By Chalotte Mokonyane
If you’re a retired person seeking intellectual stimulation in Makhanda then you should know about the local branch of the University of the Third Age.
U3A started in France as ‘L’ Universite du Trisieme Age’ in the 1970s as a series of extension studies for retired people. It then spread throughout the world and was introduced to South Africa in Cape Town in the 1990s.
U3A came to Grahamstown in about 2009 and retired NELM director Malcolm Hacksley became its chairperson in 2011. Hacksley said: “The objective is to provide intellectually stimulating entertainment for old people with free time on their hands.”
The programme usually consists of one-off presentations but occasionally there will be three to four lectures in a series on the same topic. When it comes to choosing speakers and presenters Hacksley usually looks for people who have insight, expertise and experience to come share their knowledge with the university.
“Entertainment with bite”
A recent lecture by Rosemary van Wyk Smith was on Patrick Leigh Fermor, “a great travel writer, he observes the people, the country but he also has a tremendous wealth of knowledge of the history of places,” Van Wyk Smith said it is illuminating to contrast Fermor’s adventures with modern understandings of travel. He travelled by foot not knowing where he would sleep until he arrived at his destination.
“The themes and messages that are important in Fermor’s work that resonate today are mainly about freedom. In today’s world one need to have passports and visas to explore the world while he was able to travel freely which was wonderful,” she said.
U3A attendee Jen wright said she gets a chance to learn about all kind of things you wouldn’t necessarily know about, also the university lectures dives deep into topics, allowing a deeper understanding.
For more information contact Malcolm Hacksley at 073 225 6015
