Salisbury and District U3A 
NEWSLETTER
Number 47 August 2003
Salisbury and District U3A | From the Chairman |
| It was
the day of Princess Elizabeth's wedding and we students had been given
the day off from our studies. Being in London I could have gone to see
the procession and joined in the celebrations. However I suffered from
a misguided zeal
not to miss an opportunity, so I set about drawing up my design for an
Automobile Clutch (as we called it - though I still feel uneasy that we
should have
chosen such a long word as automobile when a much shorter one such as
car
would have done). It took all day and, as I inked it in, I was struck
by
its admirable clarity and appearance. I stood back with some
satisfaction
- and knocked the bottle of ink all over the drawing. It was ruined and
I
had achieved nothing. There and then I determined that, in future, I
would
always take any holidays that were on offer. Some years later I returned to the academic life as a member of staff and found that the public at large thought I was on holiday whenever the students were not in residence. I got used to comments such as 'you get three months off every summer!' and 'you're always on holiday!'. No, of course its not true. The vacations are the times when the staff get down to scholarship and research. It was the time when I worked in my laboratory (tucked away in a temporary building that had been erected in 1917), when I wrote research papers and when I read numerous articles and theses. A survey of academic staff showed that on average they worked for 48 hours a week for 48 weeks a year (for me, 1 week off at Christmas and Easter and 2 weeks in the summer). I'm not sure whether this includes the thinking time in the bath and elsewhere - the well known absent-mindedness of the professor can be attributed to his/her constant mulling over of current research. In addition there is much preparation for student classes and administrative tasks such as interviewing prospective students. Easily forgotten but very important to academics, and perhaps to all of us, is the opportunity to think behind everyday matters, to consider anew the objects and principles of what we are doing. For the academic, what do we seek to give the students by way of education? Is it a way of life or how to learn? Is it a preparation for employment? If it's an amalgam of these how can we best marry the two? Why do research? Is it to improve teaching? Is scholarship enough for the effective teacher? And so on. The vacation provides the space and time for examining the philosophy behind the academic purposes and for the setting of new directions. Recently, the U3A has re-issued our Principles and Objectives, and their summary form follows this piece. At this time of year perhaps we too can think of ourselves as on vacation, and can give a little thought to what we are trying to do, and whether we are succeeding in our endeavours. -----John Illston----- |
| Principles and Objectives |
| Principles |
| 1. The Third Age Trust and the
U3As recognise the immense resources of skills, experience and
enthusiasm possessed by older people who are no longer in full-time
employment. |
| 2. Individual members are both learners and teachers, giving their services freely. All contribute to any eventual costs of using educational or cultural facilities. |
| 3. Membership is open to all irrespective of religion or ethnic origin. No educational qualifications are required or given. |
| 4. Whilst subscribing to the guiding principles of the Trust, each U3A is independently managed by its own members. |
| 5. As far as is practicable U3A members are willing to help other members of the elderly population to organise themselves to achieve similar benefits to those enjoyed in existing U3As. |
| Objectives |
| 1. To encourage those older people no longer in full-time employment to engage in educational and cultural activities. |
| 2. To find and help such people use their skills to teach and learn. |
| 3. To provide affordable education for all members. |
| 4. To make the population, as well as educational establishments, aware of the existence and aims of U3As. |
| 5. To encourage people of all cultures to participate and both give and receive the benefits of mutual experience. |
| 6. To seek to include the housebound and the disabled in the educational and cultural activities of the U3As. |
| 7. To ensure adequate recognition of the abilities of the elderly. |
| 8. To obtain access to, and the use of, facilities for the activities of the U3As from National and Local Government and other organisations. |
| 9. To actively demonstrate the continuing contributions made by third-agers to the wellbeing of the community as a whole. |
| Revised October 1998 |
| From the Secretary -----Neville Jennings----- |
If
you require a U3A Diary for next year (2004) please order immediately
from Neville. |
| For
those members who would like to read the Chairman's letter and other
information processed by the Third Age Trust Office on a monthly basis
should
log on to the U3A website www.u3a.org.uk.
