KINGSBRIDGE ESTUARYU3A

JULY 201813TH ISSUE

WHERE DOES YOUR MONEY GO?

The U3a Membership subscription of £15 per person is usedto enable us to be part of the Third Age Trust, the organisingbody of the U3a, and to run the Kingsbridge Estuary U3a.

The annual fee per member to the Third Age Trust is £3.50 plus another £2.40to receive the Third Age Matters Magazine and 50p to be part of the BeaconComputer programme.We are then left with £9.60 to ‘spend’ within the local group. We use this tocover:

Ø The twiceyearly Newsletter (approx. £2.00 per copy)Ø Hire of halls for our monthly meetings and committee meetings.Ø Fees and expenses for our speakersØ Stationery and printingØ Purchase of equipment

In the year 2017/18 our Income and Expenditure account showed we hada surplus of £961.80.Since the formation of KEU3A the membership has increased each year andwe have accumulated a healthy balance which is a fortunate position tobe in. In the future we may have expenses for other venues or technicalequipment and the committee are always open to suggestions as to howour assets can be best spent for the benefit of all the membership.LINDA COTON (Treasurer)

COMMITTEECHAIRMANTEL.843638

CAROLYN SCHOFIELD

VICE-CHAIRMEN NEIL MARTIN / DAVID CHUBB

SECRETARYTEL.857242

JACKIE STACEY

TREASURERTEL.842258

LINDA COTON

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARYTEL. 853242

LIZ PLAYLE

SPEAKER SECRETARYTEL. 854559

SHEILA HARRISON

GROUPS COORDINATORTEL. 852529

PETER BOLT

PUBLICITYTEL. 07828136479

GLENN WILKINS

BEACONTEL.842217

JUDY TYLER

COMMITTEETEL. 856386

DAVID CHUBB

COMMITTEETEL. 531715

ERIC BROOKES

COMMITTEETEL. 852452

ANITA DUNSTER

COMMITTEETEL. 581471

NEIL MARTIN

WEBSITETEL. .852255

RODNEY STRONG

NEWSLETTERTEL. 842217 OR 842258

JUDY TYLER / LINDA COTON

WEBSITE u3asites.org.uk/kingsbridgeestuary

In my last report I said that the committee’s wise decision to remove all email addresses fromthe website had, for two or three months, prevented me from making newsletters available onthe site. The printed documents have many email addresses which would have to be removedbefore they are put online.I had however managed to produce a ‘clean’ version for just one issue which you could see byclicking a link on the Welcome page. Until the last issue, printing and collating was done by Joat Salcombe Church Office. She has now left the area so I approached her successor who haskindly been able to let me have the original electronic copies from their computer. There weretoo many to list on the Welcome page so I have created a new NEWS page in the main heading.All twelve newsletters are now available on that page. Enjoy!RODNEY STRONG

MEMBERSHIP

Our Numbers now stand at approx 500, Liz took over the task of MembershipSecretary a year ago, a post I had filled since KEU3A started in 2011, Wehave seen the numbers grow from our initial 60 to 100 in the first year (we

even had a cake to celebrate this !) We are now approx 500. BeingMembership Secretary is a very onerous and time consuming post trying tokeep track of renewals, data, etc. and I am very grateful to Liz for taking

this over.It is important to let LIZ know of any change of contact details.

Contact - Liz Playle 853242

GDPRAn email was recently sent out to the whole Membership regarding

KEU3A’S policy on Privacy of Data.Although there were no withdrawals of data, we still need a signed form from

you which is enclosed with this NEWSLETTER.PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN to either

Judy Tyler, 2, Saint Davids, Herbert Rd. SALCOMBE. TQ8 8HR orLiz Playle 17, Hurrell Rd. KINGSBRIDGE TQ7 1ER

or AT THE MONTHLY MEETINGThese forms will be kept for any future reference.

CHAIRMAN’S CHAT

As every year I would like to expresswarm thanks to my fellow committeemembers for all their hard work in runningour U3A branch on your behalf. Inparticular I must thank Vernon Taylor,

who stood down from the position of Vice-Chairman and from the committeein the new year, owing to pressure of other activities: his contribution to the workof the committee was very significant and we are grateful and miss his input.Sylvia Griffin and Amanda Bennett have also retired from the committee forpersonal reasons and we are very grateful to them as well for their contributions.Particular thanks are due too to Anita Dunster who volunteered to fill theVice-Chairman’s position on a temporary basis, to Judy Tyler who has grappledwith the exigencies of the current GDPR requirements, and to Peter Bolt, whodoes such sterling work coordinating our entertainments, as well as to GlennWilkins and Liz Hext for taking over public relations duties from Anita.Our U3A continues to grow and we have a new, and I understand extremelypopular, canasta group; thanks to those involved. After a number of yearscoordinating the bridge group, during which it has grown from a small teachinggroup to a vast empire, in which the early learners are now playingcompetitively, Steve Dooley has passed on the baton to Nick Barratt, who I amsure will be a very able successor. Our warm thanks to Steve for all his effortsand to Nick for taking it over. Other news is that the free first aid courses offeredby the Red Cross have begun, and I am sure that the participants last Tuesdaywill all agree with me that it is a very good course indeed, and we are mostindebted to the Red Cross.Finally thanks to to all the hardworking group leaders, to Tony for our wonderfulvisits programme and to Sheila for our inspired series of speakers, as well as toRodney who looks after the website, Vernon and Dave our ‘techies’ at theFriday meetings, to Chris and her volunteer rota of coffee-makers, to all thosewho help with chairs and in any other way; and of course to you, the members,who make it all worthwhile. We look forward to another active and enjoyableyear.By the time you read this we shall have elected a new committee and manygroups will have closed down for the summer. Very best wishes for all for awonderful summer and for renewed vigour in our activities in the autumn.CAROLYN SCHOFIELD

OUR FIRST SEVEN YEARS

When I moved to the South West in 2009 I was disappointed to find thatthere was no U3A in Kingsbridge. After two years trying to interest myacquaintances I met JANET ADAMS at the Dartmouth U3A. Janet was a

member of the Devon Senior Council (now Devon Senior Voice) which had been trying to bringadult daytime educational opportunities to the area. Their chairman JOHN COWLING invitedme (ELIZABETH JENNINGS) to their next meeting in February 2011 to tell them about the U3A.Following this events moved fast. JOHN arranged a meeting in the Methodist Hall to test thewaters. We put up posters, obtained leaflets, and enlisted the help of the Plymouth U3A andour Regional Advisor, COLIN TICKNELL.In early May a few of us got together round my kitchen table for last minute planning, JANETADAMS, JUDY TYLER, JANE GRAY, TONY WESTLAKE AND ME, we were ready to go.The  inaugural meeting was held on May 13   , a Friday though it proved to be anything butunlucky. About 60 people turned up and there was no shortage of volunteers for the steeringcommittee, we had our first Chairman, IAN GOODWILL, and all the others Officers.By July 2011 we were ready for our first full meeting, we had a name,KINGSBRIDGE ESTUARY U3A, a constitution, financial planning in place and several Groups

ready to go. Within six months the membership had reached 200 and here we are in 2018 withalmost 500 members and 37 active and lively groups.IAN led the steering Committee for the first year, followed by JOYCE as first Chairman .victimof our success as so many Groups are full with waiting lists. MORE GROUP LEADERS NEEDED

Sylvia Griffin.

Sylvia joined an embryonic Kingsbridge Estuary U3A in 2011. A small group ofinterested people had decided there was enough interest and support to holdan Open Meeting at the Methodist Hall. Sylvia was at a very low point in her life.She had lost her husband very quickly after he was diagnosed and given only

months to live – in fact it was only 5 days! That was in 2008. Shock set in and she recallspractically nothing of the next 2 years. She calls them her Wilderness Years.She went to stay with her son and his family in Yorkshire.Eventually one day, in 2011, she felt an urge to come back ‘home’ to the house they had boughttogether. She made herself go out once each day to buy a paper and for essentials only.One week she bought a Gazette and it was the very week that the 1st U3A meeting wasadvertised. The room was full and she recognised no-one. She turned to leave, but a gentlemanindicated the empty seat between himself and a friendly looking lady. On sitting down shelearned that they were Declan Dwyer and Janet Rose, who immediately spoke to her and madeher feel welcome.When the vote to establish KEU3A was taken, she was encouraged by Janet to put her handup to be a part of the Steering Committee along with both Declan and Janet. So the ice wasbroken and reality returned and later that year when a Secretary was required she took on thetask. She held that post until the beginning of this year, when the new Constitution wasintroduced, and she decided to step down.

Her hard work and dedication to the role is well-known.It seemed fitting that the previously unused post of Honorary President, which is renewableannually, should be offered to her. She accepted and we wish her well in the role.When asked what the U3A has meant to her, she remarked that joining this amazingorganisation enabled her to start a new LIFE. Learning; Interests; Friendships; Enthusiasm.It is an antidote to loneliness, proved by the many thousands of members, who have founda new lease of LIFE with U3A. ANITA

THE U3A COMMITTEE – DOES IT MATTER ?

