U3A Townsville & Magnetic Island

• U3A History

  U3A movement was establish in France in 1973 with Australia establishing it first  U3A in Melbourne in 1984 and quickly caught on in other communities in Australia. In Queensland the first U3As to be formed were Sunshine Coast and Brisbane in 1986. adopting the UK model which formed in 1984, Rather than relying on traditional universities to provide courses and tutors, members themselves volunteer their skills, knowledge, and life experiences to provide classes for other members. 

  As U3A grew through Australia which had grown to 250 local Networks and 85,000 members U3A Alliance Australia was born in 2010 to foster co operation and exchange of information between networks and to advocate for the U3A movement on a national level, where deemed appropriate and necessary. Becoming the largest senior Organisation and provider of adult education programs.

  U3A Network Queensland was established in 2009 and became incorporated on 6 August 2009 (IA37380). The Network represents 36 U3A groups throughout the state, including U3A Online.

  • Promote the U3A movement in Queensland
  • Facilitate communication between local and national U3A groups
  • Provide support for existing U3A groups and for the formation of new groups
  • Establish connections with local and state government agencies and with other appropriate groups in the community
• Our Mission

  Our mission is to create a culture to support and encourage members to improve their well-being through exercising their minds and bodies and to see U3A as an integral part of their life helping to achieve personal goals and ambitions.  

• Our Beliefs

  • To create lifelong learning which contributes to a good quality of life.
  • To promote The Third Age as a special period of life with opportunity for continued learning.
  • To promote an active mind and body which moderates the aging process and maximizes the quality and duration of life.
  • To share knowledge which in turn expands capacity.
  • To listen respectfully to others and learn from them.
  • To volunteer our time, knowledge and skills which enhances well-being, as well as the well-being and joy of others. 
  • To enable learning in the company of others which develops friendships.
  • To working together as focused teams which creates a vibrant and attractive organisation.
• U3A Townsville

  U3A Townsville was then established 1987 and have just under 500 members between Townsville and Magnetic Island as a self-help movement run by and for retirees. Which is managed by a committee of volunteers some of which have been with us 15 years, and a few coming up for 10 years.

• Class Groups

  Create a self-sustaining organisation with an energetic membership, and far-ranging programs. To do this we need to charge class fees which help maintain services and improve your class experience they help toward the cost of internet, office supplies, refreshments and tutors materials like photocopying

  Membership fees and class fees go towards operating costs associated with running the organisation, as we pay commercial rent prices.

  Our offerings include programs relating to:

  • Activity and social learning
  • Creative Learning
  • Financial management learning
  • STEM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
  • Humanities learning
  • Regular lectures with are eclectic in nature and have a wide appeal.
  • University Studies in partnership with JCU. 
• Our Members

  U3A membership is not related to a specific age but to a period in ones life (third Age) after the second age of fulltime employment and parental responsibility. Anybody in their third age can join U3A and this includes people who are working parttime. There is no lower age but who with like-minded people want to connect with each other, find stimulating retirement activities, learn new hobbies or develop old ones, make new friends and most importantly, enjoy life to the full, with the only restriction to the curriculum is the expertise available within the community.

  Each U3A is a community organisation that promotes healthy ageing by sharing educational, creative, leisure activities provided by their own members. We ask for no qualifications for membership and we award no degrees or diplomas.

• Members Reviews

  Why I joined U3A by John Webster I first heard of U3A when my father and partner joined in Buderim over 25 years ago? They attended a number of courses including history, and computing, I also enjoyed the learning and companionship and recommended the group to all. I had made a few attempts over the years to join after my family had grown up. However, by the time I "got around to it" the office had moved a couple of times. Finally, I successfully caught up and joined. I was particularly interested in the photography and Science groups and also a variety of the Friday talks. Our photographic tutor was unable to continue so I decided to try to keep the group together, as obviously a number of members were still keen. I also keen to continue learning from the other members and compare our various personal "takes" on photographic themes or topics. I found U3A also a very good forum to meet other people with common and new interests