Shepparton's elderly play ukuleles to fight COVID-19 blues

Ukulele instructor John Canty said the group started up with resounding success last July, but when the pandemic struck, he was worried he would lose numbers.

“My biggest concern was that people weren’t going to play again, but now we have 15 members regularly attending the Zoom sessions,” he said.

“They love playing and the interaction.”

U3A president Elizabeth Lee said there were definitely speed bumps transitioning a group of older, more "technologically-challenged" people without musical experience to Zoom.

“The first time they didn’t mute themselves and it sounded dreadful due to the lag,” she said.

“So now everyone puts themselves on mute except for John, and plays along.

“It really gets them going and it's really popular.”

Mr Canty said he projected different Shepparton backgrounds, such as Victoria Park Lake, while he ran classes to create "ambiance".

Since COVID-19 struck, some of U3A's more popular activities such as games of 500 and Bridge have sadly had to stop.

But Zoom has proved a saving grace with punters opting in to activities such as Italian and French lessons, historical studies, literature classes and current affairs discussions to help stave off social isolation and boredom.

Now, Ms Lee said small in-person classes of up to 10 people were starting back up, including bird watching, photography, geology, science class and arts and crafts.

“With the bird watching, I thought, `God, how boring’ — but it's actually really interesting because the guy who runs it is so knowledgeable,” she said.

Mr Canty said he and his ukulele ensemble were working on a project about their experiences during lockdown.

U3A is also starting up Strength and Balance classes on Monday, August 3, at 9 am at the U3A hall for up to 10 people, starting with gentle exercise involving weights and bands — or cans of baked beans.

To register, phone instructor Lyn Davidson on 0402 019 552 between 4 pm and 6 pm on Sunday.