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

Kia ora Welcome to our October Newsletter
The weather is warming up, and it’s a great time of the year to observe the beautiful blossom trees in our city, and keep an ‘eye’ on the garden, as new growth and spring flowers appear. Nowhere is showcased by daffodils like Otatauhi, Christchurch!
Sincere thanks to Lynne Bull, our Immediate Past-President, who led the September club meeting in my absence; this time through illness and an unexpected hospital stay. (That was NOT on my agenda!)
I missed another well-attended meeting too; 127 members and 5 visitors. Is that some kind of record? Our membership now totals 223, including the following new members; Noeline Cox, Angela Barnett, Denise Harrow, Christine Keown, Heather Wissink, Barbara Heuston, Anne Miller, Karen Cole, Pauline Powell, Linda Riwaka, and Evan Johns. Nau mai. Haere mai. Welcome to our U3A ‘family’! We hope that you enjoy all that our club has to offer. I look forward to meeting you.
I am certain that Ina Meeten’s, guest speaker, presentation Why Brain Fitness Matters At All Ages was a real drawcard as well. Such an important topic, with great relevance to us all. We are so fortunate to be able to listen to such high calibre speakers each month.
Our guest speaker sub-committee, (Jill Banbury and Karen Chaney), have invited Tania Gibson as our speaker for this month’s meeting on Wednesday 14 October.
This presentation surely has an engaging title-Shut your mouth and improve your life.
Tania is an advanced Oxygen Advantage Instructor, Registered Exercise Professional, and Certified Yoga Teacher. She has worked with high-performing organisations and athletes and will focus on the new science behind the lost art of breathing in this presentation. Tania is regarded as a fun and engaging presenter, who blends science with practical tools that you will be able to implement immediately in your own lives!

From the ‘Committee Room’

With membership numbers on the rise, we would like to trial an ‘informal call out’ to members in the first instance, to help with putting out chairs. Our room booking is a 2 hour slot from 9.30am – 11.30am. Committee members have been arriving from 9am to ensure that the room is set up. We would like to ask that a small group of members come at 9.30am each month to support the setting up process.
If this is not successful, we may need to resort to a roster system.
At the end of the meeting, it has worked well for members to push the chairs to the back of the room, to enable helpers to stack the chairs away again.

Christmas Lunch and Entertainment at Addington
Uptake for tickets has been very slow to-date, which is concerning. 28 paid attendees to-date. Based on our total membership of 200 plus, we have booked the largest seated venue at Addington (a capacity of 180 seated guests at tables of 10). Apologies if this has been due to not clearly publicising payment details.

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.

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.
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 on the 14th October. Stay well.
Ngā mihi nui
Lynda Garrett

Next Meeting Details

• Date: Wednesday, 14th October 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
November 11th
December 9th