As. My concern has been influenced by the notion of the amalgamation of Councils being promoted by the NSW Govt and the fact that our current Tamworth Regional Council results from the amalgamation a decade ago of 3 and a half councils. I am also concerned that I am 'unsure' of where U3A fits within the current NSW Government's picture of the state and the role of organisations like U3A. The Tamworth Regional Council views the U3A as a 'Seniors' group that provides a wide program of activities to keep Seniors active and learning. Our website is connected to the Council site and potential retirees who may come to Tamworth certainly visit our site. We were given the honour of being the No 1 'Seniors' organisation in Tamworth this year. We may be perceived as being a good active group but we are not asked for our opinion or for advice. So we try to make a point of informing the Council. As an example, I have just, with U3A support of course, persuaded the Council to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of our Mechanics' Institute in 1866 (in May 2016). We need to have this 'passing on good news' program to seek to broaden the view of what we represent and that we do have good ideas and plans. But we have the problem that the community does not have a clear picture of what we do, and there is always the problem for Councils to include us as groups, particularly of Seniors, asking for favours. We are competing in our local community with so many other requests,

particularly from the charity area and related to health issues and persons with economic or mental health problems. Another key issue for us – and other U3As of course – is transport. The city has a bus service but primarily it serves the school children and those in the villages distant from the city. There are funds made available for transport of elderly and particularly sick elderly people, but there are more demands for 'the sick' than the funds provided can offer. With health, transport, accommodation and other services with higher priorities, the possibility of U3A being able to make some real contribution is problematic. If we seem to be 'pestering' the Council or Government departments or the agencies that are now receiving government funds on a regular basis, there seems to be a reluctance to listen to our calls for help or assistance. The question then for us is: What do we really need to ensure that we are able to continue with our current program and lift our overall activities to help the wide community as well as our own members and other oldies? As with other U3As, the provision of facilities for our wide range of activities is a major, and ongoing, problem. It is both of these things because access to the facility may be cancelled at short notice or the ownership of the facility may change. We have a range of activities: we need a range of locations. A key aspect is that these facilities may be located at an address that is 'remote' or 'at the top of a hill'. Do we have to share in some way some part of the facility for some of 'our time' at the site? In many LG areas the council does have access to properties and other facilities that could perhaps be used, and their use may be helpful to us, but there is no general, clearly identified policy from the LG body. We can argue that our use of the facility may help to reduce the isolation of elderly persons but that argument carries little weight with the Council. Then there is the issue of a headquarters, home office + storeroom and perhaps an area where at least some of the U3A's

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materials and equipment may be stored and secured. At the moment much of our 'gear' is in the boots of cars or in the garages of Management Committee members. We are pleased that iPads have replaced large computers .. a storage problem somewhat reduced. Also of concern are the costs associated with venues and the office plus storage plus space for some activities. These two activities – venues and HQ - are important factors in the costs for members. For some potential members the difference between their becoming and not becoming members may be related to the costs produced by venues and the management of the organisation. We have entered an agreement with the local Community College to hire a room at the College – they have experienced a reduction of numbers in day-time classes. The hire is quite costly and has caused us to increase our yearly membership although not with a large increase. It is an important, but also difficult, strategy for U3As that they need to justify their contribution to the community, eg in helping outsiders come to town or to provide activities that are not offered by other organisations. This strategy is certainly important if there is just one U3A in the council region. If there are several U3As in the region it may be necessary for the U3As to establish a combined/united strategy. Councils – unless they are disbanded or absorbed – stay on forever. U3As define their own lifetime. The U3As require some sort of relationship with their local Council. Though a location-specific problem, it should be given some reasonably high priority in the projects for many of the U3As in the Network – especially if their town or suburb is involved in a LG amalgamation. I do not claim to have answers to the problem of relations with local government. However, I think it is an important problem that may become more important in some areas in the near future. I would be happy to be involved in any plans for investigating this problem.

Stronger Communities Grant

Applications - Is your U3A eligible?

In the 2015 Budget, the Australian Government announced the Stronger Communities Program to fund small capital projects in local communities in each of the 150 Federal Electorates.

The objective of the Stronger Communities Program is to fund small capital projects which will deliver social benefits. The program aims to improve local community participation, cohesion and contribute to vibrant and viable communities.

