Eastbourne & Wealden U3A ISSUE # 87

Registered Charity No.: 1184226 1st Quarter 2021

The hippopotamus, (commonly known as the hippo), common hippopotamus or river hippopotamus, is a large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammal and ungulate native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus. Wikipedia

Speed: 48 km/h (Maximum, On Land, Running) Trophic level: Omnivorous Encyclopaedia of Life Lifespan: 40 – 50 years Gestation period: 243 days Diet: Herbivore Mass: Male: 1,500 – 1,800 kg (Adult), Female: 1,300 – 1,500 kg (Adult)

Page 1 of 12

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a good Christmas and I think we are all hoping that this year will be better than last year.

We are still not able to meet in person, but some of you with the technology are able to meet each other virtually. When it is safe and we are permitted to do so, we will resume our Groups and monthly meetings.

I strongly encourage all our groups to use the technology to meet where this is practical. Not every group can use Zoom to meet up with their group members, such as Crafts, Scrabble, Canasta, Photography and Music, but I am sure many others can.

It won’t cost you a penny. Our Vice Chairman, Richard Sanders, holds the Zoom license for our u3a and is more than happy to schedule your meetings for you. You can then spend up to 24 hours without interruption!!! Please Group Leaders, give it a try.

In the meantime, please keep well and safe, until we can meet again. Happy New Year to you all.

Debbie Phillips

DATE FOR YOUR 2021 DIARY

Your & Wealden u3a committee have decided to try a zoom MEMBER MEETING on Tuesday 2nd February at 2pm (this will be our usual meeting day - first Tuesday in the month). We have engaged a speaker with whom some of you are already acquainted - Geoffrey Meads has been booked for a Zoom presentation on “Pevensey Levels – A Landscape Passed By”. Meeting details and ID will be forwarded to all members on e-mail nearer the date. Hope lots of you will join us for this presentation.

Editor’s Contact Details: The deadline for submissions for the next Richard Sanders issue of the Windmill, due to be Email: [email protected] published the first week of April, is the Mobile: 07776 101228 15th March 2021.

Page 2 of 12

Dear Editor,

I see that the committee is encouraging members to embrace technology – and the use of Zoom for virtual meetings. So, I thought you might like to know of my experiences with this system. As you know, I am group leader of the Current Affairs Group and we have used Zoom for our meetings for several months now. This has allowed us to continue our discussions, while complying with the various COVID restrictions (there are more than six of us). You may have noticed the effect our continuing deliberations have had on national and intentional politics?!?! The practicalities of the system are amazingly simple. You download the Zoom app and then wait for the details of the meeting to be sent out by email. Then you simply click on the code in the email at the right time, and there you are, with other participants in that meeting all looking at each other on the screen. It works with a desktop PC as well as laptops and smaller devices such as iPads. (It will work with smart phones too, but the screen is too small). Obviously, this will not be of any use to some groups (virtual dining will have its limitations), but I would have hoped that others, such as musical appreciation and language study would be ideally suited to this. I might mention that in addition to the U3A, sorry – u3a - I am a member of three other local societies, all of which very successfully use this system to a greater of lesser extent, the genealogy, astronomy, and archaeology societies. In the genealogy society, of which I am secretary, we have also started to use it for committee meetings and intend to use it for lectures to the membership from the New Year. In some cases, we may well not return to actual meetings in the future.

Sincerely, John Crane

Dear Editor

To the members in our u3a: I really hope that someone is considering taking over from me as Secretary in April.

I have been Secretary for nine years and, according to our Constitution, I should have left our u3a committee years and years ago. Therefore, I am sorry to say that I must retire from the Committee even if I, or anyone else, does not want me to.

Please, please give it some thought.

Sandra Rowe

Page 3 of 12

A COCKNEY - OR MAYBE NOT?

My parents, both Londoners, moved to Eastbourne after the war. My brother and I are “baby boomers” born in 1946. Expecting twins, our mother was worried about complications. The Maternity Hospital in Upperton Road had a bad reputation regarding difficult births. So, as my mum’s parents still lived in London, she moved back with them three weeks before we were due.

We were born at the University College Hospital, the maternity wing of which I have always understood was then in Gower Street. My mum always maintained that the hospital was within the Bells of Bow, namely St Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside, which made us Cockneys.

