Most groups usually meet on a fortnightly or monthly basis.
U3A members are sometimes asked to provide ideas and start interest groups.
LOVING THEIR DOGS
About five years ago Anne Pardoe started the dog lovers group because of her interest in dogs and it has developed as a popular and successful group. They meet once a month for the socialising of dogs and their owners. The group is facilitated and organised by U3A member Muriel McMillan. Muriel is an experienced dog trainer who has worked at a high level in dog obedience training and the group benefits from her knowledge and expertise.
Primarily though, “it’s a group that gathers to socialise, share problems or challenges that might arise with dogs and to work it out together,” Muriel says.
The group of owners and their dogs usually meet at Muriel’s semi-rural park-like, fully fenced property, where dogs can be off- leash, run free and mix and mingle in a safe environment. There can be up to 15- plus dogs, mainly small breeds, but larger dogs are present as well. The dogs love the interaction and play happily, or wander around sniffing and exploring for a couple of hours while the owners chat, share stories and learn about dogs. They discuss training, nutrition and best practice in regard to dog health and management while enjoying afternoon tea on the deck.
The U3A dog lovers are very grateful to Muriel and her husband Jim for providing their property for the gathering.
The Dog Lovers Group illustrates how the therapeutic bonds formed between owners and animals can lead to socialising opportunities for humans and dogs to share in a safe environment.
RUBBISH COLLECTORS
For two years the U3A Wombles group have been meeting every month to spend an hour armed with gloves and rubbish bags, to scour different sections of the city river walkways and surrounding streets to do their bit for the community.
The original Wombles were created by children’s author Elizabeth Beresford in a series of books from 1968. In the mid-1970s the pointy-nosed, furry creatures made their television debut in a stop-motion animation series. The Wombles were intent on collecting rubbish and recycling in their area.
“About 15 of us from U3A have been meeting on a monthly basis to set about picking up rubbish around Gisborne,” said Wombles group facilitator Chris Somerton.
“We are all passionate about U3A and about attempting to clean up our community from rubbish that is sometimes overwhelming in quantity. Sometimes we can collect five large rubbish bags in the hour.
“Mitre 10 kindly provides us with rubbish bags and gloves and disposes of the rubbish we have collected. To create such a group is to set an example, and to show that a small group can make a difference. We all need to put some effort into it.”
The Wombles meet for coffee afterwards to socialise and plan the next month’s meeting place.
“Of course if everyone used the rubbish bins provided, The Wombles would only need to be a coffee group,” Chris said with a wry grin.
■ Ako Pai / U3A Gisborne Inc is an alive and thriving, not-for-profit organisation with a management committee (elected every three years), to ensure the operation of meetings and groups are organised and continuous. There are 422 active financial members of the Gisborne U3A. Meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month at 9.30am in the Endeavour Lounge at the Cosmopolitan Club, Grey Street, with a coffee and catch-up before the meeting starts at 10am.
Guest speakers are invited to the meetings each month to present on a variety of topics and possible points of interest to group members.
The annual membership fee is $10. Visitors are welcome to attend the monthly meetings for $2. Only financial members are eligible to join activity and interest groups.
■ The “Third Age” refers to the idea that life is divided into three periods – childhood and schooling, adult and working years and retirement years. It is believed that an active Third Age is beneficial to mental, physical and psychosocial levels to enhance wellbeing and positive ageing.
CYBER SECURITY EXPERT TO SPEAK
The guest speaker at Gisborne U3A’s monthly meeting, on Thursday, May 2, is Nick Baty, who is flying in from Dunedin to talk about cyber security “for older Kiwis”.
Nick Baty is based in Dunedin and is the principal security consultant for Bastion Security Group.
He has over 18 years security experience in both private and public sector organisations before joining Bastion Security Group in December 2021.
Nick will discussing a variety of topics about cyber security, including New Zealand’s cyber security threat scape, the most common cyber security attack types targeting older Kiwis, and advice to keep yourself safe online. There will be a Q&A session for people to ask about any concerns regarding cyber security.
As cyber security is a significant and important topic of conversation, the meeting is limited to U3A members plus one invited guest to accommodate the predicted high number of attendees.
However, U3A is hosting a second presentation for the general public to attend in the afternoon, starting at 1pm in the Endeavour Lounge, The Cosmopolitan Club, Grey Street. A $5 entry fee will apply.
For any inquiries about becoming a member of U3A or the upcoming cyber security presentation, contact U3A president Diane Ritchie on 027 4441073.
