university of the third age newsletter august 2019...battles raged at st elmo, birgu and mdina...

U3A Newsletter August 2019

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University of the Third Age Newsletter August 2019 sheptonmalletu3a.org.uk

Contents

1. Chat from the Chair 2. What’s On

Events, speaker meetings, coffee mornings, outings, reports

3. Members’ Corner Local interest and activities, articles, reminiscences, photographs

4. U3A Regional and National News 5. Group News

Monthly activities, featured groups, contacts

6. Committee Members

1. Chat from the Chair

August is a still the traditional holiday month with more opportunities for outdoor trips and family visits and of course many of our members find themselves in great demand for grandparent duties too. This sometimes means that our own groups can be depleted, so it is a very good time to try a 'taster' session of something different. Just contact the leader of the group (see details at the back of the newsletter) and they can answer your questions and arrange for you to go along. Spaces are available in some groups and the best way to find this out is by contacting the leader. Once again, we have a stand at the Mid Somerset Show on Sunday, 18 August, do come and say 'hello' to the volunteers on rota duty. We are in the 'Heritage' marquee and this will be the last show on the present site before it is being relocated for 2020. Please can you send any up to date photos of your group in action to me for display as soon as possible - we publish lots of Walking and Outings photos but don't often receive any from our creative and home-based groups.

Defibrillator Training

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Jane, our Treasurer, attended a day long workshop in Exeter recently which covered financial accounting practice and our responsibilities for 'keeping it legal'. Jane was reassured that our books are in good order and we are grateful to her for taking time to attend on our behalf. Maggie Hardy and I attended the North Somerset Association of U3As in Burnham at the beginning of July. Representatives from 10 local U3A groups, including Wells, Glastonbury, Cheddar and Weston-Super-Mare were present and we were able to exchange ideas. The association is hoping to organise a photographic competition and a quiz in the coming months as well as some locally accessible study days and workshops. Finally, to those of you who listen to and enjoy Desert Island Discs, we have our very own castaway this month - Derek Hiller. As Derek has stepped down from leading Music

http://www.sheptonmalletu3a.org.uk/


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Appreciation we thought it appropriate that he should choose our first selection. Do take a look and think what your choices might be, we would love to include your selection in the coming months. A list is acceptable should you not wish to divulge too much! We look forward to receiving your musical choices and your photos. Liz 2. What’s On SPEAKER MEETING Speaker Meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month from 10.00 until 11.45 in the Council Chamber, Mendip District Council Offices FREE tea and coffee available at every meeting Entrance fee £1.50 for U3A members, £2.50 for guests. To avoid delays at the door, please have the correct money ready for collection, thank you. *8 August * Please note change of date from first Thursday to second this month Ian Keys: The Bowlish Heritage Project: A talk on the current study into the history of Shepton Mallet hamlets Darshill, Ham and Bowlish 5 September Ian Keys: Trekking in Machu Picchu, Peru 3 October Dr James Taylor: Forgotten Art of the Picture Postcard, 1840s to 1950s. An entertaining and informative talk on the subject of artist-drawn comic postcards. 7 November Jenny Ross: The Secret Life of Bats. An informative talk on the work of the Bat Conservation Trust in the United Kingdom and how locally based projects and surveys have helped to increase our knowledge of their habitats. 5 December Mr Barry Edwards: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, an alternative look at his life and work. July Speaker Meeting by Liz Nash We were taken back to early summer, on the island of Malta in the year of 1565, by our Speaker Mr Richard Pawson. Richard spent many years serving in the military and continues to have a keen interest in logistics and the remit of the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) of 'Live, Move, Fight'. His fact-packed talk gave us an insight into the Great Siege of Malta sometimes called 'The Last Crusade'. He described how a small army conquered a much larger one, how knowledge of terrain and sea gave advantage and how the support of the island population stopped the threat of the Ottoman Empire in its bid to conquer Europe and Christianity. The siege was the climax of an escalating contest between a Christian alliance and the Islamic Ottoman Empire for control of the Mediterranean. Names from long ago history lessons were recalled: Suleiman the Great - Leader of the Ottoman Empire, Mustapha Pasha, Jean Parisote de Valette and Don Garcia de Toledo. Sir Oliver Starkey, the only


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known English knight, was there fighting alongside the Knights Hospitaller. It was a cruel battle fought by over 40,000 Ottomans, comprising engineers, artillery, sailors, pirates, slaves, nurses and servants. In contrast the Christians had just 8,000 men, women and children which included the Maltese militia and all the townspeople. A large contingent of the Spanish cavalry was included in this number together with just 700 knights.

