September was an interesting meeting with Meg Dillon as our guest speaker, talking on "Cottage Hospitals" that were established in Benalla, but only a few exist now. Meg completed her first history degree at Melbourne University with BA(Hons), majoring in history and taught in high schools and Teacher's Colleges for eight years.  In 2000 after retiring, she enrolled for a Ph.D at Tasmania University and completed her degree with a thesis about convict work parties in the Midlands of Tasmania.  She is currently working on a project about Renaissance Art in Italy in the 1500s. 

Cottage Hospitals in Benalla:  Distance and costs made accessing hospitals expensive, with lengthy travel delays by train to Wangaratta Regional Hospital, which opened with 10 beds in 1872.  The English model of cottage hospitals was rapidly adopted for country towns in the 1870's in Australia to overcome these problems.  By 1900 there were about 10 or 12 in Benalla.  Meg's talk was a look at what they were like and where they were in our town.  Who ran them, their costs and the services they provided.  It was not until 1937 that local plans led to a dedicated Bush Nursing Hospital building opening in here. After her talk, Meg had some slides that were shown re where the hospitals were. A very interesting and enlightening talk.

Thank you, Meg.

A reminder about the 'Meet and Mingle' component of our 'Get Online Week' event at 10 am on Wednesday 21st October.  

Our guest speaker Phillipa Slinger, Community Engagement Specialist for NBN North East Victoria, will discuss NBN Local

This will be followed by a free BBQ, with cooking by the Lions Club. All meat is gluten-free, which I think will be a bonus for some people. So please come and enjoy. 

​For those who find themselves becoming frustrated and anxious when using their digital devices, our Tech Advice tutors Ruth Jelliff and Robyn Lukey will be available to provide support in Room 1 between 1 and 2 pm.

​Anne Nelson

It's Meet and Mingle time - an early 'third Wednesday' this month - Wednesday 16th September at 10 am in Room 1.

At the beginning of each Meet and Mingle, news from the U3A Benalla Committee meeting held the previous week is given to those attending. This is followed by a guest speaker who will talk for about 40 60 minutes on an interesting topic, with Question Time often a lively feature.

This month, U3A member, historian Meg Dillon will speak about 'Cottage Hospitals in Benalla'. A fascinating topic for many, especially for retired nurses, other health workers and members with forebears who may have been born or treated in a cottage hospital in Benalla.
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Stay behind to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a chat with the guest speaker and other members to complete the morning.

​There was a great turn up for our August meeting.  Thank you to all who came.  It was a wet and cold day, so I appreciate your venturing out. 

Maybe our speaker was an incentive to come. Our speaker for this month was one of our own members with a very interesting story to relate.  When I first approach Jenny Heron she was not too sure, but she spoke for nearly an hour and there were numerous questions asked. 

For those of you who missed her presentation, My Life in Aviation, Jenny learned to fly at 16.  Jenny joined the RAAF at 18 as Australia's first female Air Defence Controller at Williamtown NSW and was lucky enough to get a few flights in Winjeels, CT4, Macchis, Mirages, Chinooks, Canberra, F4, F111, and Iroquois helicopters.  Interestingly, Jenny’s certificate recognising her breaking the sound barrier (see below) features ‘he’ - as one hadn’t been produced in 1977 for ‘she’. 

​Jenny left the RAAF after four years and became a camera operator with a company doing aerial surveys, travelling around most of Australia in an aircraft and getting paid for it.  After leaving there, Jenny  joined up as an Air Traffic Controller at Essendon and Melbourne.  Jenny met her husband there and moved to Mansfield in 1993.  Jenny got her own aircraft in 2015 and "hasn't looked back".  Thank you Jenny for a very interesting talk.

At next month's session on September 16 we will once again have one of our members give a talk.  Most of you know Meg Dillon.  Meg will be talking about Cottage Hospitals in Benalla.  Meg spoke on this subject during Heritage week in Benalla and it is a very interesting talk.  I hope to see you all there.  As I have stated before, we at U3A Benalla have an untapped resource in our members.


