Salisbury
and District U3A 
Salisbury
and District U3A
NEWSLETTER
Number 65 August 2009
By the time you read this, I shall have attended the Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace with my husband John, as representatives of Salisbury U3A. This is a great honour, totally undeserved, but we shall do our best to spread the word about U3A, and try not to let the side down. John Ewington and Mike Limbrick were instrumental in getting us invited, and we are very grateful to them.
It is 40 years since the Apollo mission landed on the moon. We were in Holland at the time, and our kind Dutch neighbour invited us in to watch the landing on television. She translated the American into English for us, always behind the action, until we said we could understand American. Seeing the recent television programmes on the event has made me think how much our generation has seen in the way of technical progress. Television sets were large pieces of furniture, and now they can be held in the hand. There were no mobile phones, transistor radios, or microwave ovens. When I was a child I helped my granny to put the washing through the mangle. Now we have washer/driers which take all the labour from us. Going back even further, do you remember, during the war, the eggs in the bucket of isinglass, the lack of oranges and bananas and chocolate? Despite the hardships and rationing, we led a very healthy life, and were perfectly happy. Perhaps we all need a period of rationing or abstinence to make us appreciate the blessings we have. All we really need is good health, good friends, something to exercise our minds, and enough money to get by. We are fortunate in Salisbury to have a beautiful city, and in the U3A to have mental stimulation, healthy exercise, and companionship. I hope you have a happy summer with family and friends, and that you are looking forward to starting the new term in September.
Moira Dickson
With more than 500 members, and a significant number of recently joined members, your Committee has decided that we all should use name badges at our larger meetings, i.e. the monthly meeting. This will be a courtesy towards our more recently joined members as well as a help to those of us with an occasional memory challenge. Your name label is enclosed with the August newsletter. At the monthly meeting you will be provided with a plastic holder to be worn on a neck string. Please pick one up and bring it to future meetings. At the last Tutors’ Lunch we tried them out and they seemed to work well.
We are sorry to record the deaths of Sadie Aspin, Karl Callaway and Mary Pye-Smith.
Welcome to new members: Jay Bass-Thomas, David Boundy, Hilary Ducker, Patricia Gordon-Duff, Diane Maxwell, Chris Page, Betty Poffley, Rosemary Smith, Josa Snow.
Our membership stands at 508. We now have a waiting list for new members, and we give preference to applicants who are willing and able to offer active help with our various activities. Our two sister organisations also have waiting lists.
H.-D. Scholz
Diana Barlow for many years ran a U3A class about buttons, of which she has a vast collection, of every shape, size and material, all beautifully displayed. She recently held an open day, by special invitation, to show her cabinets and drawers of buttons, many of which had fascinating histories. There were little animals, military, Victorian, and Mary Quant buttons, made out of a wide variety of materials. Unfortunately she no-longer holds the classes.
I have received a communication from our Central Office indicating that they wish to establish a National Roll of Honour to commemorate the names and achievements of U3A people whom the members believe deserve a special citation for service above and beyond the call of duty. This does not have to be deceased members. This has been publicised in U3A News. Your Committee have nominated three people so far. They are:
Chris Dickson for organising the course structure and prospectus, being a long serving committee member, chairman and looking after our interests at national meetings and regional meetings such as the annual AGM;
Joan New for very active support over a long period in leading and participating in groups, explaining metrication and looking after local communications with our website and library;
Bob Pearce for faithfully bringing the notice boards, consumables for monthly meetings (coffee, tea, etc) and organising the distribution of the Newsletter.
If you feel there are others that we should recognise please let me know.
Michael Limbrick
Those of you who have not yet sent us your email address would you please do so by sending a short email to u3a_salisbury@ live.co.uk stating your name(s) and membership number(s).
This newsletter will be sent for the first time also by email. Should you have difficulties opening the email attachment (Adobe Reader) we shall email you a download link in case you have not got Adobe yet. Please let us know via the above email address.
Dieter Scholz
Try The Green Spaces website broadcast "How to grow your own fresh air". We can do this in our own homes.
Imagining the Future? Try http://www.21school.ox.ac.uk = University of Oxford.