What a surprise it was to be asked to join the U3A CommitteeMy immediate thoughts were, have I paid my annualsubscription?, I had – spending money a Scotsman neverforgets – so it was not a polite reminder then; why me?, as I am

not that active and doing half as much as many other people in the U3A;can I make the commitment?, as it is a big commitment to all the membersand cannot be lightly undertaken; did I not duck in time or fast enough andthey are scraping the barrel asking me?; you get the drift of my thoughts.Well the answer I feel is that I talk a lot (or too much as my wife tells meoften) and enjoy life and people and the U3A as an organisation, so I willmake the time and the commitment to the members, I write this at 6:00 inthe morning as it needs to be in tomorrow .Actually it is a great honour to be part of this Team. I found out in the firstmeeting, they are a really an eclectic team; every one of them really wearstheir heart on their sleeves. They want the U3A to be successful and ifanything does not go as well as it should, like the last AGM, they really go totown to address this and figure out what they can do better. I am pleasedto join the team and the shoes I have to fill are really big – and beforeanyone comments that I am saying that previous members were Hobbits orsomething, I just mean previous and current Committee Members arededicated and that the U3A membership as a whole expects big thingsfrom its Committee Members.Still think it doesn’t matter? Yes it does to us all. NEIL MARTIN

TECHNICAL SUPPORTOur technical team of Vernon and Dave are looking for one or two

(or more) to assist at the monthly meeting with the projector,microphones and general TECHIE STUFF!

If you think this is something you could do please get in touch withVernon: 01548 856829

FEBRUARY 2018ELIZABETH BAILEY, who gave us a fascinating illustrated history of Dartmoor Prison,explaining why it was there and who built it. We learnt about its origins for housingprisoners from the Napoleonic Wars and its later transformation into a high securityprison, with some amusing stories of attempted escapes.

MARCH 2018Up the Creek without a Paddle’, a talk by RUPERT KIRKWOOD was highly entertainingand inspiring. A fan of the UK, his journey took us on a circumnavigation of the

southwest coast, up creeks, along rivers, across lakes and even onto the floodedSomerset levels! The total silence and tranquility of wildlife enjoyed whilst sitting on

top of a kayak could be appreciated. Photographs of a Grebe devouring a twelve inchwhole pike, a red kite floating over the water, energetic common dolphins surging,blowing and puffing around the kayak, and huge intricately marked barrel jelly fish,delighted his audience. Rupert claims to be the only kayaker to have been stopped by theborder patrol!

APRIL 2018NORMAN MAUDSLEY, an amazing traveller, spoke about trekking the Inca Trail. Heintroduced his talk referring to his Peruvian knitted hat costing less than a £1! Trekkingan average of 8 miles a day across the South American mountain range, he suffered no illeffects from the tough conditions and high altitude.He flew into Lima, the capital, then onto Cusco. Only a limited number of people areallowed on the trail every day so a permit was issued and stamped to record entry. Thechallenge on the second day was Dead Woman’s Pass (Warmiwanusca) at a height of4215 metres the highest point on the trail. Awakened at 3.30am on the night of the lastcamp to catch the sunrise and then up to the Sun Gate for day break. He reported thesight as being magical. We were greatly entertained with the sights, sounds and cultureof the Inca trail

MAY 2018ERIC DISTIN gave a talk after the AGM on antiques and his life in the business, and thengave a short explanation and approximate. values of the items brought in by members

JUNE 22NDAnother of Todd Gray’s fascinating talks ‘The Fire at Royal Clarence Hotel andMartins Island,

SPEAKERS ‘STILL TO COME’

27TH JULY 2018 ‘THE LIFE & TIMES OF WILLIAM COOKWORTHY',Angela Taylor & Liz Hext talking about this extraordinary man from here inKingsbridge and his meteoric achievements.

After the summer break we continue with:

28TH SEPTEMBER - * OPEN MEETING*

26TH OCTOBER 2018 Irena Clarke (or Kossakowski).'A Homeland Denied' is the title of her book and follows the horrific journey ofWaclaw Kossakowski, her father, a young Warsaw student whose peaceful lifewas changed dramatically and with far-reaching consequences that fatefulday, 1st September 1939. This will be just before Remembrance Day which is soappropriate. Irena has travelled widely with her talk - NewYork, Canada,Australia etc. A very different story

23RD NOVEMBER 2018 WILLIAM SHIMELLOne of Britains most accomplished Operatic Baritones with an internationalcareer who was also whisked into films with major roles at Covent Garden.We are finishing the year on a’ high note’ with this speaker

7TH DECEMBER CHRISTMAS LUNCH (See back page for details)

WALK AND PUB LUNCH

We currently have 50+ members on the walk ‘register’ with 15 to 20members regularly walking each month. We meet at 10am at a pubor cafe where we have lunch after the walk. The walks are varied

between coastal, country and riverside locations with the occasional trip toDartmoor. Details are sent out by email a week before each date.DATES FOR THE AUTUMN

SEPTEMBER 25TH OCTOBER 23RD NOVEMBER 27TH DECEMBER 18TH

Leader: Andy Coton Tel: 842258

VISITS

U3A outing to Tyntesfield Tuesday 7th August 2018

This magnificent property in North Somerset is a relatively recent addition tothe NT portfolio and the 60,000 objects have taken years to catalogue andprepare to allow us to see this Victorian time capsule .The house is now oneof the NT jewels and the gardens are stunning with the kitchen garden at itsbest in August.

We leave Kingsbridge Quay Bus Station at 8.00am arriving at Tyntesfield at 10.30amThere will be a guided tour of the grounds with two guides ending up at the house where wehave a timed entry from between 11.30am to 12.30pm .After which you are free to enjoy therest of the estate including the kitchen garden and refreshment area or head back to theentrance cafe. The coach departs at 4.05pm and arrives back in Kingsbridge at 6.30pmThe cost for NT members will be £20 and•£34.60 for non NT members payable in advancewith your coach fareMembers must bring their NT membership cards on the dayTo book a seat contact TONY WESTLAKE 01548 531562

PROPOSED TRIP to LOIRE VALLEY

DATE 9th - 14TH April 2019We will travel in our own coach picking up from the Kingsbridge area onTuesday April 9    2019  Board your private coach for the overnight sailing  toRoscoff ( dep 22.00hrs )

10th April 2019 Wednesday Arrive Roscoff and continue to your hotel in Clisson with stops inPont Aven and lunch in Carnac. Dinner at leisure11th April 2019 Thursday Visit the Angers area to see Chateau d'Angers and Chateau Brissacwith wine tastings. Evening 3 course meal at local restaurant12th April Friday Morning in Clisson as it is market day. PM Wine tasting (venue tbc) Dinnerat leisure13th April Saturday To be finalised but to include a vineyard14th April Sunday Depart hotel and catch the 15.00hrs ferry from Roscoff for Plymouthreturning to your home that eveningPrice is not yet finalised (About £650.00) but will include 6 days coach hire and driverservices. Ferry crossing to Roscoff with inside cabin, 4 nights at Best Western St AntoineClisson, 1x 3course dinner at Auberge du Chateau ,Entrance to Chateau d AngersEntrance to Chateau Brissac and wine tasting, Entrance to Nantais, Wine museum withtastings, Return ferry crossing to Plymouth. ABTA bonding

Again contact TONY WESTLAKE if you are interested

CHURCH VISITSSAINT GEORGES DITTISHAM

This Church was replaced by a Norman Church consisting of only a Chancel and Nave; theline of this roof can still be seen on the east wall of the Tower. In 1328 it was rebuilt and

the side aisles added. The Church was reopened and dedicated to St. George by BishopGrandisson on the 4th October 1333. A beautiful carved and painted stone Wineglass Pulpitdates from the 15th Century. The figures are thought to be of the Saints, including St. John theBaptist. The screen is also 15th Century - the groining and canopy were beautifully restored in1954-55 by workmen in Exeter. The painted figures were damaged by Cromwell's men who alsoburnt down the Rectory and so all the books and early Church Registers were destroyed. TheReredos behind the Alter was erected in 1933 and shows Bishop Leofric, first Bishop of Exeter,St. George, St. Peter, the Virgin Mary and child, St. John the Divine, St. Paul, St. Andrew andBishop Grandisson. The Hatchment in the Tower is a funeral Escutcheon of an old parishionercalled Narracot whose Coat of Arms dates back to the 14th Century. The windows in the NorthAisle were inserted in about 1846, they are a memorial to two former Rectors, John Hutchings(1768 to 1802) and his son, Robert Sparke Hutchings (1805 to 1827) who, in 1816, foundedPenang Free School, Malaysia. 'Old Frees' celebrated their school's Bicentenary by visiting St.George's Church in autumn 2016. The windows in the South Aisle•are of pressed glass which isnow not made. The small, richly coloured window in the North Side Chapel may consist ofremains from the original East Window. The Choir Stalls and Altar Rails are modern, also theStatue of St. George over the inner door in the porch, and the heads of the Queen and PrinceCharles on the outside of the West Window. On the 4th October 1933, the 600th Anniversaryof the Restoration of the Church, the Reredos, the Font Cover, Altar Rails, Choir Stalls, AltarCross and Patronal Banner were rededicated.

