WOKINGHAM U3A NEWSLETTER March - April 2007

The May Meeting

My Life in Computer Arts

Alan Sutcliffe

 

Landing on an alien planet: frame from a 1978 animation

Alan first used computers to compose music in 1967 while working for ICL in Bracknell. The media were just beginning the change from analogue to digital, though few realised it. The next year he proposed forming the Computer Arts Society (CAS), the first international group to encourage the creative uses of computers in all the arts. He now edits PAGE, the CAS bulletin.

This is not a technical talk: it is about the arts and one direction they are taking, with lots of music, graphics, poetry, designs and animation, including current works. 

 

Tuesday 15th May 2007

St Paul's Parish Rooms at

2.00 pm

Chairman: Colin Mitchell, 0118 978 2824, e-mail colinfmitchell@hotmail.com

Secretary: Muriel Froom

Membership Secretary: Mrs Carole Beswetherick, 31 Hatch Ride, Crowthorne, RG45 6LF, 01344 771303

Editor: Paul King

Registered Charity No: 1049995

WEBSITE www.wokinghamu3a.org.uk

E-group sign-up: wokinghamu3a-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

A View From The Chair

The AGM is behind us now and thank you for electing me to serve a second year in the chair. The new Committee list is in this Newsletter and you will see that we have some fresh faces while others from the last Committee are changing posts. It’s another strong team and I’m looking forward to working with them.

The Committee has got some challenges ahead of us, including ‘group’ money and the size of the U3A. I have put these in the Newsletter as separate articles and will therefore keep this ‘view’ short.

Colin 

Annual General Meeting, 20^th March 2007

The minutes of the AGM will be lodged on our web site and available from the Hon Secretary so this report will be limited to the main points of the meeting which 127 members attended.

The AGM thanked the outgoing Committee and elected those members who will form the Committee for 2007/8: their details are published elsewhere in this Newsletter.

Money featured strongly with both the Chairman and Treasurer reporting on the need for greater transparency in all our financial transactions, including those in the groups. The reports led to very constructive discussions among those present which ended with the Chairman being invited to make sure that group leaders/convenors are given clear guidance on what is needed.

The other prominent feature of the AGM was the size of Wokingham U3A – currently 821 members with no sign of a reduction in the rate of growth. This was another very constructive discussion which aired the challenges of size including the workload of committee members and the relative importance of monthly meetings and study groups. The meeting concluded that there is no need to change the membership criteria and that any attempt to control growth would risk strangling the organisation. 

Groups And Money

The discussions at the AGM on groups and their money made it clear that some members feel that any money collected by groups has nothing to do with the Committee or anybody outside the group. Regrettably, the Charity Commission feels differently and says that the Trustees of the Charity (in our case the individual members of the Committee) are responsible for ALL money collected on behalf of the Charity. In our case this includes the money that you pay as ‘subscriptions’ to your groups as well as your annual subscription.

Some U3As avoid the difficulties by increasing the annual subscription to cover all group expenses, i.e. nobody pays a ‘subscription’ to their groups. Others have all group ‘subscriptions’ handed over to the U3A Treasurer who then pays all invoices. Some ask for group money to be paid into the Treasurer on a regular basis, say quarterly, or if it reaches £50. This third method is the one recommended to us by the U3A National Office.

As a long-standing group leader myself I don’t want to change my present, simple and open method of handling group accounts. However, as Chairman I believe that change is necessary in order to protect myself and the other Trustees against potential legal and financial penalties. The necessary change will also give protection to members of groups and those who collect money from them.

Most groups have already gone a long way towards meeting the Charity Commission’s requirements. We now need to go a little bit further and I hope that it will not be long before the Committee can advise group leaders / convenors what needs to be done.

Colin Mitchell, Chairman

821 And Growing

Our growing membership is a cause of concern to some members and I was delighted that it was discussed at the AGM. Thanks to Peter Harms’s introduction to the subject there was a wide ranging debate that looked at:

·        The increasing pressure on officers

·        Restricting our catchment area

·        The dangers of closing the membership list

·        A larger hall for monthly meetings

·        Getting the right balance between monthly meetings and groups.

