Our Tutors
Our tutors come from a variety of backgrounds, with experience gained from employment, life skills and/or academia. No matter what their background, all of our tutors come with a love and knowledge of their subject area and a desire to share it with others – for which ‘we others’ are forever grateful.
The links and notes provided are publicly available and provided on behalf of the tutors by U3A, Port Adelaide.
Melissa Heywood
Melissa is an advocate and speaker for Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS) that provides information about Rights of older people using aged care services and safeguards to protect the aged person’s future. Melissa will describe what ARAS does and how they can be used as an advocate.
Sue Garforth
Sue has previously presented sessions to U3A Port Adelaide on six hundred years of the history and culture of Anglo Saxon England, from the departure of the Romans in 410 AD to the Norman Conquest, including a look at the major players from Alfred the Great to William the Bastard.
Brian Samuels
Originally a history teacher, Brian Samuels has been a voluntary and professional historian and a heritage activist for over 40 years. Since the mid-1970s, when teaching in Port Adelaide, until 1994, Brian was the Honorary Historian of the Port Adelaide Historical Society. He has initiated, collaborated and completed many heritage and historical projects, including many associated with Port Adelaide. Brian’s activism and advice helped establish the Port Adelaide State Heritage Area in 1983, which has continued to enrich the Port experience for residents and visitors alike. He was also the Founder (and Vice President) of the Historical Society of South Australia in 1974 and has written over 150 publications, ranging from books and booklets to journal and newspaper articles.
Trevor Steele
Trevor Steele is an Australian author who was born in 1940. He was a teacher and travelled extensively. Many of his books are influenced by his travels but he has also written some books with Australian themes, such as the persecution of Aborigines in Tasmania. Although now officially retired, he still teaches history at a Steiner school. He speaks several languages, including German and Esperanto.
Susan Steel
Susan was born in Sydney, lived in country NSW before escaping to Adelaide. She trained as a librarian in Sydney and worked in many different libraries including municipal, university, legal and a state premier’s (Don Dunstan’s) personal library. She also has an Arts degree and worked in high schools for 15 years. Currently Chairperson U3A, Port Adelaide.
Pamela Rajkowski
Pamela is a research author specialising in the history, heritage and contribution of the Australian Cameleers (1860 – 1930). Pamela regularly collaborates with Afghan Cameleer descendants across Australia. Although her research is founded on a range of secondary sources (e.g. archives, newspapers), it is enriched by ongoing conversations with descendants.
Pamela’s work has been sourced by academics, museums and the media, both nationally and internationally.
Pamela is credited as being one of the first authors to research the history of the Afghan cameleers of Australia and uncovered previously unknown files of stolen generation Aboriginal children of Western Australia (Linden Girl) that remained active until the 1970s.
Her website: http://www.pamelarajknowski.com/
Dr Tony Stimson
Tony holds a Ph.D in History. He chairs the academic boards of two Adelaide-based tertiary institutions, chairs the South Australian Boer War Association Inc and is a member of the board of a leading Independent school in Adelaide.
Helen and Roger Bills
Helen and Roger are members of Adelaide U3A. They love travelling and have prepared excellent presentations of places they have visited. We have had them before, presenting the Galapagos Islands, Iceland, Bhutan and South America.