Tutors, if you want to add a profile or update your entry please email John Travers

Lyne Arden

Born on the north coast of NSW, I have worked and studied in Australia, PNG and the U.K. My qual­i­fic­a­tions: BA Hons in Geography (UNE 1964) and BA Hons in Graphic Design (Liverpool U.K. 1976).
My Publications:  A Pause in the Conversation in New Poets 15 (Friendly St Poets and Wakefield Press 2010) and Travelling Through the Unexpected (Ginninderra Press 2018). My work has been widely published in journals in Australia and overseas.
I am webmaster and a past Vice President of the Australian Haiku Society. I also coordinate City Writers group, which meets at City Library. 
A few of my other interests have included volun­teering at Adelaide Zoo, compiling a book on histor­ical buildings in Norwood for the local histor­ical society and main­taining websites for several community groups. I also painted large murals for Burnside Library, St Peters Library and Adelaide Zoo. Images of these and details of my books are available on my website: www.lynettearden.com

 I also have an Honours 11A degree in Graphic Design from Liverpool UK and have material displayed on line by the Liverpool Museum, where I am one of their 800 lives.I belong to the Society of Women Writers and coordinate the SA Haiku Group.

I am a long term Volunteer at the Adelaide Zoo. As far as the Philosophy Discussion group goes, my only qual­i­fic­a­tion is first year Philosophy. as part of my UNE degree, and being of an enquiring dispos­i­tion.

Writers Workshop

Marissa Baldassi

Italian Elementary Continuing (2) Italian Intermediate (3)

Kathleen Bambridge

I have had an interest in Film from my childhood. I would like to share not only the film but to discuss the film after it is screened. I have recently retired. I have worked as an archivist for the past 18 years. I have also worked as a Public Servant for 25 years.2019
Feminist Talk, Film Biographies, World War II on Film — Japan, “Another Year” — 2010 Movie, “Character” — Dutch Movie, “Nowhere in Africa” — 2010 German Movie, “The Sea is Watching” — 2002, Japanese Movie, Our Oral History, Movie Nostalgia (with Helen Kellaway & Raelene Wilsdon), World War II on Film, ndigenous Films

Evaristo Barrera

Evaristo has taught Yoga for 31 years — it is his passion. His exper­i­ence covers 14 years teaching in Adelaide, 2 years in Tuvala in the Pacific Islands, 7 years in NSW (4 years in Gunning & 3 years in Gundaroo), and 4 years in Canberra. He has attended many workshops and Yoga retreats in NSW, SA and Bali.
His objective is to provide an envir­on­ment where enthu­si­asts can discover the yoga path to a better life.

In a previous life, Evaristo was a Telecommunications Engineer, now retired. Currently he teaches Yoga from home to small groups and three community groups. Evaristo has taught at U3A Adelaide since 2015.
Maintenance (Hatha) Yoga

Shanti Bhardwa

I live in UK and  retired in 2019 after a career lasting 40 years in IT Support, Designing IT  Infrastructures and providing IT Consultancy with Barclays Bank  and University of Birmingham in UK. My last role with Barclays was as an Architect for Cloud based Computing in Financial Services.

I have also worked as a Development & Test Engineer for a small company making instru­ments for science teaching. I have  degrees  in Applied Physics (Honours)  from Institute of Physics and Computer Science (Masters)  from Birmingham University.

I devote my time in retire­ment  devel­oping open source software and deliv­ering E‑Learning Centers  and Solar Powered Computer labs for schools in Malawi, Zimbabwe  and Kenya. This is based on the concept of Internet In A Box and uses  recycled compon­ents like laptops, monitors, mice and keyboards and  Raspberry PIs.

I am a volunteer supporting charities like Turing Trust ( www.turingtrust.co.uk) in UK who are providing computers to schools in  Africa. Also work with the Raspberry PI Foundation in UK to apply their tech­no­logy for the purpose of promoting the teaching of computer science in schools and setting up Coding Clubs worldwide for teaching children how to code using  languages like Scratch and  Python.

Internet in a Box

Kay Bennetts

Kay Bennetts is a retired teacher with a life-long love of reading, live theatre and film. Although not able to study visual art at school, her self-education was valuably supple­mented over her years as a volunteer guide at the Art Gallery of South Australia.  

Kay believes that social inter­ac­tion is essential for human health.  During the COVID crisis she is keen to explore how contem­porary tech­no­lo­gies can enable social inter­ac­tions while main­taining essential social distan­cing.

