Christmas in July with a twist was held on Saturday 22 July 2023 in Media Room 41. This year’s twist was Indian Style, with the room transformed into a veritable Taj Mahal of colour and festivities, thanks to the great work of Sunila Chalwa and her exquisitely dressed team from the Indian Cooking class, and ably assisted by Corry Verroen and her team of experts.

The event was attended by 42 guests, who dined on a variety of mouth-watering Indian cuisine – and lots of them!

Here are some photos for those that missed out. Next year’s theme is already in the planning stages.

Here are just some of the people in Sunila’s Indian Cooking team who worked so hard to organise this wonderful day in the U3A Bentleigh calendar.

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Each year Glen Eira City Council invites community groups and organisations to nominate volunteers who have made a significant contribution to community life in Glen Eira. In recognition of those contributions, Council held an event day on Wednesday 17 May to present a certificate of appreciation to those nominated. Congratulations to all!

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The amateur sleuths were out once again in force to try and solve another Murder Mystery in the hallowed halls of U3A Bentleigh. Here are some forensic photos of the group in preparation. A word of warning – these may not be suitable for the faint of heart!

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Again, another very successful Open Day was held on a beautiful day full of sunshine and crowds of visitors. Our members provided entertainment galore, exhibitions of exquisite art and handcrafts, audiovisual presentations, refreshments and assisted membership. Thank you to all the members who participated in organising the event and manning the displays.

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John Suhr celebrated his 91st birthday in style on Wed 5 Apr, with his wife Val, and members of the choir throwing a party. Congratulations, John, on reaching this milestone and thank you for your contribution to U3A Bentleigh, and for assisting and supporting Val and the choir all these years.

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A great way for the Table Tennis group to finish off the year.

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The Annual General Meeting for 2022 was held on Friday 25 November 2022, with a great turnout of members and a large number of Proxies lodged with the Secretary.

Here are some highlights from the day. Also, check out the names of the new Committee of Management here.

This year’s Guest Speaker at the AGM was Julie Walker from Moongala Community House, which recently relocated to the Moorleigh Community Village. Check them out at http://www.moongala.org.au/.

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After being the “backbone” of U3A Bentleigh for the past 27 years, most of that time as our indefatigable Courses Coordinator, Rosemary Browning has decided to retire from the Committee of Management and enjoy a more leisurely lifestyle. She’s not leaving … just passing the baton onto a “younger” generation.

A farewell tea party was held for her on Fri 18 Nov where some of her colleagues and friends were able to express their appreciation and share some anecdotes at her expense.

A complete report collated by Janet Lee can be read here.

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U3A Bentleigh welcomes new drawing tutor Con Pothoulakis, who will return in 2023 to offer short introductory courses on drawing techniques, with demonstrations and examples of his work.

Classes will be held on Wednesday mornings, and have so far proven to be very popular.

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The U3A Bentleigh Victoria Travel Group organised a wonderful 3-day Spring Break in Warragul on 25-28 October 2022. Here is a report from Erika Fleming, President U3A Bentleigh, with some photos highlighting the great time everyone had. Make sure you are part of the next event!

“Despite the weather, 10 of us managed to have a great time in and around Warragul. The rain gods were, on the whole, good, and confined themselves to overnight and while we were travelling between one venue and another. The cabins at the park were clean and the BBQ facility excellent.

Some of the highlights: 

Broughton Gardens Jindivick – stunning perfumed Blue Rugosa bushes, Yellow garden, wonderful views.

Loch – a quaint village with boutique shops which we thoroughly explored.

Lady Lavener’s Tea Garden with an excellent souvenir shop attached – very reasonably priced.

The HOOT – a couple of singalongs ably led by Larry on electric guitar. We managed to mangle our way very loudly through many favourites of the 60’s, and Boo-Wopped with the best of them. Am thinking of starting a new career as a back-up singer with a band – just need to find the right band!”

Participants in the Spring Break in Warragul were: Priya & Sheryl, Kathy & Larry, Rachel & Shai, Corrie & Olive, Pat & Erika

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As part of the special activities during Seniors Week, U3A Bentleigh hosted its own version of Antiques Roadshow – we called ours “Antiques Appraisal” – and it was a great success.

Here are some highlights with our expert appraiser, Arthur Simpson, a retired valuer and auctioneer of
antiques who kindly offered his expertise, and some very excited members. Have they just discovered a priceless family heirloom? Who knows!

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Wednesday 21 September 2022 saw the presentation of prizes to some lucky entrants in the Summerset U3A Painting Competition. Representing Summerset in awarding the prizes were Simon Hicks, Senior Development Manager, Bridget Huolohan, Communications Consultant, together with our own President, Erika Fleming.

Summerset provide and operate Retirement Villages and Premium Aged Care facilities across New Zealand, and now have expanded into Australia with one of its first villages being planned for Oakleigh South. We appreciate very much their support for this painting competition, and wish them all the best with their expansion across the ditch. For more information visit their website www.summerset.com.au.

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After a small Sausage Sizzle in August for Tutors and volunteer staff, we had a BIG Sausage Sizzle for all members on Monday 12 September. Here a a few photos to enjoy.

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A small but enthusiastic group of members and friends came along to celebrate Christmas in July – which unfortunately was postponed till August due to COVID.

Our volunteers organised, shopped, prepared, cooked and served a huge meal, the highlights of which were Danice’s pumpkin soup (wonderful); my crispy roast potatoes (my first foray in using an electric oven); Jan’s berry crumble (delicious); and Ann’s trifles (a work of art).

Marg calmly acted as drink waitress extraordinaire; there was the look of delight on the face of the man who won the air fryer (generously donated by Angela); and the enthusiasm with which people entered into the spirit of the Christmas Trivia (developed by Ann).

Background music collated and provided by Nick (thank you); and decoration by Janet and Ann (well done, ladies).

The low point … my feet killing me at the end of the day. All-in-all, a wonderful event and thank you to everyone involved.

ERIKA FLEMING, President, U3A Bentleigh

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Our most senior member, Pamela Nicholls, celebrated her 99th birthday at U3A Bentleigh on 10 August, with a group of friends throwing a surprise party. Pamela is still an active member, currently participating in Creative Writing and The History of Spain. We wish her more happy years as a Bentleigh member!

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Sarah Park teaches students at the Chisholm Institute campus at La Trobe University, and very kindly volunteered to give us a class on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Our thanks go out to the Chisholm Institute for loaning us their equipment.

Assisted by her husband Paul, Sarah provided the group with very clear instructions on how to save the life of a loved one or a stranger. It was a very lively and informative class (with no tests to undertake), and focused on providing CPR to adults, including airway management.

The group, who initially were concerned about their own strength and ability to perform CPR, were very pleased to discover that if your arms and back got tired while waiting for the ambulance (which these days could take a very long time), then a person could alternate between using their arms and their feet!

Here is a CPR Fact Sheet you might like to print and keep handy

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