President’s Report
As expected, it’s been a busy start in my new role as I navigate my way around all aspects of our wonderful organisation both internally and externally.
There have been meetings with various local politicians to raise awareness and discuss potential new venues for classes as well as two networking events in which our team promoted U3A Southern Gold Coast to possible supporters. We are hoping that these will bear fruit and will keep you informed of any outcomes.
I feel fortunate to be supported by an enthusiastic management committee with seven members helping to share the load. So that you can get to know us better, we have each provided small summary articles, which you can read in this newsletter. We also have two sub-committees, one to organise events and the other, our communications such as this newsletter, Facebook and the website, which have been working hard behind the scenes. There’s also our unpaid, but much appreciated, front-line office personnel as well as the army of volunteer tutors without whom we’d have no classes or activities. I wish to thank all of these people for helping to contribute.
We are still looking for volunteers to fill roles including Asset Management and Marketing and I will continue as Funding Manager until we can find someone to take this on too.
As we move closer to the end of the year and re-enrolment time, it’s important to promote our organisation to prospective new members. Therefore a flyer has been produced to be distributed widely and an information desk booked at The Pines in October during Seniors’ Month. You can read more about each of these initiatives in later pages of this newsletter.
I look forward to meeting more members in the near future and hearing any feedback and ideas which will assist in improving our organisation.
Liz Logan
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U3A Brand New Website! Have you seen it?
Our webmaster, Peter Minck, has created a beautiful and user friendly website for U3A members. At your fingertips find all you need to know about our organisation and the services it provides. Check out the classes, talks and events. www.u3asoutherngoldcoast.org.au
Participate, comment and ‘like’ Southern Gold Coast on Facebook too: it helps spread our reach.
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President Liz Logan
 A long-held dream to move to the Gold Coast from Victoria became a reality five years ago for Liz and her husband, Rob. They both love watersports and recently bought a two-person kayak to explore the many waterways on the Gold Coast.
Before ‘retirement’ Liz was CEO of two small not-for-profit organisations which supported people with disabilities and serious health conditions. She managed programs, marketing, membership, fundraising, finances, volunteers, staff, strategic planning and stakeholder relationships. It was challenging but rewarding work! She hopes to use some of these skills in her new role at U3A.
Liz has worked in the higher education sector and volunteered in various organisations over the years. Liz joined U3A in 2018 to establish some new friendships and started volunteering in 2020 writing grant applications.
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Vice President Irene Sachs
Irene Sachs joined U3A in 2017 and was our Program Manager from 2017 – 2020. She has now rejoined the Committee as Vice President.
Prior to retirement, Irene worked as a university librarian in Australia and overseas. She and her husband, Jim, are very keen travellers and like nothing better than to jump in their van and head to the wide outdoors.
Irene’s other interests include reading, gardening, music, kayaking and walking. She is also the tutor for the monthly activity, Walk & Discover.
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Treasurer Merry Cloutier
 Merry got involved with U3A Twin Towns while planning retirement activities. She found the (then) Twin Towns branch seemed to offer the widest range of courses. Merry gets involved whenever she joins an organisation. Within 6 months she became Treasurer and tutor for the “Not so Famous Historical Women” and the Environmental courses! Merry has been busy with many courses and enjoyed researching the courses she’s run.
Previously Merry was a business improvement consultant and a qualified accountant so her contribution to U3A has supported good practice and financial management in the organisation. Throughout her working life Merry has volunteered as mentor/advisor to various organisations both domestically and internationally. She said she doesn’t plan on stopping in retirement. Besides being on the U3A committee, Merry is also on the ethics committee for QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and a board member/Treasurer for Project Didi Australia.
Merry enjoys experimenting with a combination of art and crafts for personal pleasure only (no exhibitions planned!!), intense discussion in her Philosophy group (with the beach in the background), golf in good weather, lunch and wine with girlfriends, and devouring non-fiction books. Her husband Tom and their little Chihuahua, Luna, keep each other company at home.
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Membership Officer Alison Salisbury
Alison moved to the Gold Coast in 1996 and worked at Dreamworld for 6.5 years. After ‘retiring’ she worked as a volunteer, firstly for The Smith Family and for the past 6 years for the U3A, in office and admin roles.
Alison’s interests include sewing, gardening and reading. One of her favourite family activities is to take her granddaughters to various musicals such as Matilda, Aladdin and Frozen.
Alison assists her husband, Peter, with his 500+ birds in many ways including taking the money at bird sales. He says he doesn't see the money afterwards!
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Program Manager Meg Johnson
 Meg spent most of her working life in teaching positions - primary, secondary and tertiary. Her most recent teaching experience was with the Australian International School, Singapore. There she enjoyed five years of working with wonderful students and colleagues. Travel opportunities were a very welcome bonus.
Now in retirement, a natural transition for her is to volunteer time at U3A. Meg does her best to coordinate tutors and activities so the U3A
members are ensured of active ageing.
