25 YEARS NOT OUT

CELEBRATION


It was a joyous day my contacts clearly showed the day exceeded everyone's expectation. When put together on stage you realise what is being achieved collectively, what fun it is, what satisfaction, what friendliness, and not a little talent. I wouldn't dare to summarise. I didn't come prepared to Blog with not even a pen and paper to take a few notes, but luckily Joan had had brought a camera which I promptly seized, so when I add photographs they may help point up my memories and yours, but they won't be of my normal quality, because of the lack of light coupled with the need to zoom from the rear of the hall, though I hope they capture the emphasis.

The last and only previous time I had seen or heard Jean Goodeve was at the rather tedious U3A National AGM at Swansea a couple of years back, and I formed and filed an impression to match. But how well she set off this day with her vision and enthusiasm. Two themes remained with me the first was the clear distinction she drew between Learning, which by almost by definition everyone enjoys, and Education which we all suffer until released better prepared for life. Personally I enjoyed school immensely but when the time came I was ready to leave, I enjoyed university rather too much and all but failed except on the sports field, but how impatient I was to leave and move on to productive work.


I was taught engineering but virtually all I know now I learned on the job. Computers and binary and digital techniques never figured in my degree, yet by the time I retired in 1996 almost all industrial automatic measurement and control was digital. The earliest (arguably the world's first) Digital Computers did exist in locked rooms at Manchester and Cambridge, but at Imperial we were told, by one enthusiastic lecturer with a key, the future was Analogue Computers - they couldn't produce precise answers to simple arithmetic but were excellent at solving differential equations and modelling motion, things like the swinging of pendulums.


But digressing further, the real lesson was learned after I retired. I expected like so many to miss the challenges, the satisfaction which comes from earning your way through life, the personal interaction, even the routine of work - but I didn't. Joan and I decided to start anew. We turned our attention to slow cheap travel across the globe, to learn how quite different (much poorer) peoples live. Our first model was two Austrians met in Sumatra within weeks of retiring, older than us, who returned home for Christmas each year only for an annual health check and to renew their camper-van driving licences as a safeguard against less fortunate days.


When Joan's health (rheumatic arthritis and knee replacements) turned our lives turned upside down, we should have immediately turned to the U3A like many recently bereaved now do - but we didn't. When the clouds lifted we were able to resume our life of slow travel on artificial joints though less intensively than before, and in between trips drifted into U3A membership but only by attending the Wednesday lectures. The more we got involved, the more enthusiastic we became and the more we enjoyed life. That is not to say that having retired as Groups' Coordinator it won't be a nice change to get involved in the Groups I want to, rather than those I think I ought to.


The second point highlighted by Jean was the inclusiveness of learning. When a child learns to walk it's a challenge, when oldies like me learn Jive steps or Tai-Chi sequences they are greater memory and physical control challenges than they would have been earlier in life and much better for that. Learning to paint, to discuss or argue, to write better, to get more out of reading, to recount and present better, to develop presence and act - there were a lot of surprisingly good examples on the stage today. These are not the first thing that comes into mind as learning. A mind ever open to continued learning and new points of view is perhaps the first requirement of a fulfilled life.


Having said that I still regard my biggest achievement as Groups' Coordinator is to have overseen the creation of active weekly language learning groups in European languages (not my forte) of French. Italian, Spanish and most recently German because they are exceptionally demanding by U3A standards for tutors and pupils. As Jean suggested maybe Mandarin next, I once boasted 200 words of survival Chinese and a similar amount of Thai and Indonesian - long forgotten soon recovered. 

If Jean Goodeve got us off to a sparkling start then Dr Edwin Lewis, the very first Chairman of Swansea U3A, was a revelation in the closing address. Helped onto the stage, he enthused the audience with the stories and tribulations of the homeless early days whilst amazing us with his humour. No-one could better it as a demonstration that being active in the U3A example is the best way to delay ageing. 


Jamie Owen gave the Keynote lecture after lunch summarising the history of and contemplating the future for TV. He kept most of the audience amused with what at times was more like a polished after dinner speech.


For me the revelations were the presentations on the stage in the morning and the amount of effort and enthusiasm had gone into them.


I started this posting the evening of the event as you may observe from the date but rapidly ran out of steam, so now (7 Aug) I am taxing my memory more than is wise, though pictures help.

