U3A fit to burst

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
A GROWING volunteer organisation is bursting out of its administrational seams.
The Upper Yarra’s University of the Third Age (U3A) has grown to more than 130 members in the last 12 months and the committee is on the hunt for office accommodation.
The U3A is for 50-something and above age groups who would like to keep themselves busy by learning a new skill, or teaching their skills to others.
Upper Yarra U3A president Vernon Denford said there were eight committee members who volunteered their time to co-ordinate the organisation, which kept growing in classes and members.
With 24 classes being offered in locations from Wandin to Warburton and in between, Mr Denford said “a small office could help in a big way”.
“We are still in need of a space that we can use for office and administrative purposes which restricts us to some extent,” he said. Mr Denford said the co-ordination was currently disjointed, as records and files were kept in committee members’ private homes.
“We record everything and all the information is correlated,” he said.
“But seeking one bit of information can lead to many phone calls back and forwards.”
He said the U3A would run more efficiently if it could find a central location to house member information, allow tutors to photocopy notes and give new members a physical location to find out more about the organisation.
As a volunteer-run organisation the Upper Yarra U3A relies on a few grants and the annual membership fees to pay for administration costs and most of the class locations.
The Yarra Junction CFA kindly donates the use of their training room for free for at least 10 classes, as well as committee meetings.
The committee has been searching for a permanent location for several months now, with no luck as yet.
“We need an office with 24-hour access so tutors aren’t reliant on waiting for me to get things done for them, and just to have things at your fingertips,” Mr Denford said.
He said Yarra Junction would be the perfect location as students come from across the Upper Yarra.
“We just need a set up with a computer, photo copier and filing cabinet, and enough chairs for committee meetings,” he said.
And they are hoping for a new set up before the January holidays, which is the busiest time of the year with annual memberships due, classes to co-ordinate and newsletters to send out.
“For now we’ll continue on in our own homes until we can find somewhere suitable,” he said.