Turriff and District U3A Newsletter March 2020
We are all saddened by the passing of our chair- man David Liebnitz in January - pictured here on the left at a geology outing to the Burn of Vat. David was keen member of the geology group.
David was a founding member of Turriff and Dis- trict U3A and served the organisation as Member- ship Secretary from the beginning as well as being Chairman for the past three years.
He also led the walking group being a keen walker him- self. No matter where the walk might take them there was always time for a seat and a rest and always a visit to a cafe for coffee and cake at the end of each walk. A tradition that will continue in the future for sure.
He will certainly be missed by many in the organisation and we are grateful for all the hard work he did in his various roles. It was a pleasure to know him.
Looking back over the last few months we have had a variety of speakers attending our general meetings.
In November two employees of Santander gave us a very interest- ing presentation on Internet secu- rity and in December Claire Christie gave an insight into Citizens Advice.
January saw Stuart Grant presenting Live Life Aberdeenshire and we were put through our paces in a seated exercise rou- tine by Joanne. Then in February there was a change of speaker and we were grateful to Albert Cran who gave us an insight into the life of a paramedic. Group News Archaeology Appreciation
A small but enthusiastic group of us met on January 24th at Turriff library over tea/coffee and biscuits to discuss a possible programme for the coming year.
It was decided that we would like to visit any active local sites during the summer – Aden Park should be digging again this year and possibly Burghead. Dates will be available later. We also hoped to attend any talks about local excavations. The only two scheduled so far are March 19th when Prof Gordon Noble of Aberdeen University will be at the Acorn Centre, Inverurie at 7.30pm to talk about the excavations last year on the top of Bennachie and April 30th when Dr Fraser Hunter of the National Museum of Scotland will be at Cullen to give an update on the Deskford carnyx.
In the autumn a number of us attended one, or both, talks by Neil Curtis at Gamrie and then at the Friends of Duff House at Fife Lodge in Banff about the local prehistoric beakers. Oth- ers managed to attend the small but fascinating exhibition at the Arbuthnot Museum of ob- jects found locally. This included some carved prehistoric balls and the gaming boards found recently at Aden Park.
It has been suggested that some people would like to visit more of the stone circles and some of the Pictish stones that abound in the North East, and a visit to Culloden has also been mooted. Please let me know what you would like to do and I will see what I can arrange. Anyone who has any other suggestions for visits or who would like to join the group then Contact: Liz Jones at [email protected] or tel. 07765590809.
Arts Group
ITS NOT ALL REMBRANDT AND ANDY WORHOL
It is over a year since we started the u3a Arts Group and since then we have gone from strength to strength and had a shed load of fun along the way.
Amongst our many and varied adventures we have escaped from a Locked Room Mystery, danced in the aisles to Rod Stewart at the AECC and enjoyed an open air performance of Wuthering Heights at Pitmeddan Gardens. Not to mention managed to consume loads of nice lunches, dinners and afternoon teas along the way.
Recently some of our group travelled to the Dundee Flower and Food Festival and a future trip is planned to the V & A.
Each month in the library the group meet for a chat over tea and biscuits. Members can come along and suggest outings they would like to go to.
We have seen some lovely films including Last Christmas and Little Women and plan regu- lar visits to the cinema. A couple of the group attended a live performance of the Bolshoi Ballet at His Majesty`s in Aberdeen and of course pay a visit to our favourite Pan Asian Res- taurant, Cosmo in Union Square for an all you can eat buffet.
There are always loads of local musical and theatre events to attend.
At the end of November the group attended a com- plicated Locked Room Mystery in Aberdeen, starting off with a buffet lunch in Cosmo, Union Square.
We had great laughs trying to solve the various codes and puzzles to steal the world’s biggest diamond be- fore the police arrived. It was nail biting, exhausting but we all agree we want to do another later this year. The next one will be Raiders, an Indiana Jones style adventure where we have to steal the Pharoes treas- ure before the mummy wakes up.
We went on a back stage tour at the Music Hall in February after enjoying the His Majestys back stage tour last year. It can definitely be said that the u3a Arts group reaches the parts other groups cannot reach.
In December we had a Christmas visit to see the newly opened Aberdeen Art Gallery and a nice lunch and plan to return to the gallery later this year to see the Zandra Rhodes exhibition. As the song says “What good is sitting alone in your room, come hear the music play...”