ST MARY’S CHURCH, WEST CHARLETON

The beautiful edifice dating from the 13    century built from local Meadfoot stone includes abeacon tower on top of the main tower and a small octagonal tower built for access to the rood

screen area. The first rector was installed in 1309. The church enjoys fineviews across the estuary and towards Salcombe. Internally, the churchneeding repair was restored in mid Victorian times, benefiting from thepatronage of the Twysden family. At which time, it lost its barrel ceilingwhich was refashioned as a Victorian Gothic ceiling. Most of the stainedglass windows are 20    century.Henry Francis Lyte was a former curate. Apparently his two most famous

hymns were “Praise my soul the King of Heaven” and “ Abide with me”. BRIAN ROWE

FUTURE VISITSSEPTEMBER 11TH - ST.PETER, ST. PAUL, ST.THOMAS, BOVEY TRACEYOCTOBER 9TH ST.MICHAELS’S BLACKAWTON, ST.ANDREWS, EAST ALLINGTONNOVEMBER 13TH ST.ANDREWS, ASHBURTON

U3A TRIP TO WELLS

On an overcast Tuesday morning 49 stalwartmembers assembled in the Kingsbridge bus stationto make the trip to Somerset, the 75th excursion ofthe U3A and the first out of our own county. We wereably marshalled by the ever-efficient David Chubb,and found ourselves emerging over two hours laterat our destination, the beautiful city of Wells inSomerset, where the sun for our benefit hadsportingly put his hat on. There was ample time tostroll through the city and admire its buildings before

taking lunch, some as part of the group, others making their own arrangements.The main purpose of the visit was to explore the wonderful and justly celebratedcathedral in the heart of Wells, which was accomplished in two separate groups,both well served by excellent local guides who managed to convey a lot ofinformation in the allotted hour and clearly took great pride in their cathedral. Asacred site for over 1000 years based on its springs of fresh water, the cathedralitself is 12th century in date and dedicated to St Andrew, who features in theembroidery behind the cathedra and is represented all round the building by hischaracteristic X shaped cross, the saltire. We saw the Chapter House, a strikingoctagonal chamber dating from 1306, where cathedral business was conductedby the clergy and members who had indulged in the temptation of local girls werejudged and sentenced. The most striking feature of the cathedral, perhaps, werethe unique Scissor Arches in the nave, sometimes taken to be modern becauseof their brilliant design but in fact a medieval solution to the problem of sinkingtower foundations. Also memorable was the Wells clock, installed circa 1390,dating from the end of the 14th century. We were promised a fine sight on thequarter hour but no one was quite expecting the parade of jousting knightswhirling round and the man striking the bell now with feet, now with hand, highup on the adjoining wall. Like Notre Dame, the cathedral proclaims its grandeureven before visitors enter. The remarkable West Front presents one of thegreatest galleries of medieval sculpture in the world. Christ forms the apex of avertical design, which comprises, in descending order, the twelve apostles (nota female in sight but recent research suggests otherwise), angels, bishops,monarchs and biblical scenes. A further revelation to us was the collection ofmedieval stained glass, surely one of the most substantial in England, whichincluded the striking Jesse Window that somehow escaped the uncivil attentionsof Cromwell’s soldiers four hundred years later. Emerging from this beautifulbuilding was not the anti-climax expected because of the charming surroundings,not least the Vicars’ Close, designed a a place of lodging for the men whocomposed the cathedral choir. It has been modernized to some extent butremains, it seems, the only entirely medieval street left in England. Suitablyimpressed, we emerged into the sunlight and made our way back to the bus. Twohours of excellent driving later we disembarked and made our several ways home,having enjoyed yet another excellent U3A day. Who said retirement was dull?JOHN DAVIE

ST PETER’S CHURCH, BUCKLAND-TOUT-SAINTS.

In the 5    Century the Saxons cleared  large areas of dense forest in the South Hams , smallfarms were created and homesteads constructed. The word ending “ton” meant a clearingand there are many Saxon names still in use locally, for example, Goveton, Malston andNetherton to name only 3.When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he rewarded his loyal French

Knights and Noblemen by giving them large tracts of land. In the Parish records we first hearthe name Toussain. It was common for landowners to name their land after their homeregion. In the Domesday Book the estate name of Bochelanda is recorded.In 1426 there are records of an ancient chapel in existence near the present site, named StPeter’s. The incumbent Vicar of Loddiswell would ride over to hold services. Sadly over thenext 250 years the chapel fell into ruins.In 1590 the estate was sold to the Southcote family, They built the Georgian Manor Houseand named it Buckland House. Many generations of Southcotes lived there for over 200years and it was John Henry Southcote who, in 1770, began to rebuild a chapel for his familyand staff. This was consecrated in 1779 by Bishop Ross of Exeter. A flagstone path, nowovergrown, was also laid from the Manor to the church culminating in the kissing gate that isstill in situ. John Southcote also gifted a single bell, a Georgian silver flagon and paton.In 1793 the estate was sold on to the Clarke family who lived there until they sold it in 1885to Stephen Brunskill. The estate measured some 2000 acres at this time.Buckland House and lands subsequently passed to William Brunskill and his wife Annie. Theyhad 3 sons but tragedy ensued when William and his baby son died within a few weeks ofeach other, and another son died aged 15 years. Annie dedicated the Victorian stained glasswindow above the altar in the church to her husband and 2 young sons. It is unusual in thatchildren are depicted in the design. She also gave the windows in the north and southtransepts, depicting Faith, Hope, Love and Charity.Hubert Brunskill, William’s brother, inherited the estate and in 1903 he gave some landaround the church which was consecrated as the churchyard and enclosed by a stone wall.

In 1922 Hubert divided the2000 acres into 16 separate lotswhich were then sold to createseveral family farms.Buckland House remained aprivate home until 1955, whenit began its’ life as theBuckland-tout-Saints Hotel. Itis now a popular weddingvenue and many bridal coupleshave married in the intimatesurroundings of St Peter’s.Church. ANN WILLIAMS

Church Visit Group outside St. Peters

NEWS FROM THE GROUPS

The National Office is•providing a free Interest Groups Matter Nationalworkshop for Groups coordinators and group leaders. It is on 20th Septemberat the Devon Hotel near Matford, Exeter and is for anybody running a group,or thinking about running a group.•It is an opportunity for you to meet otherpeople who run groups with whom you•can share ideas and good practice.If you are interested, please have a word with Peter Bolt, your GroupCoordinator.'

BEGINNERS SPANISH

‘The Beginners Spanish class continues to be a very popular group and has been full for wellover a year with a waiting list. Beginners Spanish appears to be very popular in this area andit is a shame that I cannot take more people. However I am limited by the size of my houseand dining room table. A second group is really needed to accommodate everybody.‘The group consists of a very committed and enthusiastic group of people who are keen tolearn Spanish for varying reasons, from family living in Spain and frequent holidays to thecountry to people who just love the language. The lessons are based around one main textbookbut other sources are introduced to give variety. Video clips are also used to improve oralwork which everyone seems to appreciate.‘Although the aim is for everyone to speak Spanish great importance is put on learning thegrammar and of course vocabulary which is vital to learning any language. Some might thinkthat grammar based lessons could be dry and boring. However the lessons are anything butthat. Whilst learning the basics there is much fun and laughter with quizzes and other suchactivities to lighten the mood. Whatever medium is used it all helps to increase everyone’sability to communicate in Spanish, a truly amazing language.’ JANE PAYNE

SPANISH - INTERMEDIATE

Michael is leaving Kingsbridge in August to live in France. Intermediate Spanishwill continue in the Autumn Term under another leader. Watch this space!MIKE STURDEE

SCRABBLE

Our enthusiastic scrabble group is now in its second year and wecontinue to thrive as a welcoming, fun, relaxed and friendly group. Ourfortnightly get togethers attract a core group of both competitive andsocial scrabble players and we continue to enjoy the facilities and views

from the refurbished Crabshell Inn in Kingsbridge. At Christmas we enjoyed a lunchtogether after our games and we hope to do so again before we close for the summerholidays. Any new members are welcome to join the group and should make contact viathe KEU3A Website. DEBBIE

FUN WITH FLOWERS

This is temporarily suspended, but watch the Website for whenHelen can continue

CANASTA

Good news for all Canasta players.After the two very enjoyable sessions we have already had I have now

managed to fix a time and place for our sessions for the rest of the year.We will meet on the third Tuesday each month from 2 to 5 p.m at

Thurlestone Parish Hall.The dates are 17th July, 21st August, 18th September, 16th October, 20th

N o v ember and 18th December.I look forward to welcoming you for a series of enjoyable afternoons throughout the

year. It would be helpful if you could let me know which days you are able to come.These sessions are open to all U3A members so please do encourage your friends in U3Ato come along, beginners welcome.Contact - NEILL IRWIN TEL; 561661

CLASSICAL MUSIC APPRECIATION

This year we started with music inspired by The Sea, ranging from the lively choral workof that name by Vaughan Williams, to Elgar’s delicate picture of “Where Corals Lie” forsoprano solo, and many more gems. Then we listened to music for the flute and harp,which provided a delightful and varied programme, followed in April by regional andtraditional music, including A Welsh Rhapsody by Edward German, A Downland Suite (JohnIreland), A Shropshire Lad (George Butterworth), and settings of some lovely folk-songs.These two programmes were voted for by members of the group and proved very popular.The most recent composer on our list was Schubert, famous for his songs and a certainTrout, but whose symphonies are as inspiring as those of Beethoven.