Film Club 4th Tuesday Reading at Halifax, online… National Theatre Dinner Club, Beating the Drum, Free to Air Film Club, Netflix Film Club, Reading for Enjoyment

Lynley Bergin

Pleasures of Reading

Gregory Bishop

New Computing Perspectives

Christine Brumbt

Since retiring from a nursing career spanning more than 50 years, I joined U3A to keep my mind and body active. I love walking and enjoy the many and diverse oppor­tun­ities  around Adelaide. I now coordinate the Bush Walk program and am pleased to share the many walks I have discovered. Come join me.

Bushwalks

Lesley Clarke

Poetry Reading

Coralie Creevey

After obtaining a Master Arts (History) from UNSW in the 1980s, I worked in various profes­sions until, since retire­ment, I’ve had more time for art, music and good liter­ature. These restore one’s faith in human goodness and creativity which The News can undermine.  

I’d like to share with inter­ested people  my knowledge of some of the most beautiful and enduring art of Western civil­isa­tion over the last 500 years.
Masterpieces of Western Art, European Art since C15

Tom Culshaw

Convener and Chair of Interactive Philosophy Group. BSc (Maths) in 1961 and accepted Research Fellowship with ARRB in oper­a­tions research. Further studies in own time yielded MBM, BE, BEc, BA and BA Hons (all University of Adelaide). Professional recog­ni­tion in MACS, MIE Aust, AASA. Employment included elec­tronics at DSTO, materials science and manage­ment at UNISA, commer­cial and engin­eering ITC then emissions engineer at Chrysler Australia. Chief Systems Officer at Public Service Board from 1976, manage­ment consulting and strategic planning at Premier’s Department and Ernst & Young. Lecturer and Convener in Economics and Management at Flinders and Adelaide Universities. Active member of WEA, U3A Adelaide for many years. Member of SAHGS DNA and Genealogy Computer Groups. Have attended ASO concerts since 1958, and am a Friend of National Gallery of SA, Museum, Botanic Gardens, Adelaide Hills Historical Society.

Philosophy, an Interactive Course

Vicenzo Curro

Italian Discussion (4)

Dace Darzins, OAM

I was born in Riga, Latvia, to parents who were both profes­sionals. We survived the turmoils of WW2 and managed to escape to Germany just as the Communist army was again invading Latvia. Eventually emig­rating to Australia in 1951, we ended up living in Cockatoo Valley, near Sandy Creek, and I went to Gawler High School. I overcame my initial language diffi­culties to succeed at high school and to go on to univer­sity, studying an Honours BA and Diploma of Secondary Teaching. My academic career at a number of Adelaide high schools included teaching German, French, Latin, English and even Mathematics and General Science.

Whilst teaching, I was also involved, on a voluntary basis, in teaching at the after-hours Latvian Primary School, even­tu­ally being appointed as the inaugural Principal of the Latvian High School. For my work within the Latvian community, and for the promotion of language teaching and learning in Australian high schools, I was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (2004). In addition, the Republic of Latvia awarded me the Cross of Recognition (2006).

Once I retired, I wanted to do more voluntary work and, in 2003,  I began my asso­ci­ation with U3A Adelaide as a tutor of German conver­sa­tion.  I have now been doing this for 15 years and continue to enjoy it immensely.

 Associate Professor David Davey

I have had a 50 Year career in scientific research and teaching  of  chemistry at the University of South Australia in Whyalla and Adelaide. Research interests have ranged from safety of explos­ives, metals of interest in nuclear reactor construc­tion, water quality and wine research at the University of Adelaide Wine Research Centre.

Other interests are the Art Gallery of South Australia of which I am a member, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestral concerts attended regularly.  I enjoy flying kites with the grand­chil­dren and keeping up with them on my electric bike. 

Cool It! Climate Change and How to Live With It  was taught at U3A Tea Tree Gully in Term 4, 2019 and is currently underway at Tea Tree Gully in Term 1, 2020.

Trevor Dean

I was born, bred and educated in S.A. but from 1949 I trained as a Christian Brother for 3 years and then studied at Sydney University for 4 years, majoring in French and Italian.The next 18 months were spent teaching in school and then I was sent to study theology in Rome where some of the lectures were in French. Another year at the Institute of Lumen Vitae in Brussels followed and there everything was in French.

Back in Australia, I spent most of the next 25 years in educa­tional insti­tu­tions — Teacher Training Colleges, Catholic Education Offices in Melbourne and Adelaide inter­spersed with stints in schools. I was Principal of St. Joseph’s Pascoe Vale in Melbourne and Community Leader at CBC in Launceston.Beginning in 1987, I was in West Africa (Liberia and Sierra Leone) for 7 years teaching scripture in a seminary for 70 students from those countries. Both countries were plagued by civil war and I became heavily involved in visiting camps for refugees and displaced persons.

Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire are both French speaking countries and together they surround Liberia and Sierra Leone. As the French speaker on the seminary staff, I went first into Côte d’Ivoire and later into Guinea on different missions which enabled the seminary to continue operating for some time. Eventually, just before the rebels took over Makeni in S.L. where we had all relocated, the seminary was closed down and all expat­ri­ates left the country. I returned to Australia and was living in Adelaide for a time in Regent St. South,  of all places! I became aware, a few years ago, that a crisis had arisen at U3A Adelaide, because a French tutor was unable to continue teaching —  I could hardly justify not volun­teering to fill the gap.
French Elementary Conversation ( 2)

Simon Degeling

Son of Dutch migrants, I grew up on the NSW north coast and received degrees in French and History from Newcastle University.  During my graduate days, I had a few holiday jobs working as a steel­works labourer for BHP.  That paid for trips to Europe, which resulted in a lengthy stay in France, where I taught English and gained fluency in French.

After a working life spent teaching in ACT govern­ment schools, I managed to spend 15 months in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, teaching business English. One of life’s better decisions was retiring to Adelaide.

Quite by accident, I stumbled upon U3A several years ago.  I was walking past the Box Factory, when I noticed it housed an outfit called University of the Third Age.  I went inside, got a prospectus and the rest, as they say .….….

French Elementary Conversation (2)

Howard Duchene

French Let’s Talk (4) (with Pat Greet)

John Eastaff

Mah Jong

Giulio Eliseo

Italian Consolidating (3)

Etienette Fennell

I was born in Paris, where I went to primary school, coming to Australia at the age of 11.  The remainder of my education was in Adelaide and I have an Honours degree in French and degrees in Italian, Fine Arts and Music. I was trained at the Elder Conservatorium as a classical singer and I play cello with amateur orches­tras.  My other interests include writing books and  trav­el­ling. I am currently learning Russian and have joined a small group of Russian singers.
Throughout my lifetime, I have taught French, Italian and Music at all school levels and ended up, for twenty years, as a tutor in French at Flinders University.  Additionally, I have taught at Adult Education and also conducted classes at the Elder Conservatorium in the topic of “French for Singers”.

I initially connected with U3A Adelaide a few years ago when I took a French class with Tony Comin, who was then standing in for Andrew Beare.  It was at the instig­a­tion of my friend, Tony Kelly, that I decided to teach a class for U3A.
French Breakthrough (3)

Peter Franklin

Having earned a living (in what I risibly call my career) as a public servant and univer­sity admin­is­trator, I have been fortunate to spend the following nearly 20 years pursuing the studies that should have been my focus all along.  As I phased out of paid employ­ment I made two partic­u­larly sound decisions, one to join U3A and the other to take up Chinese.   U3A is indeed a univer­sity in the ideal sense, since its students seek only to increase their under­standing.  The study of languages is to the ageing mind what gym work is to the body.  I should add that my role as a tutor is limited to helping my friend Dr Han Zhengde (Michael) continue the Chinese course he has offered every year since 1994.

Chinese Mandarin (3) (with Zheng De Han)

Sue Garforth

Latin Continuers, Royal Marriage Disasters, Spanish Beginners (1), Spanish Elementary(2)

Jenny Gregson

Drawing Without Fear

John Griffiths

I was born in England and came to Australia in 1969. (best thing I ever did!) I had worked with aeroplane engines but moved to the auto­motive world and became a service manager of a large deal­er­ship in Perth. I learned a great deal about the way cars are traded and service became my passion. I also had a love of aircraft and wanted to get my private pilot’s licence. This I did achieve in 1997 When I was 50 years old. I have tutored a course  called Easy car main­ten­ance and another called Come fly with me. I am a co ‑tutor with Leonie Pike, in Art for pleasure. Also with Beatrice Howarth where we play Bridge.
U3A has been like a family to both me and my wife Suzette, It has been very precious in our retire­ment.

Penelopy Hackett-Jones

Penelope Hackett-Jones was encour­aged to use a debased form of English while growing up in an Adelaide suburb:  “googy” for egg, “geegee” for horse, “bunny” for rabbit, etc. As a teenage act of rebellion against this frightful early exper­i­ence, at the age of 14 she developed a passion for correct English, which still inflames her today, and which she soon carried over into other languages. She was able to learn Latin and French at school, and while pretending to do Maths homework taught herself Italian and Russian, using the Hugo’s “Teach Yourself a Language in 3 Months” textbooks.

Her first paid employ­ment was as a Greek-English trans­lator for a subversive press-cutting agency in Athens, at the time of the military junta. Returning to Australia she qualified as a teacher, something slightly less dangerous, and taught French, Latin and Modern Greek for many years.

