The May Monthly Meeting for members and guests of Bude & District U3A
was a monthly meeting with a difference, for this was a celebration marking
25 years since the beginning of U3A in Bude. In place of the usual guest
speaker, there were tributes and reminiscences, a panel game
entertainment provided by members, a special Quiz, and, of course, a 25th
Anniversary cake!
U3A Chairman, Jim Buck, welcomed everyone to the event at the
Parkhouse Centre and spoke briefly about how the celebration, and the
number of people working together to stage it, typified the spirit of U3A. He
ran through the programme for the afternoon (‘no boring announcements’!)
and then introduced Mary Dobson, a founder member and early chairman.
In her presentation, Mary shared some of the history of U3A in Bude as
well as her own reminiscences of events over the last 25 years. Her talk
was accompanied by slides illustrating U3A life over the years. She had
also set out copies of everything from old ‘Welcome’ leaflets and photos to
programmes saved from theatre trips, and more, on a table at the back of
the hall for members to browse through later.
First up on the screen was a photo of Carol Harriott who brought the idea of
U3A to Bude after moving here from Looe where she had been an active
member of the local U3A branch. Carol worked tirelessly to get Bude U3A
going, said Mary. She was made ‘President for Life’ in 2001, in recognition
of all that she had done. Sadly, she died of cancer in 2003.
After further reminiscences, Mary handed over to Beth Moore who stepped
forward carrying a very large, decorated balloon. ‘You can’t have a party
without a balloon,’ she said, before dramatically revealing her second
surprise – her t-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Hooray for Bude U3A’!
She then read her monologue, ‘Hooray for U3A’, a humorous look at the
various U3A Activity Groups on offer to members, ending with a thank you
to U3A for what the organization had meant to her. She concluded to warm
applause and handed back to Mary for the ‘ceremonial’ cutting of the
special Anniversary cake!
Then it was time for “I S’pose You Think That’s Funny”, a panel game
entertainment especially written for the occasion. Taking part were Mary
Dobson, Elizabeth Hooker, Sue Neale, Lindsey Sandilands, Crispin King,
and Jim Buck, with technical help from Nick Faulks and John Weller.
The panellists successfully made their way through rounds of word games
and ‘sound charades’, culminating in a lively ‘pick-up song’ round, to great
applause from the audience, before the audience themselves were called
upon to contribute and sing along to Sonny and Cher’s ‘ I’ve Got You Babe’
with Sonny’s words sung by one half of the room and Cher’s by the other
side – the panellists probably did it better!
Next, over tea or coffee and slices of Anniversary cake, U3A members
formed teams to tackle a special, humorous Quiz devised by Les Stevens.
In a break from traditional rows of seating at monthly meetings, on this
occasion members sat around large circular tables which were decorated
with pretty posies provided by Anne Lee and Christine Davey. This mode of
seating made it easier to work in as a team for the Quiz, as well as
promoting greater opportunities for socializing.
Members of the Walking 2 Group, with help from various other volunteers,
prepared and served the refreshments – after carefully cutting the cake into
exactly the right number of slices! Throughout the afternoon, ‘official’
photographer for the event, Anne Reece Pinchon, Photography 1 Group
Leader, could be seen snapping away to record the latest milestone
occasion in the history of Bude U3A.
The successful afternoon concluded with a few remarks from the Chairman
who thanked everyone who had contributed to the organization and
success of the Anniversary event.
It’s a return to the more usual format for the U3A Monthly Meeting in June
when the topic is ‘Beyond the Garden Gate’, and the speaker is Hilary
Philips. Her talk takes a look at wildlife in the Bude Stratton area.