Newsletter – May 2025
- U3A Godley Christchurch
- May 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 1
Greetings from the President:
It is hard to believe we are about to start series three already… Creativity Explored is looking very interesting indeed and what an impressive line-up of speakers! Thank you in advance to Katherine Baird and Pam Craig for the ‘leg work’ involved in putting the series together. I often think how lucky we are to be on the receiving end of such professional deliveries, week after week, and all thanks must go to Trish Holden and the Programme Committee for maintaining the high standard of programme that we have.
Both membership and activities continue to thrive at U3A Godley and again…a collective effort from everyone involved. Thank you to all.
Series Three: Creativity Explored
May 26 | Claire Benedict Composer/ Musician/ Sound Engineer Lecturer in Music University of Canterbury https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/about-uc/contact-us/staff-directory/claire-benedict
| Sectional Surrealism: Artificial Vocal Performances |
June 9 | Peter Field Associate Professor History Head of School of Humanities University of Canterbury https://profiles.canterbury.ac.nz/Peter-Field
| Homo Fabre: Man the Maker |
June 16 | Francis Yapp Senior Lecturer Music University of Canterbury https://profiles.canterbury.ac.nz/Francis-Yapp
| The Community Music Movement |
June 23 | Alison Griffith Associate Professor Classics University of Canterbury
| The Creative Genius of the Pantheon in Rome |
June 30 | Aaron Kreisler Associate Professor Head of School Fine Arts University of Canterbury https://profiles.canterbury.ac.nz/Aaron-Kreisler
| We Only Serve What You Deserve: A Personal Reflection on Working in the Arts
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Difficulty hearing at U3A? Are you one of our members who sometimes has difficulty hearing the speakers? We would like to help but need to know some specifics. If you could please email u3agodley@gmail.com with those specifics it will give us a start as to where to begin.
Recent Art Group Visit to The Arts Centre
The Art Group has enjoyed two trips since the last newsletter – firstly to The Arts Centre and later to the Christchurch Art Gallery.
New Constitution for U3A Godley
The committee has been working on updating the constitution of U3A Godley. Just to give you a little background:
o Godley was registered as an incorporated society in 2008 and since then, only minor changes have been made to the original three pages of Rules
o A new Incorporated Societies Act was passed in 2022 and to maintain our status as an Incorporated Society, Godley must reregister with a new constitution that meets the requirements of the new act.
o A new constitution has now been developed. The committee was very fortunate in obtaining the generous assistance of both Ross Nicholas and a senior solicitor at Lane Neave’s Auckland office on a pro-bono basis.
o The document is twelve pages long and is available for you to scrutinise on our website at https://www.u3agodley.org/what-s-on. We believe it meets the requirements of the new act and is now ready to be presented to members for their recommendation for adoption
The Changes:
Many of the changes can best be described as being more legally descriptive and they introduce more rigor to outdated requirements.
o Details re membership, meeting procedures, voting, electronic meetings etc have been updated to meet mandated requirements
o The inclusion of maximum consecutive terms that Officers and President can serve is now a mandated requirement
o The inclusion of portions of Clause 15 (Officers) and Clause 16 (Records) are mandated requirements as is Clause 18 (Disputes Resolution)
o Please note the subscription year has now been aligned with the financial year by changing the balance date to 31 December in Clause 17.2
o The new act does not include a requirement for audit or review of annual financial statements. Clause 17.3 requires members to determine these requirements each year
We will hold a Special General Meeting after the session of Monday 30 June where the new constitution will be presented to members with our recommendation for adoption. All members are invited.
Places of Interest Visit to Christchurch Art Gallery
Gallery staff member Rebekkah Pickrill met us and suggested we split into two groups. We first looked at one of the storage areas, in which paintings and sculptures are kept in tailor-made boxes or rolled up with protective wrapping. Large paintings that cannot be rolled are hung on racks. The rooms are temperature and humidity controlled to maintain an atmosphere that prevents undesirable deterioration of the art works. Curators decide if and when to exhibit individual items or to prepare for exhibitions in New Zealand and occasionally overseas. Carla and Elisa then showed us where art works are treated to rectify any damage that has occurred over the years. Not all is possible, but with their skills, many ‘blotches’ or ‘spots’ can be eliminated and the painting itself re-mounted on more suitable backing materials. We were also given a skilful demonstration of re-gilding a frame using gold leaf. The visit was most rewarding and gave us an insight into the elaborate work necessary to keep our fine art in good condition for public display. Richard Pickering
Interest Group News
A number of members have mentioned the possibility of having more interest groups. Interest groups provide an opportunity not just to improve knowledge or indulge in favourite activities, but also to meet new friends with similar interests in a more intimate setting. Currently we have interest groups for Armchair Travel, Art Appreciation, Book Discussion, Cycling, French Chat, Movies, Places of Interest, Recorder, and Walking. Other Christchurch U3As have groups catering to such interests as Coffee Group, Cooking, Craft, Current Affairs, Dining or Lunching out, Epicurians, Family History/Genealogy, Gardening, History, Mahjong, Photography, Politics, Scrabble, Theatre Appreciation and Wine Appreciation. A group exclusively for men has also been mentioned which could encompass anything from hobby, cultural or sporting activities to regular dining out together.
The existence of any such group depends on the willingness of a member(s) to arrange content, venue, time, advertising etc. All of our groups are self-supporting financially. If you or a group of members are interested in starting a new interest group, please contact the President Helen Vear
Morning Teas
It is wonderful to have so many members coming along and enjoying coffee/tea before the meetings. However, can we please ask that you arrive before 10.00am as the kitchen team needs to start tidying up by 10.15am. This is so they can get to the start of the session.
Also, don’t forget the catered morning teas we have before the last session of every series. All welcome!
