September 2025
To send an email to an Interest Group Leader select the group from the Interest group page and fill out the form. It will be forwarded to them .
See the Calendar for a full list of interest groups
Book Discussion Group
Book this month is ‘All the Broken Places’ by John Boyne
Cycling
We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3 rd Monday and the last Friday. We ride mainly on dedicated cycleways. Each ride has 2 start points to accommodate distance and speed preferences of the members. It seems to be working well. Most members have ebikes.
New members are always welcome.
On Monday 15 September 10 of us cycled the MacLeans Island Forest Park track. It was a well maintained mountain bike track through forest and very different to our normal rides. It was a 16.5km loop from the car park and took approx. 1 hour of concentrated riding. We had coffee at the café there and some decided to do another loop before going home.
On Friday 26 September we decided to do a ‘Blossom’ ride. We cycled from Halswell along the Quarrymans Trail then turned onto the Nor’West Arc at Pioneer Centre and rode through to the University. From the University we cycled on the Uni-Cycle trail to Hagley Park. We saw some lovely blossom trees on the way but unfortunately a lot of the blossoms in Hagley Park had finished. 8 of us enjoyed our coffee break at the Quad Eatery in the Arts Centre before heading back along the Southern Motorway cycleway to Halswell.
Current Affairs Group
Just a reminder to all U3A members that this group meets at 10.00am on the 3 rd
Wednesday each month -in the same room as the U3A meetings.
The usual format is that a brief background paper on the topic is emailed to the
members -for them to read prior to the meeting. At the meeting there is a summary presentation of that note, a small number of brief you tube clips are shown and there is a discussion of the topic.
If you are interested in becoming a member (we have a few spaces) email Graeme McNally
History
This month we will be studying the final unit 8 of the course ‘The Shaping of the Modern Mind’ ‘Where are we Now?”
Current knowledge emphasises how our beliefs are influenced by our upbringing in a particular culture. How does this bear on the tension between science and religion?
Where does that leave us today?
Family History
What stories have we heard from our families? Last month the group shared their memories of an ancestor they knew of through family stories or from their own research. These records then become part of our own family history.
This month, on 16th October, we will be sharing ideas on future topics as well as looking at some of our research.
If you are interested in joining this friendly group, please contact either
Carole Or Julia
Photography Group Report
At our September meeting we reviewed the taking of photographs in low light situations and went for a wander around the garden to undertake some flower photography deciding whether to focus on either a group of distinctive flowers with an out of focus background or to focus on just one bloom or part of it.
Our October meeting will be at 10am on 17 th October at 20A Victors Road when we plan to do some more photography of static objects, paying special attention to the direction of the natural sunlight.
Eric
Theatre Appreciation
Making up a party to attend Ovation Theatre’s “Godspell” on Friday 17th of this month. Will take names at our upcoming meeting on the 8thOctober.
David