We have 14 regular members, and are always happy to welcome newcomers. We meetfrom 2 to 4 p.m. on the 4th Monday of every month, at the Rest Centre by Quay House inKingsbridge. Please ring me on 560265.ODETTE BAILEY

POETRY APPRECIATION GROUP

Our Poetry Appreciation Group consists of a very happy group of peoplewho really enjoy sharing their love of Poetry together once a month. Wechoose a different theme each time and since last September we have

explored ‘Gardens’, ‘Endings’, ‘Supernatural’, ‘Christmas’, ’Colours’ and ‘Love’. Thesesubjects are always to be taken in the broadest sense so we get some very interestingcontributions! We do have lively discussions and often do some on-the-spot research intopoets but we do not go into great depth about form or critical analysis as that is not whatthe group wants to do.In January we had our annual ‘Bring and Share’ lunch and on that delightful occasion we allread just one (or two very short) poems on any subject we liked. We actually had to cancelour February meeting because of the ‘Beast from the East’ – that was a first!We have two more meetings before we break for the summer and we shall be exploring‘Travel’ and ‘Animals’ on those occasions. We do not meet in July and August but will comeback together in September.Currently we have 13 members which is an absolute maximum otherwise we do not getenough time to read our chosen poems and discuss them. This means that at the momentwe cannot take any new members but we do have a waiting list and I can add your name ifyou are interested in joining us. We also suggest that anyone interested should come to asession as a visitor to see what we are about! We meet on a Wednesday morning, once amonth, choosing the next date to suit as many as possible of those present at the currentmeeting. We meet at a member’s house in Kingsbridge from 10.30 to 12.30.ANN SYLGE (GROUP LEADER)

BOOK GROUP 3

Some 2 years ago I thought I would like to join a U3A Book Group.As both groups were full I reluctantly (I am a plumber's mate, rather than aplumber!) decided I should start one myself.Within a few days the group was full, with a diverse number of people, choosingequally diverse tomes to read.We meet once a month, and take it in turns to host and choose the readingmaterial.Here are some of the titles we have enjoyed, or endured!Do No Harm by Henry Marsh.The Choices We Make. By Karma BrownNorthern Lights. By Phillip Pullman.The Remarkable Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. by Rachel Joyce.TRICIA BLAZEBY

LUNCH BUNCH

PAINTING GROUP

GENEALOGY

We now have a lively Genealogy group that meets once a month to discussall things genealogical. We aim to help each other to delve into the historyof who we are and where we came from. Our members include some whohave been researching their family trees for many years, some have made abit of progress and some who are complete beginners. Nowadays there are

many websites that can help us dig deeper into the lives lead by those who went before us.By sharing our research experiences we are able to exchange useful information with eachother. We have been talking about accessing the censuses, which give a lot of details aboutthe people we are interested in. We have discussed the many different ways there are tostore and present the information and how to share our findings. We feel we are building upa base of knowledge, which we hope will be useful in the future to our children and grandchil-dren. Perhaps they are not interested at the moment, but when they are, it will be too late toask us!Our group is full at the moment, but anyone who is interested in going on the waiting list cancontact LENA

PHILOSOPHY GROUP 1

Our group continues to meet on alternate Tuesdays at Harbour House. We area relaxed and friendly bunch. The discussion is always interesting, covering awide variety of topics and we often meander off the central theme. Of coursethere are always different points of view but argument never becomes heatedbecause we make sure we respect each other's opinions. Since Christmas ournumbers have been depleted due to illness, grandparent duties and trips tosunnier climes. Never the less there have always been enough of us to ensurea lively and thought provoking discussion. We have used the book 'Driving withPlato' by Robert Rowland Smith as our starting point, selecting a differentchapter for each session. Each chapter refers to a different life event, eg. birth,starting school, marriage and retirement etc. and sets it in a wider context ofsociety, history and philosophy. Next we are moving on to Ethics, commencingwith the question 'What is Ethics?' before considering individual ethical issues.We have already discovered that this is a very complex issue with plenty ofscope for debate. SUSAN MILLER

PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONS

Over the last eighteen months the group has been looking at the 'GreatPhilosophers' in chronological order from Socrates to Singer getting a gist ofthe major philosophical approaches and the questions raised by them. It hasbeen challenging coming to grips with each philosopher but has enabled us allto re-examine what we all take for granted.From September we will be re-visiting most of these philosophers but from athemed approach, using Nigel Warburton's book, 'Philosophy, The Basics'.Chapter one deals with the attempts to prove the existence of God withsubsequent chapters dealing with morality, mind/body duality, how we canknow anything, the nature of science etc.Meetings will be once a month, starting with Tuesday 4th September at 2p.m.Anyone wishing to join the group should contact MARY MARTELL

GREEK SCULPTURE

Interest continues unabated in this course, and we are nearing a maximum numberfor our present meeting-place, whether due to the intrinsic interest of the courseor the quality of biscuits afterwards. We have finished our review of the classicalperiod and begun to look at the differences in sculpture brought by the age ofAlexander the Great, when Greek art became truly international and acquired analmost baroque realism, leading one American scholar to argue that its most famoussculpture, the Laocoon, is in fact a forgery by the young Michelangelo.

We continue to meet on the last Monday afternoon of each month at my home inThurlestone from 3.30pm.Do contact me if you are interested in joining the group.JOHN DAVIE 01548 714364

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

You have seen the Fall of Troy on television. We have read the book.The Iliad describes only a few weeks of action during the final yearof the siege : it is punctuated by spears but reflections on heroismand humanity litter the pages. In the background the Greek godsmove in a very mysterious way.Detailed descriptions of war and gore sit alongside occasional scenes

of domestic tenderness. Achilles is determined to avenge the death of his closefriend Patroclus : he regards Hector as carrion for the dogs and birds and dragshis prize around the walls of Troy. Humanity emerges in the return of the body tohis respected father, Priam, but we are left sharing Hector’s wife’s anxiety for herbereaved family’s future.Best to forget academic debate as to whether Homer really existed or whetherthis Trojan War really happened (last year we read a Euripides play which had thereal Helen living in Egypt during these epic struggles…)Members of the Greek Mythology group bring a variety of levels of knowledge, somehaving a deep understanding, others dancing in the shallows, but all appreciate thesupportive atmosphere.Next Autumn’s study is still being considered on Mount Olympus : details fromCarolyn after her return. ROGER HARDIMAN

FRENCH CULTURE

From last October to this May, we have been involved with many different subjects. Wehave understood the French Presidential Election with Jane Sturdee’s excellent explanationof the way in which the National Assembly works.

Each member of the group shared various favourite poems by French poets,as well as their favourite artists. Favourite singers were given centre stage,courtesy of our iPads, with printed words to the songs so that we could singalong with the singers.We studied the life of Simone Veil, which ranged from being sent to Auschwitzbecause her family were Jewish, her political life, her introduction of legalabortion, up to her prestigious election as a member of the AcademieFrancaise.On the architectural side, members were given the choice of talking about acathedral, chapel, church or monument. Their research was most interesting,

and for some, it gave rise to a desire to visit when next in France and one member treatedus to her memories of Quebec, being a French speaking city.A small number of us tackled the difficult subject of how the French deal with theircompatriots the Muslims, with surprisingly favourable results.Following the suggestion of a member, we shared our experience of being taught French atschool, which led to some amusing anecdotes.Finally, Sister Cecile, who left the group recently because she was downsizing to a flat inExeter, gave us many French books and magazines, as well as French DVDs so that anymember could borrow and return. Thank you Cecile for a thoughtful and generous gift.DAWN ST PIER

FRENCH LANGUAGE - INTERMEDIATE

Several members of the French Language Intermediate group have organised theirown mini exchange with their partners from Bordeaux in 2018 and next year therewill be another larger group exchange. What a successful adventure it turns outto have been! By September Jane will have moved back to France and someoneelse will have taken over the leadership of the group. We already have a new

MONTHLY MEETINGS

FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE MEETING WILL BE ATMALBOROUGH VILLAGE HALL 10.30 -12.30

Garden Appreciation Group Wildside, Buckland Monachorum

Tuesday 17th April saw 25 bedraggled members of the Gardening(Insane) group meeting in the carpark of Wildside on the edge of themoor. It was pouring with rain, wind howling and many of us thinking ‘Why are we doing this?’15 minutes later we knew and we all had smileson our faces. We had met the force which is Keith Wiley again. As on ourprevious visit we were overwhelmed by his enthusiasm and vision.14 years ago this 4 acre garden was a flat field; now it has slopes,

hollows, water courses and mounds. Previously we had been to see the garden in full flower,now we were here to see the bones of the garden and to hear what plans Keith had for thefuture. He had introduced the slopes and hollows to counteract the wind and change thegrowing conditions; they also provided shelter. A water garden started 7 years ago was justcoming into its own even though the water courses and pond were not filled with water. It washere we started our visit.What a way to start—Magnolias planted on top of the hillocks grouped together as acommunity. This is really Keith’s watchword for the garden, growing plants of whatever sizefrom pines to tiny rock plants in communities. The Magnolias had been pruned to give an openstructure so that Hellebores and Erythroniums could grow happily underneath. He had acolour palette so the colours above were reflected in the plants below— stunningly beautiful.There are 80 Magnolias in the garden including a rarity, a yellow Magnolia which is 10 years oldand has flowered for the last 2 years. It is aptly named Butterfly.This area was full of Erythroniums - they looked like carpet cover but each tiny seed takes 5years to establish itself as a full plant. Consequently in the hollows the plants tumble like acoloured waterfall . On the slopes and tops they form beautiful clumps. Keith thought therewere possibly 90 varieties and species present, each one with a slightly different colouring onthe leaf and flower.We moved on to an area we had seen before, then it was a mass of Dioramas, Agapanthus andCistus in-full flower. Now it was a sorry sight - bare ground, the hill rock strewn and barren. Asunprepossessing as it looked, this is the ideal environment for Agapanthus•because the sunlightcan get to the bottom of the plant, which replicates what would happen in the wild. TheDioramas had been burnt down, again replicating their conditions for growing in the wild.Unfortunately, they had also provided the ideal place for mouse nests and they may notsurvive this intrusion. The Cistus had been badly damaged by the howling winds of March butKeith was convinced this community of plants would survive.Our last port of call was the natural swimming pool unintentionally full of water boatmen,tadpoles and newts. Here there had been a complete change of heart — this was now to be aSouth African garden with a summer house, trickling streams and crystal clear pools. Keithpainted the picture so clear in his mind, sand added beneath slate slopes and plants comingthrough the gaps ( I think this calls for another visit). Throughout Keith’s enthusiasm,knowledge and sheer joy shone through.A wonderful day not ruined by rotten weather. ANNE SEYMOUR