After retiring to raise a family, she joined U3A where she teaches Beginners’ French, and is at present studying Arabic in private. Penelope believes in mandatory impris­on­ment for the incorrect use of English in public, partic­u­larly for the inac­curate placing of the apostrophe, and for the preten­tious use of Italian in restaurant menus.

French Beginners (1), French Elementary (2)

Zheng De Han (Michael)

I am a retired pediatric surgeon from Beijing. I migrated to Adelaide in 1984. I became a member of U3A in 1994 and have offered this course every year since then, causing U3A to make me a Life Member in 2009, which I value deeply. The purpose has remained the same; to enhance mutual under­standing and help you learn a little basic Mandarin. Since 2013, Peter Franklin has helped me run the course. We co-operate well.  

I am very happy that the course continues to attract U3A friends, who learn from each other how to share life after retire­ment. We are not yet old, but there is an old Chinese saying: “活到老，学到老”,  (the sound is “huó dào lǎo, xué dào lǎo”), which means “we must keep learning for as long as we live”.

Chinese Mandarin (with Peter Franklin)

Joelie Hancock

I have been co-ordinating the Play Reading group since 2004. It’s a role that I fell into when my father, who was attending U3A with me, volun­teered us both to run the class — because he had access to a few charity second-hand book shops.  Fourteen years later of regular checks at the Oxfam Book Shop, 120 sets of plays (and still collecting), I am still co-ordinating the group.

I retired in 1999 from being a Literacy Education lecturer at Flinders University. I also had a major role in producing fourteen books docu­menting good literacy teaching practice. My area was not drama or theatre but I love to read and share reactions with others who also enjoy liter­ature. Experiencing and learning about drama has never been as enjoyable as in our Play Reading Group.  I have learnt an enormous amount about play writes, their plays, and the social history of their times.

Play Reading

Rod Harvey

Bridge Beginners Group

Alexandra Hayes

Philosophy, Life and Big Ideas (with Ken Johns)

Gwenda Helsham

Shakespeare on Stage and Screen

At the Movies — Gwenda

Keith Hempton

Keith was firstly a Modern Language Teacher (French and German at Sydney Grammar School) and then, for over 20 years, a profes­sional singer.  He sang principal roles with the major opera companies in Australia, including Opera Australia and the State Opera Companies of South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia. He sand with such conductors as Mark Elder, Carlo Felice Cillario, Myer Fredman and Barry Tuckwell. He was the bass with the Song Company (Australia’s only profes­sional classical vocal ensemble) from 1986 — 91.

From 1991 he was Lecturer in Charge of Wollongong Conservatorium and from 1995 until 2008 was Head of vocal Studies and Co-ordinator of the Honours Performance Programme at the Elder Conservatorium within the University of Adelaide. Keith has taken early retire­ment with the intention of returning to performing both as a singer and a presenter.  He also hopes to have the oppor­tunity to adju­dicate, lecture and examine.  Over the years he has acquired a vast exper­i­ence and knowledge of classical music (he is also a trained radio presenter) and would like to find the oppor­tunity to make chal­len­ging use of his partic­ular skills.

French Vive la France (3), An Exotic and Irrational Entertainment (online)

Beatrice Howarth

Beatrice Howarth became an enthu­si­astic supporter of U3A Adelaide when she was invited to join in 2009 to teach Modern Greek. Since then she has taught a course every year sharing with parti­cipants her knowledge and love for the Middle Eastern and Greek cultures and history. She enjoys the challenge of research into areas she has studied at University many years ago but would like to learn more now and is encour­aged by the enthu­siasm, support, friend­li­ness and schol­ar­ship of U3A students and staff.

Beatrice has studied and worked at the University of Alexandria (Egypt), the Australian National University (Canberra), the University of New England (Armidale, NSW) and the London School of Economics and Political Science of London University. She holds degrees in Classics as well as English and French Literature and a Master in Librarianship. She has studied Arabic and is fascin­ated by Asian and Arabic cultures. Since she retired, she rekindled her love for Greek culture and did a course on Ancient Greek Philosophers at Adelaide University. 

She is a fluent speaker of Greek, French, Italian and English. She has lived and worked in England, Austria, France, Italy, Greece as well as Egypt and Australia.

Bridge (with John Griffiths)

Geoff Howe

Australia in the 50s
Soul Men
Sumerian Civilisation
The Peculiar Institution

I was a teacher,  initially with High Schools, then as a lecturer in Adult Matriculation in Tafe and finally at Eynesbury Senior College. Over a long period I taught Year 12 Modern History, Australian History, American History and Classical Studies, as well as English and Legal Studies. I retired at the end of 2006 and have been a tutor at Adelaide U3A since then.

Philosophy, Life and Big Ideas (with Alexandra Hayes)

See Tutors J‑Z for remainder