Kiama U3A provides an array of classes and groups for the those in their "third age" of life, with Term 3 beginning next month.

“U3A is a worldwide organisation, and it is the most active community organisation for retirees, bar none,” Kiama U3A president Charles Walker told The Bugle.

Universities of the Third Age or U3As is a global voluntary, non-for-profit organisations which was conceptualised in France and has been active in the Kiama community for the past 25 years.

“In Kiama we have presently around 200 members. We’d like to get to around 250. We run about 15 courses per week for eight weeks in each school term,” Walker said.

“We have PhDs as our members, but we also have people who have never been to university as members, and didn't finish high school.

“Knowledge is power. So being informed is much better.”

There is something for everybody with Walker conceding “we are only limited by the imagination of our members who are willing to exchange their knowledge, get together and work something out".

“We do a lot of history, science, music, arts, travel, topical discussions on what is in the news, philosophy courses.”

A barrier Walker identifies is the availability of volunteers, with many Kiama retirees travelling for extended periods.

“We find it difficult to get volunteers to commit as people want to tick something off their bucket lists.

“But we are still active. It started off with the idea that it was academic or learning; learning was at the key.

“And slowly that morphed into an active body promotes an active mind. So, we incorporated exercise into the syllabus.

“Popular ones are things like Tai Chi and yoga, we also have activities like table tennis, and all different types of dancing.”

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that in the 2022-2023 financial year there were 4.2 million retirees or 16% of the Australian population.

“We are mainly retired, but in today’s world, people don’t quite retire. They continue for a while,” Walker said.

According to the research from the Australian Institute of Family Studies 2009, social isolation is “a known risk factor for poor physical health outcomes and depression and has been directly linked to ageing”.

Walker maintains that whilst Kiama U3A may have co-members of other community organisations, it is not about competition.

“We’ve got lots of co-members, joint members, but they (other community organisations) do something different to us and they don’t meet as often,” Walker said.

The Bugle was invited to sit in on the class ‘What’s In The News’, led by Brian Cowling at Blue Haven Bonaria, where an eclectic mix of current news and events, history, and philosophy were discussed in a “safe forum”. 

News is a consistent source of information for many in society, which highlights the need for access and independence. 

For more information on Kiama U3A term 3, head to www.kiama.u3anet.org.au