U3A stands for University of the Third Age. The term third age means no longer in full time work. U3A provides opportunities for people to meet, share experiences and pursue commonly held interests.
The club meets monthly with a guest speaker who has unique experience in their field. Interest (study) groups meet at other times and it is encouraged that members belong to at least one study group.
The annual subscription is $35. 
Subscription due on the 1st February.

From the President

Welcome to our August Newsletter.

Kia ora Welcome to our September Newsletter
Having had a month’s holiday overseas with family and friends in Canada and USA, it is great to be back ‘home.’ It looks like Spring is doing its best to impress in Christchurch.
Sincere thanks to Lynne Bull, our Immediate Past-President, who led the August club meeting in my absence. It sounds like the meeting was well attended; 99 members and 5 visitors. Our membership now totals 216, including the following new members; Evan Johns, Frances Docking, Colleen Howard, Allison Irvine, and Jim and Anna Burrows. Welcome to our U3A ‘family’! We hope that you enjoy all that our club has to offer. Apologies if I have omitted anyone here. I am in ‘catch-up’ mode at present.
I understand that the guest speaker, Dr Tim Chambers, speaking on Drinking water quality, and the implications for our health was very well received by the meeting. It was noted that he was most informative, extremely well-prepared, and very willing to answer the many questions that members raised.
Our guest speaker sub-committee, (Jill Banbury and Karen Chaney), have invited Ina Meeten as our speaker for this month’s meeting on Wednesday 9 September. Ina is a brain fitness and memory coach, and co-owner and director of Brainfit. She is also a Life Kinetic Coach, and a certified NLP coach, running brain fitness courses, seminars and workshops.
Ina’s presentation is titled Why Brain Fitness Matters at All Ages. The presentation covers the findings of research into age-related memory loss, the six memory skills that are important for independent living, and the nature of brain resilience, and how to grow it. The presentation will also touch on how our memory works, provide tips on how to keep our memories sharp, and live a brain-healthy lifestyle every day, along with a couple of fun activities.
I can’t help thinking that we will need to set out more than 100 seats for this one!

From the ‘Committee Room’

Confirmed details for the South-West Christchurch U3A Club’s Christmas Function.
DATE: Wednesday 9 December
VENUE: Addington, Level 3 Metropolitan Stand, in the Terror for Love Lounge. Access to this 3rd floor venue is by lift or escalators.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a buffet-styled meal with banquet-style seating at round tables. The venue was selected because it is the largest function room, with a cap of attendees at 180 guests. (See full menu details further on)
COST: $40 per member. $45 per non-member. We need final paid-up numbers after the November 11 meeting.
The club is subsidising each member’s meal by $5. We are also covering the room hire costs and the cost of the use of the projector screen. ( Fixed costs total $1092.50.) We feel that the cost per member represents excellent value, in terms of the quality of the venue, the menu, AND the guest speaker/ professional entertainer.
TIME: Arrival from 10.30am for an 11am start. There will be plenty of parking on-site, (car-sharing would be a great idea). Please ensure you arrive promptly as we will need to check everyone in on arrival.

We are thrilled to announce that Ali Harper, will be the guest speaker/entertainer at our Christmas function this year. Ali will share her career journey’ with us and intersperse her presentation with some songs! What a treat we are in for! Ali is a multi-award-winning performer, holistic coach, and founder of both Ali-Cat Productions and Cultivate Joy. With over 30 years of experience on stage throughout New Zealand and beyond, highlights include starring in musicals such as My Fair Lady, Sound of Music, South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, Blood Brothers, and in the National Tours of Oklahoma and Evita, as well as Mamma Mia. Ali has been invited to appear twice at the prestigious New York Cabaret Convention at the Lincoln Centre in 2024 and 2025. She regularly travels around the world as a guest entertainer on cruise ships. Ali is also deeply passionate about empowering others, as a certified Yoga teacher and Holistic Mindbody Coach.

I look forward to seeing you all next week .Keep warm and stay well.
Ngā mihi nui
Lynne Bull

Next Meeting Details

• Date: Wednesday, 9th September 2026
• Venue: Te Hapua, The Halswell Library, Mahao Room
• 9.45 am: Chairs for meeting put out. The committee would appreciate assistance with this
• 10.00 am: Tea and Coffee available
• 10.15 am: Meeting will begin so please be seated
• 10.30 am: Speaker will start

Dates for 2026 Meetings for your diary
Meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of the Month at 10.00 am
October 14th
November 11th
December 9th