The Queensland Retired Teachers' Association
"A professional fraternal fellowship in retirement"
The QRTA is a body of ex-teachers (state and non-state, interstate and overseas) and their spouses, established to cater for the needs of members in retirement.
Whats on in Brisbane 2023
For more information please read our monthly Newsletter by clicking here: QRTA Newsletter July 2023
Date | Details |
---|---|
18 July |
Tour of St John’s Cathedral Precinct |
15 August |
AGM We really need your HELP and IDEAS.The Constitution allows for 12; members to be on the Executive. Sadly, due to illness and accidents we are concerned that the Executive will not have the required members. |
20 September |
Morning Tea and Entertainment |
17 October | Tour of the Queensland Herbarium The Queensland Herbarium is situated at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Cootha. It is part of Queensland's Department of Environment and Science. It is responsible for discovering, describing, monitoring, modelling, surveying, naming and classifying Queensland's plants, and is the focus for information and research on the state's plants and plant communities. The history of the Herbarium as an institution starts in 1855 with the appointment of Walter Hill as Superintendent of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, four years before Queensland separated from New South Wales as a colony. In 1859, with Separation, Hill was appointed Colonial Botanist as well as remaining Director of the Gardens, a position he was to hold until 1881. At the time the main function of colonial botanic gardens was usually to facilitate the introduction of suitable economic plants, although native plants would be collected as well. However, Hill's successor as Colonial Botanist was Frederick Manson Bailey, an established botanist already in charge of the herbarium at the Queensland Museum. Bailey remained in office for 34 years, until his death in 1915, and energetically worked at building up the herbarium collection through correspondence, exchange and numerous expeditions throughout the state. Since 1855 the herbarium collection has been housed in five different places, and its botanical library in six. In 1998 the Herbarium moved to its current site within the Mount Cootha Botanic Gardens. The number of plant specimens in the collection is over 890,000, mainly from Queensland. The tour includes a viewing of the Quarantine area. Plant Specimens collected by Joseph Banks when he arrived with Captain Cook are housed here. Depending on Numbers TWO TOURS will run. The first at 10.00 and the second at 11.00 The maximum number per tour is 15. Attendance commitment will be required by 3 October to organise groups. |
21 November | Tour of the State Library |
12 December |
CHRISTMAS LUNCH We are returning to a buffet Christmas Lunch this year at the QTU as was traditionally done before COVID. |
News from the regions
'The SC Hi QRTA (Sunshine Coast Hinterland) has been meeting for over12 months now and is steadily gaining numbers. We meet on the last Wednesday of each month.
Our proposed programme July 26 - visit to Maleny Library. We’re astonished what services are provided (other than the lending of books) by our library. The Librarian will be our guest speaker.
All retired teachers are welcome to our meetings. Please ph. Lily Reid 0418 157 125 for more details. We currently hold our meetings at the Maleny Hotel but could consider a change in venue for the guest speaker events so that we can have a private room.
For any further information on events happening in the Hinterland for 2023: Please Contact Lily Reid, 0418 157 125 or email lily.reid@bigpond.com
Brisbane (State) Branch Meetings & Events 2023
Date | Event | click to RSVP |
---|
Note : Dates and times may change. Information regarding events will be emailed in the QRTA Monthly.
RSVP at least a week before each activity to the secretary.
Contact
Secretary Carmel Harris with email: qrtasec@qtu.asn.au
State executive
Meet on the first Tuesday of the month (except for January).
Rockhampton Branch (RRTA)
Meetings and events
Rockhampton Branch meets on the 2nd Monday of each month (unless a public holiday) at the Rocky Sports Club, 1 Lion Creek Road, Wandal Q 4700
Meetings start at 9.30am and alternate between in house meetings with a guest speaker and morning tea, and outings to places of interest, month about.
The Annual General Meeting occurs in August and the December meeting is followed by a Christmas luncheon.
Contact Berenice or Margaret for further details.
Contacts
President Berenice Payne 0417 223 331 or email berenice.a.payne@bigpond.com
Sec/Treasurer Margaret Black (07) 4928 2490 or email
Sec/Treasurer Margaret Black (07) 4928 2490 or email
2023 Newsletters
Making payments to the QRTA
For all payments to the QRTA please use the following details and always include your name and purpose of payment.
Association : QRTA
Bank : CBA
BSB : 064116
Acc No : 10333757
President's Report for 2022 - 2023
It gives me great pleasure to present the annual report of the Queensland Retired Teachers’ Association for 2022/23
Welcome QTU President Cresta Richardson and Vice President Leah Olsson and Auditor
Members and guests
It is both happy and sad that we continue to hold our AGM today at Milton but due to Covid restrictions we are not able to visit schools as we had done in the previous years. But we are still doing something different this year in holding our monthly Executive and the AGM on the same day and inviting all members to attend.
I would like to welcome QTU members to our AGM today and thank them for coming and representing Cresta Richardson who has meetings this morning. We thank the President of QTU for continuing as our Patron and I hope we will have many years of working together.
We are indebted to the Queensland Teachers’ Union for allowing us to hold our monthly meetings at Graham Street Milton and to the staff who set up for us before each meeting
I would also like to thank the QTU for including our membership information in their mail out to all teachers as they retire so they have knowledge of the benefits of belonging to our association. This year 3 QRTA members attended the QTU conference with the aim of passing on knowledge of our association.