STAGE PERFORMANCES


Creative Writing Groups
Jill Govier kicked off with a suitably lively, seemingly limitless, recitation of' nothing but '-ations' (celebration for example). Any Music-Hall compere would have been proud of the introduction to the performance by the Creative Writing Groups. Her enthusiasm is catching and the whole group performed well.

Sorry but this first performance, and perhaps others, preceded my gumption to use the camera, though there is a shot of Jill at work with Dylan Thomas later. 


French Group

Keith Roberts links a sketch of friendly rivalry between French and Welsh Rugby Fans. I can't help noticing that husband and wife Jan and Ifor were on opposite sides. On the far left Nesta, another excellent French speaker, whose soprano voice shone through later with the choir.


In an earlier sketch Keith translated into English what reserve tutor Jean Cunliffe (3rd from left) was saying in her excellent French.


Tai Chi Group
Tutor Mike Hart was out in front doing his own spectacular things, even with a sword at times - too fast for my camera. The rest of the Corps de Ballet impressed by their precise moment and synchronism. It was very effective visually and showed off the excellent control of movement which results from practising Tai Chi.

Cecily's Under Milkwood Sketch

Chairman Anthony Hughes by introduced singing with his guitar unfortunately his speed on the keyboard defeated my camera which only recorded blurs. He sang a tribute to Dylan by Ralph (Streets of London) McTell

Ten performers and a narrator John Oats on a well thought out series of episodes with impeccable South Wales accents! They stood forward in ones and two to recite their lines script in hand.

Cecily shows emotion in exchange with Stephen

? and Rosemary do their bit

Jill gets her chance, and her photo!


Italian Group
Rather than use an on stage translator they used the screen, particularly successful for the gusty sing-along. Tutor Carolina used her skill as a creative writer to write some sketches.  Patricia Morgan, group convenor, displayed her acting skill as well as impeccable spoken Italian. 

A Court Scene

Eleanor and Patricia, with translation above

The Italian Sing -along with Eleanor at the piano and Carolina hurrying her along!


MOTO
Rosemary Brangwyn, convenor with her script but insufficient involvement of the rest of the group.

The Welsh Group - White Haired Stars of the Show
Five old timers with an aggregate age of 430 (average age 86) some had to be helped onto the stage where they outshone the rest of us with their vitality as they led the audience in Welsh songs and hymns - well remembered from my Rugby playing days, we English responded with clean play and 'dirty' limericks. 

Marjorie Vanston, convenor, introduces the program whilst Marjorie Knight, Josceline Edwards, Nancy Thomas and Margarete Wilkinnson look onf

Imaginative use of the screen

Welsh Sing-along with guest pianist Ann Looker and words on the screen 


BACK ON STAGE after lunch

Singing for Pleasure Group
Margaret Collier led her popular choir with Ann Looker as pianist. I can only offer apologies for not taking photographs - no slight intended. It applies also to Jamie Owen.


They presented a full program the second half was a sing-along which like the previous ones went down particularly well.


MILLY DOWLER and NEWS of the WORLD
I have been so long putting off writing this blog posting that big events have come and gone. I was in France when the affair of Dominique Strauss Kahn was still hot and very interested in a piece in Telerama (a rough equivalent to the Radio Times) 'Menaces sur la Justice' by a French lawyer a theme later taken up by Timothy Garton Ash in the Guardian. I guess this is a theme which got away, but I cannot resist the scandal of phone hacking.

The hold Murdoch has had for two decades on the political scene in Britain was widely known, starting with help for the like-minded Margaret Thatcher it continued through Tony Blair's belief he would only get elected once he had secured the backing of the Murdoch empire to Cameron's out blairing of Blair. The latter was so nearly followed by pay back time, 100% Murdoch ownership of Sky TV now by common consent deemed totally unacceptable.

The British public seemed quite relaxed about phone hacking by the press so long as it was used to publicise the private lives of film stars and footballers which made good reading. Only when it impinged on the Royal Family did the politicians get upset. Only when it was shown to impinge on personal grief did the public become convinced of the illegality let alone morality of most phone hacking, even though that too was aimed was aimed at press scoops. 

But what a can of worms that totally indefensible intrusion opened up, corruption at the highest level in the police and ruthless undermining of the democratic system. Democracy we tell the less developed world is the answer to all their problems, what has been going on here should make us reflect on where power really lies. 