Was she right? I have never queried it, and I have always regarded myself an Eastbournian. Am I, or am I not, a Cockney? I would love to know. John Riley

SCRABBLE GROUP - are seeking a new GROUP LEADER After many years of hosting the Scrabble Group, and giving the members numerous enjoyable afternoons, Jill Hicks has, unfortunately (for us), decided to retire from the group. Therefore, when our u3a returns to normal activities, the Scrabble Group will not be available unless a new Group Leader is found. A Group Leader is a very satisfying job and Jill will be more than pleased to help her successor in every way possible. Should any present member (of either the group or indeed a new u3a member) be prepared to take on the role, please contact David Oakes (398072) our new Group Leader Co-Ordinator.

by Roger Lee

Doorstep conversation 2 Months later, on the door knocks Josiah I wonder if I am on their database He too wants to discuss the chosen Messiah Marked as a potential conversion case And repentance, damnation as well as hellfire A candidate for redemption and grace Underpinned by the teachings of Jeremiah. Destined for a much holier place.

He possesses the most engaging smile As well as the latest bibliophile Featuring gospel passages on his mobile The latest Samsung, so versatile.

Page 4 of 12

U3A Rambling Group

In October we had our first walk since March and chose a lovely sunny day, starting from East Dean and walking into Friston Forest.

Unfortunately, both our November and December walks were cancelled firstly due to the lockdown and then to keep away from others as much as possible to try and make Christmas as safe as we can for everyone. Let’s hope we can start properly again in the New Year!

This is what I am proposing that we do for the start of 2021:

January 8th - From Hampden Park Café to Shinewater Lake. A flat 5-mile walk, mainly on hard surfaces so it should not be too muddy.

February 12th - From Eastbourne Youth Hostel, up to the South Downs Way, then towards the sea and back on the Jubilee Way. Some ups and downs, 4.75 miles.

March 12th - From Butts Brow to Jevington. Some ups and downs, about 5 miles. Do not forget your Resident’s Card for parking at Butts Brow.

We will be stopping at some point on the walks, so remember to bring a drink.

We will be ensuring that we are Covid-19 secure, therefore 1. The leader will need to do a risk assessment before each walk. 2. Numbers will be limited to the leader + 15, so we will have a booking system (at least for the early walks so that we can judge numbers). Please contact me in the week before the walk if you would like to join us. 3. There will be a register of everyone who comes, for Track and Trace, and this list will be kept for 21 days. 4. All walkers should bring their own mask and hand sanitiser with them.

Theresa Hancock | 01323-726685 | [email protected]

Page 5 of 12

History of the Eastbourne (Part 2 – final)

Various traditional pier theatres were built over the years but after the last one was destroyed by fire in 1970, it was replaced by a nightclub and bar which remain to this day. On the landward half of the pier stands a fish and chip kiosk, an amusement arcade, and a fast-food outlet. Further out, as well as the club there is a cafe, a restaurant, a glassblower, a clothes shop, and an ice cream parlour. The tower at the end of the pier is often used as a viewing point during the annual air show. For more than a decade, the pier played host to the town's annual Birdman competition, which saw competitors jump into the sea in home-made costumes to see who could 'fly' the furthest. Six Limited placed Eastbourne Pier up for sale in 2009, with an asking price of £5.5 million. The sale price included a tearoom, two bars, an amusement arcade, and a nightclub. On 21 October 2015, Abid Gulzar, a local hotelier, bought the pier for an undisclosed sum, although it is believed to be less than £5.5 million.

Fire The pier suffered a fire on 30 July 2014 that ripped through a large amount of the central domed building. Sussex Police initially said that the fire was not to be treated suspiciously, though later the police said arson was suspected. Fire & Rescue Service deployed up to 80 officers to tackle the blaze, which allegedly started in wood panelling on the walls of the games arcade. After fighting the fire through the night, fire officers eliminated the main hotspots and saved two-thirds of the pier with the main arcade being the only large building affected. The outer pavilion was not reached by the fire, which came just two weeks before Eastbourne's largest tourist event on the seafront, the air show “Airbourne”.

Page 6 of 12

A few days after the air show, a workman on the pier fell through the destroyed part and died hours later.

In popular culture The pier appears in the Agatha Christie's Poirot episode "Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan" (although ostensibly, the story is in ) and in "Curtain: Poirot's Last Case". It was also featured in the 2001 film Last Orders and the 2008 film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. The 2010 film Brighton Rock used Eastbourne Pier to stand in for Brighton's Palace Pier. Eastbourne Town FC supporters club "Pier Pressure" are named in homage to the pier.

