Ealing

2021 talks

AUTUMN TERM 2021 TALKS

For the Autumn term, we held 'hybrid' meetings, where there were a limited number of members able to attend the talk in Ealing Green Church whilst we also broadcast these talks over Zoom for members to watch from home. Details of the talks we had this term are shown below. This also includes information on any recordings of these talks that are available.

  • Thur 9 December (EGC + Zoom) - Teak - the King of Timbers (Do you have a teak bench in your garden? Ever wondered why it is so good for gardens and boats? The talk began with a consideration of the long-recognised properties of teak and its link to gold in ancient times. As the ‘king of timbers’ teak also has an interesting connection with the king of an Asian kingdom, plus surprising links to Hollywood and silk. A brief outline of how teak was traditionally logged in the teak forests of Asia followed, ending in the fate of retired elephants) with Jean Brewster, an Ealing U3A member who taught English Studies/Applied Linguistics in various institutions, including what is now The University of West London, Nottingham University and the Institute of Hong Kong. Jean has lived in various countries such as Malaysia, Belize, Cyprus, Hong Kong and Qatar and has an interest in cross-cultural issues.
  • Thur 25 November (Zoom) - Royal Albert Hall - Fantastic Visions (Throughout its 150-year existence, the Royal Albert Hall has hosted a wide range of events; this talk took a look at some which were unusual or surprising. There was no overarching connection between the events which were chosen, other than that the organisers displayed huge imagination and ambition in putting on a show which was not only unusual and spectacular, but was geared to take full advantage of the Hall’s extraordinary flexibility) with Richard Dacre who for the past 11 years has worked at the Royal Albert Hall where he researches its history to produce tours and presentations as well as continuing to write, lecture, broadcast, and produce filmed locations reports for inclusion on Blu-ray releases of films made in London. Richard has also published a number of books on the RAH, film and biography.
  • Thur 11 November (EGC + Zoom) - War Memorials in the London Borough of Ealing (Jonathan was present in Ealing Green Church for this talk on Armistice Day about war memorials in the borough. The talk discussed the various war memorials which were erected in the current borough after the First World War, looked at how and why these were created and at the various kinds of memorial and their legacy today. Some memorials were in churches, some in the public sphere and some in other places, eg. in the form of extensions to hospitals) with Dr Jonathan Oates the Ealing Borough archivist since 1999 who has a PhD in History from Reading University, 2001 and is also the author of 39 books (11 about Ealing) and numerous edited texts and journal articles, with more in the pipeline.

A recording of this talk is now available on the Ealing U3A YouTube channel - for information on accessing this please contact the Webmaster

  • Thur 28 October (Zoom) - Let's Talk about Birds (We joined Colette on an exploration into some of the fascinating behaviours and facts about British garden birds, so like her we could gain more enjoyment from watching them) with Colette Smith, who retired this year and now has more time to indulge in her passion of birdwatching which began as an eight year old girl in 1960s Liverpool. She has also obtained a postgraduate certificate in Ornithology from Birmingham University in 2007.

A recording of this talk is now available on the Ealing U3A YouTube channel - for information on accessing this please contact the Webmaster

  • Thur 14 October (EGC + Zoom) - The Results of the 2021 Photographic Competition and a talk 'Did U3A members improve as a Photographer since last year, plus the impact of the Smart phone as a Photographic Tool' (Michael Lurie spoke about good photographic techniques during last year's Competition Results session. In this talk he will ask have members photos improved since then. The proof is in the pudding - this year’s entries will answer that question. Could members have done better? Never miss an opportunity to use your “Seeing Eye”. Set yourself a project over the coming year) with Michael Lurie, a photographer for over 60 years and Member and past Chairman of Pinner Camera Club. All the photos entered for this year's competition are now available for members to view on our EVENTS page.
  • Thur 23 September (Zoom) - “The Love of Dangerous Men” (When Tony Nicholson and his family moved into an old house in the north of England, they discovered an enormous bird’s nest in the attic with hundreds of photographs and letters tangled in its straw. It was a treasure trove of old photographs and letters, all belonging to a mysterious woman called Annie Bowen. Who was she? And what was her story? Back Tony went to the Victorian era to find out. Soon, he uncovered a lost world of moonlight dances, country vicarages and teenage ‘spooning’. Through it all, the tangled web of Annie’s life was gradually unpicked to give a fascinating social history of ordinary lives lived in extraordinary ways) with Tony Nicholson who was a university history lecturer and whose Retirement hobbies are writing, including the book on which this talk was based, and giving talks. He also enjoys gardening, walking “and anything else that tickles his fancy”.

