Welcome to Shellharbour City U3A
U3A (University of the Third Age) is a volunteer not for profit based organisation involved in the sharing of knowledge, skills and interests of mainly retired members of the community while promoting the many benefits of life long learning.
Learn, Laugh, Live
On Tuesday 11th November 2025 our first speaker was Margaret Shannon
One of our members - Margaret Shannon gave us an interesting talk about John ‘Barney’ Hines - an Australian soldier in the First World War. It was a significant subject with it being Remembrance Day
The Australian War Memorial relates Barney’s story – he was born in Liverpool, England in 1878 but in 1915 went to Australia and volunteered with the Australian Imperial Force.
He was known as an aggressive but brave solider who was admired by many of his colleagues. However, he was also known for his erratic and unpredictable behaviour.
He became most well-known by the photo taken by renowned War Photographer Frank Hurley, in which he is surrounded by ‘souvenirs’ collected from enemy soldiers and It became one of the most well-known Australian photos of the war.
Barney survived the war and was forever changed by his experiences, he lived a secluded life on the outskirts of Sydney. He is said to have walked to the Concord Repatriation Hospital every week with a suitcase of vegetables from his garden for the veterans being treated there.
John ‘Barney’ Hines died aged 79 in 1958.
Our second speaker was another member Kevin Gilles who gave an interesting talk about Lake Illawarra history including memories from his childhood growing up in Part Kembla.
It was interesting to see early photographs of the area and trying to pick out landmarks. He also told us of ships that had sailed in the lake in the early days and had provided a ferry service out to Gooseberry Island. Families would go to picnic on the island and also dances were held in the big old corrugated iron hall.
On Tuesday 28th October our speaker was Darian Tomasiello from Careflight.
On Tuesday 28th October, Darian Tomasiello gave an extremely informative presentation on the work undertaken by CareFlight - Australian Life Saving Aeromedical Charity.
Darian told us about the growth and development of the organisation since its foundation in 1986. He explained the philosophy of the Rapid Response Service bringing the doctor to the patient rather than the patient to the doctor. Their work does not deal with everyday occurrences but rather the more serious cases of medical trauma. Most of their helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are mobile hospitals equipped to deal with life-threatening cases.
The extremely generous members of Shellharbour City U3A were happy to support this very worthy cause by donating $745. Well done everyone!
Then one of our members Sue Halliwell spoke about the Laura Quinkan Dance Festival that she and her husband John attended in far north Queensland.
This festival is a celebration of the indigenous culture of the local people and also people from the Tiwi Islands. Sue told us how the body painting of the people is far from a random affair. People cannot decide their own designs nor can they paint themselves. The decoration is dictated by the tribal norms and is done with the authority of the tribal elders. The festival featuring traditional dance, storytelling and art was very well organised. Sue commented on how encouraging it was to see so many children taking part in the dances.
On Tuesday 21st October our speaker was Rebecca Lachlan from the Flagstaff Group.
Flagstaff is about empowering People with Disabilities Through Employment.
The group is dedicated to providing life skills and work opportunities for people with disabilities in a supportive and inclusive environment.
As a registered NDIS provider, they offer a variety of community programs and operate several businesses aimed at creating employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Rebecca shared with us her rehabilitation journey since having a stoke in her early 20's.
And she spoke about the We Belong program which fosters a sense of community, connection, and belonging. Through inclusive activities, workshops and social engagement, they help individuals with disabilities build relationships and feel supported in both their work and personal lives.
What an inspiring member of the Flagstaff community.
TUESDAY SUMMARIES…
Entertainment by Ann and Peter Rays...
RaysWebFB.mp4We were greatly entertained a couple of Tuesdays back by our own Ann and Peter Rays.
Ann and Peter follow the Country Music Musters through Queensland and they gave us a taste of their kind of music ...
