Newsletter June 2026
- Helen Vear
- May 31
- 4 min read
Greetings from the President:
I hope you are wrapping up and keeping warm as it gets colder and colder outside….. I certainly am. It seems like a big break between series this time too but when we start up again next Monday, we have a very exciting new series to look forward to: Telling Stories Through Images. This series has been put together by Trish Holden and Linda Winskill. It can be found at https://www.u3agodley.org/what-s-on
That aside, I would like to share with you a challenge in front of the committee right now i.e. that our venue’s small screen is compromising the delivery of some of the PowerPoint presentations we have and what are our options to deal with it? We have started a conversation with St Marks about this issue. We have also sought some professional advice as to ideas and costing. The Committee is also investigating alternative venues but to be honest, by the time we factor in proximity/free parking/capacity/kitchen facilities/extra rooms etc., St Marks is looking more and more like the best place to meet…… bar the small screen…. Please bear with us – we are trying to make it better!
Series Three: Telling Stories Through Images
June 8 | Antony Elworthy Professional animator in NZ and around the world for nearly 30 years. | A Career in the Animation Industry Stop-motion animation – the process of physically manipulating puppets in front of a camera – is alive and well in Aotearoa New Zealand |
June 15 | Tainui Stephens Producer and director of Māori TV and film | Stories that have Changed Our World Observations and insights from a career in screen story telling |
June 22 | Jane Mahoney Casting director, film producer and director | Maurice and I and Me Jane is the co-director/producer of Maurice and I |
June 29 | Nick Paris Co-owner and manager of Lumière Cinema | Front House Nostalgia Reflections of over 40 years working in cinemas across Christchurch |
July 6 | Gerard Smyth Producer, director and writer of documentaries shot across the world | Telling Stories for a While Now 40 years of telling stories for TV, cinema and online platforms |
This series features three highly successful local filmmakers: one with an international reputation for animated films (Antony Elworthy) and two well known for works such as Maurice and I (Jane Mahoney) and When a City Rises (Gerard Smyth). They are joined by Tainui Stephens, locally born and educated, who has a long history in Māori TV and film and has directed films on The Māori Battalion and Dame Whina Cooper. Nick Paris has worked in many of our grand old theatres and he is a vocal advocate for the big screen experience.
Places of Interest Report: Christchurch City Archives
We spent an engrossing hour looking round the Christchurch City Archive repository held in secure premises located near the airport. Iron Mountain (an American company) holds the City Archive collection, but also houses records from many other organisations. The City Archives date from 1862 and contain many thousands of records from the various boards before and after amalgamations. These comprise records relating to Drainage, Cemetery, Roads among other things. Annabel Armstrong-Clarke and Sarah showed us examples of beautifully presented architectural plans as well as old photographs portraying Christchurch and mayors from bygone days.
Modern records are stored in digital form, and hardcopy records from the past are digitised where possible, although it is an expensive process. Our thanks to hosts Annabel, Sarah and volunteer David.
Next Places of Interest Trip: Parakiore Sports Centre
Thursday 11th June at 10am
Parakiore Sports Centre was formerly known as the Metro Sports Facility and was announced in 2012 as part of the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan after the earthquakes. Its construction began in 2018 and finished in late 2025. It is the largest aquatic and indoor recreation and leisure venue of its kind in New Zealand and accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Located in the heart of Ōtautahi Christchurch, it’s an exciting new addition to our city’s network of recreation and sport facilities.
If you would like to go please contract Richard Pickering pickeringx2@yahoo.com
How About Getting Involved with U3A Godley from the Organisational Side?
One of the reasons U3A Godley works as well as it does is the fact that we run on a huge amount of goodwill from our members…..like most organisations we have a committee with a secretary, a treasurer, a president and individuals who each carry a particular responsibility, not to mention the leaders of the various interest groups etc. but, it’s not realistic to expect those already involved to carry on forever. We’re always looking for new interest and we ALL have something to offer. If you think you could help in any way, please let one of the committee know. It’s a great group of people to work amongst!
Walking Group
U3A Godley Walkers out and about at the Westlake Reserve recently. 28 walkers participated which is a great turnout! Thank you to Liz Swallow and Jan Cleave for keeping it alive!
Art Group Outings
SCAPE Tour
In April the Art Group went on a SCAPE Tour. Rachel Jeffries, Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art walked us around the city environs to see various works. SCAPE is a charitable trust that collaborates with businesses and artists to provide both temporary and permanent public art for Christchurch. These public sculptures have transformed Christchurch, making it a more vibrant place to live.
The link below provides information about the permanent works on the SCAPE website:
Edith Collier Exhibition
Our Art Group also visited the Christchurch Art Gallery recently to see the new survey exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Edith Collier (1885-1964). The last time Collier’s work was shown in Christchurch was in 1999 so it was wonderful to see such a comprehensive show that is now touring the country. Group coordinator Julie Foley shared a lot of information with the group about Edith Collier’s life, her background and her art ‘journey’ of developing style and structure. If you enjoyed the guided tour of the current Edith Collier exhibition at the gallery, you may be interested in going to see this documentary film about the artist:
Edith Collier: A Light Among Shadows, Wednesday 29 July, 5.30 pm, Philip Carter Family Auditorium CAGFree entry. 63 minutes. The book accompanying the exhibition will be available in the gallery shop. A big thank you to Julie Foley for yet more very interesting and informative outings.