In the US it was likened to Watergate, a New York Times columnist thought 'a kind of British Spring is under way' in clear reference to the presumed 'outbreak' of democracy in Egypt and the Middle East, and then again 'Democracy, aided by sunlight, has broken out in Britain'. Exaggerated rhetoric for sure but here it is still merely regarded a phone hacking scandal. In all these countries we will have to wait and see whether power eventually resides in freely elected democratic parliaments.

Why do I see it in much larger dimensions, because control of politicians and other public figures resides in the FEAR of Adverse Publicity, a form of blackmail. One has only to listen as universally liked figures like Paddy Ashdown recount their experiences to see how 'fear' results when ruthless media tycoons, with blind eyed police on the payroll, are intent on holding representatives such as him to heel, backed by private investigators, criminals, and illegal phone hacking.

LIBYA
No doubt about it now we, the West, are intent on regime change - anybody but Gadafi will do. Are we unthinkingly inviting chaos?


SYRIA
During last years six week travel to western Turkey we got to know two Japanese girl students who raved about how well they had been received by the people and how easy it was to travel around. Joan and I resolved to go there this autumn. Another project bites the dust!


DOUBLE DIP RECESSION

I remember Peter Black, Liberal Democrat AM, boasting to the Politics group several months ago that a double dip had been avoided. I also remember commenting in this blog that it was unwise to draw any conclusions before the end of the financial year in April 2012, re the effects of severe cut backs. Today's stock market panic emphasises the risks are not behind us, though currently I couldn't blame the sharp deficit reduction strategy of this government. So simply observe that all countries seem to be at it now, increasing the likelihood they will pull each other down for want of the global employment and earnings to create sufficient demand from the populace.


NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE
Returning to a happier topic I remember highlighting the single day worldwide satellite transmission of performances of the National Theatre in London, which now apparently will soon extend to performances the Metropolitan Opera in New York.


Previously the nearest cinema offering these transmisions was in Cardiff but I highlighted that that Joan and I intended to go to the now refurbished (Miners) Welfare Centre in Ystradglynlais. We went to their first such showing to see Zoe Wanamaker in Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard which we really enjoyed and intend to go to the next quite different performance of One Man, Two Guvnors on the 15 September a very successful slapstick comedy starring James Corden.

FLUELLEN THEATRE
We can recommend the monthly Saturday lunchtime peformances, script-in-hand, in the Dylan Thomas Centre. To our surprise there were no less than seven U3A members in the front row of the last performance of a one act play by Thornton Wilder. Next Saturday 13 August at 1 pm (£5) they will discuss French playwright Jean Genet and then perform The Maids.
Fluellen also gives Theatre-in-the-Round performances in the Arts Wing of the Grand Theatre, recently Hamlet and then Checkhov's Uncle Vanya, look out for Cymberline this autumn.


SWANSEA JAZZLAND at 8.30 this Wednesday 10 August  feature Lee Gibson (one of Britain's best jazz singers) with the Dave Cottle Trio. 



GROUP NEWS


We attended two a early 25th birthday celebrations firstly by the combined book reading groups who hosted a talk by Swansea University's novellist Stevie Davies.

Second was a special Open Day in the Singleton's Botanic Gardens by the Gardening Group.

Both were well attended and both offered tea and cakes and a celebratory atmosphere. Only at the second did I carry a camera hence the shots below.

Margaret Cross centre number1 leader withcommittee members Joan Powell and Lyn Phillips

Vicky Woods number 2 leader of the committee member who also runs Reading 5

Me and Margaret Massey, both on Early Retirement from Swansea U3A main Committee



FAILING GROUPS
It is just a year ago that the Gardening Group was facing failure in spite of being well attended when Margaret Massey retired after 17 years as convenor. 

Exactly the same problem is now being experienced by the hitherto successful History Group (although Margaret Winter can boast of only 11 years at the helm!). It is on the edge of failure because no one person is prepared to take it forward. The solution at Gardening was to form a small committee and that is working well but only because it is headed up by two committed energetic leaders. The best solution would be to find someone younger willing to breathe new life into the History Group, help should plentiful.

GET WELL SOON
To Chris Gilson, the main committee's minutes secretary and an active  member of many groups including Yoga, CreativeWriting and Family History.  He apparently needed an operation to insert stents but is now recovering at home.