U3A BRISBANE

U3A is the University of the Third Age, which is the age of active retirement, coming after the age of youth and work and home making. University is a loose term - there are no academic requirements for membership and no exams.

U3A is a worldwide self-help organisation promoting learning for personal enjoyment and wellbeing. Keeping the brain active, doing interesting things and making new friends are essential for helping older people to maximise their chances of independence, and this is what U3A does very effectively. U3A is making a very substantial contribution to society by helping its members to remain healthy and active for longer.

U3A Brisbane is one of many similar U3A organisations in Australia. Formed in 1986, we are a totally volunteer organisation, and provide leisure and educational courses to local seniors. We have over 3000 members and offer more than 220 courses each term, all of these at a low cost.

Our City Campus classes are held at our own premises at 97 Creek Street Brisbane, and in leased rooms nearby at 232 Adelaide St Brisbane, just a short walk from bus, train or ferry. Other City Precinct classes are held at various locations in the CBD.

We also have classes in surrounding suburbs and districts - in Logan (our largest district outside the city), Southside, Northside, Westside and Wynnum.

See the Class Search page for information on all  current classes, and our How to Join page for information about joining U3A Brisbane.

HOW WE OPERATE

To attend our classes, you must first become a member. Membership is for a calendar year and costs $40 per annum. You can then enrol in classes via the Class Search page. District (suburban) classes are generally free of charge, but our City Campus classes require an upfront fee for the term. There are 4 terms per year based on Qld school terms. For more information see our How to Join page.

SPECIAL EVENTS IN OCTOBER

The following special events will be held online via Zoom in October. Please book using the button below.

Monday 25 October 11.00am. Stuart Watt. What is the Future of News?
Digital disruption is driving huge changes in how we access media. The rise of the internet as a distribution channel for media has destroyed the old paradigms and business models. News has not been immune. Now you can access news from the best and the most dubious of sources in the world, wherever you are. So, what does the future of news hold?
Stuart Watt has been a journalist for over 30 years. He started his career in the UK and on returning to Australia in the mid-1990s, gained a job in the ABC's radio newsroom. He was part of the team that started ABC News Digital in 1997 and went on to become its managing editor for almost a decade. He is currently Head of Output and Distribution for ABC News.
This is the presentation that Stuart had to cancel in June due to a sudden family emergency overseas.

Book Now

TERM 4 CLASSES

Class Schedule for Term 4 2021 is now available and enrolments are open.  Term 3 finishes on Friday 24th September and Term 4 starts on Tuesday 5th October.

To join a new class, enrol through the Class Search page by clicking on the Enrol button, or contact the tutor directly by email or phone. If you book online you may assume your enrolment is accepted unless the tutor advises otherwise.

If you are currently enrolled in a Term 3 class that you wish to continue attending in Term 4, you can use the Member Dashboard to re-enrol.

Search Classes and Enrol
Class Help Page Download PDF

Member Dashboard

NEW DISCUSSION FORUM

U3A Brisbane now has a Discussion Forum, mainly intended for members to discuss class content with each other. In order to access the forum, members who have not otherwise registered a password as Tutor or staff Volunteer need to firstly:
Register a username and password via Website Registration. Make sure you respond to the security email otherwise the password won't be registered. If you ever forget your password, you can re-set it via the same process.

Once you have a username and password:
  1. Login via the login window at top right of home page.
  2. Go to Members menu that will then show on the right and select Discussion Forum.

Tutors may request a new forum category for their class. See Discussion Forum explanatory page for more information.

COVID Safe Plans

U3A Brisbane is required to have COVID-19 Safe Plans in place for face-to-face classes and current plans are available below. Tutors must contact the relevant District Coordinator if you wish to conduct a face-to-face class and you must agree to abide by the relevant Plan.

REMOTE LEARNING

We are recommending Zoom videoconferencing to tutors who do not wish to conduct face-to-face classes. Many tutors are successfully running their classes online at present. This facility will not be appropriate to all classes but should suit those classes where presentations are typically made. It is very easy to use and we encourage all members to join these sessions online when invited by the tutor.
  Zoom - Student Instructions
  Zoom - Tutor Instructions

Email Discussion Groups
U3A Brisbane is also recommending that tutors consider setting up an Email Discussion Group. This enables class members to join the group for interactive discussion.
  Discussion Group Instructions (for tutors)

CORONAVIRUS PRECAUTIONS

Current advice can be summarised as:
Protect yourself and others by staying home. Stop the spread by practicing good hygiene and social distancing.

Please read these advisory documents for detailed advice:
Coronavirus (COVID-19), Qld Health

Coronavirus (COVID-19), Australian Government

Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Install the COVIDSafe app on your mobile phone

The ABC Coronavirus website is an excellent source of up-to-date information.
 

2021 Term dates:

 

Note: Start date for face-to-face classes for Term 4 has been deferred to 18th October because of COVID restrictions.