The main conclusion from the debate was to keep our membership list open for the foreseeable future. There were no other earth-shaking conclusions but I was struck by the strength of feeling when members were talking about their groups; they truly are the strength of this U3A and long may it continue.

Another thing that struck me from the AGM was the comment in another debate about making sure that we remain friendly and informal rather than bureaucratic and formal. Well said sir! There are unfortunately some administrative hoops that we just have to jump through. Be assured though that I won’t look for new ones and will take the straightest route through the compulsory ones.

Colin Mitchell, Chairman

Groups

As you may be aware, Phyll Smith stood down as Group Co-ordinator in March. I am therefore taking this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Co-ordinator and hope that I will be able to accomplish as much as Phyll did during this last year.

At the moment I do not have any exciting group news for you because all the information and files are only just changing hands, but would like to tell you what my first plans are.

I have often heard it said by members of our U3a that communications are not terribly good overall, although during this last year I know that a lot of effort has been expended improving them with quite a degree of success. My hope is that during the next few months  there can be a comprehensive communication network set up between group convenors and myself so that problems, queries, suggestions and even complaints can be addressed as quickly and, hopefully, effectively as possible. 

As the Wokingham U3a has been growing quite rapidly during the past couple of years, the number of groups running has reached a total of 80 and with new groups starting all the time this figure may well be more now, but still there are waiting lists for some of the current groups. One of the problems in this area is that to start a group a convenor or leader is required and so if any of you feel you could fill such a role then I would be pleased to hear from you. I have myself led a Beginners' French group for nearly two years, despite being only a few steps further on than the other group members, and can assure you that it is a very rewarding experience.  Since the U3a is essentially a self help organisation then those of you on waiting lists might like to consider if you could take on the role of convenor or leader of a new group in your area of interest rather than wait any longer.

Both my telephone number and e-mail address are given in this Newsletter so I look forward to hearing from any member, convenor or leader who has questions, problems or suggestions.

Hilary C Taylor

New Style Diary Pages

Thank you to those of you who responded last month with your views on the new format. The overwhelming consensus was that people preferred the new style Diary page.

A little bit of fine tuning has taken place with the Diary Page in this issue to improve usability.

Paul

Equipment

I am delighted to report that Ted Thornton has agreed to take on the task of Equipment Co-ordinator which means that he will be making sure that it is maintained and trying to keep track of where it is. Ted can be contacted on 01344 774812 or ted.t@talktalk.net.

Ted, myself or any committee member will be pleased to hear your comments on equipment or suggestions for new items that the U3A should buy.

Colin Mitchell

Badminton

This group has just formed and we are meeting on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.

We are playing at Woodford Park Leisure Centre in Woodley on a Monday morning and are looking for new players. It doesn't matter if you have not played the game before as we will gladly teach you. Badminton is not difficult, we play for fun and exercise is good for you.

Badminton racquets can be hired from the Leisure Centre at a cost of £1.

Please note the venue will change after May as the leisure Centre is closing for renovations and repairs.

If you would like to join us please contact me:- Peter Allen

Monthly Meetings, Refreshments And Speakers

Over the last year I have been acting as Speaker Secretary which entails organising speakers for the monthly meetings, meeting them and generally ensuring that the equipment they need etc is available. I have also been combining this with finding volunteer groups or individual members willing to prepare the tea and coffee for those attending the meetings. However, as I am now taking on the task of Group Co-ordinator, I would like to hand these tasks over to some other member and so I am writing these few lines in the hope that there may be a willing soul out there. The tasks are not too onerous but do entail attending the monthly meetings which, as you know, are on the third Tuesday in the month for eight months of the year. The speakers must be booked well in advance and so bookings have already been made up to Christmas this year and for one month in 2008 and so any member who might consider volunteering would have plenty of time to gradually assume the role.

During any year we like to have at least two speakers at the meetings who are actual members of our U3a and this year we have had Paul King take us on an Edwardian Journey and look forward to Alan Sutcliffe telling us about Computer Arts in His Life in May. I am now looking for two members who might like to talk to us in two of the months from January to May 2008. If any member would like to volunteer to do this, or if anyone has heard a talk in one of our groups given by a member which they think would interest a wider audience, I will be very pleased to hear from them.

