Horsham’s Bob McIlvena is a life member of the city’s University of the Third Age, U3A, group.

Past president Mr McIlvena was presented with his certificate at last week’s annual general meeting by president June Liddy.

U3A state president, and the meeting’s guest speaker, Annie Grigg said Mr McIlvena had done a wonderful job providing support to U3A, and had represented the group at various levels.

She also spoke about U3A’s project Elevate, a statewide initiative to boost the visibility, awareness and recognition of U3A as the organisation of choice for older Victorians.

“We’re meeting with state politicians, and we’ve met with senior people to talk about what U3A does,” she said.

“There are a million people aged over 65 in Victoria, and we’ve got 41,000 members. That’s not the right balance. 

“We’ll be making stronger links with multicultural groups and First Nations groups, just to see how we can work together.” U3A offers a range of events and activities to people aged 55 years and older who no longer work full-time.  

“Everybody’s got their own organisation, so it’s a bit tribal,” Ms Grigg said.

“But we’re trying to break down those barriers to do the best for seniors, and we’ll each rise as appropriate.”

People can find more information on Horsham U3A’s website horshamu3a.org.au or Facebook page. 

– Bronwyn Hastings

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