GROUP MEETING DAY LEADER/CONTACT

ANTIQUES 3rd THURSDAY PMMONTHLY

RACHEL 560571

ASTRONOMY MIDWEEKFORTNIGHTLY

JOHN

BOOK CLUB 1 3rd THURSDAY PMMONTHLY

CHRIS 852160

BOOK CLUB 2 1st MONDAY PMMONTHLY

JAN 559374

BOOK CLUB 3 THURSDAY PMMONTHLY

TRICIA 842507

BRIDGE FRIDAY PMWEEKLY

NICK 842259

CANASTA 3rd TUESDAY NEILL 561661

CLASSICAL MUSIC 4th MONDAY PMMONTHLY

ODETTE 560265 /ANTHONY

CHURCH VISITS 2nd TUESDAYMONTHLY

DAVID 856386

CRYPTIC CROSSWORDS 1st & 3rd THURSDAY AM ANDY 581164

FRENCH LANGUAGEINTERMEDIATE

THURSDAY AMFORTNIGHTLY

JANE 852735

FRENCH BEGINNERS 1st & 3rd TUESDAY PM BARBARA 842901

FRENCH CULTURE 1st & 3rd TUESDAY AMMONTHLY

DAWN 844046

FRENCHCONVERSATION

MONDAY PM ANNA 531562

GARDEN APPRECIATION VARIABLE DATES WENDY 852529

GENTLE GARDENS VARIABLE DATES JOYCE 560630

GENEALOGY 1st TUESDAY AM LENA

GEOLOGY 1st or 2nd THURSDAYMONTHLY

CHRIS 531460

GERMAN WEDNESDAY AMFORTNIGHTLY

JANE 852784

GREEK MYTHOLOGY 2nd & 4th TUESDAY CAROLYN 843638

GREEK SCULPTURE 4th MONDAY JOHN 714364

HORSE RACING ANY MERVYN 531465

ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS MONDAYS AMWEEKLY

.LESLEY 560578

LOCAL HISTORY 3rd WEDNESDAY MARY 857905

LUNCH BUNCH FRIDAY PMMONTHLY

EVE 856849

MAH JONG 2nd & 4th MONDAY ELIZABETH 580826

PAINTING WEDNESDAY PMFORTNIGHTLY

ANNE 856667

PETANQUE WEDNESDAYFRIDAY

JENNIE

PHILOSOPHY TUESDAY PMFORTNIGHTLY

SUE (Temp) 581340

PHILOSOPHICALTRADITIONS

1st TUESDAY PMMONTHLY

MARY 581398

POETRY APPRECIATION WEDNESDAY AMMONTHLY

ANN 843923

SCRABBLE 2nd & 4th THURSDAYMONTHLY

DEBBIE 844305

SHORT MAT BOWLS SATURDAY AM TONY 531562

SINGING FOR PLEASURE FRIDAY AM TONY 531562

SPANISH INTERMEDIATE TUESDAY AMWEEKLY

MICHAEL 852735

SPANISH FOR BEGINNERS SEE WEBSITE JANE

WALK / PUB LUNCH 4th TUESDAYMONTHLY

ANDY 842258

WINE APPRECIATION 4th WEDNESDAY PM TONY 531562

THOUGHTS ON HIGH GARDEN KENTON

Vivienne Mugford- So I went home and dug a bank!! This used up bags ofShillet destined for the tip and gives an exciting feature on a boring flatgrassy bit of the garden. The erythroniums were magnificent and theirinteraction with overhanging trees an inspiration.

Sheila Strachan – I loved Keith Wiley's vision, enthusiasm and knowledgeand his creativity in providing the landscape and the natural habitat for manyplants.• Bringing S. Africa to South Devon - sand beds.• The magic of plantscoming through the slate and•stony earth. His planting of trees is very ad-venturous.

Jennie Hayden - 'I particularly liked the informal group of Magnolias inwhites, creams and creamy pinks.• The under planting of species Erythrniumscomplemented the Magnolias on a mound, even in the rain.'

Claire Drinkwater - a very interesting & well presented garden, worth another visit in thesummer.• I thought the plants for sale were very healthy & reasonably priced. I enjoyed thephotos in the Bothy. Thank you for arranging such an interesting visit.

Angela Taylor - I was impressed by both garden and sales area. Such good plants at amazinglygood prices.• I bought a lovely spotted Hellebore. I was delighted by several plants, in particularthe Hardenbergia (climber with small white pea flowers), the pink pussy willow (Salix gracilistylaMt Aso), and the nandina which Wendy has bought.• I also liked the• idea of the carpetingbramble - Rubus green carpet! Copper in autumn, but possibly a thug.• I must ask. Definitely agarden to revisit.• I saw a lot in common with Adrian Bloom's planting at Foggy Bottom,Bressingham - he was the first real exponent of island beds.• If you don't know Adrian Bloom,check out the Bressingham website on You-tube.• There is an excellent drone fly-by of his beds,and another article called Take 12 plants.• (My father planted in accordance with his and hisfather's ideas, and had a lovely garden)

Meriel Symons - I would just like to say that I enjoyed the day very much and loved the designof the garden with the grass paths and hidden corners.

Ann Sylge - I really enjoyed the visit to High Garden, Kenton . We had our usual ‘Wendy Weather’so it was a beautiful sunny day. It was a delightful garden, very thoughtfully laid out (you reallyfelt the paths and walkways leading you on) and I particularly enjoyed the Winter Garden. Itwas lovely to have such a good, unimpeded view of the planting at this time of year. Myfavourites were the pink pussy willow and the mimosa trees and there were delicious scentseverywhere. There were other favourites too that I took photos of but, being me, I cannotremember their names!! Amazing that they manage a garden of that size without any help. Thenursery was superb and such good value – high quality plants for very reasonable prices. TheOrangery at Powderham was a good place for lunch too! We should go back to this beautifulgarden in the summer!

CRYPTIC CROSSWORDS

Members are encouraged to initially work independently, then to work in groupsto try and defeat the crossword compiler!• This process has proven to be verypopular and makes for a friendly and lively environment .•Cryptic Crossword Solvers Beginners course - only offered once a year -enrolment is OPEN for the 2018/19 which will start in October.

The course lasts 10 sessions and is both challenging and enjoyable. It isaimed at the complete beginner as well as the person who enjoys trying tocomplete the occasional clue in one of the daily newspapers.The more advanced groups always welcome new members•The Cryptic Crossword group meets twice a month on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays atthe West Charleton Village Hall.If you are interested in joining this enthusiastic & friendly group or would just liketo try it out please contact ANDY on 581164.

ANTIQUES

In April we looked at wine glasses. A member showed us her collection of glasses,some dating back to the 18th and 19th century. A cordial glass had a long stem,with a bowl smaller than an egg cup. Measures have increased from 66ml in 1700to 449ml in2017! In May we are going to The House of Marbles to watch theglass blowing. We shall also visit The Bovey Tracey Heritage Centre. In Junewe are returning to Ashburton to look around the wonderful antique shops. The

Antique Roadshow is coming to Buckfast Abbey on September 13th. As a group we'vealready been to two Antique Roadshows, so I'm sure most of us will be there. RACHEL

SINGING FOR PLEASURE

The singing group continue to go from strength to strength. Peter’sinspired choices of music have been beautiful, fun, amusing,challenging, but more than anything, enjoyable! Our number hasincreased to approximately 40, however, as always, we could do with

some more men to add more richness to our singing!!One significant change has been the date of our Entertainments Evening, historicallyheld in November, but now to be held in June.This is to allow the choir more time to prepare our Christmas repertoire during theAutumn term. DEBBIE

BRIDGE

A Brief History of the Bridge Group by Steve Dooley

The U3A Bridge Group started, as far as I can remember, in 2011,inspired by the late David Hugo who was a past master at getting other peopleto do things he thought needed done!.It started off in the Amrita room in Harbour House which was just large enoughfor 5 or 6 tables and a small teaching area. Some of our members may wellremember learning there. Hands were designed to illustrate particular points ofbidding and play, then manually dealt. All equipment at the time was beggedor borrowed, using other Bridge Club's cast-offs. The objective at the time wasto get people playing to a level where they could join one of the other localclubs - Kingsbridge Regal or Thurlestone.We quickly outgrew Harbour House, which was unsatisfactory because of thelimited storage facilities, and also because the cost of car parking usuallyexceeded the table money! We found the new venue of West Charleton VillageHall where we have been ever since. The membership grew rapidly and wehad to professionalise. It was clear at this point that the original objective to actas a feeder club was not going to work, and we were going to be a club in ourown right. Accordingly in April 2013 we joined the English Bridge Union as anaffiliated club. Ian Dalrymple set up our Bridgeweb's Website which displays allresults, and George Delafield and I started doing short seminars on aspects ofbridge at alternate meetings. There were a number of innovations which wewanted to introduce, and did so over the following years. Firstly, it was a realchore to enter all the results manually at the end of each session, so, after a lotof trialing we introduced the BridgeTab system in 2014. This electronically collectsinformation at each table, and allows real-time display of results. Also, it wasbecoming a real chore to manually prepare hands to illustrate particular aspectsof bidding and play, so we decided to go over to machine dealing, where thehands are designed on a computer then automatically dealt. Dealing machinesare over £3000 so it was not possible to buy one at the time. We arranged withTorquay Bridge Club for them to deal our hands for us, and at that point wecaught up with mainstream bridge clubs as an EBU affiliated club with pre-dealthands, electronic scoring and a full web-siteThe membership was growing; we had over 100 players on our database, andcould get anywhere between 6 and 11 tables at each session. The flow of tablemoney allowed us to re-equip the club with computers, tables, bidding boxes,cards, and scoring tablets. Eventually we found the constant shuttling of boardsto and from Torquay Bridge Club another chore, so in early 2017 negotiated anarrangement whereby Kingsbridge Regal, and the U3A Clubs shared ownershipof a new dealing machine, subsidised by the Devon Bridge Association. Allboards are now machine-dealt locally.

We found that the short seminars at alternate sessions did not work with the larger membership, as it left too little time to run the session. For the last two years George and I have been giving a separate series of autumn seminars in Thurlestone Parish Hall.