Natural History Groups and Wildlife enthusiasts. Try the webcam www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch/webcams/.
Ask an Engineer! Compendium of Information could easily form the basis of a quiz for SCIENCE/TECH groups http://engineering.mit.edu/ask/.
History/Archaeology Groups see list of museums for weekday visit. http://www.ilovethepast.com/museums.
See U3A Online Demonstrations Website.
Two interesting new items (in red) on the subject of
1. ATM safety and some excellent
2. Tips for use of a personal cellphone camera http://sites.google.com/site/u3asitedemo.
Neville Jennings
For information on forthcoming outings, click HERE.
“I’ve lived a very ordinary commonplace life,” said he when asked to talk about himself. But a glance round Jack Osborne’s living room belies that. It is dominated by what looks like a large computer screen on his desk. That, he says, is a CCTV personal reader with a powerful magnifying facility. For Jack now has only residual vision. Yet on every wall are shelves stuffed with an array of books on topics ranging from military history to theology – and in several languages. Here is a man about to celebrate his centenary who all his life has overcome difficulties and disadvantage to make the most of every opportunity.
Born in 1909 he grew up in the Black Country in modest surroundings in a family with modest aspirations. His father was “a miserable hack clerk” in a metal stamping factory with a James Watt beam engine bashing noisily all day outside his office. It was expected that his son would follow in his footsteps after elementary school. But Jack wasn’t content with his limited surroundings. By the time he was ten or eleven he would take himself into Birmingham to the library or a museum. One day on such a foray, he happened to pass one of the grammar schools and saw a notice advertising a scholarship exam. So he went in and asked for an entry form. When he won a scholarship his parents didn’t stand in his way. After a distinguished school career he was awarded a state studentship to attend Birmingham University where he read history. But when he graduated Britain was in the depths of the Great Depression, and there were no jobs to suit his academic achievements. He became an elementary school teacher, glad of any job.
At the outbreak of the Second World War he was evacuated to the Forest of Dean to a commercial school where he taught shorthand, bookkeeping, Spanish and boys’ PE, but no history. Then he was called up and eventually found himself commanding a platoon of Nigerian soldiers in the second Chindit Expedition against the Japanese in Burma for which he was awarded the Burma Star. Despite the hardship and danger he found time to read – and a supply of books.
After the war the government set up a number of new teacher training colleges and Jack found himself as a lecturer at Newland Park College of Education, which became part of Buckinghamshire New University just before he retired. Now he was able to teach history, as well as education, Latin and other subjects.
Retirement didn’t mean sitting back for Jack. His wife, Sylvia, noticed an advertisement for a research assistant at Exeter University to edit Latin documents. Jack got the job. So they moved down to a small village in Devon. When Jack wasn’t studying Latin documents he was cultivating his two-acre garden and rearing poultry. And, always a keen walker, he started a walking group and was leading walks until well into his 80s. He also wrote many articles for the village magazine.
He and Sylvia moved to Salisbury a few years ago to be nearer their son. She, sadly, died six years ago. In his hundredth year Jack still keeps himself busy with the Macular Disease Society, the Retired Officers’ Club and the Burma Star Association and St Paul’s Church. He is an honorary member of the Royal British Legion.
Jack is a superb storyteller, as our U3A well knows. As its most senior member he addressed our May monthly meeting, keeping his audience spellbound for well over half an hour as he spoke without notes about his wartime memories of Burma. And he has promised “if I am spared” he says, to speak again soon about growing up during the First World War and the Depression.
Catherine Dyer
Will be held on Wednesday 4 November, 12 for 12.30 at St Francis Church Hall. Tickets (£3), to include a drink, will be on sale from September. This is a “Bring and Share” Lunch.
Are holding a Hog Roast on Thursday 3 September from 12 noon to 3 pm at Alderbury Village Hall. Tickets (£10, to include a drink and dessert, from Moira Dickson.
Join other members for Sunday lunch. Next occasion is on Sunday 6 September at Grasmere House, Harnham Road. All members, couples or single, are welcome at these lunches.
