Keeping up with Jake in April

I had the great pleasure of taking up an invitation to speak to the Mt Albert U3A a few weeks ago. For those who don’t know, “U3A” stands for the University of the Third Age.

Pockets (my 89 year old mother would call them “wrinkled pockets” but I couldn’t possibly comment) of retired men and women gather to learn from each other, drawing on the vast reservoir of knowledge and connections they share.

The connection for me was Indian Ink Patron and U3A stalwart, Valmai Shearer.

It was at Valmai’s behest that I was here and she sat beaming in the front row amongst over a hundred older adults gathered at the Western Springs Garden Community Hall on a fine April morning.

As I sorted my masks and props for the talk Valmai quietly slipped me a book: a memoir she had written and self-published.

To be clear, Valmai has never written a book before but I guess the whole premise of U3A is that you’re never too old to learn new things. Valmai is certainly evidence of that. She was born in 1926 and turns 98 in July.

I can’t wait to read that book.

 

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