There was a great demand for tuition, both from new joiners and and more experienced players who wanted revision on topics. Elaine Bishop started the tuition group in 2016, but itsoon outgrew the limited space in the Village Hall, and moved tothe bridge room at the Regal Club in Kingsbridge, where Elaine,assisted by Celia Jones and Janice Croke continues to this day.

The U3A Bridge Group was successful for a number of reasons, but inparticular the number of volunteers who helped it along its way. Specialmention must go to Ian Dalrymple for the work on the web-site and scoringsystem, George Delafield on the seminar presentations, Elaine Bishop for thetuition, Mike Reid for taking over from Ian, George and I as the regulardirector, and Mark and Kate Jennings who do so much work on thecomputer systems which support the club. STEVE DOOLEY

The group are on summer break at present. Duplicate Bridge sessions re-start on Friday 31st August at the West Charleton Village Hall. Come andjoin us. Whatever your standard of play we offer a warm and friendlywelcome.The beginners tuition group will be starting again in September.It has become apparent over the past year that in addition toclasses for beginners, there is a need for refresher sessions forthose who perhaps haven't played for some years or who haveplayed rubber bridge rather than the duplicate bridge played in clubs. Inthe past the tuition group has met at the Regal on Fridays but fromSeptember we will meet on Thursday afternoons. The sessions are friendlyand supportive and if you would like to join us, either as a beginner orrefresher, please contact Elaine Bishop on 01548 531175.NICK BARRETTFor more information visit the KEU3A website Bridge link orwww.bridgewebs.com/kingsbridgeestuaryu3a

.STEVE DOOLEY stood down as Group Leader in April after 7 years ofdrive and enthusiasm that made the group what it is today.

The KEU3A Committee and all members of the Bridge GroupTHANK him for his endeavour and hard work.

NICK BARRETT has taken over as Group Leader.

FAMOUS MEN HAVE OFTEN RELIED UPON THE LARGELYUNRECOGNISED SUPPORT OF A WOMAN.

Galileo Galilei was initially trained as a musician. Galileo came from afinancially secure Italian background, whereas William Herschel onlybenefitted from the free state education in Prussia. Nevertheless, boththese men were to became famous astronomers who relied upon femalesfor support.Galileo had an illegitimate daughter who he put into a convent at age 13,as she had little chance of marrying. But Sister Maria Celest became theconvents apothecary and supported her father with herbs and medicinesand by continually corresponding with him to encourage him in his work,

despite the Catholic Church putting him under house arrest and trying to suppress his academicpapers. Whilst many of her letters to her father have survived, the mother abbess destroyedhis letters to her found in Sour Maria’s cell after her death in 1634, for fear that the Inquisitionmight find them. Their detailed relationship is told by Dava Sobel in “Galileo’s Daughter a Dramaof Science, faith and Love.”

William Herschel left Hanover for Bath both to escape the European wars and to earn a betterliving as a musician. His young sister Caroline had also been educated until eleven years old,although afterwards she was expected to become a domestic support for her parents andbrothers. When William asked for his sister’s support in England to train as a singer, he littlerealised what a treasure Caroline would be. Caroline had been taught that she should be quietand retiring as men in Georgian England disliked intelligent and independent women, even iffrom an aristocratic background.When William gave up music for astronomy and making larger Newtonian telescopes, Carolinehelped him with casting and polishing the large metal mirrors needed. When William discovereda new planet Uranus in 1781 and moved to Slough he increasingly depended upon Caroline ashis trusted assistant as he became famous. Caroline did her own observing and amongst hernumerous discoveries were seven new comets. Her problem was that she could not as a womanmake her own announcements so at first her brother had to check her results and make theannouncements for her. Caroline put a lot of effort into helping to bring up her brother’s sonJohn Herschel who later became another famous astronomer.

Later in life Caroline’s little known independent achievement was to produce a revised andimproved index of stars, based upon the Astronomer Royal’s observations of some 100 yearsbefore. This involved checking by observing all the old observations, making corrections,calculations and adding 500 fixed new stars. For her contribution to astronomy she was givenmany honours including being made an honorary fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society andbeing given “The Gold Medal for Science” by the King of Prussia.Caroline’s life’s history has been written by Emily Winterburn in “The Quiet Revolution ofCaroline Herschel” CHRIS LEDGER

Thank you to those members who volunteered to help with refreshments atthe monthly meeting for the period September to January. I shall be passingthe Rota around again at the January Meeting, so if you have not yet offeredto help please sign up this time.

At the moment it falls to a small band of people who regularly help out.However, we have nearly 100 members at each of our meetings and we only

require 3 people to make and serve the drinks, you will get extra help towash up so there is no need to miss the talk. If 30 people would volunteer

to help it would only mean helping once a year. Can you give us about 40minutes of your time once a year? Please give it some thought and sign up

next time the rota list is passed to you. Chris Barnwell

POLICY ON ADVERTISING

IT IS THE POLICY OF THE KEU3A NOT TO ADVERTISE,PROMOTE OR PUBLICISE ANY OUTSIDE EVENT OR OTHER

CHARITIES, EXCEPT BY SPECIAL PERMISSION

NEWSLETTER

Our next Newsletter will be the December copy.DEADLINE NOVEMBER 5TH

Reports from Groups.Members CONTRIBUTIONS etc.

Amongst our 500 members there must be many tales, anecdotes, etc.for our travel section and write ups from Groups.

SOS

I NEED SOMEONE TO TAKE OVER EDITING AND PRODUCING THENEWSLETTER AS FROM NEXT AGM, IDEALLY THAT PERSON COULD WORK

WITH ME ON THE NEXT ISSUE.PLEASE CONTACT JUDY

TRAVELLERS TALES

MEMBERS MEMOIRS

SPECIAL OFFER

On page 68 of the THIRD AGE MATTERS MAGAZINE is an advert. forRIVEIRA TRAVEL

OFFERING A VERY GENEROUS10%

of your total holiday costTO YOUR to your U3A,

You must CLAIM THIS when you initially book and pay your deposIt,

I

I Once wanted to know more about History but could never get the helpor drive to do this. A few years ago, I joined the U3A, not to fulfill this need,rather to make friends and get to know the area better. I had just movedfrom the Midlands to Devon, knew no one and nothing. The welcome intothe U3A was outstanding. I joined the History Group and was invited intothe history core team to help manage the history itinerary. This was the legup I needed to allow me to start to develop my own history bucket list. Byjoining the U3A, I have managed to meet other like minded people with adesire to research local history, develop the local History of ChillingtonVillage, spread the word about the fun of history to other people, dare I saya younger generation, which will ultimately bring more people into the U3Afamily as we older folk are allowed to take a back seat.

Thanks U3A NEIL MARTIN

FUN IN NEW YORK BY JENNY LAKE

I wasn’t really looking forward to my Fiftieth Birthday way back in1989.

A couple of months before the special day, I spotted a notice in theLondon Underground: THE NEW YORK MARATHON - 5 NOVEMBER.Good heavens that’s my birthday!Only a fun runner me, but I thought it would certainly be a differentway of celebrating.

My chum Greg said that he would come with me.  So, on Nov 1  We flew from London to New York City, to stay in Manhatten.On the 5 November, Marathon day, we left the hotel at 5 am to get over the VerrezanoNarrows Bridge to the Race Starting Post on Staten Island. The run – 26.2 miles in all –would pass through the five boroughs of New York: that is Staten Island, to Brooklyn, andthen in to Queens, following on through the Bronx, and back to finish in Central ParkManhatten.Off we went at 9 am.The crowds were very supportive, my T-shirt read “50-today” .They gave me sweets andwished me happy birthday.At about 20 miles, I was starting to feel very tired. I said to Greg I can’t go any further, I’lljust rest here. No, he said, just keep going.Teeth clenched, I staggered on, coming in to Central Park I was at my limit. As we slowedto walk across the finishing line, I wanted to lie down. Keep going the marshalls said.Amazingly, after a sit down, and a mug of tea, I was feeling almost back to normal. Phew.I did it!!! In a time of 4 hours 33 minutes. No lasting damage thank goodness, although abit stiff for a few days, but certainly a birthday to remember. JENNY LAKE

COME AND VISIT US

KEU3A STAND AT THEKINGSBRIDGE SHOW ONSEPTEMBER 1ST 2018

WE WILL BE THERE IN THE CRAFTTENT

A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE‘H                                                    ’  Z                            

WHILST HOLIDAYING IN HERMANUS SOUTH AFRICA, I WAS TAKEN TO the‘YOMELELANI’ OUTREACH. (Early Childhood Development centre)YOMELEANI IS A CHARITY OPERATING A CRECHE and PRESCHOOL for 70 childrenfrom 3 months to 3 years and 80 children from 3 to 5 years old. 55% of these childrenare orphans.

It was a truly amazing place to visit the dedication of the staff and the discipline theyachieved from these small children was fantastic. It was rest hour when we visited, to seeup to 20 children all asleep on flat bean bags, babies in one room, the rest in their agegroups around the other rooms.

I was to bring any recyclable’s we had (bottles, plastics etc) as they receive a small amount of money forthese from the COUNCIL recycling department the children of the township are encouraged to collectre-cycled materials and to bring them to the’ SWAP SHOP’ these bags are then weighed and points awardedaccording to quantity,which can then be exchanged in the shop for pencils, toiletries, a sweet, or a biscuitdepending on how many points they have. All the children are then also rewarded for their efforts, with asandwich, a drink and piece of fruit. At the end of the session the Local Authority collects the results of thisactivity and a small contribution from the recycling centre helps to restock the shop.I t was truly amazing to see these young children carrying large bags, or even just a few items to be weighed,in order to get this small reward, and to see the older children in the shop monitoring the tokens andoverseeing that each child had a fair deal. JUDY TYLER

FOUR LADIES ON THE MOVE - AGAIN!