Hilary C Taylor 

Digital Photography

The group first met on 18^th September 2006 with twelve members. After the Open House Meeting in October 2006 the group doubled in size. We now (Feb 2007) have a membership of over 30!

The group’s purpose is to provide instruction and foster debate about Digital Photography and to go out and about taking photographs we can be proud of.

Our aim is to improve member’s expertise and enjoyment in and with their digital cameras.

We have a wide range of expertise from dedicated photographers from the 35mm film days to members who have just bought their first digital camera and want to learn how to use it.

We will shortly be starting a beginners’ course and a digital imaging course for those with some experience of image manipulation.

This is an open group, any member of U3A is welcome to join, even if you haven’t yet bought your first digital camera (we can help you choose)! Just look in the U3A diary, where you will find the date of the next meeting, usually on third Monday of the month, and the meeting place.

If you have access to the internet and would like to go on the email list please let me have your email address. Otherwise let us know your telephone number.

Philip Lewis

Photographs by:
Top    Jean Price
Left  Philip Lewis

Wokingham U3A Website

As Colin says, using old technology to advertise new!

Obviously, this piece is really only of interest to you if you have access to a computer.

http://www.wokinghamu3a.org.uk  Our website has been running for about four years now and during that time it has grown to become more informative on all aspects of our U3A.

You want to know what our groups are? Go to the activities page and click on the links for any of the activities.

You want to know what the next monthly meeting is about and who will be the speaker? It’s all there on the Monthly Meetings page.

You’ve mislaid your Newsletter or you want to check on an earlier edition. All the Newsletters from 2003 onwards are available and of course there is a search facility to help you to find what you were looking for.

If you need to contact the U3A National Office or Wokingham District or Town Council, the links are there on the Links and Bookmarks page.

“Interesting Websites”, gives links to a miscellany of other sites, derived initially from a session called “Web weaving” at the High Wycombe Regional Conference in 2003. It has been expanded with dedicated links to language and photographic sites as well access to foreign newspapers, and local visual arts societies. Please take a look, you may well find something to interest you and if you would like something added please let me know.

There have recently been a few last minute events that needed publicising urgently, so these have appeared on our Home page,

There is an “AGM” page where we display the Chairman’s report for the previous years and we also display the Agenda and Nominations Form prior to each year’s AGM.

The Photo gallery is intended to illustrate some of our U3A’s activities such as Garden Parties and last year’s pantomime. Additional photos are always welcome.

Recently a “Members’ Area” has been created with the intention of publishing information that we would prefer the outside world to not see. It is still somewhat short of information but I hope to have more available soon. The user name and password were published in the previous issue of the newsletter.

Finally, I hope the people who are nowadays creating more than 200 hits per month are satisfied with what they see.

Len Smith
Len@smith.net
01344 775517

A bit of Stuffing?

Mike and I have taken over the distribution of the News Letter from Joyce and Brian Bird, and are keen to expand our list of ‘stuffing helpers’.  If you feel you could spare a couple of hours on a Saturday morning every year or so please contact me on 01189784594 –

Pat Tucker.

Seminar at Abergavenny

This seminar runs from Monday 13th to Thursday 16th August 2007 and will concentrate on communication. It hopes to cover methods of communication from long before the internet as well as some of the latest ideas.

The Seminar is Open to all U3A Members and costs £175.00 per person in either single or double rooms with limited places for day visitors.

Anyone interested and wishing to book please ring Secretary Muriel Froom  (0118 9781647 ) for a booking form.

Summer Garden Party
Advance Notice

We will be holding a U3A Garden Party in Wokingham on Tuesday 10^th July. Full details will be given in the Jun-Jul edition of the newsletter.

Please write it in your diary now.

Muriel Froom

Memories

I am very pleased to say that in this issue we have two articles, one on life in Wokingham in the 70’s by Pauline Riocreux, and one on early journeys by Rosemary Goldschmied.

