Where are we?

Port Alfred is at the mouth of the Kowie River, halfway between Port Elizabeth and East London, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. U3A Port Alfred was started in 2010 by Meryl Howes and had one presentation per month. Meetings were, and still are, held in the Don Powis Hall in Settlers Park Retirement Village. The Hall has good sound and video projection facilities.

What do we offer?

We currently have about 150 members, of whom between fifty and eighty attend each meeting. We have no special interest groups (SIG) at present, but in the past had Travel, isiXhosa, Transcendental Meditation, and Quantum Theory.

At the beginning of 2021, the FAST (Forum for Astronomy, Science, and Technology) organisation in Port Alfred merged with the existing U3A and swelled the number of members slightly. FAST also provided a source of high-quality scientific and technical speakers, on topics from Astronomy through to Zoology. There are several Grade 1 Scientists in the area, and we sometimes source speakers from Rhodes University in Grahamstown/Makhanda on a variety of topics from the Sciences, Humanities, and Arts. Presentations are not limited to academics, and we encourage members to contribute presentations within their area of expertise.

Port Alfred has a large retired community and is ideally suited to organisations like U3A where interesting presentations are served to encourage people to socialise and get out into society. Our purpose in running U3A here is to provide a stimulating environment for those who have the time and inclination to learn in a social context.