U3A offers varied April programme

GEORGE NEWS - The April programme of University of the Third Age (U3A) has an interesting lineup of talks.

On Thursday 3 April, in the Anthropology Course, David Jones will talk about 'Where it all started'.

Recent research in the field of genetics following the cracking of the human genome has demonstrated without a doubt that the earliest representation of Homo Sapiens came from Africa. The talk will start at 10:30.

Egypt's treasures

In Armchair Travel on Wednesday 9 April, Jan Hough will talk about his trip to the Netherlands, Munich and Egypt. He visited Egypt at the hottest time of the year - July into August. The daytime temperatures were usually about 44°C. Fortunately it did cool down at night to about 32°C. Perhaps not surprisingly then that he was one of only a few tourists visiting Egypt at that time of the year. The positive side of that was that he was able to enjoy the sights without the usual crowds.

Hough’s main focus was on the archaeology sites, which were so fascinating that, according to him, words cannot describe the awe and impact those excavations had on him and others around.

His visit included the pyramids in Giza, the tombs where the painting seemed so fresh, that it could have been done three days ago and not 3 000 years ago, and the abandoned obelisk at Aswan. Thereafter he travelled to Abu Simbel, the monument of Rameses II.

Hough is presently the chairman for the Plettenberg Bay branch of U3A. His main profession during his working career was that of a medical physicist (focusing mainly on the uses of radiation in the medical field) working in Cape Town.

He has always enjoyed travelling, especially to overseas destinations. His first visit was to the USA at the age of nine. His travels thereafter included Rhodesia, Zambia, Mozambique, Mauritius, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Rio de Janeiro, Puerto Rico, Europe, UK, Ireland, Croatia and last, but not least, China.

Another love in Hough’s life is jazz music. He is a musician himself, playing trumpet and double bass. This talk starts at 10:30.

Development of Garden Route Botanical Garden in George

On Friday 25 April, Ken Gie will deliver a talk on 'The development of the Garden Route Botanical Gardens in George'.

Converting a 12-hectare, municipal wasteland, infested with black wattle trees, occupied by vagrants and used as a rubbish dump, into a magnificent botanical garden is a story of hope, determination and hard work by volunteers.

Gie has resided in George for 42 years and has been a volunteer for 17 years spearheading many projects, including the building of the restaurant in the garden. His most satisfying project was designing and building the wheelchair-friendly Mushroom Meander.

So come along and hear about the gardens. Refreshments will be available at 10:00 and the talk starts at 10:30.

The role of rewilding

In the general meeting on Wednesday 30 April, Dr Bool Smuts will talk about 'Leopards, people and everything: the role of rewilding'.

Smuts has worked on the protection and preservation of leopards for many years. He has special interests in protected areas development and management, tourism, species conservation, resource utilisation and related conservation governance.

Refreshements will be served at 10:00 and the talk will start at 10:30.