I hope you enjoy them. Please consider if you can produce an article for the next issue of the newsletter. There will only be these articles if you the members write them.

Articles may be sent to me on paper or by email.

Paul King

What was it like in Wokingham during the ‘70’s?

There was talk of a bypass for the town – over the years that followed the planning of the project caused house prices in or around its path to be blighted.

In the town there were several big grocery stores – the Co-op was, I think, where Boots is now, and I think there was Liptons somewhere around. Waitrose was established where Marks & Spencer is now. You could go into a Coal Merchants, buy a couple of hundredweight of coal and get it delivered. But that shop, like many others, closed on Wednesday afternoons. I don’t remember there being any traffic lights in the town. There was only one opticians. Wokingham has never seemed to be a bustling place – quiet and sedate, at least until the multitude of watering holes empty. I can’t remember there being more than one place to get a cup of tea in the daytime. The Council Offices were in the Town Hall and there were no charity shops – they hadn’t been thought of then. You could play tennis on open courts and fun golf on open ground at the south of the town and when the Fair came it was held in the fields where the Swimming Pool is now. There was an open-air swimming pool on the other side of town.

There were no mini-roundabouts in Wokingham or the surrounding areas. They seemed to arrive en masse at the end of a financial year, (in the same way that cycle ways have somewhat half-heartedly begun to be built lately). You could drive in a straight line right along Nine Mile Ride with only HALT and SLOW to mark the cross roads. I witnessed an accident at California Cross Roads when a truck driver failed to stop.

The Fernlea estate which surrounds my garden was only a few years old. Other estates have now been built on the open land that was either side of Nash Grove Lane at that time. In Nash Grove Lane then, the made-up part of the road ended three doors up from my home and although we had lamp standards there were no lights for several years. The overhead wiring for electricity and telephones was disrupted whenever there was a storm as the overhanging trees dragged against them or when a tall lorry passed by. There was going to be a Secondary School where there was a farm, but it came to nought and much against local wishes, the children were bussed into town. There were many ructions on the buses, for the children were all young and it was a great opportunity for mayhem. The farm had a lot of chickens as well as other animals and I can remember how the bluebottles bothered us then whereas now the farm has gone we are not troubled by them at all.

There was only one surgery in Finchampstead at that time, and it was not in a purpose built building but one could have prescriptions filled directly. Recently a chemist has opened in the shopping area and changed that. In addition, the Crossroads now has two general stores as well as the Post Office, a Fish & Chip Shop, a Bathroom fitters, and a fancy goods shop, where previously one general store incorporating the Post Office was all there was. There are also Chinese and  Indian restaurants and takeaways.

Pauline Riocreux

Early Journeys

Unlike young children today who travel around in cars and 'planes almost from birth, it took several years before I was taken on a proper holiday.

I think I was three years old when my parents took me on my first journey to the seaside, I have a couple of snapshots recording this event; one shows me sitting on a pier with my mother clutching my favourite soft toy, and in the other  I am photographed with my bucket and spade embarking on my first attempts to build a sand castle. They are the kind of photographs that make you cringe when your mother produces them in later years to show to your current boyfriend.

Until  I was six or seven years old all journeys were undertaken by bus, tram or train, then my mother's sister and her husband acquired a car. So started my first journeys by car. I looked forward to these excursions with very mixed feelings - Although enjoying the thrill of travelling by car, I knew that an hour or less into the journey my cousin and  I would both be sick.

The smell of the leather upholstery combined with the faint smell of petrol that seemed to emanate from cars in those days had this disastrous effect upon both of us, so that cries of "Stop the car the children are going to be sick' came from both mothers in due course. Another problem was that what are today euphemistically called 'comfort stops' did not figure in Uncle Tom's itinerary. He and my father in the front seats of the car engaged in man-to-man conversation, were deaf to the cries of their offspring behind them pleading for a halt to relieve themselves. It was usually Aunt Freddie who came to our aid by saying in a loud voice 'Tom, you must stop this car at once otherwise the children are going to wet their knickers.' which unfortunately we did on one shameful occasion. Luckily we had got out of the car but could not wait for our mothers to find us a secluded spot and relieved ourselves by the roadside. With the very little traffic that there was on the roads then this was not a problem, and thankfully our mothers were resourceful women; they found a stream in which to wash our undies. So we continued on our journey with our mothers either side of the car holding our knickers out of the open windows to dry in the warm summer breeze, so that we arrived at our destination decently clad in our nether regions. Eventually, like most children, we outgrew the car sickness and learnt bladder control, but still, arrival at the seaside usually found us leaping out of the car and racing along the sea front,  hand  in hand with our mothers searching for the nearest Ladies.

