THE University of the Third Age (U3A) was founded in France in 1972 and established in South Africa in Cape Town in 2000. The Port Elizabeth branch was started by Sandy Boreham four years later with a current membership of around 200. Presently there are over 30 branches in SA. Contrary to the name an academic qualification is not required to become a member. The first age being youth with formal education; the second being employed and economically active with family responsibilities; and the third age at retirement when having more time for self-development.
The principles on which U3A are built are;
- To refute the idea of intellectual decline with age;
-To recognise immense resources of skills, experience andamp; enthusiasm in retired people;
-To be open for membership to all irrespective of religion, culture, race or education;
-To encourage members to share knowledge andamp; enthusiasm with others.
Meetings are held at the Newton Park Library Auditorium every last Tuesday of the month at 10h00 with notable speakers on a wide variety of topics.
On 30 June David Green, an ornithologist just returned from a year with the team on Marion Island will deliver an audio-visual presentation. On 28 July Kevin Kelly of Xtreme Projects which is an Emergency Response Company and was involved during the salvage of the cruise liner “Costa Concordia” in Italy, has been invited.
Monthly outings are arranged to places of worship, factories and historical walks around PE and Uitenhage. Annual membership is R50 or R80 per couple with visitors welcome at a nominal donation. Interested persons can join at meetings or visit the website: u3ape.co.za or call Merlene 041-5037902/Chris 041-5859500. – REPORTER
