17 March 2025

This will be our AGM so it is appropriate that we have a member of our own U3A speaking. 

Graeme Rothwell will talk on "A Personal Reflection on Soviet and Ukrainian Agriculture - Plus a Little History"

Graeme Rothwell, member of the History and Science Groups.

20 January 2025

Jacky McLaren from Borneo Bags

Jacky gave an excellent presentation on the plight of the Penan people of Borneo, gentle hunter gatherers whose lifestyle has been ruined by deforestation for palm oil plantations. 

The Penan people are very small in stature because they evolved with the rainforest where small size gave them a survival advantage.While teaching in Brunei, Jackie noticed the plight of the Penan people and organised the marketing and selling of their handwoven products. 

When she returned to New Zealand in 2015 she set up Borneo Bags to continue helping the Penan.Some of the bags are still made from the original rattan while the bulk are made from recycled pallet straps. 

They are very beautiful and practical bags. If you are looking for an exciting gift for someone, please see their website. Their phone bags look very accommodating for the modern cell phone.

Jackie gave us a demonstration of the Penan's blow pipe, shooting a dart (unpoisoned) into a balloon. She said it was curious that indigenous people in both Brazil and Borneo used similar hunting techniques.

Pictured is Jackie with the blow pipe and some of the bags.

November 2024

Dr Willo Steer
Willo talked about climate change from the point of view of a geologist. Are we still in the Holocene era or should we call it the Anthropogene era? Willo leads the large Geology group at the Warkworth U3A.