Anne Nelson

​Member of 'Tech Talks' and 'Singing for Fun', Jenny Heron is our guest speaker in  August.  Jenny learnt to fly at 16 at Lilydale airport and joined the RAAF at 18 as Australia’s first female Air Defence Controller at Williamtown. Jenny describes being lucky enough to get a few flights in Winjeels, CT4, Macchis, Mirages, Chinooks, Canberra, F4, F111, and Iroquois helicopters..  Jenny left after 4 years and became a camera operator with a company doing aerial survey, travelling around most of Australia in an aircraft and getting paid for it. Jenny then joined up as an Air Traffic Controller at Essendon and Melbourne airports, meeting her husband there and moving to Mansfield in 1993.  Jenny says she "Got my own aircraft in 2015 and haven’t looked back!"

Wednesday 19 August - 10 am in U3A Room 1.

At Meet and Mingle on Wednesday 15 July, James Miller from the library gave an interesting talk about what happens at the library, up front and behind the scenes. A short version of James credentials are as follows. He has been the Education and Community Programs Officer at Benalla Library since 2021, with 10 years prior experience at Libraries Tasmania across lending services, systems support and adult education. James is passionate about Lifelong Learning.  He coordinates early years programs, digital literacy training, school holiday activities and library promotions at the Benalla Library. 

​After James’ talk, I asked the members present how their families related to reading.  There were some very interesting answers.
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We have put together a list of people to ask to speak at upcoming sessions but haven’t quite confirmed our August speaker.  Meet and Mingle regulars should watch out for an email, otherwise keep an eye on the home page of the website for news.

​Anne Nelson

The speaker at June's Meet and Mingle meeting was Paul Berry and the subject was Hot Air Ballooning. Very interesting, with input from some of the members with their experience regards to Hot Air Ballooning.

Paul became interested in the activity after a representative from the Ballooning Assoc. Victoria (BAV) spoke at a Rotary Club meeting, looking for volunteers to train as observers for the upcoming BAV Nationals in 2007.  Paul volunteered, loving all things aeronautical. His wife and daughters and several Rotarians volunteered as well. Ballooning has become a family sport for them, including his grandchildren.

Next month our speaker will be James Miller, head of the Benalla Library, to talk on all of the different aspect of the library. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in the library.  All welcome.

​Anne Nelson

Paul Berry, a keen Ballooner, will be our guest speaker at Meet and Mingle on Wednesday 17th June at 10 am.  A representative from the Ballooning Association of Victoria (BAV) spoke at a Rotary Club meeting looking for volunteers to train as observers for the upcoming Ballooning Association Nations in 2007.   Paul volunteered, loving all things aeronautical.  Kaye, Naomi and several Rotarians trained as well.  During that week as observers Paul and Kaye met and befriended a very new competition participant Ronald Kent.  From there, their crewing days ballooned - pun intended.  Ballooning has become a family sport, with all 3 daughters participating and more recently grandchildren also learning the ropes.   Join us to find out more from Paul about Ballooning tomorrow at 10 am in Room 1.  All welcome!

Some guest speakers are quickly forgotten. Others leave people chatting long after the chairs are packed away. Mark Beazley was definitely the latter.

At first glance, “grave-digger” might seem an unusual topic for a U3A gathering, but Mark’s warmth, humour and remarkable life story soon had everyone thoroughly engaged.
Mark described a working life shaped less by careful planning and more by a willingness to say, “Sounds like a good idea!” That attitude led him through a variety of jobs before spending ten years as a Funeral Director, helping families through difficult times with kindness and practical support.

Eventually, the emotional weight of funeral work became too much, and Mark and his son moved into the grave-digging business. Today they service small rural cemeteries across a huge area — from north of Melbourne to the Victorian–NSW border and across toward Corryong.

Members were fascinated to learn that grave-digging involves far more than a shovel. The work requires trench-diggers, jackhammers, pumps, engineering knowledge and plenty of problem-solving. Mark explained that when rain fills a grave with water, the job simply becomes: pump it out and carry on.

The audience was especially interested in changing funeral practices. Shroud burials are becoming more popular and are available locally at Winton and Moorngag cemeteries. Surprisingly, cardboard coffins may have a greater environmental impact than traditional wooden ones.

Mark also shared stories about urgent burials required within 24 hours for some religious traditions, where speed, sensitivity and respect are all essential.

Adding humour to the morning, Mark said work-experience students often love helping out — and become very popular at school afterwards because of their unusual placement stories.

Although the topic could have been sombre, the morning was anything but gloomy. Mark’s talk gave a fascinating glimpse into an unusual profession, while reminding us of the humanity, care and quiet humour that often accompany life’s final farewell.

