MOSELEY, KINGS HEATH & DISTRICT U3A
NEWSLETTER no.20 January 2015
A Happy New Year to all our members!
January Members' Meeting For our first meeting of 2015 we are pleased to welcome back Hugh Davies. Hugh spoke to us last summer on the breaking of the Engima code during the Second World War.
On this occasion he is taking us back to the First World War, on the linked subject of espionage. His topic is “Great Spies of the Great War”.
Hugh is a guide at Bletchley Park and conducts many talks on WW2 Intelligence to organisations such as the U3A, WI, Probus, History Societies & commercial organisations.
The meeting will be at the All Saints Centre at 2.00pm on Tuesday January 13.
New Interest Groups We are pleased to let you know that with the new year we are ushering in three new interest groups:
Poetry Appreciation The Poetry Appreciation group will read and discuss poetry, invite poets to perform their work and go to poetry events. It will meet on the second Friday of each month at a venue yet to be decided. For further information contact Paul Hunt on [email protected]
Intermediate German Conversation This group will meet fortnightly, on the second and fourth Thursday of the month between 10am and 12 noon at a venue yet to be agreed. The starting date is Thursday January 8. Members interested need to have German at approximately GCSE standard or above. If you are interested in joining the group please contact Uta Smail on 0121 444 4979 or email [email protected]
The Voice: Healthy Singing in Later Life This group is for members who enjoy singing and want to improve or freshen up their voice. The sessions are primarily about vocal technique. Attention will be given to extending the range, singing in tune, pronunciation of words and improved tone quality. It is not necessary to be able to read music. The group will meet for 6 sessions, the first and third Mondays of the month from 10.30- 1.30pm. The starting date is January 19. If you are interested in joining the group or would like more information about it please contact Jeanne Conard-Jones on 0121 444 0353 or email [email protected] .
Geoff Sims (1944 – 2014)
1 It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of our members. Geoff Sims died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on December 16. He was just 70 years old.
Geoff was a member of the very successful U3A Digital Photography group. He was in fact the mainstay of the group, being one of the more experienced photographers.
He mentored less experienced members and inspired us to get to know our cameras, encouraging us to take control of our cameras by getting off the auto buttons - “have you actually read the manual for your camera?” was his wicked comment.
His contribution to the Digital Photography group was tremendous. He posted links to useful articles and exhibitions; he hosted most of the meetings and patiently helped us to view and discuss our photos on his computers.
His inspiration led to the development of the greeting cards project, and some of his work can be seen within the packs which will be available shortly. One of his photographs has been chosen to be in the Birmingham section of the West Midlands Regional U3A banner.
He was unassuming in his manner and, in the very calm, supportive way which encouraged our improvement, he became a friend to us all. He will be greatly missed.
Sue Stokes, on behalf of the Digital Photography Group.
Lunch Club Unfortunately, due to lack of take-up, the January meal at Kababish has had to be cancelled.
In future the Lunch Club will be meeting bi-monthly. The next meal is at Bohemia in Selly Oak on February 18. The cost will be £14.50 for 2 courses or £16.50 for 3 courses
There are places available. If you wish to book a place or places, please email Paul on [email protected] U3A Summer Schools The national U3A is running a number of Summer Schools in July and August 2015.
2 The list of topics includes:
July August Art History Drama Creative Writing Garden Design France Golden Age of Rome Film History La Bella Italia Philosophy/Literature Literature Practical Theatre Project Music Recorder Ensemble Scandinavian Noir Shakespeare and the Supernatural Science What is this thing called Mathematics Singing for Pleasure
The July ones will be held at Harper Adams University in Shropshire from July 13 to 16 and the August ones at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester from August 17 to 20. For further information, look at the U3A website, www.u3a.org.uk or contact the National Office on 020 8466 6139.
Change to Members' Meeting Programme We are very pleased to let you know that Graham Stroud, who spoke to us in April this year about the European Union, has agreed to do the same in the run up to next year's General Election. In April, Graham will give a shorter talk, recapping some of the main points from this year's talk, looking at some of the issues which have arisen in the General Election campaign up to that point, and then allow plenty of time for questions. This will replace our planned April meeting on “Kings Heath in the past”, which we hope to re-book for later in the year.
2015 Members' Meetings The first six meetings of 2015 are as below:
Date Time Venue Topic Speaker Tuesday January 2.00 All Saints Centre Great Spies of the Great War Hugh Davies 13, 2015 Tuesday Feb 10, 2.00 All Saints Centre Cotswold Curiosities Alan Winterburn 2015 Tuesday March 2.00 All Saints Centre Crime and Punishment in History Paul Harding 10, 2015 Tuesday April 14, 2.00 All Saints Centre European Union (title to be Graham Stroud 2015 arranged) Tuesday May 12 2.00 All Saints Centre Annual General Meeting
Tuesday June 9 2.00 All Saints Centre Art Deco Chris Morgan
Once again, all the meetings will be on the second Tuesday of the month. Equipment Available for Interest Group use We have recently purchased a portable screen and a sound system which will connect to a laptop. These, in ad- dition to our digital projector, can be borrowed by Interest Groups for specific meetings.
If you are interested, the Group Leader needs to get in touch with Mike Clark on [email protected]
3 Our Website The address for the website is below. You may click on this link if viewing the newsletter online. mkhdu3a.org.uk.
Contact Information For Interest Group enquiries, please contact one of the Interest Group Coordinators: Sue Baker, [email protected] 0121 449 5737, Sue Stokes, [email protected] 0121 441 3052, or Diane Worland, [email protected] 0121 684 3763 For membership enquiries, please contact: Chris and Greg Bellamy, [email protected] 0121 449 2470 For general enquiries, please contact: Jude Williams, 0121 443 3645 or Mike Clark, 0121 689 2765
Moseley, Kings Heath and District U3A January 2015
4