Why not join us at Turriff Library on the second Friday of each month, 2.45 pm for tea, bis- cuits and the planning future adventures. Carpe Deum!
Contact: Anne Reid on 01346 541367 or email [email protected]
Creative Writers
The creative writers continue to meet fortnightly at Turriff library. We joined the geology group for a lovely Christmas lunch at the Kastille in December then had a short break over Christmas and New Year. We are back on track with a new member and are looking forward to new challenges in 2020.
We still have some copies of Off at a Tangent III if anyone wants one. Maybe we will have Off at a Tangent IV coming in the near future.
There`s always room for more members so do come along and join us if you feel you`d like to give it a go. We have a good laugh and enjoy our writing over a lovely cuppa provided by the library staff.
Contact Kathleen Smith on 01261 851752 or email [email protected] Current Affairs
The group has grown to 12 in number since its inception nearly 6 years ago. People are voic- ing concerns about climate change and there have been many articles brought to the meetings regarding the action by young people demonstrating on the subject.
Interestingly, in America, people can ‘adopt’ a length of highway! Then pay for its mainte- nance! An article also reported that President Trump admitted he had “personally misusing funds” in his charity and after a lawsuit agreed to pay back £1.6 m to a group of non-profit organisations.
Back in November the floods in Yorkshire were brought to our attention with compensation for people’s homes being paid £200 by the council and businesses being given £2000!
That was also the time when it was brought to the attention of the public of the threats to MPs particularly women: some getting as many as 500 e-mails a day! Meghan and Harry hit the headlines frequently with opinion divided over their decision to live in Canada and the terms of their’ taking a back seat’ and not carrying out Royal visits for Brit- ain. The cloud over Prince Andrew’s activities was also discussed.
After the allegation of teachers being used as ‘unpaid childcare’ there was a suggestion that parents be charged £6 if they were late picking up their child from school.
The news of the horrendous fires raging in Australia for 5 months made shocking news but the recent rainfall was received with relief by all. Of course then we heard about the floods it had caused! One of the group, with relatives in Victoria. told of the fire near their home being started deliberately!
Modern Art was mentioned as an artist modelled a ‘golden loo’ which was stolen and another artist who made a creation of bananas out of masking tape which was said to be worth £91 k!
All-in-all interesting and absorbing monthly meetings which I think are enjoyed by everyone.
Contact Marion Rothwell on 01888 544809 [email protected]
Family History
The Family History group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month in Turriff Library for a dis- cussion about the stories we have uncovered and how our research is progressing.
Sometimes there are laughs to be shared but there are also thought- provoking tales from the past as we uncover aspects about our predecessors and the lives that they led.
At present we are planning our display for the Open Afternoon and research- ing the travels that family members undertook and the hazards that they may have faced.
For future meetings we will be researching our houses and their previous occupants and also look- ing at the surnames that appear in our family trees.
Of course, thanks to the library staff, our meetings are accompanied by refreshments which always help the tales to flow.
Contact Wendy Mann on 01261 851139 or email [email protected]
French Beginners
The group continues to meet every 2 weeks at the Gateway. Centre. We are using a combina- tion of informal French chat with some prepared work from French story books and a teaching text. Currently there are 5 regular members but keen to welcome des nouveaux Amis.
Contact Roddy MacRae on 01261 818243 or email [email protected]
French Conversation
We are a group of around a dozen Francophiles who enjoy attempting to make conversation in French. This often causes hilarity and a pleasant sense of bonhomie. We generally choose a topic for our fortnightly session and also share our news from the pre- vious fortnight. Recent topics have included: Wishes for 2020, A personal Challenge, Valen- tine’s Day traditions worldwide and Significant dates in our lives.
We have a break during the meeting and allow ourselves to speak English which is a great relief but otherwise try very hard to speak French and build confidence so that we dare to speak to an actual French person when we get the chance.
Many of us visit France and enjoy the different lifestyle and seasons:
Contact Sally Givertz on 01261 851770 or email [email protected] Friendship Cafe
The Friendship Cafe meets at the library at 2.45 pm on the first Friday of the month. Come along for a cuppa, a piece and a wee blether.