At the April Meet and Mingle, members of U3A Benalla marked 30 years since the organisation began on 24 April 1996. 

​Carmyl Winkler, a member of the memoir writing group, presented a history - ‘U3A Benalla 30 Years’ –compiled from committee records. Carmyl is pictured on the right of his photo with U3A President Anne Nelson.

In 1996, U3A Benalla had four groups—Art Appreciation, History, Book Group and South East Asian History—with 24 members. By 1997, membership had grown to 30, with new groups including Computer, Bushwalking and Investment.  The number of courses and activities continued to grow.

Some early members attended, including Shirley Kearney and Margaret Walshe, who are still involved. They recalled how, in the early days, most members attended every group because numbers were small. Margaret Walshe & Joyce Borschmann later started the Singing group after a walk around the lake in 2006.

John Avery, President from 2005 to 2011, oversaw significant growth in groups and worked to secure grants so the annual fee could remain at $30.

Early meetings were held in W4 at the old Benalla High School in Bridge Street. In 2017, the main venue moved to the Benalla Seniors Citizens’ Centre in Fawckner Drive, now the Benalla Seniors and Community Centre (renamed in 2024).

Today, U3A Benalla has 459 members and offers 48 courses.
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A booklet documenting the 30-year history was produced by the committee and shared at the celebration. The presentation was followed by lively conversation over tea, coffee, and a generous spread of homemade cakes and slices.

At the next Meet and Mingle on Wednesday 20 May at 10am, the guest speaker will be Mark Beazley.  Mark is a professional grave digger, a retired funeral director and a marvellously engaging storyteller. 

Mark’s business covers a large geographical area, including Winton, Benalla and other local cemeteries.  Mark has extensive knowledge of the legislative guidelines of the funeral and burial business. 

He’s a very engaging orator and not to be missed.  All welcome!

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Margaret Jenkins, Anne Nelson and Malcolm Sanders

The 2026 Annual General Meeting of U3A Benalla Inc was held as part of Meet and Mingle on 18 March. 

Following the presentation of reports, then certificates of appreciation by Margaret Jenkins, the election of office bearers was chaired by Cr. David Blore. 

Guest speaker Peter Keane, CEO of Benalla Rural City Council gave a short resume of his working life from the Pilbara to Queensland in various jobs in management, gas and mining, including in local government. He explained that he has moved 20 times in his career.

Peter described the challenge currently faced by Benalla in providing visitors with experiences after 5pm and places to eat.  He considers the future of Benalla to lie with jobs for families and knowledge transfer.  He sees retired teachers playing a part. “With some strong volunteering that aligns with economic development Benalla can go ahead. U3A has role to enable, support, partner and connect in a network to use their experience to make Benalla a better place for families. I believe the people in this room have everything to shape a strong vibrant and connected future.” 

Peter answered questions from the audience, then stayed behind to answer further questions. Thank you, Peter

At April’s Meet and Mingle, U3A Benalla is celebrating 30 years since we were established in 1996.  Thank you to member Carmyl Winkler (pictured), who has compiled a 30-year history of our group.

The committee is producing a small booklet based on the history Carmyl has written.  This will be available at the April Meet and Mingle for those interested.

We also thank Carmyl for agreeing to present this history at the event.

Join us on Wednesday 15 April 2026 at 10am in Room 1 of the B Seniors and Community Centre.
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All welcome.

​At our Meet and Mingle meeting on 18th February we heard from two guest speakers in Steve Mars and Dawn Stephens, both of whom are U3A Benalla members.

Steve is a new arrival to Benalla having recently shifted from Tasmania. His relocation is in part due to his family’s connection with the North East, including when his father worked for Benalla Council and his inquisitive pursuit of building architecture.

Steve explained he was a Town Planner for 30 years, a martial arts instructor and a stroke survivor. He explained he was on a mission to study history and geography of Benalla, and was seeking help with his research.

One of his projects was a focus on buildings of the 1920’s to 1930’s era and the layout of streets. Steve made the interesting comment that while many of the buildings in the main street had been modernized, if you looked up above the verandahs to the second story much of the early architectural features were still clearly visible.

Steve referred to a number of documents during his talk including his father Stan’s diary and CV that covered the period of 1938 to 1952. Many entries in the diary and CV stimulated Steve’s interests to discover more.

