U3A Asia Pacific Conference 28 - 29 May 2015
 A number of our members attended the conference that was held in the impressive Brisbane City Hall. There were some very stimulating talks from a wide range of speakers not only from Australia but from Singapore, Portugal, India, New Zealand and the UK. The topics covered were a mixture of serious considerations of the way forward for U3A both locally and internationally and more lighthearted coverage of wild life, and positive  and amusing aspects of ageing. A particular highlight was an outstanding presentation by a 19 year old student giving her take on the prime issues facing her generation. A common theme emerging was the building of more network links between Australian Groups both internally and internationally. 

It was interesting to learn how the fledgling Singapore U3A had linked up with Rotary to widen its coverage and gain help for resourcing initiatives. There were some challenging input from the Indian representative reinforcing U3A's giving help to as well as gaining help from the community. It was also interesting to learn of the growing role of U3A Online enabling remote areas and those unable to travel to enjoy the benefits that U3A membership brings. All the those who attended felt the conference was informative, challenging and good fun with the great bonus of meeting fellow U3A members from a wide variety of backgrounds.

John Crittenden
Publicity Officer