Awards 1997 – – Pier of the Year

Globetrotters The Globetrotters group continues to meet on the 4th Monday of each month although this now must be on Zoom. In October Sylvia James gave an illustrated talk, via Zoom, about her trip to Thailand in 2011. She explained the location of Thailand, its religions, 94.6% being Buddhist, and about the change from being ruled by kings from 1238 until the bloodless revolution in 1932 when the monarch became a constitutional monarchy, as in , where the government runs the country. She had planned a trip to see the Bridge on the river Kwai and on route she visited a Bridge on the River Kwai floating market where produce was sold from boats on one of the many canals which run across the country and link into the Mae River. The museum at the Bridge was very moving and is known as the JEATH Museum. The letters stand for the five countries who were involved with the building of the bridge, namely Japan, England, Australia, Thailand, and Holland. The railway stretched for 258 miles from Siam (Thailand) to Burma (Myanmar). It was completed mainly by allied prisoners of war. Sylvia saw many statues of Buddha and sacred temples. The one which she found most fascinating was the incomplete ‘’Sanctuary of Truth’’ This massive temple, which was started in 1981, is constructed completely of wood and work is still ongoing. Work is estimated to be finished at the earliest in 2025. It is an amazing project.

Page 7 of 12

In November Wendy Brownlow used Zoom to talk and show photographs about her holiday in Croatia. She started in the capital, Zagreb, where she was impressed with all the historical buildings such as St Mark's church with the brightly-coloured tiled roof, the cathedral with the monument of the 20th century saint, the 9th century writing of the Ten Commandments, and the town gas lights which are still being lit daily. She also spoke about Samobor, Slunj, Zadar, Sibenik, Tucepi, Split, Cavtat and Dubrovnik which were also very interesting. The national parks such as Krka and Plitvice were the highlight for her, however, with all the beautiful lakes with clear waters of bright colours and waterfalls in gorges with woodland around.

Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya

The next meetings, with illustrated talks, will be at 2pm on the 25th January when Brian Carter will continue his presentation of Dublin. And on the 22nd February Sylvia James will talk and show photos about Singapore, Bronel and Borneo.

Floating Market

If you would like to join the group, please contact the group leader Wendy Brownlow on 01323 486138

Krka National Park

Page 8 of 12

For my curious friends......

Excellent Questions – Looking for Answers!

1. If poison passes its expiration date, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous? 2. Which letter is silent in the word "Scent," the S or the C? 3. Do twins ever realize that at least one of them is unplanned? 4. Why is the letter W, in English, called double U? Shouldn't it be called double V? 5. Maybe oxygen is slowly killing you and It only takes 75-100 years to fully work. 6. Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty. 7. The word "swims" upside-down is still "swims" 8. 100 years ago, everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars and only the rich own horses.

Four great confusions still unresolved.

1. At a movie theatre, which arm rest is yours? 2. If people evolve from monkeys, why are monkeys still around? 3. Why is there a 'D' in fridge, but not in refrigerator? 4. Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made?

Vagaries of English Language!

1. Ever wonder why the word funeral starts with FUN? 2. Why isn't a Fireman called a Waterman? 3. How come Lipstick doesn't do what it says? 4. If money doesn't grow on trees, how come Banks have Branches? 5. If a Vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a Humanitarian eat? 6. How do you get off a non-stop Flight? 7. Why are goods sent by ship called CARGO and those sent by truck SHIPMENT? 8. Why do we put cups in the dishwasher and the dishes in the Cupboard? 9. Why do doctors 'practice' medicine? Are they practicing at the cost of the patients? 10. Why is it called 'Rush Hour' when traffic moves at its slowest then? 11. How come Noses run and Feet smell? 12. Why do they call it a TV 'set' when there is only one? 13. What are you vacating when you go on a vacation? 14. Did you know that if you replace "W" with "T" in "What, Where and When", you get the answer to each of them?

The Editor regrets that he cannot determine who sent him this article. Will that person please let him know so that he can give due acknowledgement.

Page 9 of 12

Extracts from the TAT newsletter.

U3A or u3a By Sam Mauger, Third Age Trust, Chief Executive

Thank you for the many emails and phone calls on whether to use uppercase or lower case in our writing. This helped us give clarity in our guidance.

