U3A Townsville Presidents Report

November 2024 As the months have gone by, our co-location with Senior Citizens is going well. More and more the two groups are intermingling and we have growing mutual memberships. This means a trip to the Ryan St premises provides classes with U3A and activities in the Seniors Hall and Library.  Some committee members have been visiting Magnetic Island and meeting with Tutors and members there. Brian Furby who co-ordinates Monday Talks has attended the most recent committee meeting in Townsville and offers of assistance with resources and clear information about the framework of U3A, helps with opportunities to enhance our branch. Our arrangements with the Townsville City Council have been undergoing changes that have not always been transparent. Members of the committee have been fully engaged in trying to understand what is needed. Unfortunately our History group found themselves unable to access the usual venue. Both Larry and Antonia are being very active to try to get the issues sorted out.    The Committee is looking in to the issue of information sharing, many of our main communications are through bulk emails and we have some members who do not have email access and in some areas, Maggie Island for example, do not have reliable internet service. We currently post about 40 newsletters to the addresses we have, and that is just one of our information pathways. The Website is managed and kept up to date by Christine and  Anne develops the newsletters. We encourage our members to get in touch with their thoughts, make contact with the Admin office and ensure we have up to date contacts, so we can all be kept informed.  The recent Tutors lunch , organised by Antonia was a lively social affair, held to thank our volunteers for their commitment to the running their classes, and the branch. The Friday talks have been going well with support from members and friends.  We had a very successful stall and the Seniors Expo a few months ago with lots of handouts and U3A resources As we move towards the end of the year, we can take stock and reflect on a fairly monumental year of change and challenge. The commitment of each member of the committee has successfully supported the branch to this point. We can look forward to planning for 2025 after the holiday break, and look forward to our member volunteers to keep helping others to get the most from their membership, through classes and social activities.   Pauline Woodbridge, OAM