Falkirk and District U3A eNewsletter
May 2018
Editor – Bruce Cannon 01324 – 875074
From the Chair
As mentioned in previous newsletters and Open Meetings, new Executive Committee members will need to be elected at the AGM in June to replace those whose term of office is complete. We are hoping to have at least five new Committee members, so I would urge you to consider who you would like to see on the Committee. Discuss with potential candidates the possibility of them standing for election. Nomination forms are available on our website in the documents section . Nominations should be with our secretary, Austin Reid, by May 1st, at the next Open Meeting.
The Executive Committee plays an important role in the running of our U3A. It meets monthly to decide on various matters including priorities, the content of future Open Meetings, and setting policies such as the level of membership fees.
The committee will be proposing to members at the AGM this year that the annual membership fee be increased to £20. This will be the first increase since our U3A was formed in 2014. The fee is used to pay for a variety of things; including hire of venues for Open Meetings, travel expenses for speakers and the capitation fee to National U3A to cover membership costs. In addition, it pays for members to travel to U3A conferences and events representing our U3A.
Regards
Glenn
This is our “Uni”
Going to Uni” as a teenager conjures up the idea of making friends and having fun while gaining new knowledge and skills. We’re not teenagers but are we not lucky to have the chance now to go to our “Uni”, Falkirk U3A where there is an opportunity to make new friends, have fun, and enjoy lifelong learning with no tests or exams? To get the most out of U3A you should try to join one or more Interest Groups. The monthly Open Meetings are great opportunities to meet each other but it’s in the Groups that we have the chance to share our knowledge, skills and life experience and make new friends.
As this session ends, can you start thinking about what you might like to find out about? Maybe there is a subject you liked at school but never took further. Or do you have a skill from work, a hobby or experience you could share with others? Jot down your ideas for new Interest Groups in e 2018/19 session and bring them along to the AGM.
Karen Cannon
Devastating Deafness
As a result of a mild virus, U3A member Steve Barker living in the Bonders suddenly, within one hour lost most of his hearing. He was already moderately deaf in his right ear and suffered sight loss from a detached retina. He also suffered from tinnitus, a ringing sound in his head.
Steve’s account of how he has coped with these difficulties was one of the most inspiring talks at the U3A All Scotland conference in Kelso last month attended by Louise Westall and Karen Cannon.
When Karen showed me Steve’s notes, I realised that anyone deaf or hard of hearing (like myself) would immediately recognise his description of becoming deaf. “I hear less and I know less” he says. “Social isolation follows; you talk less, you go out less, you socialise less, and you become less yourself. But to say I hear less is not really true. Being deaf is very noisy. I now hear differently. Hearing Aids amplify all sound. “
Listening requires discrimination and selection. “Is that sound important or can I ignore it?”he asks (his emphasis).” “All too often, irrelevant, amplified sound is invasive and distorted, crowding out all others. It doesn’t take much; clattering tea cups, the hum of a strip light, the din of a coffee machine all make speech difficult to follow.” Speech, he said, was a special sound, specific and temporal. “If you don’t catch enough to fill in the gaps you’re easily lost. To understand speech you need to combine sight and sound and a useful prompt is: ‘If I can’t see your face I won’t understand what you say’
Steve, a former neurological nurse, said that a significant step in his self-education as a deafened person was realising he had to make conscious decisions on what he was not going to try and listen to. “The blunt truth is, the effort is often just not worth it. You quickly learn how to become acceptable, by being peripheral. As they say, ‘the reason I’m smiling is because I can’t hear a word you say’”. So if in U3A meetings, the topic is a bit interesting but the environment a struggle, I won’t be back,
Steve explained how U3A helped him, much more than those involved could know. “Immediately after I became deaf I joined a small group run by Val Harling of Galashiels U3A called Memories Written Down. We shared an interest in writing and of recalling our early years. For eight months that group represented the only formal social interaction I had. It helped save my sanity and I cannot thank Val and the group members enough.”
NB A fuller account of Steve’s talk is available for anyone interested.. Ed
Focus on…Local History Group
One of the most popular groups, Local History is, to coin a popular phrase, in a transition period. Lead from the beginning by our former chairman, Ian Crozier, the Group covered many aspects of life in Falkirk and beyond. A born and bred Falkirk Bairn, Ian’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the town has greatly benefitted the Group, but because of ill health he had to stand down as leader for the remaining part of the session. .
Brian Greenhow, our Groups Co-ordinator, has taken over and is using the opportunity to discuss with members the future direction for the Group.
New Recruits
Welcome to two new U3As that have been launched in Helensburgh and Kinross following very well attended inquiry meetings. This brings the total number of U3As in Scotland to 52
Tailpiece
Church notice: Potluck supper Sunday at 5: pm - Prayer and medication to follow.