U3A Newsletter No 45

FRIDAY  30 OCTOBER  at 10 am in the Catholic Church Hall

The Railway that built Canada: 

The remarkable story of the Canadian Pacific Railway

by Chris Tarant   [DVD]

TUESDAY 3 NOVEMBER  at 10 am in the Catholic Church Hall

The Great Escaper- Roger Bushell

by Rod Pringle

Squadron Leader Roger Bushell: war hero, lover of ladies, and Battle of Britain flyer of the legendary Spitfire had a close connection with Hermanus. His story reaches its ultimate conclusion in prison camp Stalag Luft 3 in southern Germany where as “Big X” he masterminded the biggest mass escape of allied officers in World War 2. Our story follows his adventures, amorous and otherwise from his youth in SA and England to the ultimate adventure deep in enemy territory.     

FRIDAY 6  NOVEMBER at 10 am in the Catholic Church Hall

Dismantling of Nuclear Power Plants

by Dieter Stanke

The dismantling is basically divided into two areas. The components that are only contaminated or slightly radio-active and the components that were exposed to neutron radiation. The radiation emitted by them requires a remote-controlled dissemble to protect the personnel. Industry-proven techniques modified to operate with manipulators and video technology from a control station and/or are used under water.

U3A MEMBERSHIP FEES FOR 2027

The U3A membership fee has remained unchanged for more than ten years. Throughout this period, the Management Committee has been very conscious of managing our finances judiciously and keeping costs to a minimum.

We do not pay speakers a fee or honorarium, although we reimburse travel and accommodation costs where necessary.

The Committee has funded all our audio-visual equipment, including periodic upgrades, from U3A resources, and the equipment is insured.

We also pay rental for the hall and endeavour to recover as much of this cost as possible from the door fee.

We remunerate our technician, who provides an essential and consistently outstanding service.

However, costs continue to increase.

In addition, there has been some unusual capital expenditure during the past two years. This has resulted in an operating deficit and has required us to draw on our capital reserves.

After careful consideration, the Committee has therefore decided to introduce a modest increase in our fees for 2027.

The annual membership fee will increase from R150 to R180 per person, while the door fee for visitors will increase from R25 to R30.

The door fee for members will remain unchanged at R10.

U3A offers approximately 86 lectures each year, and the Committee continually strives to engage quality speakers covering a wide range of subjects.

We trust that members will agree that, even with these modest increases, U3A continues to offer excellent value.

We thank you for your loyal and continued support and look forward to another year of interesting, informative and stimulating lectures in 2027.

Gert Claassen

Chairman

MUSIC NEWS FOR FRIDAY