U3A BRISBANE

University of the Third Age Brisbane


Connecting Seniors to Lifelong Learning

University of the Third Age Brisbane


Connecting Seniors to Lifelong Learning


NOTICE BOARD

Upcoming Special Presentations
Friday 22nd May 2026, 9:30am. Workshop 2 - Simple Ways to Organise Everyday Activities - Lakkhana Perera, City Campus, 232 Adelaide St.

Friday 22nd May 2026, 1:15pm. Hearing Care and Brain Health - Reese Cooper, City Campus, 232 Adelaide St.

More Info and Bookings

Latest eNewsLATEST U3A eNEWS - May


 

Talk by Emeritus Professor Paul Young (UQ)

This presentation by Emeritus Professor Paul Young on 1st October 2025 on the topic The true impact of vaccine science was part of the ongoing collaboration between University of Qld and U3A Brisbane. Talk starts at 15m15s. Click on Fullscreen icon at bottom right for full screen view. (Video courtesy UQ).

ABC Radio visit to U3A Brisbane

U3A Cheryl Hayden
On Tuesday 24 June Georgina Robinson from ABC Radio Brisbane visited U3A Brisbane’s Adelaide Street classrooms. Her team visited some classes and interviewed class members and members of the Management Committee.

The radio segment played on Monday, 30 June, and can be heard here:
ABC Radio Breakfast

The video segment can be viewed on Facebook:
ABC Radio Facebook

Upcoming Special Presentations

Workshop 2 - Simple Ways to Organise Everyday Activities

Lakkhana Perera

Date: Friday 22 May 2026, 9:30am-11:00am
Presenter: Lakkhana Perera
Venue: City Campus, 232 Adelaide St.

This is the second workshop in this series, following the first session which was held on 24 April. It is not necessary to have attended the first workshop.

- Learn something interesting
- Share your own experiences
- Hear how others approach daily life
- Meet new people in a friendly setting.

Current Bookings: 16   (Maximum: 16)
Members on Waiting List: 7. If you register you will be added to the Waiting List.
 
Register for this Event

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Hearing Care and Brain Health

Reese Cooper

Date: Friday 22 May 2026, 1:15pm-2:45pm
Presenter: Reese Cooper
Venue: City Campus, 232 Adelaide St.

In this presentation, Reese Cooper explores the physical and mental effects of untreated hearing loss, how to overcome common barriers to treatment, and why proactive hearing care is vital to lifelong brain health.

Reese holds a Master of Audiology Studies from the University of Queensland, where his thesis focused on the suitability and readability of educational materials for cochlear implant recipients. His work was published in the International Journal of Audiology, reflecting his commitment to accessibility and patient-centred communication. His career has focused on adult hearing rehabilitation, with expertise in hearing aid fitting, cochlear implants, and assistive listening devices. He has presented to both clinical and public audiences, supported audiologist training initiatives, and contributed to improving accessibility in hearing health. Reese is a Certified Practising Audiologist and full member of Audiology Australia.

What You'll Learn from the talk
Discover how the cognitive overload you're suffering from may be caused by untreated hearing loss.
• Find out why untreated hearing loss is the number one modifiable risk factor for Dementia.
• Understand the critical importance of preserving the neural pathways between the ears and the brain
• What you can do to keep your brain engaged and active and how soon you need to start.
• Learn why the term "use it or lose it" applies to the connection between hearing and the brain.
• Why some people can never get their hearing back once it deteriorates and how you can prevent it from happening to you.

All attendees will receive a free copy of The Power of Sound.

Current Bookings: 50   (Maximum: 50)
Members on Waiting List: 10. Sorry, no further enrolments allowed.
 

Current Classes

Enrolments Open

Class Schedule for Term 2 2026 is now active and enrolments are open. Term 2 commenced on Monday 20 April.

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

You can use the Member Dashboard to view your class enrolment status.

Search Classes and Enrol

Member Dashboard

2026 Term dates:

 Term  From  To  Weeks 
   1 Tue 27-Jan Thu 2-Apr   10
   2 Mon 20-Apr Fri 26-Jun   10
   3 Mon 13-Jul Fri 18-Sep   10
   4 Tue 6-Oct Fri 11-Dec   10
Public Holidays during Term 2:
Anzac Day: Saturday 25 April
Labour Day: Monday 4 May

U3A Brisbane Strategic Plan 2025-2028

Strategic Plan 2025The Strategic Plan for 2025-28 has been developed by the Management Committee and key U3A leaders. It is available here:
Strategic Plan 2025-2028
 

4BC Interview with Deslyn Taylor, President U3A Brisbane

Sofie Formica
This 9-minute interview with Sofie Formica was broadcast on 4BC Brisbane on 28 January 2025. It is about connecting seniors with Lifelong Learning, with particular emphasis on creative arts classes and the social benefits of being part of the U3A community.
(Acknowledgement: 4BC Brisbane)

Nine News segment about U3A Brisbane

This segment was broadcast on Brisbane Channel 9 News Seniors Report by Bruce Paige on 5 July 2024.
(Acknowledgement: 9News Brisbane)

The classes shown were Lily Buttigieg's J218 Spanish Continuing and Bruce Holdsworth's E16 Politics and the Economy - Hopes and Fears, both Wednesday classes at 232 Adelaide St.

Artificial Intelligence

AI brain

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here, and anyone can use it. In order to assist U3A members in understanding AI, we have developed a resource to provide practical information on using the various AI tools publicly available, and to outline some of the thorny social issues AI presents:

Introduction to AI

The technology has advanced more quickly than expected, and has the potential to reshape our world. This resource page is offered primarily to provide information about the numerous ways in which AI can currently be used. In the longer term, there are philosophical and even existential considerations, but the more we know about practical AI, the better we will be equipped to understand the deeper issues for humanity.

We are running various presentations on AI as part of this educational process. Tutors and Members are encouraged to explore the creative opportunities of AI.


U3A Network Qld Video

This 5-minute video has been produced by U3A Network Qld to promote the benefits of U3A membership.

 

Social Events

See Social Events page for details of social events organised by our Social Events Team.

Monthly eNews

To keep our members up to date with current and important information, we produce monthly e-newsletters and those are sent to members on our Email mailing list. For details of our classes and timetable, we produce a quarterly Class Schedule issued two weeks before the end of each term.

Recent Issues

2026
May 2026
April 2026
March 2026
February 2026

2025
December 2025
November 2025
October 2025
September 2025
August 2025
July 2025
June 2025
May 2025
April 2025
March 2025
February 2025

Prior Years

E-News Back Issues

U3A 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 to the system: Login Procedure
  2. Go to Members menu that will then show on the sidebar 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.

Remote Learning

Online classesU3A Brisbane recommends 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.Closed Captions are optionally available in Zoom sessions for those members who need them.

  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)