But to do so please make a note of the special password required, JLE28b |
Many
of us subscribe to the U3A Sources Bulletin posted direct once a
quarter. This is a 'free' resource but we need to re-subscribe to
receive any further issues. (a re-subscription form available from
Neville). |
U3A Online courses. Full details can be found on the National U3A website at http://www.u3a.org.uk/~courses/online/ See our Notice Board for further details. |
There will not be a U3A Calendar next year. Insufficient demand means the costs of production were not covered. Under review. Watch this space! |
| U3A Regional Study Day at Southampton Friday 26 September 2003, subject: Southampton City Art Gallery and its Exhibitions. Tickets £6.00 each from the Secretary. First come, first served. Seating is limited to 118. Venue: Guildhall Lecture Theatre, Civic Centre, Southampton. | The
November General Meeting is the 16th Anniversary Luncheon at St Francis
Hall at 12 noon for 12.30 pm. Please Note 2nd Wednesday for
that
month only. Tickets £2.00 available at September and October
General
Meetings. |
Speakers for Monthly Meetings
October 1st Beryl Paton. Nutrition and Health.
November 12th Anniversary Lunch. Note that this is the second Wednesday in the Month.
December 3rd A speaker from Wessex Archaeology.
January 7th Jeffery Ashendon. The Houses of the Close.
February 4th Alan Corkhill. Beyond the Footlights.
For Further Information
| U3A
Information File This is to remind members
that a file containing information about U3A is to be found in the
Salisbury
Reference Library shelved with Prospectuses of Higher Education under
the
heading '370 EDUCATION'. The file has a copy of the current Newsletter
and
programme and the latest Third Age News. It also contains recent issues
of Sources, sections on Spire and Sarum U3As, together with a copy of
Salisbury
U3A's New Constitution. If you want to place information in this file
or
have any questions about it, please contact Joan New
|
| Future
Outings |
| August
Thursday 7th Chichester for The Seagull. Coach 9.30am Coach Station Castle St. 9.40am Tesco's Southampton Rd. This outing is fully booked, but Friends of the Playhouse are taking a group to The Seagull on Sept. 27th. Mabel Hinkley, 335099, would be pleased to accept any U3A members wishing to go. |
| September
Thursday 4th Stratford-upon-Avon for the RSC's production of Richard III. Coach 8.15am Tesco's Southampton Rd. 8.30am Coach Station Castle St. Coffee stop Burford. A few seats available at the time of writing. Cost £25.50 Theatre & coach. £7.50 coach only. |
| October
Wednesday 8th A half day's outing to Lymington, via the New Forest. Coach 1.15pm Coach Station Castle St. 1.25pm Tesco's Southampton Rd. Cost £4. (The planned visit to the Owl Sanctuary has been cancelled). Seats available. |
| November
Thursday 6th Miss Saigon at the Mayflower Theatre. Based loosely on the story of Madam Butterfly, this original production is making its first ever national tour. Coach 12.30pm Coach Station Castle St. 12.40pm Tesco's Southampton Rd. Cost £26. Booking open from August General Meeting. |
December Wednesday 10th London - to the South Bank for the National Art Collections Fund Centenary Exhibition at the Hayward, or visit the Imperial War Museum, or just have a day in London as you choose. Coach 8.15am Tesco's Southampton Rd. 8.30am Coach Station Castle St. Leave London 4.30pm. Cost £8.50 coach only. (plus cost of exhibition - which is not yet known - about £8) Booking open from September General Meeting. Please make cheques payable to Salisbury District U3A. Suggestions for 2004 outings welcome. A backstage tour of The Playhouse is planned for February, following Alan Corkill's talk in February. ----~Rosemary Nicholls ----- |
Top| Walking Group New walkers please wear boots or strong shoes and bring a coffee break snack. Meet at 13 Dorset Road at 9.15 or at the start of the walk. Please let the leader or myself know if you are not coming. |
| September 25th Pewsey Vale and Down. 7 miles, pub lunch at the Barge Inn. The only WC en route at 5 mile point. Park at GR 115637. From Alton Barnes, 3.5 miles WNW from Pewsey, take road for Lockerbridge and Marlborough climbing up hill with White Horse to your left. After the crest look for a footpath signed off to the left and about 100 yards later, on the right, a track diagonally to the road, with car parking at the start of the track. Note the last part of the walk is up hill. Graham has arranged for weary walkers to wait in a church and he will ferry them up the hill. Meet 9.15 prompt and start 10.30. Leaders: Graham and Margaret . |
| October 9th Steeple Langford, Hanging Langford. Meet at the Rainbow Inn GR 041373. 5½ miles Pub lunch possible. Meet 9.15 start 9.45. Leader: Liz Payne |
| October 23rd West Grimstead, East Grimstead, Pepperbox. 6 miles. Meet West Grimstead Church GR 236215. Pub if required. Meet 9.15 start 9.45. Leader: Maggie |
| November 6th New Forest, Godshill enclosure and Castle Hill. 5 miles. GR 177160 Meet 9.15 start 9.45 Leader: Kay |
| November 20th Ludwell, Dunhead, Charlton. Meet Grove Arms, Ludwell, car park at rear. 5 miles. Pub lunch possible. Meet 9.15 start 10.00. Leader: Rex |
