ABOUT 80 people recently attended a prelaunch of the U3A building at Cleveland, held to attract final fundraising towards its fitout. The building is at lockup stage, and remaining works include painting, kitchen and wet areas, furnishings, and a veranda with ramp and railing. U3A president Janese Lowe said the first visitors were given a tour of the building and saw firsthand its potential. “A lot of people said they didn’t know it was here, and now they have seen it, they can see the possibilities for it,” she said. Ms. Lowe mentioned that the building also opened up possibilities for classes in the evening and at weekends. “We have been thinking of a wine appreciation club with tastings. That could be done in the evening, for example.”
The first sod was turned for the building in November 2023. “It has all happened so quickly, but we have had to tell the builder to down tools for now until we can raise funds for the final stage. He is still keen to see the project through,” Ms. Lowe said. The purpose-built 100sqm building will house the U3A office and some classrooms and has been built in the grounds of the Redland Research facility in Delancy St. “We want everything to be multi-purpose. We want to make efficient use of small spaces. For example, the largest table can be made by setting smaller tables together,” she said. “That way, it can be used as a boardroom or meeting room and for classrooms, as required.”
Ms. Lowe said it would be a big step forward for U3A to have its own building with its own pedestrian and car access available. The building has been constructed with U3A savings of about $280,000, including a $60,000 Redland City Council grant. Ms. Lowe said U3A had used about 30 different venues for its various classes, and not all could be accommodated in the new building, but she hoped that the academic and language classes would be. “It will also be a place for committee meetings, and we hope to alternate classes there on a roster,” she said.
Ms. Lowe said the new building would give U3A a central place to call home and encourage a community feel. Construction of the building began on the 25th anniversary of U3A in the Redlands.
