u3a down under

Judith is a member of Croydon u3a who last year moved to New Zealand where she now spends six months of the year. Upon moving, she joined Wellington u3a, which helped her make new friends and settle into her new life. Here, she shares her experiences of joining another u3a on the other side of the world.

I’m back in New Zealand after 6 months in the UK and immediately back with Wellington u3a. Within the first week I returned to one of the Monday walking groups, making new friends with another English lady from Southend who also intends to spend half her time here.

While my experience of Wellington u3a is similar to that of Croydon, there is more of an emphasis on education here. Twice a week they host lectures, given mainly by ex-professors, scientists or retired CEOs. Some interesting lectures I went to last year included ‘Emerging Regional Order in Asia’, ‘Modern Slavery’, and ‘Making Welfare to Work’. The year is structured into four terms to match the school holidays and events are organised in the breaks. This is very different to Croydon where, although we do have talks from speakers at our monthly meetings, these are more social occasions with tea and coffee.

Since Wellington is the capital city with a very educated population most members have had a professional career. It is not a diverse audience at the lectures, but greetings are now spoken in Maori so maybe that will change in the future.

I’ve joined a Monday walking group where we catch trains or buses to walk for about 40 minutes on coastlines or bush followed by morning tea (where the above photos are from). I’m a member of the Wednesday film group who meet twice a month to visit boutique cinemas with seniors’ specials - not only are the tickets cheaper, but you get free tea and coffee! The Te Reo group is interesting, difficult but fun to try.

The events in between terms are good opportunities to meet other members. I’ve been on group outings to the opera, ballet and a pantomime where I was surprised by the number of New Zealand political jokes I understood, enjoyed monthly Sunday lunches, and joined a very popular trip to Mana Island Scientific Reserve. I’m really looking forward to a holiday in April in Chatham Island, the first place to greet the dawn of the New Year. We had a lecture about it last year, and so many members were interested that the committee quickly arranged two trips. The Islands are a remote, awe-inspiring place surrounded by the Southern Pacific, full of bird life and incredible history. I definitely feel more like a resident than a vistor now!

I’m sure it’s the same for any members at our age moving to new areas, but even if you have family nearby, you do have to make your own friends. For me, u3a has been a means of doing that.

Luckily, I am still able to keep in contact with Croydon u3a by monthly MOTO (members on their own) and quiz nights on Zoom, although of course they are all drinking wine while I’m still in bed with my first cup of tea!

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Photos: Judith's own photos from her Walking Group