| December 4th Great Wishford, Stapleford, Till and Wylye valley. 5 miles. End of term pub lunch at Royal Oak. Car park GR 081353 Pub Meet 9.15. start 9.45 Leader: Graham and Margaret |
Dates for
next term, 2004: 8th and 22nd January, 12th and 26th February, 11th and
25th March. -----Anne ----- |
| Mini Walks |
| Third Thursdays |
| August 21st No walk |
| September 18th Whitsbury Cartwheel Pub Car Park |
| October 16th Codford St Peter and ridge above GR 962401 From A36, 2nd sign to Codford |
| November 20th Alvediston Three Crown Pub Car Park |
All walks start at 10.00am and are between 3 and 4 miles. Stout shoes are necessary and please bring a drink. -----Sheila and Peter Brown ----- |
TopFamily History Group Programme The Family History Group will meet on alternate Fridays at 10.15am at 8 Shakespeare Road, Stratford-sub-Castle. I shall be following the same programme as in previous years; every third meeting will be Informal, that is there will be no fixed subject, but there will be an opportunity to make use of my reference books, ask questions (I hope I know the answers!) and discuss problems. Informal meetings are open to anyone interested in Family History, not just members of the current group. I shall be delighted to welcome old friends and all Family Historians. I have arranged a trip to the Public Record Office, now known as the National Archive, at Kew on Thursday, September 11th 2003, leaving the Coach Station, off Castle Street at 8.30am. Since it is so near Kew Gardens, there will be seats for anyone who would like to visit. The cost will be a maximum of £10, depending on how many seats are filled. Please let me know if you will require an entry ticket for the PRO if you have not been before. |
| Programme for Sept - Dec 2003. |
| September 26th Introduction; finding out what we already know, consulting relatives. |
| October 10th Certificates of Birth, Marriage and Death, how to get them and what we can find out from them. |
| October 24th Informal (see above). |
| November 7th The Censuses 1841 - 1901. Snapshots of our ancestors' lives. |
| November 21st Parish Registers; sources of information before 1837. |
| December 5th Informal |
December 19th The International Genealogical Index; a very useful tool. |
The first meeting after Christmas will be on January 9th. -----Chris Dickson----- |
| Forthcoming
Events |
16th Anniversary Lunch of
Salisbury U3A |
| This year the Anniversary Lunch
will be held on the second Wednesday of the month, 12th
November, in St. Francis Church Hall at noon for 12.30. Please bring a plate of food, for general consumption and your own plate and cutlery. Wine, soft drinks, mince pies together with tea and coffee will be provided. There will also be a short entertainment. |
Tickets, at a cost of
£2.00 will be available at the September and October Coffee
Mornings or from the Secretary - from September onwards - to whom you
should send a s.a.e. together with your cheque for £2.00 made
payable to Salisbury and District
U3A. Please note that there will not be a meeting on Wednesday 5th November. Numbers are limited and tickets will be issued on a 'first come first served' basis. |
| Combined U3A Christmas Dinner | On Wed 17th December, the
Combined U3A Christmas Dinner will be held at the Salisbury Golf Club
7.30
for 8.00 p.m. -----Cyril Gordon----- |
| Sunday
Lunches |
Course
Organiser's Up-date |
| The
popularity of Sunday lunches is steadily growing. The lunches are held
on the first Sunday after the Wednesday General Meeting (the Coffee
Morning to
some) A list is on the notice board at the General Meeting with details
or
telephone me. -----Sheila Tupling ----- |
The deadline
for requesting places on courses has now passed, with the number of
applications about the same as last year. Any postmarked after 5th July
have been put
to one side and will be dealt with after the bulk processing is
complete. Many thanks to those who have taken extra care over filling in their forms, my impression is that we have had less searching to do than last year. A full breakdown of the statistics will be published in the Autumn newsletter. All members will be notified of their allocated places by post; the slips should be with you by late August. Please do not phone us about 'missing' forms before 1st September. Please remember that Sarum and Spire U3As work to a different timetable, and their members may have their allocations before ours are issued. -----Mary Smith------ |
| A Coincidence space |
Gardening Group |
|
| Kathleen Dent came to the April
Coffee Morning to listen to the talk on 'Unusual
Aspects of 19th century Salisbury' given by Ruth Newman. Not
only was
it fascinating, but she was surprised to hear the speaker refer to
Lieutenant John Peniston. Penistan is Kathleen's maiden name
(apparently the small
difference in the spelling has no significance). She already knew that
John
Peniston was a prominent member of the Reformers and that there is a
substantial
memorial to him in the Cathedral. Clearly Ruth Newman knew a lot about
John
Peniston and very kindly obtained for Kathleen a copy of a book of his
letters,
together with an article about him in the Archeological and Natural
History
Magazine of 1986. Kathleen is indebted to her for her interest and
help.
