All posts by Sue Galley

Group report

Reading 1

This is an article published in the Spring 2018 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter....

The last three books we have read are as follows :

“Unless” by Carol Shields. Narrated by a 44 year old writer and translator whose college-aged daughter has dropped out of university and lives on the street with a cardboard sign round her neck saying “Goodness”. An intriguing novel, part mystery, provoked a great deal of discussion, but not enjoyed by all !

“Under a mackerel sky” an autobiography by Rick Stein the restauranteur. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, I found him complacent and conceited. Rather a tedious book, being a list of all his achievements.

And this month’s book, “For one more day” by an American writer, Mitch Alborn. It’s about a son who lead a rather disappointing life (alcoholism, drugs, attempted suicide) who is able to spend a day with his mother who died 8 years earlier. The author writes well and it is a believable story.

Thelma Cook

PS We also read poetry each month with various themes – Christmas, spring, mothers etc

 

Group report

The Bookies

This is an article published in the Spring 2018 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter....

Our reading group started at the end of 2014 and we have been going strong ever since. We started with seven then a further member joined us and so we became eight.

We have become firm friends with each of us bringing a different perspective on life from varying backgrounds to the discussions. An additional benefit is that we have been able to support each other when life has become a bit tough.

We have found that 8 is the right number for us. We meet in each other’s homes to review the current book so seating for 8 is enough and always served with homemade cake or other tasty treats. The books are chosen from the Library group reading lists by us, each member providing me with a list which I then order when they become available from the Library. It is possible to order up to one year in advance but even then we sometimes have to wait months to obtain a particular book (adds to the anticipation).

The discussions can become a little warm (won’t say heated) but nobody has walked out in a huff – yet! For myself I have found belonging to the group has made me read books that I would not have normally chosen and interestingly on occasion have come to a review saying that I have not enjoyed a book only to think again when I hear the other points of view.

What is lovely is when a book inspires further investigation and this is then revealed at our meeting. A recent read ‘Every Man for Himself’ by B Bainbridge, a fictional account of one person’s Titanic experience led to Pam telling about her husband’s interest in the Titanic and she brought along some of his research stuff to share with us. Likewise Jane had visited the Titanic museum in Belfast.

We score our reads from 1 to 10 and at the end of the year we look back at our reads and see if we want to change our score (I keep a spreadsheet that works out the stats for me in case of variables).

Twice a year we treat ourselves to lunch out - once in the summer and then at Christmas.

Our best read for 2017 was ‘The Help’ by K Stockett (83.75/100) and the least liked was ‘Mourning Ruby’ by H Dunmore (22.5/100).

Sylvia Clamp

Group report

Painting & drawing 2

This is an article published in the Spring 2018 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter....

artWe meet every fourth Friday of the month 10.00 to 12.00am, at The Radford Hall.

There are 18 people who belong and we usually have between 10 and 12 attendees. There is always room for more.

It is always a very relaxed morning, we meet to have fun and experiment with different techniques, and approaches. Since Christmas we have done portraits of someone you know, printing with potatoes and other things, and wild animals in any medium.

Lesley Vincent

Group report

Philosophy 1

This is an article published in the Spring 2018 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter....

The philosophy group this year has grown bigger (not that the individuals in the group have grown bigger, but the number of individuals in the group has grown bigger). This gives some indication of what discussing philosophical issues does to the brain!!

Our main problem now is how to develop with increased numbers. We have a waiting list (a short one) but it is simply impossible to cram anyone else into our sitting room. We already operate on the basis that not everyone attends every meeting. Ideally the group should now split in two, but that requires another group leader and another venue. The task of group leader is not onerous. The group membership is self-motivated and the sessions more or less run themselves, and all the leader has to do is oversee an orderly discussion and make the coffee! Oh, and also try to remember what topics have been discussed and what are to be discussed.

This year we have been somewhat influenced by the President Trump phenomenon. Consequently we have considered topics such as ‘What is Truth?’ and Fake News (which has a very long historical pedigree). Some of our newer members have suggested we consider really fundamental questions such as ‘Why is there anything at all rather than nothing?’ but so far we haven’t tackled this subject. Perhaps, with the death of Professor Hawking, we might venture into these questions next year.

The group has been going now for about ten years, so we have covered over 100 topics. Given the average group member’s memory ability, we could probably revisit some of these topics in the future. Our newer members could bring fresh perspectives to discussions.

The group is clearly a friendship group as well as a study group, but the only way we can accommodate those members on the waiting list, and open up the group to new members is if we can start a second group. I do hope someone will come forward with an offer to start a new group.

Mike Silvester

Group report

History 2

This is an article published in the Spring 2018 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter....

We struggled on with only four members for a while, but in the last couple of months we have recruited some new members and now we are back to strength.
Our way of operating is that we each take it in turn to research an historical subject and then give a talk on it to the others. There is nothing like having to give a talk to your peers to make you learn your subject. As usual we have had a wide variety of subjects delivered. They have included:

  • The Career of Christopher Columbus.
  • The Drovers of Wales and their link to the formation of Lloyds Bank.
  • The WW2 Battle of the Atlantic.
  • The Heroines of the SOE.
  • The 'Hungry Empire' on the supply of food to the armed forces over the years.
  • The 2nd Battle of Lincoln.

A particularly impressive display was a long talk by Alan Price on the origins of the cosmos and the solar system, entirely without referring to his notes!

As a direct result of talks to the History Group, I have produced a book on the History of British Sea Power; the wars, the battles and the admirals; from Alfred the Great to the Korean War. It is available on Amazon, price £9.

As I said earlier we are now full and not looking for new members at present.

William (Ben) Lyon, March 2018

Group report

Science and technology

This is an article published in the Spring 2018 edition of the Hayling Island U3A newsletter....

Since the last Newsletter, we have been treated to three fascinating but very different talks. The first was on the subject of encryption where the history of the technology was covered from elementary codes used by our ancestors leading up to the sophistication of the Enigma machine and the brilliant analyses that were applied to break the code, a state secret that remained secret for many years after the conclusion of the war. We are eagerly awaiting Encryption part two that will deal with the modern techniques of private and public keys. The talk is still to be scheduled so watch this space.

The second talk was on the science of business analysis that is now being applied in companies to resolve complex situations and to identify the best policies for future growth and survival in a very competitive world.

Our third talk was about Gunpowder Engines and covered the history of man’s attempts to create mechanical movement from gunpowder since the 16th century. Virtually all were failures but an amazing revelation was that many aircraft engines and even modern torpedoes have been started with a controlled gunpowder explosion! One remarkable coincidence was that one of the pioneers in the early 19th century was an ancestor of one of our members!

The S & T Group meets on the 4th Weds of each month at St Patricks Church Hall at 2.30 pm. Any member of the U3A is welcome to attend for a contribution of £2 or alternatively, one can join the group for a fee of £5 which lasts for around 8 months. Until now, we have relied upon our own members to give talks as many have great expertise having spent a lifetime in various fields of Science and Technology. But we have now reached the stage where most members have already presented and so we are liaising with all the other S & T groups within the Southern Central Network of the U3A to explore the possibility of exchanging speakers.

Paul Chapman