From now on the Trust will refer to the movement in articles as u3a in lower case. This is to reflect the fresh and more modern look of our logo. We recognise that each u3a is an independent charity but hope you will also adopt this change where possible.

This guidance however does not apply to your legally registered name – for example when dealing with your banks – where you may be registered as U3A or University of the Third Age and should use that.

Ian McCannah, Chair of the Third Age Trust

"Over 350 Trust Volunteers are key to how the Trust delivers support and advice to the movement. Without these dedicated members we would not have the financial resources to purchase their expertise. Some of these Trust Volunteers sit on the Trust’s committees. A copy of the list of committees will be available from 4 January on request by emailing [email protected] or [email protected]

In the early summer, I asked members for their views on how the movement should prepare itself for the end of lockdown. Their comprehensive and thoughtful comments were included in a report that I made available to the membership in the autumn. Hopefully, Spring may see the return of u3a activity.

Committees will be looking for ways to retain existing members and to attract new ones. Against this background, I will update my earlier report if members send me their current thoughts on the movement post lockdown. Again, the resulting summary of grassroots view will be given wide circulation, via the Trust's communication channels, in the new year. Comments to [email protected] please.

Meanwhile, best wishes for the Festive Season and hoping that 2021 will bring with it a return of u3a activity that does so much to enhance our lives."

Page 10 of 12

The solution to the puzzles in Issue No. 86 are:

Can anyone work out what the message is from the left-hand puzzle? I didn’t receive any answers or cries for help on these two puzzles. I would have been grateful if I had some feedback.

Would you like to try the following?

Place the numbers 1 to 9 only once in the grid to complete the sums correctly. Sums are calculated from left to right and from top to bottom.

Fill this Number Tower so that every square contains a number. Each square is the sum of the two squares directly below it.

Page 11 of 12

Group Contacts, Meeting Days and Times

Meet our new Group Leader Co-Ordinator – David Oakes

Group Name Group Leader Telephone Meeting Day Time Arabic Mona Radwan 01424 2nd & 4th Friday 10.00am Canasta Mike Garner 728541222932 Every Friday 2.00pm Craft Ann Parfitt 657141 3rd Friday 10.00 -12.00

Current Affairs John Crane 502432 2nd Thursday 7.15pm Day Trippers Sylvia James 500520 Varies Varies Dining Sandra Rowe 724671 3rd Thursday 6.30pm Spoken French Susan Winge 640257 2nd Monday 2.45pm French Intermediate Marie-Helene Shotton 642283 2nd Tuesday 10.00am Garden Barbara Fry 645291 3rd Monday 2.00pm Globe Trotters Wendy Brownlow John 486138 4th Monday 2.30pm Riley 724972 Guitar Discontinued Alternate Wednesdays 2.00-4.00pm Literature Gill Ackerman 730655 2nd Wednesday 2.00pm

Local History Sandra Rowe 724671 4th Friday 10.00am Luncheon Club Anne Newson 472259 4th Tuesday 12.00 noon Mah Jong Brenda Shah 482872 1st & 3rd Monday 10.00am

Music Makers Anne & Ted Barden 501334 2nd Thursday 2.00pm Musicality Gill Ackerman / Brenda Winter 730655 / 423961 3rd Wednesday 2.00pm Philosophy John Moore 507781 2nd Monday 2.30pm

Photography A(LL) Richard Sanders 07776 101228 3rd Monday 2.00pm Photography D(SLR) Richard Sanders 07776 101228 4th Friday 10.00am Play Reading Judith Robinson 412217 2nd Tuesday 6.30pm Rambling Theresa Hancock 726685 2nd Friday 10.00am Reading for Pleasure John Moore 507781 1st Monday 2.00pm

Scrabble Vacant 1st Wednesday 2.00pm Small Group Lunches Barrie Pipe 638946 4th Tuesday 12.15 for 12.30pm

Spanish Anne Barden 501334 Alternate Mondays 9.30am Stretch & Balance Sylvia James 500520 Each Tuesday (Except 1st) 1.45pm

Ten Pin Bowling John Phillips 768227 2nd & 4th Tuesday 9.45 for 10.00am Open to all Theatre Margaret Kipling/Marion Ward 411384 / 509471 Varies Varies

Thinking of starting a new group? Speak to our Group Leader Co-Ordinator, or a committee member, in the first instance.

Page 12 of 12