Key Aspects

� Federal Members of Parliament (MPs) will establish a community consultation committee to undertake consultation in their electorate to identify eligible projects and invite applicants to apply.

� Local government and incorporated not-for-profit organisations are eligible to apply.

� Grants of between $5,000 and up to a maximum of $20,000 are available.

� Applicants are required to confirm matched funding in cash or in-kind on at least a dollar-for-dollar basis.

� Funding of $150,000 per electorate per year will be allocated for two years commencing 2015-16.

Applications are recommended by your local Federal MP following community consultation. MPs will select projects from their electorate, totalling no more than $150,000 per year, and submit these projects to the Department for assessment against the requirements of the Guidelines. MPs will provide selected applicants with a link to the Department’s Grants Management System (GMS) Portal to enable them to complete their application.

For further information including eligibility guidelines, Google Stronger Communities Programme - Infrastructure Investment or contact your local Federal Member of Parliament .

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Push for Local Palliative Care in Rural

NSW

By Dr Yvonne McMaster, MMBS (Syd)

FRACGP, Palliative Care Consultant

Living longer is a fact of modern life. Where our grandparents before us could expect to live to the ripe old age of 60, many of us today will live well past 80, with the average Australian life expectancy being 82.1. This fact has its advantages – it means we have more time to live active, fulfilling and meaningful lives – but it has also shed light on several weak spots across our public health care system, and forced us to ask some difficult questions. How do we deal with complex and advanced cases of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s, heart failure, cancer and emphysema? How costly is a cure when quality of life is ignored? Do we think about care holistically enough? Answers to these questions may lie in palliative care. Palliative care is a form of care focused on relieving patient suffering and achieving the best possible quality of life for patients and their families. 24/7 pain and symptom management, emotional support, counsel on both disease progression and navigating the health care system are just part of the broad spectrum of services which fall under this medical specialty. Palliative care isn’t just about the end of life – it can be helpful at any stage and any age. In truth, many people these days who need palliative care are not dying; they are living with one or more chronic diseases, and may be doing so for many years. Palliative care should be there to provide support and maintain quality of life throughout the entire lifetime of a life-limiting illness – from first diagnosis to final breath. Palliative care is wonderful. Sadly,

there’s not enough of it, especially in rural and regional NSW. Currently, there are only five specialist palliative care doctors across rural and regional NSW and all part timers but two. The fortunate towns are Coffs Harbour, Orange, Broken Hill and Lismore. Each community has benefited enormously from having these physicians

on hand to lead their teams, manage patients’ symptoms, and support people and this support can be delivered concurrently with active, life prolonging treatments. However, five specialists spread scantily across the state cannot provide the quantity of care needed. Palliative care is a relatively new specialty and this may be one reason why it has been so hard to get it out to rural and regional areas. Most work in rural areas is done by nurses – some of whom are specialist palliative care nurses. These nurses work hard to cushion the gaps in the palliative care network, but are also sadly too thin on the ground. Support is tough to come by – particularly administrative support –most are unable to collect data on their work and often spend time completing menial, secretarial tasks. Back-fill for leave, sickness or professional development is non-existent, but perhaps most alarmingly is the fact that while pain is often hardest to endure in the darkest hours of dawn, there is no specialist help available after hours – not even phone advice. Now, the community is fired up about

palliative care. Over the past 3 years I have circulated a petition asking the State Government to improve funding and ensure that there are enough specialist doctors and nurses to meet the community’s needs. There are currently 76,026 signatures on this petition – many from rural and regional NSW. We have also formed a group called ‘Push

for Palliative’ and are calling for people to become Ambassadors and further the case for palliative care in their local area. To date there are 32 Ambassadors . [ This article was submitted to Newslink by Dr McMaster. Readers interested in the issues raised may contact her at 66 Carrington Road Wahroonga 2076 or phone (020 9487 6901.]

We don’t stop playing because we grow

old, we grow old because we stop playing.

– George Bernard Shaw

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PARTICIPANTS REQUIRED FOR

RESEARCH PROJECT

What are the aims of the research?

In this PhD research we are interested in how our thinking processes affect our performance in everyday life. We think that people’s personalities may have a role to play in cognitive functioning, and are particularly interested in how our personality and mood affects our ability to keep up with everyday demands such as remembering appointments, or keeping place when reading a page. Who can participate?

