Starfish Nippers to feature in U3A’s second term

TERM two of the U3A SurfCoast’s courses are about to begin, with a coming session to focus on the award-winning Starfish Nippers program.

Created by Janet Jones and Naomi Symington in 2011, Starfish Nippers allows children and young adults with a disability to participate in beach and water/surf life saving based activities.

The program was founded and still runs at Anglesea SLSC, with Jan Juc SLSC hoping to start its own program in the 2021/2022 season.

Naomi Symington will deliver the highly-anticipated lecture on May 3, covering the development and delivery of this program and the fantastic outcomes that have already been achieved.

Despite a COVID-related interruption in term one, U3A SurfCoast will return with both regular classes and new activities.\

The group’s AGM on March 9, a face-to-face event this year, saw a newly-elected committee committed to expanding after a difficult 2020.

“We are now only two active members less than at the AGM in 2019 and, given the enthusiasm of new tutors, the committee and a band of hardworking volunteers, we feel we can look forward to a growth period,” U3A SurfCoast president Sue Crowe said.

COVID restrictions and limitations on numbers at some venues meant waiting lists for courses in term one, but with some restrictions now being lifted, many classes are returning to normal numbers, with most face-to-face and some delivery still by Zoom.

Popular classes such as yoga, tai chi, ukulele and computer classes have returned. Money Matters for the Third Age, popular via Zoom in 2020, also makes a comeback.

“This course is crucial at a time when older people were looking at ways of managing their finances, things that they could be doing better, making money go further and managing money without getting a blister on the brain,” Tutor, U3A course co-ordinator and retired accountant Richard Drury said.

A new course this term will be Program Life, a state government-funded health and wellness education course run by health professionals to educate groups about nutrition, physical activity, sleep and managing stress and setbacks.

The aim is to help prevent diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

This popular course has already been offered at a number of U3As with excellent reviews. It will run on four alternate Fridays in term two beginning on April 30.

Also returning by popular demand will be George Hampel, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria with a course entitled Everything you wanted to know about the law.

The Starfish Nippers lecture on May 3 will be open to the public. RSVP if interested by emailing [email protected] or phoning 0435 374 139.

Details of all term two programs can be found in the Surf Coast Times, and all course descriptions and online enrolment can be found online at u3asurfcoast.org.au/courses-activities.