At present Queensland Retired Teachers’ Association has members meeting in Brisbane and Rockhampton and Maleny. New members are contacted and encouraged to join the groups in their area. This year we have been helping a member from the Sunshine coast hinterland who is trying to form a branch in that area. At present I am plased to report that the group have been successful in setting a branch in Maleny. We wish them all the best as they join with members at the interesting activities organised for them.
Members are reminded that subscribing to the Association not only brings the advantages of access to the Union Shopper but the chance to keep abreast of education trends through reading the Queensland Teachers’ Union Journal and the Monthly Newsletter which includes the the calendar of events and their details.
Those with email addresses get reminders about activities organised by the branches and also interesting information for seniors from other organisations such as COTA. A huge change for the newsletter this year is that we have moved the publication from the role of secretary and made it a stand alone positiion. We thank Judy Brown for offering to take on this role. We can all help by sending any interesting information to Judy to be added to the Newsletter.
Membership director, Bob Bell, continues to update the membership database which allows us to contact members about all the advantages of being part of this association. At present there are many members registered throughout Queensland but only 360 are financial and receive the Queensland Teachers Union journal.
Sharing the load of Secretary, Donella Lister has done an excellent job of arranging interesting outings and keeping us informed of these activities and Roger for recording our every word and keeping record of our meetings. Due to Roger's health Sue Elliott has helped with the minutes at our monthly meetings,
Frank continues to look after all things monetary as we will see from the Treasurers report. Moving with the times we have introduced the use of a Debit Card which Frank can use to settle accounts for activities and make it easier for members to register their interest in attending activities and annual dues.
Sandra Crawford has been our marketing member. Thank you for keeping our website up to date. Sandra also helps with the organising of our functions held at the beginning of the year and the Xmas lunch.
Taking over from Des James who has retired, Norma Wiltshire has been appointed membership liason officer. Thank you for connecting with new members and encourageing them to participate in all that QRTA offers.
Other Executive members, Ursula Blaszczyk and Carmet Harris contribute to the organizing of the association through their varied skills especially in organising morning teas.
Rockhampton organised a full program for their members with speakers or visits to interesting sites around the district.
For members closer to Brisbane or those visiting, the programme committee have helped Donella Lister to organised a variety of outings during the 2022 / 2023 year.
Our activities continue the philosophy of socialisation and lifelong learning.
We are indebted to the Brisbane City Council for a grant through their Senior Celebration program to enable us to fund activities.
We thank the QTU President Cresta Richardson for continuing in the role of Patron Our association is strongly supported by the QTU from the IT department, the creators of the QTU Journal who allow us to add a column in each edition.
Thank you also to the Union Shopper who acknowledges the QRTA by continuing to give members’ access to products through their organisation.
I offer my sincere thanks to the dedicated executive members who work to keep this association afloat.
Finally I would like to thank all members for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the life of seniors and for your friendship and encouragement throughout the year
Thank You.
Noela Rogers
President QRTA
Who can join the QRTA?
Membership is open to:
- All retired teachers, teacher aides and library aides for Queensland State and non-state schools, colleges and other educational institutions whether at pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, special, technical or advanced educational levels
- Any retired person who held a position allied to education after accepting promotion or transfer for teaching
- Any retired person who held a position allied to education in an interstate or overseas educational institution
- Any spouse of any financial member, or spouse of a deceased member who makes application for membership
- Any retired staff member of the Queensland Teachers' Union, the Queensland Teachers' Credit Union or the Queensland Teachers' Union Health Society who makes application for membership
Benefits of QRTA membership
Financial members of the Queensland Retired Teachers' Association [ those who have paid their "additional Membership Benefits Fee} receive:
- a subscription to the Queensland Teachers' Union Journal (currently 8 issues per year) - QRTA have a "Retired Teachers' Column" in each issue of the Journal
- A copy of the QRTA Annual Program
- A subscription to the QRTA digest (currently 4 issues per year)
- the use of the Union Shopper for discount buying of an ever increasing range of goods and services. This is the only way retired teachers can maintain access to the services of the Union Shopper
- access to the Queensland Teachers' Union library
All this in addition to
- social gatherings
- forums and discussions
- entertainment
- group activity
- up to date information about a range of issues relevant to our needs
- cultural activities
- outings and excursions
Fees
As from 1 July 1999, to join the Association, members will pay a Membership fee of $20 and an Additional Membership Benefits Fee of $5, ie a total of $25 for the first year's membership.
Each year, in order to retain the benefits, an additional Membership Benefits Fee (of $5) will be due on 1 January, and is to be paid before 31 March of that year - ie membership RENEWAL is $5 per year.
Fees are set at the Annual General Meeting.
Constitution, forms and brochures
QRTA Executive
Position |
Name |
Contact |
Hon. Patron |
Cresta Richardson |
|
President |
Noela Rogers |
|
Vice President/Minutes |
Roger Abell |
|
Past President |
Maida Lilley |
|
Executive Secretary | Carmel Harris | Email: qrtasec@qtu.asn.au |
Secretary |
Sue Elliot |
Email: qrtasec@qtu.asn.au |
Treasurer |
Frank Atkinson |
|
Membership Secretary |
Donella Lister |
Email: qrtamembership@qtu.asn.au MOB: 0409630319 |
Marketing |
Sandra Crawford |
|
Association Archivist |
Position vacant |
|
Committee |
Ursula Blaszczyk Carmel Harris Sue Elliott |
|
Membership Liason | Norma Wiltshire | |
Newsletter Editor | Judy Brown |
QRTA Executive meets on the first Tuesday of each month except January.