Contact Marilyn Lyall on 01888 563701 or email [email protected]
Geology
The group continues to be active and although we had a short break over Christmas and New Year we met in January and put together our itinerary for the year ahead. There are many interesting and exciting excursions planned, some to areas new and some to old favourites.
Back in September a small group climbed up to the disused quarry on the side of Ben- nachie.
Little Oxen Craig lintel quarry operated for about 40 years closing in 1891. The quarry stopped working overnight when a serious build up of water burst and washed away the tracks leading to the rock face.
With no transport routes the quarry was then unable to function.
In November some of us visited the site of old flint mines near Boddam. The mines are quite overgrown but you can clearly see where the pits were. Paul is standing in one in the photo.
In February this year we had great fun trying to identify and sort a collection of rocks which one of the group had collected some years back.
In March we will visit Tarlair at Macduff and then we will go to Elgin Museum in April to look at the fossil collection with Alison and Dave and there`s so much more to look forward to so if you fancy something different come along and join us.
Contact Kathleen Smith on 01261 851752 or email [email protected]
Local History
The Local History group which meets twice a month on Mondays has been ‘out and about’ again this year. In our 5th year we visited the Gordon Chapel in Fochabers and were stunned by the lovely stained glassed windows.
We stopped for a cuppa and an ice-cream in the ice-cream parlour in Fochabers and were horrified to see, after rain started, a river flowing down the main street! We waded out to the cars through ankle-deep water. Just a flash flood: nothing at all in Buckie!
Our visit to the Lossiemouth Visitor’s centre was a joy. The guides were very informative and told us many stories relating to the exhibits.
There was a room set up to honour of Ramsey Macdonald who was born in Lossiemouth, with his study laid out as it had been when he sat at his desk to write speeches when he was Prime Minister.
In September we visited Dufftown and had a meal in a railway carriage by the Dufftown to Keith line. We explored Mortlach church which is one of the oldest churches in Scotland. We also visited Leith Hall and were shown around the beautiful rooms by a very knowledgeable guide.
In October we joined the Cullen U3A for a talk on Cullen Old Kirk and Deskford Old Kirk. It was pleasant to get together with another U3A group. In November we visited the Buckie Fishing Heritage Centre. We were shown a film of the old Zulu boats that used to be in Buckie harbour and the volunteers were ex-fishermen who gave us a good in- sight into their life at sea. We repaired to the Cafe Couille in Buckie High Street for refresh- ment.
As the weather was getting colder and less predictable we asked Russell Taylor, a local Bothy Ballad singer, to come to Turriff Library to tell us about the history of the Bothy Bal- lad. We also invited the Cullen group to join us. He sang a couple of songs, some of which were known, but not all.
In December Alisdair Mason of the Banff Preservation Society brought some magazines of old Banff which were really interesting in the changes that had taken place in the last 50 years locally. Some group members recognised people they had known from that era.
In January we were told of the birth of ‘planned villages’ in the location by Linda Muller of New Byth. These included New Deer, New Pitsligo, New Byth and New Leeds. She brought a very old book with her about the subject which was passed around the group. She has since joined our Local History group herself.
We are now looking forward to the coming year starting off with welcoming Nancy Jardine on the 24th February in Turriff library who is giving a talk on the Romans in Aberdeenshire. To this end we are conducting a little research of our own on Roman influence (or not) in Aberdeenshire.
Contact Marion Rothwell on 01888 544809 or [email protected]
Nature walkers.
Our walks take place during the 3rd Wednesday of the month with varying start times and locations in the area. The aim of each walk is to look at the differing varieties of habitats to be found and the diversity of the ecosystems found within them.
In August we walked from the seashore of Cullen, through the grounds of Seafield Estate past Cullen House and on to the Old Kirk. Here we learnt about the history of the building from two local ladies. From the Old Kirk we walked down the long driveway and took the path up to Castle Hill. The climb rewarded us with views across Seatown, the Moray Firth and the distant hills. There were the usual common birds and wild flowers to be seen but perhaps the most interesting thing we noted was the abundance of Beech mast. Definitely a bumper year. In September we strolled through the grounds of Leith Hall. Starting with the garden we found a few butterflies and bees on the last of the flowers in the border. From there we took in the ongoing work on the rockery restoration and through the vegetable garden with some large Pumpkin specimens. Continuing across the lawns and past the stable block we walked along the burn and around the large pond. Autumn colours were just appearing in the trees and the Water Lilies were flowering. We watched feeding parties of Coal, Blue and Great Tits and a Gold- crest. Before our return to the car park we enjoyed the views across the fields of bales to Home Farm and later Tap O'Noth.
