By Carol Taylor
Late on Friday mornings, during term time, laughter can be heard coming from the Rotunda in Queen’s Park, Healesville: it’s the half-hour weekly gathering of the U3A Laughter Group.
Leader of the group Val James said laughter is the world’s best medicine.
“The idea is to have fun. We play a few imaginary games, play a few mind games, create peculiar words, and perhaps act out an animal or bird – the others have to guess what we are supposed to be,” she said.
When Val thought about forming a group, she did her homework first by attending a laughter group in Edinburgh Gardens, Fitzroy.
Val said that she watched how the group operated and brought the idea to U3A Healesville.
“Over time I changed some of the games and procedures, and added a few of my own ideas,” she said.
“Some of the activities are just for fun, for example imitating a kookaburra, for others, we have to think a bit more deeply.”
Games can include creating a poem, where each person has to add a new line that rhymes or creating an alphabetical list of objects to take to a party.
Another game is to think of a famous person, provide a few clues, while the others guess who the person is.
Val said she also has hundreds of jokes to keep people laughing.
“Favourites are often the Irishman, Scotsman and Englishman jokes,” she said.
It’s all about having fun – and it must be working as most of the people taking part have been part of the group since it formed about 15 years ago.
Laughter is definitely a great medicine.
