After 3 years of running the History Group Ally O’Brien has decided to step down as leader and pass the baton to Keith Smith.
Mike Frost, Groups Co-ordinator, thanked Ally for her stewardship of the History Group, “The History Group has always been one of our most popular Groups and Ally has done a fine job in delivering interesting presentations herself and organising a fantastic series of talks by others. I am delighted that Keith Smith has agreed to take on the History Group and I look forward to seeing his work over the coming years.”
Keith has been a regular attendee at the meetings and has made two presentations to the group. The first about Al Azraq, The Moorish Warlord of the Marina Alta, and, only last month, Sister Queens, The Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana La Loca.
You can read about these presentations by clicking the buttons below:
Keith will take over his duties in January ready for the first meeting of 2025 on February 11th when Rosalind Miranda will be presenting Johnny Appleseed, Apples Booze and Money, the True Story of an American Folk Hero.
Keith has always had a keen interest in History and graduated from Lancaster University with a BA in History. Since moving to Spain, he has developed a keen interest in Spanish History and attended courses at the Universities of Granada and Castile La Mancha in Toledo.
Keith commented, “It’s exciting for me to take over the Group. As well as the History of Spain where we live, there have been many interesting and entertaining presentations in the past on a wide variety of subjects covering most parts of the world. I certainly don’t want the group to be solely focused on Spanish history though it is a subject full of interesting people and events.
The Group needs to supply what people want and I would ask two things of its members. Firstly, let me know generally what subjects you would like to see covered. Secondly, if you would like to speak yourself or can recommend anyone then again, please get in touch. You can mail me on history@u3ajavea.com”.
As well as presentations, Keith is planning to run some short one-day excursions to places of local historical interest.
As usual all History Group meetings start at 11am on the second Tuesday of each month, except summer, at Javea Players Studio.
Look out for the U3A newsletters or check the website for further information.
