By REBECCA BILLS
U3A Yarra Ranges president Geoff Hughes has announced the group was “homeless” after unforeseen circumstances forced the group out of their current bases.
Mr Hughes said after the closure of Swinburne, their base site was then divided between the pavilion at the Uniting Church in Lilydale and the Janet Campbell Centre in Kilsyth.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, both these sites are no longer available – we are now homeless,” he said.
“We have just been given some breathing space in a disused Maternal Health centre in Kilsyth for 12 months which will allow us to store equipment and records securely.
“But this is temporary, and we need a base which will provide office space, secure storage space and classroom space to allow us our needed flexibility in programming.”
Mr Hughes said U3A Yarra Ranges was now committed to the concept of retaining the Swinburne site as an educational precinct and base for the group.
“As the community group which has been holding classes at this site from the opening until the closing of the campus, we are extremely anxious to regain our classrooms and to set up a permanent home base on this site,” he said.
“We already have history here and we need our classrooms back.”
U3A Yarra Ranges is an autonomous self-help organisation of mature age citizens of the shire dedicated to providing a full range of low-cost affordable classes.
Mr Hughes said at present their classes were spread over nine venues in four townships making communication difficult.
“Also, many of our members, being elderly, can no longer drive and so need to use public transport,” he said.
“Just reaching these venues is extremely difficult for many.
“This makes it imperative that we have a base in Lilydale, which is the only township in this shire which can be reached from all parts of the shire by public transport.”
U3A Yarra Ranges genealogy teacher and walking group instructor John Sebire said the group was in talks with council at the moment to secure the Swinburne site, however was in a state of limbo at the moment.
U3A is a learning co-operative of volunteers, who encourage health ageing by enabling members to share educational, creative and leisure activities.
