"I got a fair bit out of it.
"It was not as technical as I was expecting. It was more basic, but that really suited me."
Doug said he came out of the course with much more knowledge about beekeeping than he expected - so much so that he was offered three months' work experience as a student beekeeper for a local beekeeper.
"That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't done the Community Education course," Doug said.
"It was interesting to see how someone else works with bees."
For Doug, beekeeping is a hobby - but he's so enthusiastic about it that he has established his own hive in his small Aramoho garden, and hopes to eventually have three hives.
"I wanted a hive so I could have bees for my veggies and fruit trees. And it will be good to get a bit of honey out of it."
Doug hopes to get the first taste of his own honey by the end of this year.
He said he would recommend the Community Education course to anyone interested in beekeeping.
"Especially if you don't know anything about beekeeping - it's a good course."
* * * *
Manager Sian MacGibbon has been with Community Education Whanganui for just over two years; while board chairwoman Andrea Bullock has been involved with the organisation in one capacity or another since it began in 1979. She's been on the board since 2012.
The organisation provides education to an average of 650 people per year.
"When we used to get a lot of funding, student numbers were higher," Sian said.
"But we're still very pleased with our numbers - particularly the growth of new students coming in. Then once they're here, they just don't want to leave, which is really cool.
"So we have a fantastic ability to retain students, and to attract new ones."
And it's not just Whanganui people who are enrolling in Community Education.
"We have students from Marton, Turangi, New Plymouth, Wellington and Masterton. It's just fantastic."
Community Education Whanganui is a rare breed in New Zealand - it's a community education organisation that is not connected to a secondary school.
"The aim in setting up Community Education was to supply education, that didn't have assessment associated with it, to the community. So it was education, but not formal education," Andrea said.
"Some of the courses - and this is still true today - are just for fun. Then there are others that lead to things, like languages, which give you a basic grounding.
"One of the great things about Community Education is that it's a safe place for people who may not be prepared to take that step into a tertiary education environment. It can give them the confidence to take that step."
"We do provide hobby courses," Sian said.
"But it's really about more than that - it's about connecting people, and giving people opportunities to discover that they really can do that thing they've always wanted to try."
Andrea said Community Education was very careful to "not step on the toes" of other tertiary education providers in Whanganui.
"We're not out to poach students from other organisations, but we do provide courses that are unique in Whanganui."
However, that uniqueness is under threat as the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), which funds tertiary education, had recently changed its "funding outcomes".
"The focus for TEC is now on pre-employment training, job skills and foundation skills. That's where we don't fit in, through no fault of our own. There are plenty of other organisations in Whanganui that offer that kind of training.
"A few of our courses meet that criteria, but we have to be proactive and see what else we can offer," Sian said.
Funding is a constant challenge for Community Education.
"Funding is becoming an issue for us - the goal posts are changing," Andrea said.
"The Whanganui District Council has been a huge support to us, both in terms of funding and in providing the office space," Andrea said.
The organisation also receives assistance from UCOL and other community organisations.
Despite the challenges, Sian and Andrea are confident of a good future for Community Education.
"We have a good board, and they are committed to continuing to provide good quality education in Whanganui," Andrea said.
The achievements of both students and tutors are celebrated with an exhibition twice a year. The latest one opens on July 24 at the Edith Gallery.
"It's an opportunity to really celebrate what has been going on here," Andrea said.
"They are really well received, and we get lots of support. It's a chance for family and friends to see what the students have been doing."
Some of the courses are extremely popular, such as Jill Maas' doll-making class.
"We book her in every year, and it sells out in advance immediately. Often students will take a course like that multiple times, they love it so much," Sian said.
A new singing class organised by Community Education has turned into a regular singing group based in Castlecliff.
"That's a fantastic outcome, and we love to see that kind of thing happening," Sian said.
"It means that with the assistance we've given them on the course, plus the help of their tutor, Sue Thorby, they've now moved on and want to do something good in their community."
* * * *
Pauline Allomes has been tutor for Community Education for four years. Pauline is an artist and teaches art classes for Community Education.
"The previous manager [of Community Education] approached me and asked me if I wanted to teach a class, because she had heard I'd been teaching at the Marton Arts Society," Pauline said.
"I quite enjoyed it, so I carried on teaching."
Pauline's class is an introductory one, but she has changed the format from when the class first began.
"I was teaching evening classes. I found them tiring, especially during the winter when you have to get yourself out of the house one night a week.
"I don't think the students got the enjoyment out of it that they could have. Two hours isn't very long - you just get started, then you have to pack up. So I suggested to Sian at the start of the year that we start a week-long course.
"We trialled it from 1pm to 4pm daily, and the students loved it," Pauline said.
The course hours are now 11am to 4pm for an entire week, allowing students to "get stuck in" to their painting.
"It's called Introduction to Painting: From Start to Finish. So the students start with an idea of something they want to paint - but they have no idea how to transfer it to the canvas.
"We usually start with deciding which idea is a good one to paint, so we cover really basic stuff," Pauline said.
She said because the students spend a week together they bond as a class.
"I took a kettle and some cups to the first one, and before I knew it someone was bringing some baking to share. And they all have lunch together. It's really nice to see those friendships forming."
Her students are mostly women and retired, although there are some men and some that are fitting in the course around work.
Pauline now runs the week-long course once a term, and no longer does evening classes.
"For me the block course is far more satisfying. People who come to a class for two hours every week want to learn something new every week, and that gets pretty exhausting after a while.
"This way, the inspiration comes from the students themselves, with my help," Pauline said.
"They've got one week to focus solely on their painting, and they get a lot done."
She said some of the students really blossom with that focus, and with some expert advice from Pauline.
"A lot of them are beginners, who've never painted before. Most of them have painted a little bit, but they still lack some understanding about things like what colours to use, what brushes to use. All of that gets covered in the workshop.
"The real thrill is seeing students who have waited all their lives to pick up a paint brush - that's very exciting."
Pauline said she loves teaching the course.
"Every day I turn up and teach - and that's what I love most.
"I have students that come back time and time again, because they know that each time they'll come out the other end with a painting."
• To find out more about Community Education Whanganui, visit their website.