The weapons were primitive - scimitars, crossbows, longbows, spears, swords, axes and huge cannon balls. Although some of the Christian side wore armour it was heavy, hot and not impenetrable to shards of flying metal. However, the Turks and Ottomans wore long flowing garments which often caught fire. Food was limited and people existed on bread, fruit and wine. It was discovered that rounded castle walls deflected cannon balls and caused less damage than flat surfaces and some castles in England built after this period reflect this. Battles raged at St Elmo, Birgu and Mdina amongst others but eventually the Christians succeeded in holding the island. It took just three months and the

Ottomans conceded Malta in September 1565. But, unlikely as it now seems, bearing in mind the imbalance

of armies, the Ottoman Empire was defeated and Malta was saved by the Christian forces. It is one of the most celebrated events in European and military history and Richard gave us a fascinating insight into how battles are won and lost.

Outings August Wednesday 14 East Lambrook Manor Gardens, Margery Fish Garden

We will meet at Dobbies at 11.45am and car share. Entrance to the gardens is £6.00 or £5.25 per person if we have a group of 10.

September Wednesday 25 National Arboretum, Westonbirt Gloucestershire October Thursday 17 Wincanton Races

First race day of the new season

For forms and details see Janet’s emails. Please contact Janet if you have any ideas for future outings.

URGENT HELP NEEDED

Can you help staff our stand at the Mid Somerset Show on Sunday 18 August?

We need to fill the following slots: One person for 09.00 - 10.00

One person from 11.00 - 12.00 Two people from 15.00 - 16.00 One person from 16.00 - 17.00

Anyone who can help, please contact Derek Hiller or Liz Nash ASAP.

Richard Pawson talks tactics with member, Keith Jenkin


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Defibrillator Course by Janet Murray Our visit to Wells Fire Station to learn how to save a life using CPR and a Defibrillator went very well. Our instructors were so helpful. They showed us how and we were then given the opportunity to try for ourselves, as some of the photos show. We also learnt how to deal with someone in a choking situation.

Chris and Stuart have offered to demonstrate it all again, so if there are any members that are interested in learning CPR and how to operate the defibrillator please let me know and I will arrange another course. The maximum they can take per group is eight. We could arrange a morning and an afternoon group, as we have done today. Each lesson takes about 1 hour 45 minutes. The courses are free of charge, but a donation to the Fire Fighters Charity would be very much appreciated. Thank you to today’s two groups for your generosity, I was able to pass on over £100 to the Fire Fighters Charity which helps our firemen if they are injured whilst on duty.

We know of three defibrillators in Shepton at McColls, in Collett Park and at Shape, the council offices. If you know of more please let us know. Glastonbury Festival Site Outing Our long-awaited tour of the Glastonbury festival site was most enjoyable and interesting. A little mud to paddle through to get from the coach to the cafe for our coffee and cake, very nice! It looked like there was still plenty to be put in place before everything was ready as the photos below show.


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Thursday Coffee Mornings Dobbies Restaurant, Shepton Mallet 10.30-12 August Coffee morning dates are different this month as the speaker meeting is on Thursday 8 August so join in for a coffee and friendly chat on August 1, 15, 22 and 29.

3. Members’ Corner

Welcome to all new members. If this is your first newsletter, we hope you enjoy reading it and find it informative and useful. Your ideas for future editions are always welcome. If you would like to contribute to Members’ Corner please send your items of interest, letters, articles, reminiscences, local history, photographs, events etc to the editor by 20th of the month.

Castaway by Derek Hiller I have been asked to imagine myself as a castaway on a Desert Island as in the BBC programme Desert Island Discs. My challenge was to select eight of my favourite pieces of music along with my choices of a book and luxury item. My tastes in music vary enormously so quite a challenge to choose eight favourite pieces when there is such a variety of music genres. My selections therefore are ones that instil fond memories for me.

As a member of Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society, it is fitting that my choices should include some choral music. I have chosen Mozart’s Requiem, as it was the first piece of choral music I ever performed and it includes the sublime Lacrimosa movement and Beethoven’s Choral


