U3A lectures headed out of this world during March

There is lots of variety for Wollongong‘s University of the 3rd Age (U3A) lecture series for the month of March, including two visits to outer space.

On Monday, 9 March at 9.30am, Stuart Traynor presented his annual Albert Einstein Lecture, this one is titled “Einstein’s Biggest Blunder.”

In November 1915, Einstein completed his equations in general relativity – effectively a new theory of gravity based on an extraordinary new take on the nature of space. But when he started to apply these equations to the universe as a whole, he wouldn’t accept what the mathematics was telling him, and so he fudged the results.

Stuart explored why this most unconventional of thinkers tinkered with his own equations to fit his own personal philosophy of the universe.

Going to space in film

On Thursday, 12 March at 9.30am, Aileen Harland will take members on a journey through movies that deals with space travel, alternate universes and aliens.

Aileen will cover the first films that represented space in terms of imagination (A Trip to the Moon, 1902), followed by those dealing with unidentified flying objects (Earth V The Flying Saucers, 1956). She will show that as space technology began to develop from the 1950s, and the race to the moon began, cinema moved from imaginative reconstructions to actual landings (Destination Moon, 1950).

With the arrival of the 1960s and 70s, film responded to a climate of suspicion and unrest, with Alien-style movies. Then as we moved into the 21st century, space travel looked to reach even further into space, and movies such as Mission to Mars (2000) drew on the latest technology.

Aileen will also touch on the world of special effects used to create these movies which were “out of this world” and question where technology such as AI might take us into future space.

Growing up in Ireland

On 23 March at 9.30am, Clare Farrell will explore how in Ireland’s towns and cities in the 1950s and 1960s, the corner store shaped the rhythm of working class life.

These small shops bridged the gap between weekly wages and daily needs, selling bread, tea, cigarettes and household staples in modest quantities.

They were places where neighbours met after work, where children ran errands with coins wrapped in paper, and where news travelled faster than on the radio.

Shopkeepers often lived above the premises, forming long-standing ties with local families, and in communities marked by tight budgets and strong social networks, the corner store offered familiarity, trust, and a sense of a shared everyday experience.

Bizet's Opera 'Carmen'

Also on 23 March, at 11am, Allayne Foley will introduce the U3A audience to Carmen.

This popular opera by Bizet, first performed in Paris in 1875, remains popular today, being in the top 10 operas staged throughout the world each year.

Allayne will explain the story, originally set in Seville in Spain, where Carmen, a gypsy, seduces young soldier Don Jose but then leaves him for a toreador. She will play some of the wonderful tunes, such as The Toreador’s Song, which remains one of the most famous operatic melodies, and Allayne will remind us how it was adapted for use in TV shows, well known advertisements, Broadway musicals, and even a Hollywood movie.

Heading back into space

On Thursday, 26 March, the U3A gang head back into outer space when Dawn Epton will switch from movies to literature. Her expose will try to explain what defines science fiction, its main characteristics and themes.

Dawn will examine the evolution of the genre and investigate the various sub-genres of science fiction, discussing its popularity over the ages and whether it has been gradually subsumed into mainstream literary fiction.

The free U3A lectures are delivered in the Salvation Army hall in Burelli Street, Wollongong. For more information, visit the Wollongong U3A website.