While Steve covered many aspects of his interest he also handed around very impressive sketches of old buildings he had drawn that had be turned into yearly calendars.
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Dawn Stephens presented an interesting overview of the U3A Benalla website. The website is located at  https://u3abenalla.weebly.com/ which takes you to the home page

She explained that with our large membership effective communication was most important. The website served as an excellent communication tool that provided a one stop shop for information.

Dawn took the audience through the many dropdown tab menus on the website home page.  She showed how the Newsletter linked to the website and U3A Benalla Facebook page and explained that she is learning and working with, Bev Lee who manages the website content and that Heather Wallace, with support from Ruth Jelliff looked after the Newsletter production.

Dawn encouraged U3A Benalla members to become familiar with and use the website to explore the many interesting aspects of what is happening at U3A Benalla.

Doug Smith

At February’s Meet and Mingle on Wednesday 18 February at 10am we have three guest speakers. 

The main speaker, Paul Berry from Benalla Rotary Club, will speak on Rotary’s Domestic Violence Campaign; Steve Mars will speak on Historical Architecture in Benalla and Dawn Stephens will speak on the U3A Benalla website.

 All welcome. 
  
3rd Wednesday 10 am to 12 noon.  Commencing 18 February.
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Margaret Jenkins

There was music, singing and beautiful displays of patchwork and art at the annual U3A Benalla concert held at the Benalla Seniors and Community Centre on 19th November 2025.
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The morning commenced with the Recorder Group of 7 led by Janet Douglas playing a medley of tunes, some from times of old going back 100 years.

The audience, numbering over 40, were then presented with the colorfully clad shirts of the 15 Ukulele Group players (Ukes), led by Heather Wallace. Not only were the tunes catchy, those Ukulele players sang along to each one. The playing of Yellow Submarine also saw the audience engage in that famous Beatle’s song.

Not to be outdone, the Singing for Fun Group numbering 20, enthralled those present with renditions of familiar and popular songs of past. Each of the three segments conducted by Carmyl Winkler, Ross Bootes and Kieran Smith hyped up those present with energy, patriotism and nostalgia. This was clearly evident when the song “We Are Australian” was sung by all in the room, with great gusto.

Quietly in the background was the Patchwork and Craft Group displaying their carefully crafted “labors of love”, beautiful patchwork quilts.

The Taste of Art group displayed a variety of their creative work including some excellent landscape paintings.

One of our members, Rae Jeffers showed outstanding talent, performing in the Recording, Singing for Fun and Ukes groups.

​President Margaret Jenkins congratulated and thanked the presenting groups and their members for showcasing their talents and promoting the image of U3A Benalla. 
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Doug Smith
Publicity Officer

Our guest speaker for October was Samuel Thorpe from Latrobe Community Health Services (LCHS) who are a not-for-profit health service provider, offering 100 plus services, with 1700 staff operating across 70 locations in Victoria including Benalla.

Samuel spoke about the services provided by LCHS which included personal care, nursing, household tasks, in home respite, transport and light gardening, and the changes to government funding that will apply from 1st November 2025.

People over 65 wishing to access Aged Care Services must first register with My Aged Care which is the gateway to Government funded services.

The process that follows is an assessment for suitability to receive funding through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) or a Home Care Package (HCP).

Samuel pointed out that the Home Support program is funded by Government but the funds are allocated to the Health Service Provider whereas the Home Care Packages funds are allocated to the client. It was noted that there can be considerable wait times once assessments are completed, for a care package to be allocated.

Of interest was the Home Care Packages levels which will change from four exiting levels to seven levels.

Samuel showed two tables which summarize the key Government funding changes from 1st November 2025.

Table 1 shows the new out of pocket expense for those receiving home care services.

Doug Smith
​Publicity Officer

At October’s Meet and Mingle on Wednesday 15th October we are having a presentation by Samuel Thorpe from Latrobe Community Health Service on the new Aged Care Act which is coming into law on 1st November 2025. This talk is a follow on from “Staying at Home for Longer” which was presented in 2024 by the same organisation.

We are opening this session up to the Benalla community as it is a topic which our age group needs to know about and understand. So please bring your friends along, even though they may not be U3A members. We have arranged for this meeting to be held in the Auditorium so that we can accommodate everyone.

Margaret Jenkins ​