The October walk was a ranger led one at Forvie reserve by the Ythan Estaury. We saw Fox Moth caterpillars, late flowering Harebells, Achillae and Bell Heather and a variety of mosses and lichens including Reindeer moss and Roe deer.
Having been led through tough thigh high grass we reached the remains of the hut circles, home to the earliest settlers on the re- serve. Here the evidence that the local birdlife ate the ripe purple berries of the Crowberry plants could be seen from the drop- pings on the stones. We return via the river bank before the rain reached us and saw Curlew, Oystercatchers, Goosanders, Sky- larks and a Bar-Tailed Godwit.
The last meeting of 2019 was a walk around the lake at Pitfour which offered a variety of woodland and farmland birds and waterfowl. In January the meet- ing was indoors to plan the programme for 2020. This will be available at the Open Afternoon.
Contact Wendy Mann on 01261 851139 - or email [email protected]
Photography -
The Photography group continues to grow and the standard of the pictures that we take is definitely improving. Our usual meeting time is the afternoon of the 2nd Wednesday in the month. We visit a different location each time and spend around an hour taking photographs. Everyone within this very friendly group has their own skills and help is always available for those who need it.
Once the 'live' session is over we retire to a local hostelry for some welcome refreshments and a viewing via laptops of the pictures taken for the homework subject.
Back in August we visited the seashore at Cullen with a variety of birdlife and sea views backed by the iconic viaduct.
September found us wandering through the vibrant borders of the formal garden at Haddo House. Here we found flowers, butterflies and flying insects and a chance to capture close- ups and the sparkling waters of the fountain.
For October we went to Aden Country Park. Autumn colours abounded in the tree foliage but perhaps the best photo opportunities were of the extraordinary range of fungi that were growing on the old tree stumps and logs. Our November meeting was an indoor one cour- tesy of Stan and Marianne Cheyne.
Our homework had been an exercise in using our cameras on a manual setting instead of the normal automatic one. Results were varied but help was on hand and suggestions made to improve this technique. We don't meet in the month of December and January saw the group members gather at the Fife Arms for a social lunch. A good time was had by all and we are looking forward to the coming months and, hopefully, some sunny days.
Contact Wendy Mann on 01261 851139 or email [email protected]
Spanish -
In January our U3A group acquired a new member, Eileen bumped into a couple of us at the general meeting, and as we did not actually frighten her at that meeting, though it might be worth a try. Her family moved to Chile some years ago and settled down there in business. So, a couple of trips to South America seemed in order. Lo and behold they speak a variant of Espanol there. She was a wee bit fearful when she turned up at the Gateway, but soon found that she was amongst bluffers.
The Spanish group seemed to have found a way of meeting to teach themselves Spanish but find that stories and ideas relating to the language always seem to have a way of bringing out the laughter in all participants. Yet, when doing simple story telling in the language (with convenient translation nearby of course), the minds wander and the funny side of the tales always seemed to emerge.
We are all clad that there is no way of measuring progress, for if there were, we might be found out.
Yet, when we are reading and translating, the proper meanings do come out. We actually understand, if not 100 percent, yet enough for us to be pleased with ourselves.
Contact Ros Rhodes on 01466 730327 or email [email protected]
Walking group -
The walking group met in January to discuss the way forward in 2020. The group were happy to continue to meet on the last Thursday of the month and decided that the first walk of the year should be a circular walk from Duff House round to the Bridge of Alva and back via Macduff distillery. Further walks were discussed over a cuppa afterwards and sugges- tions and ideas considered.
Contact Isabel Mason on 01261 842932 or email [email protected]
Committee
Acting Chairman – Marilyn Lyall
Acting Vice-Chair – Eva Collins
Business Secretary – Eva Collins
Treasurer – Helen McGill
Group Co-ordinator – Kathleen Smith
Acting Membership Secretary – Marilyn Lyall
Publicity – Pat Wood
Speakers– Marilyn Lyall
Newsletter editor - Kathleen Smith
Co-opted member Sandra Wilson
Co-opted member Dorene Nicol
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