Most of our classes are having a well-earned break. However, don’t worry we will be back bigger and better in 2026. Planning is coming together for next year with thirteen new classes to be on offer as well as all your favorites. The new ones are:

• Book Club 5
• Climate Change
• Cryptic Crosswords
• Digging up your Irish Ancestors
• Ethical use of AI as a writing coach
• French for beginners & travelers
• Global Outlook
• Graphite drawing
• Living in the Environment
• Public Speaking
• Tai Chi for Arthritis & fall prevention
• Tinkering with trivia
• Stockland walkie talkies
• Urangan walkie talkies

You can see the full course list on our website u3aherveybay.net.

You will also be able to enrol in classes and pay your annual fee via the website. This is a new programme to allow this, so if you have any problems please let me know and we can arrange some assistance. Of course, you will still be able to join on Sign on Day. This is scheduled for 3 Feb. 10am – 12 noon at Hervey Bay RSL. You will be able to chat with Tutors and catch up with other members. Coffee, tea and a bickie will be available.

The Committee looks forward to seeing you there!

Don’t forget our first Coffee & Chat morning will be on Friday 9 Jan 2026,10am at Hervey Bay Boat Club. See you there.

I would like to thank all our members, tutors and committee for all your hard work and support of U3A Hervey Bay during 2025.

I wish you all a happy Christmas and hope you enjoy time with your family and friends over the festive season.

Best wishes   

Lyn Quince

President U3A Hervey Bay

Click on ‘Memberships’ and follow the prompts. Once you have paid your annual membership of $40 you will also be able to enrol in as many classes as you wish.

If you have difficulty using the new system please contact our Vice-President, John Alymer, email him at  vice-president@u3aherveybay.net or come along to Sign-on-Day.

* 3-14 Nov the USC room will be unavailable due to university exams. Tutors please note.

* 14 Nov is our regular Coffee and Chat morning at 10am at the Hervey Bay Boat Club. This will be the last one for the year. Starting again in January.

* 19 Nov is our big extravaganza End-of-Year Get-Together. Trivia followed by High Tea will be on once again at Hervey Bay RSL. Heads down at 2.30pm. Please let me know if you will be attending. There will be tables of six for trivia. You can make up a group or I will arrange a table for you. Partners or friends are welcome to attend with you but if they are not financial U3A Hervey Bay members they will need to pay $35 at the door. Colin is busy writing up the questions. Please email president@u3aherveybay.net to secure your place. We look forward to seeing you there. RSVP by 10 Nov.

* 12 Dec is the last day for classes at USC.

* 16 Jan 2026 is the day for the Tutors meeting and lunch. Our
Course Co-ordinator will be sending out notices to Tutors shortly.

* 3 Feb 2026 is our annual Sign-on-Day at Hervey Bay RSL 10am – 12 noon. You will be able to pay your fees and enrol in classes if you haven’t already done so. You can chat to Tutors about the classes and catch up with other members. Tea and coffee will be available. Even if you have enrolled before this date please pop in and say ‘G’day’!

That’s enough from me for now. I look forward to seeing you all soon

Lyn Quince

The Lifestyle Expo on Friday was a great success. Lots of people there and we were able to pass on information to them about U3A Hervey Bay.
Many thanks to the members who assisted on our stand.
The photo is our stand with member Jeanese putting the finishing touches to the display.
•       Coffee & Chat is next Friday 10 Oct at Hervey Bay Boat Club at 10am.
Come along and have a cuppa and chat to other members.
•       Sign on Day will be on again on 3 Feb 2026. This will be a chance for you to talk to all our Tutors and join if you haven’t already done so via our website u3aherveybay.net. There will be a cuppa and biccies available. Again, this is a chance to meet up with members.
•       If you have a skill or knowledge you would like to share with others why not become a Tutor with U3A Hervey Bay. We are always happy to welcome you.
•       Don’t forget to have a look at our class list on the website. As a U3A Member you may enrol in as many classes as you like.
•       Our Philosophy group will be starting a new topic with their Tutor, Dr Meredith Murray, next Thursday 9 Oct. This is delivered online via Zoom.
All the details are attached.


Regards
Lyn Quince President U3A Hervey Bay

• Bi-monthly talk will be on Friday 25 July. Pauline Densley will be chatting about her experiences in Darwin before, during and after Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Please let me know if you will be coming along.
• Our Vice-President, Helen Preston, has tendered her resignation. Yesterday the Committee reluctantly accepted her resignation. Helen has been a long time member of the committee holding various positions over the years and we sincerely thank her for her commitment to U3A Hervey Bay.
• John Aylmer was nominated for the vacant position of Vice-President. He accepted and was duly elected. Thank you, John, for volunteering.
• Helen also had the role of Publicity Officer. Unfortunately, due to John’s commitment to the upgrade of our administration system he is unable to take on the publicity role. Hence, we are looking for someone willing to step into the position. If you would like to assist, please contact me.
• Our monthly Coffee and Chat will be on again on 8 Aug 10am at the Hervey Bay Boat Club. We look forward to seeing you there.
• The Over 50’s Lifestyle Expo will be held on 3 Oct.The committee has commenced planning our display. Next month we will be seeking volunteers to help out on our stand. Watch this space!
• Plans are underway for our End of Year Get Together – Trivia and High Tea. This is always a fun afternoon. More details soon.

Happy U3Aing
Lyn Quince
President U3A Hervey Bay

The Lotte Lewin Creative Writing Group which meets on Mondays at 1pm at the Hervey Bay RSL has a vacancy. If you are interested in joining please contact me.

