What an incredible year we have all endured, it’s definitely been one for the history books! When I wrote my message for the last publication in June, we thought it was over – little did we know.

As we emerge from this longer period of isolation and turn ourselves into social butterflies, we realise that all of us have managed in different ways. Some people have thrived in lockdown and others have done it tough. Some were very organised and ticked off long awaited tasks and others, like me, coped by finding one or two things to concentrate on like walking my dog and reading 54 books and letting other things ‘go’, like housework. But now I have to jam them in around my bourgeoning social calendar, such is life!

Many people didn’t emerge unscathed by the experience and we need to recognise that some have handled it differently or changed in some way. Possibly reassessing life choices and making alterations to lifestyle, work situation, and perhaps made or lost connections to friends and loved ones. Kindness, consideration and a smile go a long way towards friends and strangers alike enjoying life.

The LACVI Board has not been idle over the last six months as you’ll read in Life News. We have relocated to a new office, subleasing space from U3A Network. We have updated our Strategic Plan 2020-2023 and have a full schedule for the coming 12 months. I heartily welcome Lynda Bourne to the Board and look forward to her contribution to the success of our plans. I hope you will consider joining us and would be delighted to discuss how you could contribute, send an email to president@life.org.au.

Enjoy reading the interesting articles and don’t forget to enter the Quiz, you might even win a prize.

In 2021 we’ll be launching new partnership opportunities for like-minded organisations.

Through Life News, our events and member communication, we speak with 5000 Life Activities Club members on a regular basis.

The type of partnerships we might be looking at are joint sponsorship of awards for community work benefitting older Victorians, particular projects to support our demographic, business opportunities such as travel and accommodation packages, tours both local, national and international, day trips and activities that will interest active 55+ year olds.

If you would like to make a difference to keeping seniors healthy, active and staying connected in the community, this would be a fantastic way to do so.

We’re looking for individuals who are proactive and like to work either behind the scenes or with people. In the next 12 months we’ll be acting on making contact with Healthy Ageing Officers or equivalents in councils. This will be the starting point in our new club development project. We need non Board members to assist with these tasks to share the mutual benefits of belonging to an LACV club.

Becoming a Board Member is not just hard work. We work as a team, supporting each other and enjoying our work. Please don’t feel filling a casual vacancy will have you thrown in the deep end. You will not be expected to take on major projects.

Click here to download nomination form.

Lynda has worked in the IT industry for 50 years, from writing code, implementing IT projects, working in global IT consultancies and in the last ten years lecturing at Universities in South America and Australia.

She has held volunteer leadership roles in organisations such as Project Management Institute (PMI), University of the Third Age (U3A) and Life Activities (LAC).

She has joined the LACVI Board in December 2020 and will focus on building a Club Mentor Role with a focus on assisting Club Committees to improve each Club’s use of LAMP to manage their records and fulfil their responsibilities as Incorporated bodies. In the New Year she will be contacting Clubs to work with them to gain greater efficiencies and to provide a means to attract new members through attractive websites and effective ways for new members to join and become involved in Club activities.

LACVI’s new address

“Goodbye 533 Little Lonsdale Street. We enjoyed our time working in that office alongside COTA. Thank you for the 3 years we got to share with you.”

“Hello Suite 4.05, 50 Queen Street. We look forward to sharing a premises with U3A Network Victoria and getting to know their team in the New Year.”

During Victoria’s second wave lockdown, LACVI made the move. Historically, before we were subleasing from COTA, U3A Network was subleasing an office with LACVI, so there has been a coexistent relationship in the past with similar organisations and we are grateful these relationships continue.

The new office is much smaller but we have a beautiful view of the tree tops and access to a board room which we can use for Board and Council meetings.

Kath, Sue and Deb spent a day in October packing and labelling and sending some items off to storage. We’re still settling in and abiding by the ‘New Covid Normal’ standards but we look forward to a fresh start in the New Year.

Foray into the digital world

The 2020 Victorian Seniors Festival on 31 October featured interviews and performances from the Gram O Phonie Brothers, Kutcha Edwards, and Tania Kernaghan. The Festival also embraced performers joining the festival for the first time making it the most diverse from a performer and audience perspective in our history.

A partnership with Multicultural Arts Victoria enriched the cultural programming immensely, introducing contemporary musicians, writers and artists to the Festival audience

For the first time in 2020, the Festival grew on established connections with aged care facilities.  Funds have been made available in 2021 to ensure that Festival online and radio programming will be delivered for a 6 month period next year.

Aged care facilities are also central to the Festival’s Recognising Senior Victorians project, which replaced the Victorian Senior of the Year Awards this year. This project which commenced in November following the lifting of coronavirus restrictions, will record the stories of 50 residents over the next 5 months, with a written article and a radio broadcast recording for each of the residents.

This was a special Festival enjoyed by so many with almost 130,000 visitations to the Festival website: www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/festival
Victorian’s have got in the groove!