As she told me 'a most rewarding meeting!'. |
Top |
Autumn is an unusual season for
growth, but the new Gardening Group went from strength to strength
between October and March. We had very interesting talks, slide shows
and demonstrations
- Propagation of Perennials. Rose Pruning, Plants for Flower Arrangers,
Colour and Scent in Winter, and Tales of Plant Collectors. Gail Baines
organised a very enjoyable lunch in the College in January. Rosemary
Nicholls organised three trips to gardens in the Summer months.
Chiffchaffs is a lovely garden, but we saw it on a very showery day.
Forde Abbey is a treat, and the sun
shone. The third outing will be to Hestercombe, near Taunton. With
Rosemary's
excellent organisational skills, we are sure of a good day out. My
thanks
go to Rosemary Nicholls, Helen Wilcockson, Marian Bryan, Gail Baines
and
all the others who gave such invaluable help. All the talks and
demonstrations
are already booked for next year. Now I can sit and enjoy my own garden! -----Moira Dickson----- |
Garbage (with apologies to Wordsworth's Daffodils) I wandered jostled by the throng That fills the streets of our fair town And with disgust saw all along The rubbish that had been thrown down. Beneath the trees, beside the river Plastic and paper all a-quiver. And on the steps, the path, the road Through alleys and around the bends There lay in heaps a dirty load Of paper wraps and smoked fag ends. And chicken bones and chips all lay Mute witness to the take away. Tin cans abandoned in the gutter And by them cartons stained with grease The whole a monstrous smelly clutter Of litter that will soon increase As all who buy, and drink and eat Drop the remains upon the street. Now oft, when quiet I sit and brood And think of Salisbury where I've been Bleak memories of mess intrude I see again the ugly scene And then my heart is in despair About the garbage lying there. -----Margaret Wilson----- |
|---|
| Variations on a Theme As some members of our U3A
know, the Editor is fond of his food and, from time to time, gently
turns the
pages of the Larousse Gastronomique. I thought that some members would
appreciate the following.
In the 17th Century, at the time of the Hanoverian wars, to the castle of the Marshall the Duc de Richelieu came a messenger. He informed the Duc that a royal party was in the vicinity and the Duc wished to have these people very much on his side. It was but morning, so he instructed the messenger to invite the royal party and the members of their suites to dinner that evening. The messenger returned soon and told the Duc that the royal party were delighted to accept the invitation. The Duc thus summoned his chef, Rullières. The chef was horrified because, it being a time of war, he had very little in the larders and explained to the Duc that there was only an ox carcase and some root vegetables. The Duc said 'Do your best' and this is what the ingenious Rullières came up with: First Course Beef consomme Hors-d'oeuvre Kidneys with fried onion, little pates of chopped fillet of beef with chives, tripe a la poulette Entrees Oxtail with chesnut puree, tongue a la bourguinonne, fillet of beef with braised celery, beef rissoles with hazel nut puree, and beef marrow on toast. Second Course Roast sirloin, endive salad with ox tongue, beef a la mode with a white jelly with pistachio nuts. Six final dishes Glazed turnips with beef sauce, bone marrow pie, beef stock aspic with lemon rind and pralines, artichoke hearts with beef gravy and almond mild, fritters of beef brain, beef jelly with Alicante wine and Verdun mirabelles. And then the pastries, creams, fruit salads etc. Impressive stuff. If members have some unusual menus, perhaps they would let me know and I look forward to hearing from you |
Editor's Policy
I should like to continue with the 'Ivan Policy' that is, to encourage members to contrubute to the Newsletter. We have a few contributions this time but I would like to see more please.
As I am sure you appreciate I need to have them in good time, about a month before the Newsletter comes out. Poems, serious comments, light hearted or whatever. If you would like to attend a course about a subject you are interested in, but it is not on the current list, do let me know because we can then explore to find out whether other members would like something similar.
So all contributions to me, James Mogford.