         Are you interested in expanding your knowledge of technology or understand the digital world. Have a look at BE CONNECTED.
         Be Connected is an Australian government initiative committed to building the confidence, digital skills and online safety of older Australians. Whether you want to pick up new skills or dive into a new topic, you can access our free learning resources online.
https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au/

         Hello to all Tutors. If you have a story or photos of your group which you would like to share please email these to our Course Co-ordinator, Barbara Hall, boahall349@gmail.com. We will be able to put these on our website or Facebook page.

         We are nearly at the mid-point of 2025. It won’t be long until the Committee begins plans for 2026. We welcome your input.

Happy U3Aing
Lyn Quince
President, U3A Hervey Bay

A few pieces of news for you!

• Last Friday our Annual General Meeting was held. It was disappointing to see so few members attending. I’m hoping that means the members are happy with the way things are being run. We had a quorum (just). A Committee was elected; however, we would like to have another volunteer to fill a position of Committee member and take on the role of Class Attendance Officer. At the moment our Secretary, Sue, has taken on the role temporarily. If you are interested, please let me know and our outgoing Class Attendance Officer will explain the requirements of the role. The committee for the next year is….
  • President, Lyn Quince
  • Vice-President & Publicity Officer, Helen Preston
  • Secretary & Class Attendance, Sue Thwaites
  • Treasurer, Di Wells
  • Membership Secretary, Dina Jenkinson
  • Course Co-ordinator, Barbara Hall

I have attached my annual report for you to read.

• A motion was passed at the meeting to increase annual membership fees to $40. This to commence in 2026. The fee has remained the same for at least the past 15 years. This was a difficult decision to take as we would like to keep our charges low but with the increasing expenses, we were forced to do this. The annual fee allows members to attend as many courses as they wish.
• My Beginner’s Family History course will commence on Tuesday 13 May at USC. Time is 11.30am – 1pm. It is a 6-week course to start you on your family tree search. If you would like to attend, please email me lyn.quince@hotmail.com
• Next Friday 28 March I will be giving a one-off talk Recording, Preserving and Publishing your Family Story. This will also be at USC commencing at 10am. Again, please email me.
• The first Coffee and Chat morning was held at the Boat Club on 15 March. It was great to see so many members attending (more than the AGM ) The next get-together will be on Friday 11 April, 10am in the Boat Club Café. It is a great chance to meet members from the many courses we offer.
• Just a reminder to Tutors that USC will be closed on all the up-coming public holidays and USC exam time
  • Friday 18 April Good Friday
  • Monday 21 April Easter Monday
  • Friday 25 April ANZAC Day
  • Monday 5 May Labour Day
  • Friday 22 May Show Day
  • Monday 9 June – Friday 20 June USC exams

I hope you all have a good weekend.

Lyn Quince

 President, U3A Hervey Bay

 2025 marks the 35th anniversary for our organization. We have, sadly, lost some of our founding members: we miss and revere them.

The past year has been a successful for U3A Hervey Bay. Over 2024 we held courses and activities which provided an abundance of opportunities for all our members to gather for learning and laughter. U3A Hervey Bay is a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and rewarding experience for all our members. This is reflected by the continuing growth in membership. I went back over records and found that in 2013 we had 120 members last year this number was 275.

Sign on Day last month was, as usual, a big success. However, we are seeing many members using our website to complete their applications and membership payments. Many of those who had joined online came along to Sign on Day just for a coffee and catch-up with other members. It’s all part of the social experience of U3A.

U3A Hervey Bay offers a wide range of courses from academic through to social. New offerings this year include Core of You, Basic Psychology and Write Right with AI. Of course, all the popular courses are still available. In May a 6-week Beginner’s Family History course will commence.

Each year our programme is restricted by dependence on tutors’ offerings. Our committee is always on the lookout for new leaders and presenters.

To our existing tutors a big thank you for your contribution and hard work in researching and presenting your classes and organizing special events. As a group we benefit greatly from the store of knowledge amongst our membership and appreciate our tutors sharing this with us. We held a lunch for tutors and they provided feedback and suggestions for promotions and possible new courses.

The chance to meet members from other classes was provided by two social events last year. A visit to Brooklyn House at Howard was well-attended. The end of year trivia and high tea was a great opportunity for members to get – together in a social setting. It was a fun afternoon enjoyed by all. Special thanks to Colin Coates for his quizmaster skills.

Continuing on with the social side of our organization we have, this year commenced monthly Coffee & Chat mornings. Our first one was last week and it was exciting to meet with members over a cuppa.

Once again, we have worked to raise the profile of U3A Hervey Bay. A display was held at the Lifestyle Expo. A permanent promotional sign was placed on the fence at the Croquet Club and we thank that group for permission to do this. Advertising was placed in local media and talks were given on Community Radio. Brochures were distributed throughout the community.

Last year saw a complete revision and update of our website. It was also transferred to another provider due to the previous provider being unable to continue. The site is looking very modern and informative.

Although U3A is a worldwide organization U3A Hervey Bay operates autonomously. We are a member of the U3A Qld Network who are available to provide advice and support. In 2024 we had two visits from representatives of the Network. President Rhonda Weston came for an informal coffee and chat as did Trudi Graham the Network Liaison Officer for this region. The annual Qld U3A conference will this year be held at Bribie Island and two of our committee will be attending. They will, I’m sure, bring back many ideas for the future.

I have been fortunate to have a cohesive and active committee behind me during the past year and I must thank every one of them for their hard work and enthusiasm. I don’t think our members understand how much work goes into the administration and management of our organization. We are all volunteers, we don’t have an office or any paid staff, so we are grateful for the members who put their hand up to assist.

Thanks, must also go to USC who provides a room for our use during semester for no charge.

In closing I would like to thank each and every one of you for being part of our organization. You all contribute in your own way to ensure the continued success of U3A Hervey Bay.

On a personal note, thanks for your friendship over the past twelve years of my membership.

Lyn Quince President U3A Hervey Bay