A recording of this talk is now available on the Ealing U3A YouTube channel - for information on accessing this please contact the Webmaster

  • Thur 9 September (EGC + Zoom) - The Female Impressionists (Next time you're in a bookshop, find a book on the Impressionists and almost certainly it will not include any female artists. There will be Monet, Pissarro, Degas, Sisley, Bazille, Renoir and Manet (despite the fact that he was not at all an Impressionist). In fact the group of about a dozen artists included four women - Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassat, Marie Braquemond and Eva Gonzales. This talk helped us to enjoy the innovative and appealing works of these four female artists) with Colin Lomas, Ealing U3A Member and Convenor of three of our Interest Groups. Colin did supply us with some notes relating to his talk; click on Female Impressionists handout to see these - these include links to the video clips included in his talk.

SPRING TERM 2021 TALKS

Details of past Zoom talks we have had this term are shown below. This also includes information on any recordings of these talks that are available.

  • Thur 8 July - How to Plan a Hospital (This talk covered the Vision of a new hospital, the Process and development of the Brief. How flexibility & adaptability is required, getting the available data from the Dept of Health and Funding) with Glynis Meredith-Windle, a professional in the sphere of international health planning with extensive experience on projects involving management, planning, operational re-engineering and technical advice who has worked on projects in the UK for NHS Authorities and for other health architects and management consultancies.
  • Thur 24 June - Rivington Terraced Gardens: Past, present and Future (Rivington Terraced Gardens were created on a barren Lancashire hillside by the soap giant William Hesketh Lever [Lord Leverhulme] as a weekend retreat. Neglected after Lever’s death for many years they have long been a favourite place for many. This talk told a little of the Gardens’ history and how recent efforts have been made to secure their future as a magical place for all) with Graham Gough, a volunteer at Rivington Terraced Gardens and vice chair of the Friends of Rivington Terraced Gardens.
  • Thur 10 June - 250 years of Beethoven (A chance to listen to some of Beethovens most beautiful piano works and hear a talk about his life. Annie Smart gave live piano performances of many of his greatest works) with Annie Smart, a composer, pianist and piano teacher from Scotland who also conducts and has run the Heart of Scotland choir for the last 10 years. Annie has grade 8 piano with distinction and an LTCL piano diploma.
  • Thur 27 May - Music and Meaning (There are a broad range of musical experiences but two themes seem to prevail in philosophical discussions on the power of music; these are consolation and revelation. This talk explored one way in which consolation and revelation may be apprehended by listeners as personal concepts. It focused on the narrative construction of experience and self-hood in philosophy and psychology, as well as the narrative capacity of music. The talk showed one way that conceptual metaphor can account for the musical experience as a domain where narratives can meet, and can shape a listeners response as a profound consolation or revelation) with James Frederick Mackay of the London School of Music, University of West London. James has a BA in community music at Sage Gateshead and is working on a PhD on the subject of this talk.
  • Thur 13 May - The History of the King’s Observatory at Richmond (In this talk, we were guided through the history of The King’s Observatory, a hub for scientific research in Richmond for over 200 years. We explored the legacy of this amazing building and learnt about the impact it had on the science we use today, from astronomy to timekeeping to predicting the weather!) with Vicky McGrath of the Museum of Richmond who joined them in October 2016, bringing over 15 years of experience of working in Museums and Heritage Education.
  • Thur 29 April - Cunard History and Glamourous Stars (This talk was based upon the history of Cunard from 1840 until the present day and included some of the more famous liners, but not all as there were nearly 250! It covered some of the celebrities and stars who sailed aboard Cunard ships including 'What did Charles Dickens think about the furnishings aboard Britannia?'; 'Which actress brought her gleaming white Rolls Royce on board Queen Mary and her own chickens as she demanded fresh eggs each day?'; 'When at a New York function, what was the reply to the lady who described Elizabeth Taylor’s very large diamond ring as vulgar?) with Steve Herra, a third generation of Cunard employee, whose last ship was the QE2 where he was one of the Pursers and met some of the stars featured in this talk.
  • Thur 15 April - Signatures – their history, meaning and future (Signatures are marks made by people to signify approval, acceptance, obligation or to confirm their presence. Graphologists know that a signature illustrates a person’s public image so they need cursive writing before they can gain a full understanding of a personality, yet sometimes only signatures are available. In addition to examining what signatures can tell about a person, the talk looked at the history of signatures and their possible future) with Adam Brand, a graphologist who works for solicitors requiring information about forgeries and for companies needing information about the personalities of possible recruits.

