General Meetings are normally scheduled for the third Wednesday of
every second month, beginning in March. The dates for 2026 are:
18 March (AGM), 20 May, 22 July*, 16 September, 18 November.
* The third Wednesday of July, the 15th, falls during school holidays. The July meeting has therefore been scheduled for the following week.
We are very grateful to Howick High School for making their
facilities available to us as the regular venue for our General
Meetings. Please note that our General Meetings start promptly at
15:00 (3:00 PM) and you should arrive as soon after 14:30
as possible (not before, please), for registration / checking
in. Members, please remember to wear your name tags.
The next General Meeting of U3A Howick will be the
This meeting will be held in our usual venue, the Team Teaching Room,
Howick High School, Amber Avenue, Greendale, Howick.**
The Guest Speaker will be
The “Bred 4 the Wild” Bearded Vulture Breeding Programme is a collaborative conservation effort between governments, the formal conservation sector, corporates and private specialists to save this critically endangered species from extinction. It is estimated that less than 350 of these magnificent birds remain, living high up in the Drakensberg between Lesotho and South Africa. Breeding just once a year in winter, the elusive pairs lay two eggs, but only raise one chick. The challenging aim of this project is to harvest 32 unrelated eggs from the cliff-face nests to hatch and raise the chicks. Based at a specialist breeding station outside Underberg, this group will form a genetic reserve and their progeny will be released to supplement the dwindling wild population.
Shannon Hoffman has worked with raptors for over 20 years. In 2005 she initiated, and is still a trustee of, the African Raptor Trust. This non-profit provides resources for the conservation of African birds of prey. The following year she co-founded the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary, which she managed until 2023. This was, at the time, one of the largest raptor facilities on the continent, showcasing indigenous raptors and including a rehabilitation unit. Shannon initiated the Bearded Vulture Breeding Programme in 2015 and continues to manage it.
** DIRECTIONS: Turn into Amber Avenue from Main Street at the traffic lights near Greendale Spar. Pass the main entrance gate to Howick High School on the right. Drive into the school grounds through the Jubilee Gate entrance (by the tennis courts, further down Amber Avenue). You can park in the large area immediately on the right, on the side of the main school building. Walk up the ramp on the side of the main building and enter an open corridor on your left. The Team Teaching Room is on the right a few metres along. Look out for “U3A” signs. Mind the step when entering the Team Teaching Room!
The Guest Speakers at our General Meetings in 2025 were:
19 March (AGM): Jon Rash - "Antarctica, a Window into Space"
21 May: Elwyn Jenkins - "Changing Place Names in South Africa"
23 July: Yvonne Spain - "On the Shelf"
17 September: Robin Davis - "Behind the Scenes at the SABC"
19 November: Crystelle Wilson - "Birding with a Purpose"
The speakers and topics for our General Meetings in 2026 are:
18 March (AGM): Laurie Farrand - "Saving Grace: the story of a rescue
donkey"
20 May: Shannon Hoffman - "Bearded Vultures"
22 July: Helen Wienand - "The National Sea Rescue Institute"
16 September: Chris Ellis - topic to be confirmed
18 November: Trevor Wilson - "Firefighting in the Midlands"
