General Meetings are held monthly on the second Wednesday of the month (except August) at Meadowcroft & Quarrendon Community Centre , 147 Meadowcroft, Aylesbury HP19 9HH.
Business items are discussed from 10.00 – 10.30 am, followed by a break for tea/coffee and then a talk by an invited Speaker from 11.00 – 12.00 midday. There is also the opportunity to book for outings and social events.
In accordance with fire regulations, a register must be kept of all members attending these monthly meetings. Members are asked to have their presence recorded on arrival, and it is also necessary to wear name badges.
Speakers 2012
February 8th – Dr Tony Maisey – Pain”
Tony is another well known speaker to the Aylesbury Vale U3A. He is a retired GP from Princes Risborough who has has a lifelong interest in health education. Those of you who were here last January will remember his talk on “Spare Part Surgery” which was both informative and amusing. I am sure he will present “Pain” without the need for aspirin! (JD)
March 14th – Philip Littlejohn – “The Titanic – A Survivor’s Story”
We could not allow 15th April 1912 to be forgotten and who better to tell he tale than Philip Littlejohn, whose grandfather survived after being ordered to row Lifeboat 13 to safety. Philip lectures widely in England and overseas cruise liners, professional groups, schools and universities. He is the author of “Titanic – Waiting for Orders” which describes the sinking of the Titanic based on his grandfather’s eyewitness account. Whether you have seen the film or not, I am sure this will be a most interesting presentation. (JD)
April 11th – Peter Preece – “Images of Nature”
This presentation covers mainly birds that Peter has photographed in his garden or in hides in the woods owned by Warwickshire and Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. Peter has promised to explain about the food he uses to entice different species of birds, the hides he builds and the types of camera equipment he has.
Supper at Emmaus, Oil on canvas,1601 National Gallery
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May 9th – Susanne Carr – “Carravaggio”
Susanne Carr is an eminent Art Historian who lectures at Oxford University. She specialises in Western European Art from 1200 to 1960. After a successful talk on Vermeer, Susanne is returning to give us an insight into the paintings of Caravggio (1571-1610).
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Main Gate of the Temple of Literature, Vietnam
This month we have our very own Cynthia Fowler back to share some more of her travels. Many of you remember that, last year, she stood in for a speaker who was stuck in traffic. Then she gave us an insight into Russia. I am sure her talk on Vietnam and Cambodia will be just as fascinating.
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July 11th – John Tyler – The Lost Forest of Bernwood
Having studied Zoology and Conservation at university, John Tyler worked with the Trust for Urban Ecology, creating and managing urban nature reserves “so that children could learn about nature at first hand”, He spent the next twenty two years developing the Sevenoaks Nature Reserve in Kent reclaiming the gravel pit lakes and surrounding woodland at Bradbourne.
In 2005 he came to Buckinghamshire and started giving talks and guided tours. He is particularly well known to the Wildlife Group who have taken advantage of his wide knowledge on topics ranging from fungi to forestry.
His talk will introduce us to an ancient woodland landscape in Buckinghamshire with an insight into “what it was like to live in the forest in Mediaeval times, and some of the plants and animals that would have been familiar to the forest people.
John has an excellent web site for further information
September 12th – Gillian Cane
It is Gillian Cane’s first visit to Aylesbury Vale U3A, having been highly recommended by other U3A groups. She was among the first woman to attend the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst for officer training, and the first woman to serve with The Royal Green Jackets. It is sometimes hard to remember that not so long ago women had to fight for the right to enter certain professions and careers.
October 10th – Dr. Victoria Williamson – Why Do Tunes Get Stuck in Our Heads
Victoria Williamson is part of the Music, Mind and Brain group at Goldsmiths University. She is currently undertaking research into why tunes, or ear worms as they have been labelled, seem to pop into our heads.
She writes on her web site:- “Despite the prevalent nature of earworms and the potential impact they can have on our normal thought processes very little is known about what causes them, why they happen to some people more than others and why some tunes are more commonly heard as an earworm than others”.
View Dr. Williamson’s web site and take part in the project.
November 14th -Derek Pooley - Time – Clocks, Heavenly Clocks and Calendars.
Dr Derek Pooley is now an independent consultant on energy and nuclear technologies, and has for several years been a member of the EU’s Advisory Group on Energy. Whilst in full-time work he was Harwell’s Non-nuclear Energy Director, Chief Scientist of the UK Department of Energy, the Director of Winfrith, the Chief Executive of the UKAEA and chairman of the EU’s nuclear Science and Technology Committee. He was appointed a CBE in 1995. He says “From childhood I have been fascinated by science, especially astronomy, but I have only recently started trying to pass on my fascination ………. through ‘popular’ talks, mostly to local U3A groups”.Derek Pooley’s talk is about aspects of time that we all use regularly, usually without much thought. Few of us realise how complex and idiosyncratic those aspects are. Derek will explain how modern, ultra-accurate timekeeping highlight the deficiencies of our ‘natural’ time units.
December 12th – Keith Baldwin - Christmas Greetings –
Keith Baldwin is a former Household Cavalry soldier and retired senior Police Officer. Throughout his service life he developed a wide range of attributes that enabled him to deal with people and situations and this led to him becoming a skilled communicator and negotiator. He also gained a Master of Arts Degree at the University of Hertfordshire.For a number of years now he has been a professional speaker. He starts our Christmas celebrations off with a talk entitled “Christmas Greetings – a selection of festive anecdotes and readings”.