Escape in January and February is an attractive option when compared with cold and freezingconditions and so for the past many years four good friends have enjoyed the delights of SouthAfrica in generally perfect harmony! In 2018 we planned to extend our range of experience andexplore the wonderful scenery of Kwa Zulu Natal combined with the drama of visits to the manyBattlefields which were the scenes of both Boer and also Zulu mighty duels in the sun. To maximise

the full potential and enjoyment of the visit the services of an experienced Guide were essential and dearreader we certainly had the experience! Picture if you will a gentleman of indeterminate years dressed inthe full safari outfit and sweat stained hat complete with badges and feather and you have Evan Jones -yes honestly - one could not make it up. Evan certainly knew his stuff and the stories and histories withwhich he regaled us would not have been out of place in a PhD course at Oxford. We did anticipate thatà written examination would follow. The magnificence of the Southern Drakensbergs is utterly breathtakingand so the dreadful state of the roads could almost be ignored - I do say almost! This state of euphoria wasrudely interrupted by an unfortunate accident which befell our Guide and which rendered him unable tocontinue to drive. We were at the farthermost point from habitation, amongst goats, dogs, communities ofnative zulus but we made it with a different driver and I did manage to get everyone back despite very manyhazards which are committed to memory! Never did à glass of wine taste better!And so we turned our backs on the Drakensbergs and faced the exciting prospect of the Battlefields. Tostand in the middle of a battlefield it was easy to imagine the loud cries of the warriors and the clash ofspears, the reports of guns and the thunder of horses' hooves. And all the time there was the graphicdescription of the battles, of the officers and of the generals all given as a history lesson of real life anddeath by the dedicated Guide whose love of his subject was all embracing.My message is - DO IT - GO THERE - you will be thrilled as were we. JOYCE

A DAY WORKING AT DARTMOOR PRISON

In 1951, when I worked as a nurse for the Blood Transfusionunit in Plymouth Freedom Field Hospital, I lived at WellstorLodge on the edge of the Moor. I had to walk two miles toAshburton to catch a bus to Plymouth, then walk up the hill tothe Hospital.The first thing we did was to load the big van, the men always

loaded the six beds we used and large drums equipped with blood lines and theglass bottles we used. When we arrived at Dartmoor Prison we were searchedfor nail files, scissors or anything sharp and had to leave our handbags.We worked two shifts, morning and afternoon and did this twice a year. Therewere 600 Prisoners, we tried to get 300 each day, I usually managed about 45.We were not allowed to speak to the Prisoners except if they appeared unwell.The Prisoner blood donors were let off sewing hessian mail bags for the PostOffice and also were rewarded with 1oz of tobacco and a half day off.We had lunch sometimes with the Governor in the Prison. When we got back tothe hospital the blood lines which were rubber had to be sterilised for the nextday. Luckily I did not have to do that as I had to catch a bus back to Ashburtonand walk two miles up the hill to my home.We also used to travel to towns across Devon and Cornwall and the big shipsthat came to Plymouth, HMS Illustrious, HMS Hood and many more, to collectblood. PAT CROOK

GLORIES OF THE GALAPAGOS.

I had long resisted the urge to visit these famous and unique islands, fearing Iwould contribute to the ecological damage inflicted by tourism. I finallysuccumbed, having cruised along the west coast of South America last year andseen the enormous shoals of fish, dolphins and whales with the sea birds feedingon, and with, them in the cold Humboldt Current. I couldn’t resist seeing thisecological oddity initially made famous by Charles Darwin after his 5-week staywhile on the world trip of the Beagle.The cold current is the major factor in creating such a unique wildlife, includingpenguins at the equator, marine and land iguanas, giant tortoises, and numerousother species of flora and fauna unknown elsewhere in the world.The archipelago consists of a group of volcanic islands of varying geological age,

most with no human habitation, each with a different range of, predominantly, reptiles and birds. Theisolation of the islands, 600 miles off the west coast of Ecuador, and the lack of any fresh water, somaking it a hostile environment for human colonization, account for its unique wildlife.To survive, those few birds and reptiles arriving fortuitously by winds, rafts and storms need to adaptquickly to the very limited available food and hostile conditions. This effectively speeded up evolution, thephenomenon noticed by Darwin in finches. He documented the small birds’ different beaks on differentislands according to the available food source, leading him to his revolutionary hypothesis of evolution.We visited 9 different locations on 6 of the islands. The numbers of people at each site is strictlycontrolled, as is the area you can access. This in no way detracts from the experience of being so closeto the extraordinary creatures; the Blue and Red footed and Nasca boobies, totally fearless and nestingwith their eggs only inches from the paths; the sea lions on the rocks and beaches, particularly theinquisitive young who had not read the regulations to keep 2 meters from humans!The small black marine iguanas and the larger land ones were happy to have a staring match from theirrocks. Only the penguins were a little more elusive; we only saw them from our rubber boats. Theirnumbers were severely reduced when the cold current became warmer with El Nino a few years agoseverely reducing fish stocks.Perhaps the most memorable and moving experience wassnorkeling amongst the colorful shoals of yellow tailedsurgeonfish, which suddenly scattered as a sea lion swam past.I had to admit to slight anxiety when approached by a shoal ofSting Rays and an 8-foot shark, but the experience wasunforgettable.Sadly the evils of marine pollution were also evident. We saw ayoung sea lion with a tight piece of fishing line around its neck,and on a picture postcard beach where we joined sea lions for aswim, a full black bag of debris had been collected before wewent ashore, washed up from the Pacific currents.I was so pleased I had overcome my reservations. The people of the Galapagos are taking theirconservation work very seriously. The Darwin Trust, which administers the World Heritage site, trainsguides to service the tourist and research industries. Half of all staff by law must be native to the islands.Long may this last, as humans work with nature to preserve this unique place, enabling people toexperience the glories of the Galapagos. GILL MARKHAM

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

If you go do try to go at a festival when the incense burner will be in use.Eight monks are needed to move the huge censer, botafumeiro, they call it, and it swings to agreat height.Watch on YouTube!The remains of SanTiago, St James, are in the Cathedral, it is believed.The west facade of the Cathedral is magnificent, Wells in the UK and Santiago in Spain competefor splendour!Also be sure to visit the Parador adjacent - the Hostal de los Reis Católicos. Constructed in tenyears from 1486 by Ferdinand and Isabella, it is said to be the oldest working hotel in the world.It was built as a place of rest for pilgrims at the end of their long trek across northern Spain -the Camino de Santiago.Ferdinand and Isabella did that pilgrimage themselves. The scallop shell is the emblem. Doctors,nurses and priests were on call 24 hours a day in the hostal to provide free services to pilgrims.The hotel has been refurbished since then!The Parador is expensive but worth a visit for coffee or lunch.The Square, the Plaza Obradoiro was completed in 1526 by King CarlosV

ERIC BROOKS

C RURAL IDYLL by Gill Matthews

I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vale and hillsWhen all at once I saw a crowd…it certainly wasn’t daffodils.

It caught my eye; a sight fantastic,Dangling dog poo wrapped in plastic.

Gently blowing in the breeze,Delicately decorating trees.

Pendulous fruit of black and whiteAn awful NOT an awesome sight.

Rural idyll? Rural idle I guess.Who’d want to clear up all that mess?

Oh calamitous situation!The fairy’s on a long vacation.The solution is so simple innit?

PICK UP! BAG UP! BIN IT!

TIPS FOR A FIRST TIME HOLIDAY TO THAILAND

Before venturing off to Thailand it is a good idea to learn the cus-toms. If you have to talk to an official, unless you are very short,crouch. Especially if you are stopped by the police or at customs.Thais are not a very tall race and it is very rude to look down ontheir heads or to actually touch someone on the head or the backof the neck. The latter may necessitate in your being escorted tothe Bangkok Hilton (the infamous prison) or if they are having a

bad day, shot. You will not suspect this may happen because they always smile.Another tip is to never point your feet at anyone, particularly a Buddha. Not that you will

come across one in the street, but you will certainly come across one in the Grand Palace.The famous beautiful Buddha is housed in one of the temples and you have to be very re-spectful when you visit, i.e. covering your arms and head and taking your shoes off. You thenmust sit in a kneeling position with your feet tucked under you. Of course if you have hipproblems you may not be able to do this and may try to stretch your legs out in front of youwhilst attempting to bend your toes down. Be warned. This is not good enough and to bemarched out with a guard pointing a machine gun at you is not to be taken lightly. It is espe-cially embarrassing if you have to roll over to stand up!

Be aware that it is illegal to take a statue of a Buddha home with you. So as well as not tak-ing any illegal substances in your case, don’t try to hide a Buddha. If you do and you don’tget caught, be sure your kharma will remind you when you get back!

It is worth going in November as you will be there for the Loy Krathong Festival of Light.There is great excitement during the day when the Thai people, and their children, makefloats from Banana leaves which they decorate beautifully with fruit and flowers and a cen-tral candle.Darkness comes suddenly as there is not really dusk and then everyone goes down to theklong (waterway) where they light the candle and float their offering to the water. Hundredsof little lights float and bob along the klong as they let go of the past and send prayers for thefuture.

The children are dressed up and the little girls are in ornate pretty dresses. There is some-thing special about floating your banana leaf boat to the future. BARBARA BUTCHER

HULA

IN HAWAII The ladies wear long colourful flowery dresses and leigarlands around their necks. The beauty of this dance is the gracefulmovement of hands and arms - rather like Spanish flamenco.

