It was an extraordinary event indeed for Ponsonby U3A when the October speaker, Catherine Hammond, talked by zoom about the extraordinary myriad of collections available at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, T-amaki Paenga Hira. Catherine Hammond heads the Documentary Heritage Collections which number over three million items. These include paintings and drawings, photographs, archives, manuscripts, ephemera, publications, sound and moving image. Treasures include the Sir Edmund Hillary Collection and the first printed book in te reo Maori. Catherine’s team cares for, catalogues and curates this nationally and internationally significant collection. At the meeting, she introduced the work of the documentary heritage staff and volunteers and discussed the ways in which collecting recorded history is changing in the digital age. She left members with a thirst for exploring further this remarkable collection at the museum. Tours are available, details of which are on the Museum website. Prior to joining the Auckland Museum in 2019 Catherine was research librarian at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki. She holds a Master of Library and Information Studies and has worked on many projects covering New Zealand artists and feminist archives. Hers was a concise, warm, and engaging style of presentation. U3A member Helen Pearce was the ten-minute speaker outlining her role as the first Women’s Officer for the Post Primary Teachers’ Association. The primary aim of the position was to improve participation in PPTA activities and facilitate promotion of women in secondary schools generally. Currently she acts as a consulting field officer on a relieving basis. In November, Ponsonby U3A is hoping to return to face-to-face meetings. In the meantime, Zoom has kept members in touch with each other and alive to new opportunities, not to mention learning a new skill. Ponsonby U3A has approximately 180 members that meet monthly (under normal conditions) at the St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont St, Ponsonby on
the second Friday morning of the month from 10 to 12 noon. Invited guest speakers cover a diverse range of subjects as do the 10-minute speakers drawn from the talented membership. Members are encouraged to join special interest groups of their choice where there is an exchange of ideas as members teach and learn from each other and importantly, where friendships are forged. New groups are forming all the time, but currently they are as follows: antiques and collectibles, appreciating architecture, armchair travellers, art history, bijou home cinema, concert going, current affairs, dining out, drawing, gallery visits, green fingers, history ad hoc, Mah Jong, Maori language te reo, music appreciation, New Zealand history, Pétanque, play reading, public art, ramblers, science, scrabble, ukulele and sing-along, well-being and writing. Special interest group meetings of 10 or more people are held mainly in members’ homes. These groups, by their very nature, provide that all important extension of minds and bodies. For example, Nancy Keat’s Public Art Group takes participants all over Auckland City visiting notable art collections and sculptures in institutions and corporates. This involves a combination of appreciating our rich public art heritage and walking and catching buses and trains. Guests are welcome to attend a monthly meeting at the St Columba Centre, but are asked to first telephone Philippa Tait on M: 027 452 3108. Speaker for the November meeting will be Professor Stephen Hoadley, “Is the 2020 US Presidential election a geopolitical turning point?” (CHRISTINE HART) PN NEXT MEETING: 10am Friday 13 November at St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont Street, Ponsonby. ENQUIRIES:
Philippa Tait, President Ponsonby U3A T: 027 452 3108, www.u3a.nz
The vision at St Columba Every Friday for three years now, St Columba has been a haven for members of the local community by providing manaaki, a safe place and hot lunch. Most weeks, on average, 35-45 people turn up to enjoy the warmth of the sun through the expanse of north-facing windows, and the whanaungatanga, kinship, and companionship of others who have become friends over many months. It is a safe, nurturing space that has become the go-to place on a Friday - and many other days. And now, St Columba’s vision is to reconfigure its community centre to ensure it will perform to its full potential, not only for the continuation of the Friday haakari, but for the many individuals and groups who use the facility for classes for adults and children, counselling, advocacy, music, dance, public meetings, sport, birthday parties, wedding receptions, and exhibitions.
Photography Sammy Ho w3.
LOCAL NEWS
Ponsonby U3A: October 2020
With the hall and front deck upgraded, a commercial standard kitchen, and a reconfiguration of the bathroom facilities to house individual all-gender toilets and a shower, the St Columba Community Centre will be well-positioned to serve the local community for decades to come. Rev’d Brent Swann, Vicar of St Columba, says, “We have received generous offers of expertise and skills for this vision, and now is the right time for us to begin our planning in earnest. The Corona virus has held us up for months, and we are excited to see the path open up before us now.” St Columba would be grateful to hear from people with design, architecture and building trade expertise who are willing to provide encouragement and guidance to help set this project in motion. CONTACT Rev’d Brent M: 021 022 85114. PN
34 PONSONBY NEWS+ November 2020
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