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Symphony No 9 a powerful and uplifting work that truly has the tingle factor and reminds me of my German family origins. I am also a lover of traditional New Orleans Jazz and one of my all-time favourites is Swipsey Cakewalk, a composition by Scott Joplin which I first heard at Osterley Jazz club in the mid-sixties performed by the great Ken Colyer Jazzmen. A good up-tempo number for stomping to. It is always great, when listening to a song, to be able to hear the words and absorb their meaning. Three pieces that I would choose and never tire of hearing are Annie’s Song by John Denver, the Elvis Presley version of Willie Nelson’s song, Always on my Mind and the Roy Orbison song In Dreams. It is the words of the songs that move me and remind me of my teenage years and courting days with my wife Sue. You cannot beat a good belting hymn and one of my all time favourites, as a boy chorister and even now, is Guide me O thou Great Redeemer to the tune Cwm Rhondda. Not only is it a reminder of my early choirboy years and singing with a local male voice choir, it reminds of my Welsh Ancestry. I do like a good heavy rock tune and one piece that means a great deal to me is Enter Sandman by Metallica, my eldest son Ian’s favourite band. It was played at the beginning of his funeral service in March 2002. My daughter Jane was a rock musician in her own right as Janey Summer and was influenced by bands such as Metallica and Whitesnake. It would have to be on my list of choices for obvious reasons. For as long as I can remember, in my family, we have always had, Imperial Leather Soap in the bathroom. Even now it is my number one soap so, what better than to have a good wash in the ocean with a bar of Imperial Leather as your luxury item. I’m not an avid reader so the book I would choose is Characters of Tolkien by David Day. It is described as a comprehensive, sumptuously illustrated reference guide to all the living creatures – both flora and fauna – that inhabit J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth and Undying Lands. It is a book that I dip into from time to time and was a Christmas present from my youngest son Lee who is also a talented amateur musician and has played with several bands he has formed in the local area. It would transport me away from the worries of being a castaway on a desert island.

4. U3A Regional and National News Regional No notifications National 27-29

August

U3A Conference and AGM 2019 East Midlands Conference Centre, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RJ Share views, ideas and experience in this year's conference "Sharing Inspiring Learning". With workshops focusing on lifelong learning, managing new educational resources, finance for charities, and supporting the growth and development of U3As, there will opportunity to discuss, debate and enjoy the views of colleagues across the movement. There will also be some free time to share interests such as singing, ukulele playing, walking and many other choices. Please join us for


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the conference and enjoy time with U3A members from across the movement. Residential and non-residential options for conference are available; costs range from £115.00 to £325.00 includes AGM day. Day only tickets are also available. www.u3a.org.uk/events

11-13 September

Summer School Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester Tuesday 10 September to Friday 13 September 2019. See U3A website for courses and booking

Full listings and details of all national events see What’s On in Third Age Matters magazine, visit the website www.u3a.org.uk or sign up to the email newsletter.

5. Group News

Collectables by Liz Nash We had an amusing and very informative morning at our July meeting as Val Sherring had invited Maureen Shearn to visit us. Maureen brought along 30 mystery objects, all of which would have been commonplace in homes and shops in the 1900s. We formed two teams

and had to guess what is was we were looking at. Objects included a wooden yarn twister, a 'skirt lifter' made of silver and an iron hook for carrying hay bales all of which had us puzzled. One team was very fortunate to have Bill McGuirk on their side, which was a great advantage as Bill seemed to have lived with, worked with or had knowledge of many of the items (not the skirt lifter!). As is the nature of quizzes, one side won - yes it's was Bill's team but we all went home having learnt something new. The morning certainly reminded us of the craftsmanship and natural materials that went into the making of everyday objects in the years before the age of plastic.

(N.B A 'skirt lifter' is a large clip attached to a ladies belt by a chain which enables her to hitch up her skirt so that it is kept clear of mud whilst walking)

http://www.u3a.org.uk/events

https://summer-schools.u3a.org.uk/

https://summer-schools.u3a.org.uk/


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Discussion Group We are a small group that meets on the second Monday of each month. Topics cover current issues or various matters such as mental health, keeping healthy, public services. We respect different points of view and all members are encouraged to contribute. We have a couple of vacancies due to people moving away or not renewing U3A membership. If you are interested please contact Malcolm Weeks.

Strollers Strollers visited the beautiful village of Beckington, near Frome for their June walk. Led by Lesley and Julia we explored its historic buildings and streets associated with the wool and cloth trades. Bishop of Bath and Wells, Thomas Bekynton, was born in the village in 1390. A splendid tea was had at its cafe, Mes Amis which we recommend if you ever go to Beckington.

Music Appreciation by Derek Hiller For our July meeting we chose music with a connection to the letter A for Anything. Our first piece was Agnus Dei from the mass for four voices composed by William Byrd, performed by The Sixteen and conducted by Harry Christophers. This was followed by the four movements of the Sonata in G minor composed by Tomaso Albinoni and performed by the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Raymond Leppard. We then heard well known clarinetist Acker Bilk playing Stranger on the Shore which became the UK’s biggest selling single of 1962. With a change of mood, we then heard O Fortuna from Carl Orff’s cantata Carmina Burana, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox. The Merry Widow Waltz from the operetta by Franz Lehar was next, this time performed by the Vienna State Opera Orchestra conducted by Anton Paulik. We then enjoyed the ever popular and moving Nimrod, from the Enigma Variations composed by Sir Edward Elgar and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. A very different sound greeted us next as we played Hoja De Coca, performed by the Bolivian musical quintet Rumillajta, the title track from their 1984 album of the same name. The quintet was formed on 1990 and became one of the most important promoters of


