Daylesford and Hepburn Springs have many community groups. The local University of the Third Age (U3A) is one of the most successful.
The Hepburn U3A group held its Annual General Meeting this week at the Victoria Park meeting rooms. About 50 people attended to review the year’s progress, elect a committee and listen to the guest speaker Professor John Long talk about the secret history of sharks.
U3A orginated in France in the 1970s and now has branches all over the world. In Victoria, the number of groups has expanded dramatically since the movement started in the 1980s. There are now 103 groups across metropolitan and rural Victoria with around 40,000 members in 2025.
Each U3A is an independent body operating under an elected Committee of Management. Each group is managed by volunteers. Members pay an annual subscription fee to join which ranges between $25 and $100 and gives members access to a diverse range of exciting and interesting activities.
Remarkably, the local U3A now has 241 members, which makes it one of the most successful local voluntary organisations in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. The Course Coordinator, Kaye Murphy reported that the group runs nearly 50 courses, discussion groups and one off lectures.
Topics include creative courses like Jazzy Jewellery, language sessions in Italian and Spanish, activities like croquet, chess and clogging; and courses on hot topics like artificial intelligence and changes to the aged care system.
One of the most successful sessions this year was a presentation by retired Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth on how the judicial system works.
Sessions are held in a range of venues including the court house at the Daylesford Neighboud Centre, which is the U3A home base. Other venues include the Community Bank meeting room in Hepburn Springs and normally the senior citizens centre at the Town Hall, but that is not available while the Town Hall is being renovated.
Anyone interested in joining U3A can do so through their website.
