U3A celebrating 35 years

BY JESSICA GRIMBLE

Hundreds of Horsham and district residents are keeping mentally and physically fit with the support of a community institution.

Horsham and District University of the Third Age, known as U3A, celebrated its 35-year anniversary on Friday.

After a COVID-19 lockdown hiatus, more than 30 classes have resumed with a vengeance and leaders are preparing to open their doors to a month-long come-and-try opportunity for new members.

There are daily opportunities to learn, maintain fitness, exercise creativity and connect with others at various venues, including the U3A base at Horsham Railway Station.

U3A publicity officer Joyce Lane’s involvement spans 25 years as an instructor and member.

She is ‘barely home’ and heavily involved in classes – from china painting on Mondays, to bookworms or reading for pleasure on Tuesdays. On Wednesday mornings, it’s off to a seated gentle exercise class before scrabble on Thursday and oil painting on Friday.

“It’s fantastic. The social aspect is the best thing about it – we need to come out and talk and see people,” Mrs Lane said.

The Weekly Advertiser visited U3A during a seated gentle exercise class last week.

Among participants was Mary Lawson, 94 – also a 25-year member of U3A.

“I used to go to other classes. There was reading and literature and differ- ent ones, but now I just do the gentle exercises, which I do enjoy,” she said.

“As well as the exercises, they’re a very friendly group. We have a talk and that’s just as important. I look forward to it.

“The exercises are easy and pleasant to do. If anything is too much, or we can’t do it, we just don’t do it. It’s our own choice.”

Carole Bethune is among the newest members, joining U3A after learning about its offerings at a community expo last year.

She retired about 18 months ago and is enjoying exercise classes, including seated gentle exercise, resistance band exercises and tai chi, along with reading and quilting.

“There were a variety of classes and they seemed a very welcoming group and easy to talk to,” she said.

Marie Anson, a long-time member

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO OUR ORGANICS COLLECTION?

The new organics collection for Horsham Rural City Council will be collected on the alternate fortnight to your comingled recycling bin

What happens to the organics once it is collected?

Material will be taken to the Wimmera Mallee Waste facility in Laharum Road, where it will be hand-picked to remove contamination This is a difficult task, so it is important for residents to not put in unsuitable material in the FOGO bin, e g food packaging

After being picked over, it is bulked up and transferred to the Camperdown Compost Company, where it is converted into compost

We benefit from this locally through:

Reduced landfill levy charges and reduced operating costs at the landfill Reduced methane production at the landfill, which is an environmental benefit and contributes to reduced carbon emissions

Keeping contamination out of the FOGO bin will help to contain the cost of this service and art tutor, said U3A also offered her a chance to meet and socialise with others.

“U3A is amazing. It gave me a lot of satisfaction to teach others who hadn’t painted before. I love to see them develop,” she said.

Come-and-try

U3A will offer people a chance to try classes throughout April.

The current program includes table tennis, china painting, bridge, writing for fun, cryptic crosswords, garden, local history and a lunch group on Mondays; a resistance band exercise class, art, singing for fun, solo, film classics, French or German conversation and bookworms on Tuesdays; and table tennis, seated gentle exercise, card-making, 500, Canasta, Mah Jong, nature watch, a lifestyle program and ‘grumpy old wrinklies’