In 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic dramatically affected the lives of older people, with COTA Victoria conducting a survey checking in on the older person’s experience of COVID–19 to ensure their voices were heard.

The survey was conducted both online and via phone calls, from June-August, a period that included several lockdown stages and the introduction of mandatory face masks.

The results from 1,149 participants were reported back to the Victorian Government and to local governments to assist in the recovery phase and in future emergency planning.

5 top challenges for older Victorians
63% Not being able to go to weekly activities such as social groups, churches and sport
61% Not being with family
50% Social isolation
46% Missing important life events such as weddings, birthdays and funerals
39% Not being able to get out and be active

Respondents’ anonymous comments were telling indicators of how older people were feeling, at times unsure, wary, wanting of information, or simply waiting for inspiration and a sense of safety.

For more information on the final survey results please email Amanda Kunkler at COTA akunkler@cotavic.org.au

On behalf of the U3A movement in Victoria, we say welcome to the Life Activities Clubs Victoria team following their sublease of an office at our Queen Street site.  We look forward to getting to know you.

COVID–19 has challenged many organisations, not least the U3A movement.  U3A Melbourne City’s 1,300 members were suddenly deprived of the opportunity of attending face to face classes and forums in March.  The Committee quickly turned to online delivery as a means of maintaining as much of the program offering as possible.

Their IT team supported tutors and class members to adjust to the world of Zoom.  Nonetheless, about 40 percent of their members did not take up the online alternative.  As a result, Melbourne City fears it may lose a significant number of members in 2021.  Their response has been to launch a membership drive by developing a new webpage headed Looking Forward to an Exciting 2021!

“We know the past year has been difficult for everyone but please do renew your membership as your Committee has put together a very exciting program for 2021!”

Two highlights of the plans for 2021 are:
• A Virtual Vacation - From 18 January, take a two week holiday around the world from your armchair
• Webinar program - Including a virtual visit to the National Portrait Gallery in London and much more

For full details see: www.summer.u3amelbcity.org.au/2021

Visiting Victoria

In today’s environment we can’t have a conversation without acknowledging the journey we’ve all been on in Victoria and particularly in Melbourne through the coronavirus (COVID–19) pandemic and the different phases of restrictions. Where recently the things that we could do have been very limited, we are now thankfully on the steps to Victoria reopening.

As we move to the next phase and the future, we can now put our heads up and think about what re-emerging into the world will look like for us. There’s a sense that for quite some time ahead, we may keep some of the things that we’ve been doing differently. For example, as well as now visiting my grandchildren, I will keep having video calls, and video story-time with them; and I’ll keep doing some shopping online as well as visiting stores.

When regional Victoria does open to Melburnians, the places on my shortlist to visit are Castlemaine, Barwon Heads and Marysville.

Castlemaine because it is such a lovely town and I have friends to catch up with over a beer at their boutique brewery; Barwon Heads for lunch ‘At the Heads’ café, pictured above (image courtesy of: @ryalsromaz); and Marysville, the foothills to the high country – I’ll visit with a mate as it’s a place where I love to go bushwalking.

It has been a challenging time, and I hope everyone is staying safe now you can get out and about and meet up with fellow Club members. I wish LACV members well.

Article by: Gerard Mansour, Commisioner for Senior Victorians.

LACVI online Trivia

In an endeavour to keep our members connected over the second COVID–19 lockdown, LACVI organised Trivia sessions via Zoom from August through to November. It was a good opportunity to facilitate a cross-Club online event.

We successfully ran 11 Trivia events that were made up of five categories plus one “who am I?” and one riddle.

Trivia was advertised on LACVIs Facebook page, a calendar posted on the LACVI website which people found handy to reference and emails sent out to all Presidents to pass onto their Club members.

This fun and interactive event included written and visual questions from all genres. It was a great way to meet new people from other Clubs. At the end of each event there was a 10 minute window to allow for conversation and social engagement.

The success of Trivia was due to the many returning participants. We got to hear stories, share a laugh, cringe at our losses and celebrate our wins.

Member Profile with... Lee Johnston

I belong to Yarraville LAC and have been president for the last few years. My favourite activities are: Book Club, Mah Jong, UFO (Un Finished Objects), craft, walking groups, local café/brunch/dinners and day outings exploring Melbourne and beyond. Book Club initially drew me to YLAC and meeting local people in my age group.

My favourite holiday in recent years was my first ocean cruise holiday to New Zealand in 2013. We had great weather, good seas and happy passengers and crew. New Zealanders show off their cities with floral streetscapes and embrace their first nations culture proudly. I caught the cruising bug, and to tell you the truth, I am much steadier on my feet on watercraft than I am on land! I have enjoyed 2 more overseas cruises since and hopefully, maybe in the future I will be able to cruise again.

By Lee Johnston, Yarraville LAC

The countries I called home

Join Rosemarie Wilkie as she takes us on a photo memoir of her life.

Member of Brighton Bayside Life Activities Club

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