Denise Ferguson – Page-by-Page Book Group

Written in July 2022.

What do you do when your first choice of U3A class is booked out? Denise Ferguson has the answer: “You start up your own class!”

To be fair, Denise had a head start in tutoring – she was originally a high school and TAFE trainer in Victoria. After moving to Sydney, she worked in the corporate sector in Training and Development. Denise started her own book club there with friends.

On arriving back in Melbourne, she was keen to join a U3A book group but was disappointed to find that the five existing Nillumbik U3A groups were all fully booked – a tribute to literary interests within the U3A. Undaunted, Denise, who joined our U3A this year (2022), volunteered as a new tutor and has commenced a new Monday afternoon group with 8 of our other members.

Denise’s session preparation includes selecting books from Eltham Library and researching each book’s author and publisher, as well as its structure and content. During each session, she encourages participation and lively discussion, which often leads to broader discussions.

By rating each book, the group build up a record of ‘good reads’ which will hopefully be a useful tool for other avid readers.