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Office Manager Anne Souter
Anne grew up on a farm in the beautiful Adelaide Hills. Her family moved to suburbia for her Dad’s treatment for TB. She left school early to train in office-work which led to secretarial work in many interesting companies.
At age 20 Anne took up nursing in Adelaide. She worked in Royal District & Bush nursing in the Outback, including several stints with the Royal Flying Doctor service as well as in schools, prisons and factories.
Anne got her pilot's licence in the 1980s and was engaged to an engineer who, sadly, was killed in a motor bike accident. After this Anne pursued nursing contracts in the Middle East, for two years working in ICUs, in Taif, a mountain city in Saudi Arabia, then in the capital, Riyadh. This fascinating work involved Anne with expatriate communities, including joining them on archaeological digs etc.
Back in Australia Anne travelled with her new partner, for 14 years, taking up jobs from Sydney to Cairns. Returning to Adelaide she spent 2 years as carer for her mother who was suffering from dementia. After her Mum’s passing Anne moved to Queensland to work in dialysis units, eventually working in John Flynn Hospital which involved driving past U3A's Boyd St rooms every day.
Anne called into the U3A office, was offered membership for working only 3hrs/fortnight (great deal!). When the Office Manager retired in 2021, she ended up with the job (no other takers! she said).
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Digital Technologies Manager John Niven
John is responsible for the ‘care and feeding’ of all the technologies that make the U3A office run so well – the computers, the networks and the telephone system. He can often be seen at our public meetings ensuring that the meetings (in-person or via Zoom) are available to all members.
After doing ‘The Big Lap’ of Australia in a caravan, searching for a good place to retire, John and his wife moved to the Gold Coast in 2020 just prior to the Covid lockdowns. He joined U3A Southern Gold Coast the following year in 2021.
During his working career, John worked in the computer industry for 34 years, holding senior engineering and marketing positions with large multinational computer companies. Clients he worked with were the ‘big end of town’ including Australian and NSW governments, the Big 4 Banks, Telstra, Optus and other leading organisations. He was luckily in the right place at the right time – soon after he graduated, IBM released the first IBM Personal Computer which shaped his career thereafter.
John has had a keen interest in basketball and is a founding father of the Northern Suburbs Basketball Association in Sydney which is now the largest such club in NSW with over 3500 members – a far cry from its humble beginnings. He held many volunteer positions with this organisation including being secretary for 15 years. Other positions included coaching junior representative teams, being a referee and Chair of the Judiciary Committee. With his wife, they started basketball in northern Sydney for 5-12 year olds .. he often felt like the ‘Pied Piper’ with up to 350 kids each weekend at basketball courts. He is now recognised as a Life Member.
John is an avid sailor (sails well) and golfer (poorly) and generally enjoys the outdoor life that the Gold Coast provides.
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Secretary Linda Dern
Linda‘s involvement with U3A has been primarily as a student. Now she is the Secretary of the current management committee.
Linda has been a member of U3A for approximately 10 years. Firstly, in her previous home of Coffs Harbour and now here on the southern Gold Coast since 2015.
As part of an Air Force family from the late 70s until the mid 90s Linda and her family had the chance to live in several places around Australia. After military service life was finished, she and her husband built a life for their family in Coffs Harbour until their now grown children all left Coffs for further education and careers. They decided to move a bit closer to their children all here on the southern Gold Coast.
Linda’s working life has been quite varied from Dental Nurse and Pathology assistant to her final job before workforce retirement as a Customer Service Officer with Centrelink. Nowadays Linda fills her time enjoying keeping fit, renovating, gardening and landscaping, reading and of course some U3A classes to round the week out.
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VALE Jana Stranan by Gail Bonser
 Many of the early members of U3A Southern Gold Coast Inc. will remember Jana Stranan, who passed away on Monday 15 August.
Jana was a long-term member, a great contributor to, and supporter of, U3A Twin Towns Inc. (as it was during her time as a member). Jana was involved in our U3A as member, committee member and the founder of the Wednesday Book Club.
Since 2006 when she underwent the first of a series of operations, Jana never let her health get in the way of her enjoyment of life and learning. In fact, many of the longer-term members of U3A Twin Towns will remember with admiration the way that Jana continued as an active member during times that would have caused many of us to take to our beds or recline on our couches. None of us would have been game to try and outwalk her with her walking frame!
Jana was a devotee of all things French. She had been a student of French under Beryl Ferrier and she remained a loyal member of the admiration society that supported Beryl at U3A. For years, a number of U3A members who were also her friends played Scrabble in French at Jana’s home each week, with the blessing of Beryl and the use of Beryl’s French Scrabble set. Jana being Jana, the game was incredibly competitive!
Jana battled her illness and the limitations that it placed on her mobility, with bravery and dignity. She loved a party and she’d love to know that her friends and colleagues in U3A remember her and celebrate her life with pleasure, fond remembrance and perhaps a glass of bubbly.
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Do you know of a member who is suffering from an illness, in hospital, recovering from an operation or grieving the loss of a loved one?
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