We are looking for people who are aged 50-80 years and who have no history of neurological problems (e.g. stroke, dementia, brain injury). What will I have to do?

We will ask you to complete some questionnaires asking about your personality, mood and ability to remember things and pay attention in everyday life. These will take about 30 minutes to complete, and can be done on paper or accessed online at this address:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/everydaycognition We will then meet with you to complete a series of verbal and computer-based tasks that will require you to remember some words and images. These will take around 1 hour to complete, and can be done on campus or elsewhere. All up, this short study will require no more than 1.5 hours of your time.

You will be compensated for your time with a $25 gift card (Woolworths).

How can I participate?

If you are interested in participating and would like more information on the study, please contact Nicole Carrigan in the School of Psychology. Email: nc957@uowmail.edu.au Phone: 0431 392 824

Ethics: HE14/091

___________________________________________________________________________ Faculty of Health, Arts and Design at Swinburne University

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN A RESEARCH PROJECT

LIFE REVIEW STUDY

Project Title:

Does online life review improve subjective well-being in older adults? Student Researcher:

Ms Kym Horsburgh, Swinburne University of Technology Principal Supervisor: A/Prof Sunil Bhar, Swinburne University of Technology We are seeking people 60 years and over to participate in a research project. The project will investigate the impact of an internet-based ‘life review task’ on subjective well-being in older adults. Three times over a three week period, some participants will be invited to write about their life events, childhood experiences and accomplishments. Some participants will not be asked to do this. All participants will be asked complete online questionnaires, while a few will be invited to also complete two brief face-to-face tasks. To participate in this study you will need to be:

• at least 60 years old

• be able to read and write in English

• live in Australia

• have access to a computer

• have access to the internet. To participate in the project, or for more information on the project, email Kym Horsburgh on khorsburgh@swin.edu.au or phone 0490 045 417.

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Your Network Committee 2015-16

President – Ainslie Lamb, Vice-President of Northern Illawarra U3A. Ph: (02) 4283 7818 Email: ainslielamb @gmail.com Vice-President – Allan Haggarty, member and former President of Griffith U3A. Ph: (02) 6962 2478 Email: amhaggarty@bigpond.com Treasurer - Geoff Hatch, President of Hawkesbury & District U3A. Email: treasurer@nsw.u3anet.org.au Secretary – Jean de Hosson , member and former President of Southern Highlands U3A. Ph: 0424 380 95 Email: info@nsw.u3anet.org.au Committee members (General)

Lorraine Beukers, Treasurer of Port Macqaurie (Hastings) U3A. Ph: 0411 468 689 Email: lorraine@bettaprint.com.au Elizabeth Imrie, member and former Secretary of Clarence River U3A , Ph: (02) 6645 1674 Email: erimrie@gmail.com Committee members (Regional Representatives) Sandy Freeman, member and former President of Eastlakes U3A, Regional Representative for Central Coast/Hunter Region. Ph: 0409 467 225 Email: sleefreeman@gmail.com Jim Nichterlein, member and former Vice-President of U3A ACT, Regional Representative for South West/ACT Region Email: james.nichterlein@gmail.com Christine Parker, Vice-President of Oberon U3A, Regional Representative for Central West/Blue Mountains Region. Ph: 0428 445 003 Email: christine.parker5@bigpond.com Beverley Peken, President of Sydney U3A , Metropolitan Regional Representative , Ph: (02) 9888 3101 Email: bpeken@bigpond.net.au John Sharkey, member of Tamworth U3A, Regional Representative for North West Region, Ph: (02) 6765 8982 Email: jdsharkey@bigpond.com Lyn Stewart, member of Gloucester U3A, Regional Representative for North Coast Region. Ph: 0410 495 553 Email: lynstewart@netspace.net.au Margaret Stratton, member and former President of Northern Illawarra U3A, Regional Representative South Coast Region. Ph: (02) 4267 3161 Email: maggistraton@hotmail.com Other useful contacts: Network Website : www.nsw.u3anet.org.au Web Administrator : Ern Hollebone Ph (02) 6553 9383 Email: netadmin@nsw.u3anet.org.au Resource Library Manager: Mel Davies email: mel.d@westnet.com.au Ph: 02 4959 2867 Newslink – Email: editor@nsw.u3anet.org.au

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