Enter a new age

By Monique Ebrington
COMMUNITY support is one of the final elements needed to establish a University of the Third Age (U3A) in the Upper Yarra.
Residents are encouraged to attend a public meeting on Tuesday 16 March at the Yarra Burn Centre in Yarra Junction to receive more information about the active club and to sign up for the many course and activities initiated by the branch.
Committee member Vernon Denford said the closest U3A for Upper Yarra residents was in Healesville or Lilydale.
He said that courses and activities initiated by the Upper Yarra U3A would be spread out across the townships that mad up the Upper Yarra region.
“We had our first meeting late last year and established a steering committee just last month,” Mr Denford said.
“The Upper Yarra U3A is for anyone who is retired or semi-retired and who would like to keep themselves busy by learning a new skill. Also, the U3A will not just be a Warburton or Yarra Junction project, it’s something that will encompass the whole of the Upper Yarra.
“It will include townships from Seville up to Warburton, all the way through to Reefton, Powelltown, Yellingbo and Don Valley. At the moment we know we can get venues in Woori Yallock. The idea will be to use community venues throughout the Upper Yarra.”
Mr Denford said that men and women from 50-something to 80-something age groups could come along and sign up to a course or activity offered by Upper Yarra U3A, with courses expected to begin in April.
Mr Denford said residents could sign up for a diverse range of courses that included yoga, bushwalking, jazz appreciation, conversation German, woodcarving, metal work, folk art, pastel painting and walking to music.
Prospective members for the initial year will only have to pay a one-off payment of $30 to be included in any of the classes offered by the Upper Yarra U3A. Additional costs for materials may depend on the course.
The 16 March public meeting to establish the U3A will start at 2.30pm at the Yarra Burn Centre in Yarra Junction. For details phone Vernon Denford on 5966 6038 or Helen Neilson on 5966 2881.