Rosemary Goldschmied

Sixty Years Ago

May 1st. This afternoon went to the Ritz to see Notorious With Gary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. It was a good film.

May 2nd. An awful day; bitterly cold, and an icy wind, a gale blowing. As cold as some winter days. Did some housework   this morning, though not with much gusto; it was such a wretched day   that cleaning seemed a waste of time.

May 3rd. Incredibly better than yesterday, a really lovely spring day. This afternoon Miss Rule and I went to Twickenham, crossed the ferry and walked into the meadows where we picked ladies smock, buttercups, daisies, coltsfoot and sorrel.

May 27th. Rosemary’s 21st birthday party at the Conservative Hall. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. Mr Gowlett had made her a huge wooden key on which we all signed our names. Rosemary wore a pale mauve taffeta evening dress. I can’t remember the names of all the people who were there. Eric, the Tailor's boy, is a handsome lad, and he and Molly, his sister, are graceful dancers.

May 28th. Glorious day, very hot. Walked up to Dads. Eric came in the car, seems incredible that he should have lived through such an awful time as the Burma Campaign. Dad said he felt as tired as a dog, and I'm sure I did. We rested this afternoon and went to a Grand Concert at Kneller Hall this evening. The band of the Gold Coast Police were there as visitors. I felt really weary and wilted; was thankful to get home and go to bed.

June 5th. Very cold and windy. We went to the Ritz to see  Black Narcissus, not very impressed although the scenery was magnificent. We lit the fire when we got home.

June 6^th.  Postcard from Platts saying the  Hoover is in stock.  Jim will pay  £10 towards it (the actual cost of the  Hoover was £13 2s 6d (£13.12 1/2p)). Bertie rang up, she's gay and light-hearted at the prospect of going to Rhodesia.  I wish them all the luck in the world.

June 7th. The Hoover was delivered this afternoon.

June 11th. A lovely day. Caught the 9. 45 train from Victoria to Bexhill. It's a quiet little place and  I feel sure that we shall enjoy a week's holiday there if only Dad is well enough. It's rather a tedious journey by train as the train first goes to Eastbourne then back to Bexhill. Home just before 10pm.

June 13th. Went to Richmond Horse Show this afternoon, and tonight Jim and I went to Richmond Theatre to see Black Limelight and really enjoyed it.
Rosemary Goldschmied

National AGM Update

The National AGM will be held at the Tremough campus of the University College Falmouth, which is near Penryn, on the morning of Tuesday 18th September. Agendas will be sent out at a later date as will the information on accommodation available, if anyone wishes more information contact Muriel Froom (01189781647).

 

Walking Group.

The walking group continues apace (yes, that IS a weak pun!) and our floating membership is around 80, although not ALL walk at any one time (we haven't found a pub big enough to accommodate that number).

Walks are always on the first Thursday of the month, starting at 10.00 from the chosen pub from which we start and return. We actively encourage all members to put forward and lead a walk of their choice, with a view to getting as much variety as possible.

Following the last Freshers Fair, there are quite a number of new members, and, being a fairly happy bunch, everyone gets on well with each other, and if anyone needs a helping hand, someone is sure to provide it, as illustrated by the photo taken on our last walk (courtesy of Don Louth), when heavy rain on the day preceding the walk led to unexpected (but surmountable ) obstacles! I didn't know we had so many engineers/bridge-builders in the Group!

Join us if you enjoy fresh air and good company, to say nothing of exercise to the body AND brain.

Derek Broad