THE UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE

A Conference with a difference.
Three days cruising on board the MV Van Gogh, with the AGM held in Falmouth on the fourth day.
Many U3A members travelled to Falmouth on Friday 14th September and stayed overnight at the Tremough Campus of the combined universities, at Penryn, where the AGM was also due to take place. Next morning coaches took us to Falmouth Harbour, ready for embarkation at 1.00pm.
Before boarding, every person had their photo taken, surrendered their passport and were given an identification 'swipe' card to use on board for any purchases made. œ4 per day per person was charged for tips. After locating my cabin on deck 4 where my luggage was waiting, it was time for a buffet lunch.
Hand washing regime before meals was very strict. At the entrance to the restaurant stood two waiters with hand gel, which was applied to all who passed through. Lifeboat drill came next, and then the chairman, Jean Goodeve, opened the conference at 3.45pm with a welcome and introduction. Keith Richards, past chairman introduced the three sessions which were to follow. You will have read in the latest edition of the U3A News details of most of what took place, which has been very well reported, the main theme being the concept of shared learning. At 5.30pm the session ended and the ship sailed from Falmouth. After dinner, a lecture on Giverny (Monet's Garden) was given by Audrey Loraine.
Watches were put forward one hour on Sunday as visits were to be made to Giverny or Normandy after the ship docked at Le Havre. I wasn't sure why this was considered necessary. So the second conference session began at 9.30am (new time) and the subject was International Learning. Stan Miller, president of I.A.U.T.A. gave a very interesting talk, especially as he told us he is the first Anglo Saxon to occupy the post of President. Mike Williams from Hastings and Rother also spoke.
Meanwhile the vessel had docked at Le Havre and a complicated procedure to divide us into groups to fill the waiting coaches was carried out. My group visited a Calvados distillery at the Chateau de Breuil, after a short walking tour of Honfleur. The visit was very interesting especially as the weather was sunny and we had a good guide. At the Chateau we were able to taste a small sample of Calvados ' obviously to tempt us into buying some! We also tasted three delicious French cheeses and then French apple tart, it being Normandy. Unfortunately this delayed our return to Le Havre, where a formal dinner on the ship was due to start at 7pm. A mad scramble to get changed was necessary, but we were only 20 minutes late for the meal.
On Monday morning we were back to UK time and proceedings began at 8.15am. It was necessary for these early starts as excursions were due to be made in the afternoon. I went to a seminar on Communications and the Media where there was a lively discussion. Then to the conference session at 9.45am, when we heard from Meg Shaw and Ian Searle on Celebrating Shared Learning. Meg said that she felt the emphasis should be on learning rather than teaching.
Lunch was taken early in order to prepare for the long awaited visit to Tresco Abbey Gardens on the Isles of Scilly. We assembled in groups, suitably clad, for the anticipated excursion. Local tenders, each seating 80 ' 100 guests, were to operate a shuttle service to and from the pier. However, fate decided otherwise ' after a short wait the announcement came that the sea was too rough for the tenders to operate. What a disappointment! I went up on deck and found that although it was sunny, the wind was indeed very strong. The ship left early for the voyage back to Falmouth. We were very grateful then to Ian Searle for entertaining us with some of his DVDs of Hong Kong.
All were then kept busy with preparations for embarkation the next day. Passports to be collected, bills to be paid, the right label attached to luggage which must be left outside cabins not later than midnight, for collection by the crew. There were no less than seven groups of luggage, according to attendance or not at the AGM and ongoing travel arrangements. The organisation was excellent and worked very well. The AGM was held on Tuesday 18th September as before mentioned, at the Tremough campus and took place without any undue surprises. I stayed another night at the campus as the train journey home was long. I was able to meet and talk with some very interesting people and am very pleased to have been able to attend this conference. See you next year in Swansea!

GROUPS' COORDINATOR
The monthly meeting in January will, as usual be a social gathering. The Committee have suggested that following upon the theme of September's hugely successful meeting, some groups may be prepared to volunteer to discuss their posters and the activities depicted. This should be a group effort and not left just to the leader. If you are prepared to 'Have a Go' let me know.
Please amend your list of groups in respect of the following-
Family History Group III and Essex Churches Group. These groups will now be part of the new Rayleigh U3A and should be deleted from your list.
Again I have been asked to enquire if there are any members interested in forming a Painting group, or a Bridge for Beginners group. If you are interested in either of these activities please let me know.

INTEREST GROUPS' INFORMATION