Many members will have found that they were unable to get on the Courses they wanted. There were more courses on the Programme this year, but some were over-subscribed. If this was your experience, please check the list of vacancies and see if something else appeals to you. Try something new! If you are interested in taking up a vacancy, please contact me as soon as possible.
Chris Dickson
First, some news about courses to keep you up to date.
Searching Issues Elizabeth Burdett will run this course on Tuesdays as previously.
Bible Study The first meeting will be on 7 September, looking at Peter’s letters.
Joan New’s starting dates are: Recorder Consort: 8 October; Card-Making Workshop: 5 January 2010.
Can’t Cook? Bring A Pinny! is for real beginners and very basic.
Family History Meetings at 10.15 on 15 October and 26 November are open to any interested people.
Croquet Anyone interested in sampling croquet at Hamptworth Croquet Club, should contact Mary Smith.
PowerPoint and Video Workshop
Our Lottery funded audio-visual system includes a notebook computer with Microsoft PowerPoint. For those of you interested in exploring the use of presentation aids we can arrange a workshop covering PowerPoint and/or video projection. Interested members please contact Dieter Scholz.
Gardening Group programme
12 October Plants for a winter garden.
9 November Pruning, a practical demonstration.
14 December Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.
Visitors welcome for single sessions on payment of £1.
Careful where you sit
Month by month the general meeting of our U3A sits on an historic site – and is probably unaware of its significance. Salisbury Methodist Church celebrates its 250th anniversary this year and the U3A sits on the very site where the first church was built.
In 1759 Rev. John Wesley and six Salisbury citizens leased this site of two cottages for 1000 years. In the gardens they built a preaching house. The growth of the evangelical revival in this 18th century city could not be contained in a small building. By 1811 the church you now know replaced it and, in 1993, was redesigned and the hall rebuilt.
Methodism spread into the surrounding villages and across the city to Fisherton and Harnham. Today the successors of John Wesley’s Salisbury Methodists aim to serve the present age in a different world but holding to the same Christian faith.
As you come to this historic site, pause for a moment and share the inheritance.
David Ensor
Monday |
10.00 |
2 |
Car Navigation |
Tuesday |
10.00 |
15 |
Classical Mythology |
Wednesday |
10.00 |
31 |
Art for All |
Thursday |
10.00 |
47 48 |
Hamlet |
Friday |
10.15 |
66 |
Learning the Recorder |
Fortnightly Thursdays
17 September – Map Expl. 118 GR 923 205. Win Green CP. 5½ miles. NB 10.15 am start. Geoff
1 October – Map Expl. OL22, GR 162 105. South Gorley, Chibden Bottom, Moyles Court. 5½ miles. Start 10 am. Park on Common, South Gorley. Pub afterwards: Royal Oak, N. Gorley. Tom and Judy
15 October – Map Expl. 143, GR 930 426. Heytesbury to Corton and Knook. Park in lay-by at Heytesbury (closed road on left). 5 miles. Start 10 am. Rex
29 October – Map Expl. 130, GR 041 373. Around Steeple Langford. Start 10 am Rainbow Inn CP. 5 miles. Sheila
12 November – Map Expl. 130 GR 080 351. Grovely Wood. Park on roadside at Great Wishford. 4½ miles. Start 10 am. Kay
26 November – Map Expl. 118 GR 993 174. Meet Sixpenny Handley CP. 5 miles. NB Start 10.30 am. John
10 December – Map Expl. OL 22 GR 233143. Meet Royal Oak CP Fritham. 5 miles. Start
10 am. Pam and Tony
Please let the leader or Maggie know if you are NOT coming. Meet to share cars with each other at 13 Dorset Road.
Second Wednesday of the Month
9 September – Baverstock to Wilton. 5½ miles. Meet at Bus Station for 9.40 am No. 25 bus.
14 October – Dinton to Broadchalke. 6 miles. No. 25 bus at 9.40 am from Bus Station.
11 November – Dinton to Wishford. No. 25 bus at 9.40 am.
9 December – Stratford Tony to Salisbury. 4¼ miles. No. 29 bus from Bus Station at 9.25 am.
Helga Burtt
