Enthusiastic people with a positive approach to life
Join us at our next Monthly Meeting
Wednesday 7 May 2025: 9.45am.
Milford Bowling Club, 20 Commodore Parry Road, Milford.
u3a welcomes new members as you bring new thoughts and ideas to our group.
Our Monthly Meetings have a variety of ingredients certain to meet your taste! A warm welcome (and a few notices) from the President; a mini-talk by one of our members; a biscuit break for friendly chatter and meeting new friends; and a main speaker of note in the community.
A sure recipe for success and enjoyment - "Do try it!"
Our Guest Speaker
James Duncan
Tramway Project Manager - MOTAT
Trash to Treasure
The final part of the Auckland tram story…… one man’s efforts to try and save an Auckland tram right on the eve of the Auckland tramway system closing. His efforts stirred up other enthusiasts around the country which started a preservation movement in other New Zealand cities. Here in Auckland, it saw the formation of the museum we know today as MOTAT.
James grew up here in Auckland during the 1960s and 1970s when Auckland was served by a large and extensive electric trolley bus system. These vehicles fascinated him as a child and thus began a passion for electric street transport.
At age 15 he joined the Tramway Division at MOTAT and has now been an active volunteer member of the tramway for 49 years. Most of his working life was spent in retail, but in 2011 he was asked to take on managing the operation of the new tramway down in Wynyard Quarter.
Today, together with this role, and a full-time position at MOTAT looking after the infrastructure for the MOTAT Tramway, he says he is now like a pig in mud!
Our Study Groups
u3a Takapuna offers lifelong learning in an informal way. Our members are in the ‘third age’ of life – having finished working full-time or raising a family, we have time to pursue our interests, or try something new. We thrive on educational, recreational and social activities. Groups meet fortnightly or monthly. There are no qualification requirements – and no exams!