In Tahiti, on the other hand, the girls wear grass skirts and little else. That was whyGaugin loved it. With the gyration of the hips in this dance, if you watch the hands, you’vemissed it! ANON

GASTRONOMY

One of the great pleasures of travelling is to indulge in eating and tasting dishesof the country you are visiting. Many places have a rich selection of national andregional food. I have been fortunate to have visited many countries of the worldand experienced the culinary delights they have to offer. I have chosen atraditional dish called "Bobotie", a delicious South African - Malay dish to sharewith you. I came across this delicious dish when staying at the Mimosa LodgeHotel in Montague, a small town in the Western Cape in the area known as LittleKaroo. Montague is situated along the Route 62 in the Western Cape Province

and approximately a two hour drive from Cape Town. The Mimosa Lodge, with it's stunning views of thesurrounding mountains, goes back to 1898 and gives a real feel of Colonial Africa. The Victorian styledrooms are beautifully furnished with antiques. The cooking and preparation of Bobotie was kindly explainedto me by Mine Host of the Mimosa Lodge.

Ingredients for BOBOTIE (Serves 8)

One thick crust-less slice of wholemeal bread> 375 ml. Milk 25 ml. Olive Oil10 ml. Butter 2 Medium white Onions finely sliced3 Large cloves of Garlic, crushed 25 ml. Madras Curry Powder10 ml. Salt 25 ml. Mango Chutney15 ml. Smooth Apricot Jam 15 ml. Worcestershire Sauce5 ml. Turmeric 5 ml. Brown Malt vinegar1 Kilo. Minced Lamb 150 mls. Sultanas

3 Large Eggs Salt and Turmeric 4 large Bay Leaves

METHOD:Soak the bread in the milkHeat Olive Oil and Butter in a large pan, gently fry sliced onions and garlic until soft.Add Curry Powder,Salt,Mango Chutney,Apricot Jam,Turmeric,Worcestershire Sauce and Malt Vinegar.Mix well over a low heat.Take the bread out of the milk, saving the milk and mash the breadAdd the Minced Lamb, Bread and Sultanas. Mix all the above items as well and cook on a medium heat,stirring regularly.Remove from the cooker when meat has lost it's pinkness.Beat one of the eggs and mix well into the meat mixture.Pre-heat the Oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.Grease a baking dish (approx. 25 x 16 cms)Spoon the mixture into the dish. Level the mixture with the spoon.Beat the remaining Eggs with the saved milk. Top up, if needed to have 300 mls.Pour over the meat mixture and top with the Bay Leaves.Put the dish in a large baking tray and fill up half way with boiling water. place in the oven.Bake for 1 hour until the top has set. It will not be browned but set. Take great care in taking the dish outof the oven. Take the meat dish out of the water and place on the table. Serve with Pilau Rice, gratedCoconut, Mango Chutney, Sliced Bananas, Thinly sliced cucumber. Mix well together on your plate andenjoy. EET SMAKELIJKT !

MARTIN RIDLER

“HORSE’S KEEP ME ALIVE! ”

It would be very remiss of us not send our Congratulations toour esteemed Horse Racing Group leader, Mervyn Broom, on his90th birthday this year. I have used his own words to head thisarticle!!His association with “The Sport of Kings” began 83 years ago, when

at the age of 7, he was first taken to Newton Abbot Racecourse.His initial excitement has never diminished since.His Mother placed his first bet for him when he was 9.His 6d each way bet on Midday Sun in the 1937 Derby, won, at odds of 100-8and Mervyn was hooked!!The scene has changed since then. Jockeys did not wear ‘silks’ or their ownerscolours – they wore their own riding outfits.He and his late wife, also an enthusiast, travelled abroad to Belgium andFrance to watch racing.Mervyn is a member of 7 syndicates, where groups of people pay to part-owna racehorse. Although he has never ridden a horse, Mervyn’s love of the sportis very extensive and he is keen to share his expertise and knowledge withothers.He regularly contributes to ‘The Racing Post’ a well-known horse-racingperiodical.His U3A group would welcome more members. For more information callMervyn on 01548 531465.

A EVENING AT THE RACES WITHTONY

What an evening the sun was shining for the KEU3A trip toNewton Abbot races ‘LADIES NIGHT’ we were told to dress up - wellwe did. The ladies in their finery, the men in their suits and toppers, youwould have thought we were going to ASCOT. We saw the horses paradingin the paddock, while some of us backed the prettiest horse or the mosthandsome jockey others had studied form form from the papers, probablythe former was the best option as one of our group had a winner in everyrace, She will be coming next year as our official TIPSTER’Perhaps next year ASCOT - Tony we wont let you down.See photo on back page. JUDY

Thank you fellow members for another year of sponsorship from the U3A for Kingsbridge inBloom. This money has enabled us to completely revamp the bed by the café in theRecreation Ground. Half is devoted to herbs and half to colourful, bee-friendly plants. Anycold weather casualties were removed and the bed carefully prepared. The established plantswere trimmed ready to meet their new neighbours. Herbs are not only useful for culinarypurposes but are attractive in their own right with a range of habits and colours fromfeathery Bronze Fennel to tiny-leaved, creeping Thymes. Other herbs include: Lemon Balm,Oregano, Sage, Mint, Rosemary and Chives. Do take a look at the quirky herb plantercunningly constructed then planted up by volunteers. A lesser known plant is the fragrantAustralian Mint Bush with variegated leaves and tiny purple flowers. The bee-friendly CaféBed includes: pinky-flowered Saxifrage, Erysimums with dramatic, maroon leaves, dark pinkOsteospermums and orange Geums. The Lantana has the appearance of two colours offlower as they change from yellow to orange. Lewisia, a lovely geometric succulent, will havea spectacular flower contrasting with the mats of Phlox with delicate, pink blooms. As theirname suggests the Campanula has blue, bell-shaped flowers. Like to help a bit more but notup to gardening? Our monthly draw is less than the cost of a cup of coffee each month. If youwould like to know more about us do visit our website which incidentally won ‘Best Website’at last year’s South West in Bloom. By Gill Matthews www.kingsbridgeinbloom.co.uk

New Species by Gill MatthewsA species new has been discoveredThat Attenborough hasn’t covered.A blue-backed worker is the creature.Of Kingsbridge Town it is a feature.They do not have a king or queen.Collaboration reigns supreme.Working together; and their toilImproves environment and soil.Across their habitat they swarm,In winters cold and summers warm.Industrious in all adversity.Encouraging bio-diversity.Removing litter and the weeds.Planting flowers, sowing seeds.This social species, rest they takeThe Creeks End pub for coffee break.‘Kingsbridge Improveus’ is their name.It’s what they do. It is their aim.Not yet filmed on ‘Planet Two’ But YOU can spot them clad in BLUE.

AN EVENING OF ENTERTAINMENT

It could have been Britain’s Got Talent but it was the incredible ladies and gentlemen ofKEU3A who provided us with entertainment full of joy and togetherness. The fine eveningwas reflected in the sunny personalities and enthusiasm of those taking part.A delightful supper of jacket potato, meats and salad was served up by Amanda Bennett and

her volunteer catering team, whilst Joyce Drummond proceeded to present theentertainment with her usual zest and effervescence.Having remarked on the wonderful display of summer colour in front of him, Peter led thechoir appropriately into ‘June is Bustin’ out all over’ followed by other well known favouritespresented with faultless confidence from the group. Jane Saunders with her beautiful voicesang, a cappella, a song with such meaningful words that had been written by a Baptistminister in Bromsgrove where she used to live. Individuals from the Poetry Group spoke withgreat feeling and were wonderfully entertaining with their expressive reciting.The melodious harmonies of Gill Matthews and Jane Payne begged the audience’sparticipation with ‘Let it Be’ reminding us all of our youth and days gone by. The facialexpressions of Pat and David Stone brought smiles to our faces and their props providedfurther amusement.The interval gave us the chance to catch up with friends and marvel at the production so far.Delicious ‘puds’ were served and hot drinks to prepare us for further laughter and sing-alongs.The second half was heralded in with the musical tones of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ and ‘Tequila’from the saxophone of Liz Hext accompanied by Nicola New on the piano. Anita had writtena ditty for the show which was extremely well received by an appreciative audience togetherwith her charity shop outfit.The two strapping figures of Tony and Andy giving their rendition of a Ken Dodd classicbrought tears of laughter from the audience with their antics and presentation. Raucousshouting and applause in appreciation followed.For her second piece, Jane chose a traditional Irish song, ‘Mantle of Green’, sang withpoignancy and clarity which was greatly appreciated by the audience.Barbara Bucher’s combination of humour and pathos provided a wonderfully amusingcollection of poems which she had written to entertain us. A laughter provoking rendition of‘Frankie and Johnny’ by Dennis Russell and his gals was very expressive.Who would have thought that giving a cat a pill could be so funny and exhausting but thedelivery by Eve was both amusing and sensitive. I don’t know who I felt most sorry for the Cator Eve!The harmonies in ‘The Happy Wanderer’ were excellent and there clearly was a passion forsinging in the whole group. ‘All in the April Evening’ was mesmerizing and ‘A certain Smile’sung so tenderly by Eve brought out a certain sadness. And what can be said for ‘I’m GonnaWash That Man Right Outa My Hair’ which gave a very demonstrative display of feminineunity interrupted by the fact that Tony had to get in on the act!The whole evening was perfect and it was good to see what could be achieved by those in theprime of life. The competence of the whole crew was outstanding. So much confidence hadbeen given to those taking part. Our Hon President, Sylvia Griffin, thanked everyone formaking the evening a wonderful success. GLENN

A VISIT WITH TONY TO THE SOUTH WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY

SAINT WERBURGH, WEMBURY WHITSTONE GARDEN BOVEY TRACEY

NEWTON ABBOTT RACES

SELECTION OF PICTURES FROM THEKEU3A ENTERTAINMENT EVENING