A small stimulating university
For Lynne Walker the thought of retiring and doing nothing was frightening.
‘‘I didn’t want to stagnate, I’d had a good career, and I wanted to keep doing things that stimulate me,’’ she said.
She had volunteer work and meeting new people in mind for the day she stopped working, but another thing too - a group called the U3A, the University of the Third Age.
Hawera’s U3A club is one of many in New Zealand and has been going for about 12 years.
Walker described it as beneficial for keeping ’’brains stimulated after retirement’’.
‘‘It’s a club that’s all about keeping your mind engaged and active and learning things as you go on through life,’’ she said.
‘‘So the third age being the age when you retire and leave work, and you want other things to keep you stimulated and doing things.’’
Walker, now the club president, spoke at a U3A meeting once and put the group on her radar straight after that.
‘‘I have been retired two and a bit years and previously in my career I had been asked to go and speak to them as the speaker and at the time I thought ‘oh, I really like the sound of this group’,’’ she said.
‘‘People said to me when I retired, ‘oh what are you going to do?’ And I said don’t worry, I’ve got mine all planned, I’m a very organised person.’’
The group meets bi-monthly, but has a set schedule every month of up to three groups a week in which members can pick and choose whether they’re interested or not.
‘‘It’s really a great thing for people to get involved in. You can be as involved or not, it’s up to you,’’ Walker said.
There’s groups for art, history, books, music, science, engineering, and more.
Walker said some of the groups were discussion or DVD-based, but all were very social.
‘‘With some groups we all get together and watch an hour of DVD and then we chat about it and have a cup of coffee and socialise,’’ she said.
She said the discussions that followed were far better than just watching television to soak information in because there’s differing opinions.
‘‘Whoever is convening the group usually does some research, so not quite lecture papers but notes on what you’ve seen,’’ she said.
‘‘Some of the members are exteachers, a lot of them are professionals, I was a librarian, others come from different walks of life so you’ve got lots of different people,’’ Walker said.
Anyone over 50 is welcome to join, and with ‘‘people living longer’’ there are still active members in their 90s, Walker said.
The club is $12 a year to join, with the occasional gold coin donation for biscuits and tea.
If you’re interested or have any questions feel free to contact Walker on 021 205 5991.
Private H C Hall of Nolantown has been admitted to hospital in England after he received wounds in the great Somme Battle.
Genuine regret was felt by the town’s people of Manaia when word came through of the death through wounds of sapper Eric McHugh. He was one of Mrs McHugh’s five sons. Mrs McHugh was for many years the local nurse and is at present serving the empire as a nurse in a London Hospital.
A motor lorry ran into a mob of sheep on the Eltham road at the ‘‘elbow’’ killing about 16 of them. The dead sheep were taken to the Bacon Factory killing station.
Wedding Bells: Roger Hey (Lower Hutt) married Kathleen Dryden (Hawera); Gillian Snowden (Manaia) married Dr Alan Sutherland (Auckland); Shirley Elizabeth Mary Sergeant (Manaia) married Barry Raymond Thompson (Feilding); Miriam Jennifer Walton (Hawera) married Barry Campbell (Normanby); Heather Christine Rowatt (Lower Hutt) married Leo Gordon Austin (Hawera).
The Star had a photo of Miss Auckland Nicolette Antonia Van Wijk (20) whose measurements were 34-23-34.
At the Movies: The Regent – Carry on Cowboy.
Births: Pascoe to Ann and Ross a daughter.
‘‘It's a club that's all about keeping your mind engaged and active and learning things as you go on through life.’’
Lynne Walker
New arrivals: Lauren Ellen Landers born on March 12; Lana Jean Bluett born on March 6.
Hawera’s Rose Devadhar was named 1991 woman of the year by the American Biographical Institute.
Rugby: Alfred ‘‘the flash’’ Hauparoa scored Hawera’s first try for the season against Inglewood.