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WINTER TERM 2021 TALKS

Details of past Zoom talks in the Winter term are shown below. This also includes information on any recordings of these talks that are available.

  • Thur 25 March - Ealing U3A AGM plus a talk on the American artist Georgia O'Keeffe: Deserts, Flowers and Skulls by Jill Thumpston. Our Annual General Meeting was needed to consider the Chairman and Treasurer reports and elections for a new Committee. Details, including the full Agenda and other relevant papers can be found on our INFO page. Following the formal AGM, there was a talk on the American artist Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) by Jill Thumpston, a leading member of the Ealing U3A Art Appreciation group.
  • Thur 11 March - The Brontes and Politics: Revolution and Reform (Our images of the Brontë family are often ones which emphasise their isolation, hidden away in the gothic-like Parsonage in Haworth, wandering out onto the moors, and somehow creating astonishing novels like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall out of nowhere. In this talk, Simon Avery offers a different way of looking at this extraordinary family which shows just how politically engaged they were throughout their lives. From the family’s Irish background through ideas about war and revolution, leadership and the nation, slavery and women’s rights, the lives of the Brontës were intertwined with many of the major social and political debates which shaped the first half of the nineteenth century. And it was these debates which would also shape the Brontës’ remarkable creative output in their poetry, fiction, essays and art. As Charlotte Brontë’s friend Mary Taylor put it in the 1840s, the family were nothing less than ‘furious politicians’) by Dr Simon Avery, Reader in 19th Century Literature and Culture, University of Westminster.
  • Thur 25 February - Keeping You Safe From Frauds and Scams (Before the pandemic our speakers would have been out and about visiting groups such as ours, schools, youth groups etc educating and presenting on scams awareness and financial capability lessons. In this talk they gave advice, hints, tips and ways to help you to spot scams and how not to become a victim) by Sally Schofield with Mark Mullally from NatWest Bank, who are both Community Bankers for NatWest with over 60 years experience between them.
  • Thur 11 February - "Turpin: The Notorious", adapting the Real and Imagined for Television (This talk considered the 18th century outlaw Richard (Dick) Turpin who was the most famous criminal of his time. 'Turpin: The Notorious' is a practice as research PhD, with a four-part TV series script as its artefact. The thesis looked at how a hierarchy of sources, from contemporary newspaper reports to adaptations in a variety of media (ballads, literature, comics, theatre, film, TV), can be used to create a re-telling of the Turpin story which synthesises historical 'fact' with creative surmise) with Alastair Hagger, a Doctoral Researcher in Creative Writing at the London School of Film, Media and Design at the University of West London.
  • Thur 28 January - “Nothing so “ex” as an ex MP” (This talk covered aspects of his life since he retired from the House of Commons and also reminiscences from his time in Parliament) with Stephen Pound, ex-MP for Ealing North who left Parliament at the December 2019 election.
  • Thur 14 January - How Tropical Rainforests work (Tropical rainforests are the most biologically diverse and complex habitats on the planet. In this talk, David outlined the main ecological processes that keep the forests functioning, and described the current threats that surround their long-term survival) with Dr David Jones of the Natural History Museum and a Lecturer at Imperial College who is an entomologist specialising in rainforest insects and soil ecology.