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Andean music in Bolivia. We then listened to two dances composed by Sir Malcolm Arnold from his suites of English and Scottish dances performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Penny. This was followed by the Waltz in A minor composed by Frederic Chopin and played by piano virtuoso, Vladimir Ashkenazy. Our next piece was Cavatina, a 1970 classical guitar piece composed by Stanley Myers for the 1970 film The Walking Stick and was used as the theme tune for the film Dances with Wolves about eight years later. This version was played by classical guitarist John Williams. The final piece was the Welsh Hymn Cwm Rhondda sung by Rhos Orpheus Male Choir. The tune was composed by John Hughes and used to the text by William Williams – Guide me O thou Great Redeemer. The tune and hymn are often known as Bread of Heaven from the line in the English translation. The next Music Appreciation Group meeting is planned for 11 September when the theme will be for music with a connection to the letter S.

“I would like to say a big THANK YOU for the card and bottle of wine presented to me, by Liz, at my last meeting as group leader of the Music Appreciation Group.”

New Group Leaders for Music Appreciation We are very lucky that Catherine Wylie and Sandra Freeborn have agreed to co-lead the Music Appreciation group from August following Derek Hiller's retirement as group leader. Catherine will be dealing with the details of the day and Sandra will deal with the administration. We owe much appreciation to both Catherine and Sandra for keeping this lively group going.

Walking We enjoyed a 5 mile circular walk from Blagdon and travelling south west to the summit of the hills overlooking Burrington Coombe and Common. Lovely weather and no horse flies! Lunch in the Castle of Comfort.


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If you are interested in joining any group please use the website enquiry forms at

sheptonmalletu3a.org.uk to find out if there are any vacancies or details about any of our

activities.

Monthly Activities 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Monday Walking French Intermediate 2-3pm Beginner s 3-4pm

Discussion 10.30am Bowls 11am Art 2-4pm

Walking French Intermediate 2-3pm Beginners 3-4pm Woolcraft 2.30pm

Bowls 11am Art 2-4pm

Tuesday Book Group 10.15am Bridge 2pm Table Tennis 2pm Flower Club 2pm

Collectables 11am Table Tennis 2pm Bridge 2pm Needlecraft 2pm Recorder Playing 2pm

Bridge 2pm Table Tennis 2pm

Family History 10.30am Table Tennis 2pm Bridge 2pm Needlecraft 2pm Recorder Playing 2pm

Wednesday Music Appreciation 2pm

Thursday Speaker Meeting 10.30am

Coffee 10.30am Scrabble 2pm

Shorter Walks Coffee 10.30am Strollers 1.30pm

Coffee 10.30am Scrabble 2pm

Friday Table Tennis 2pm Table Tennis 2pm Munch Club Table Tennis 2pm

Singing for Pleasure 10.30-12 Table Tennis 2pm

The table above represents the usual meeting dates for groups. The actual dates may vary. Writing for Pleasure meets fortnightly at 2pm on a Thursday. Bus Pass Trippers travel on Saturdays. You should contact group leaders for confirmation of dates. For more information on any of our groups visit the website www.sheptonmalletu3a.org.uk or contact the individual group leader below.

Group Contacts

Art Gill Davies Books Sue Dunne Bowls Frank Booth Bridge Graham McCartney Bus Pass Trippers Janet Murray Collectables Liz Nash Discussion Malcolm Weeks Family History Keith Taylor Flowers Freda Briars Munch Club Maggie Fowle Music Appreciation

Catherine Wylie Sandra Freeborn

Needlecraft Di Gommo Liz Weeks

Recorders Sandra Morris




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Julie Newman Scrabble Di Gommo Singing for Pleasure

Val Sherring

Shorter Walks Jenny Wehrfritz Solos Janet Murray Strollers Lyn Hook Table Tennis 1 and 2

Peter Howell

Walking Liz Weeks Woolcraft Pam Mitchell Writing for Pleasure

Catherine Wylie

6. Committee Members

Chair Liz Nash

Vice Chair and Publicity Derek Hiller

Secretary Maggie Hardy

Treasurer Jane Burman Groups Co-ordinator Sue Dunne

Membership Secretary Maggie Fowle

Newsletter Julia Goddard

Outings Janet Murray Speakers Pete Norman

Website Keith Taylor Thanks to all our contributors this month. Please send all your items for inclusion in the next newsletter by 20th of the month.

university of the third age newsletter august 2019...battles raged at st elmo, birgu and mdina...

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