Visit to Peel SeniorNet, WA

Peter Grove and Deborah Martin were on holidays in the South West of WA recently. Dorothy from ASCCA gave us the address of Peel Seniornet Inc in Mandurah (south of Perth), which is a Seniors Computer group like Parramatta Computer Pals. Like us, they have a computer room and access to a meeting room - theirs is at Mandurah City Council Community Centre. It's a beautiful setting looking over a boardwalk to the water.

Their computer room was closed for refurbishment, but Peter and Deborah were lucky enough to arrive just as their Management Committee was about to start a meeting, and were able to meet and chat with the committee members. They said they had recently had a visit from Sirkka Duncan from ASCCA.

It was interesting to visit another Seniors Computer Club and something you might like to do next time you are on holidays interstate - you'll find them very welcoming and keen to compare notes on our respective clubs.

How I got involved with Parramatta Computer Pals for Seniors

John and members at a members' monthly meeting

A few years back, in Seniors Week I think, I saw a stall that was promoting the formation of a computerpals club in Parramatta, so I completed forms and eventually went to the formation meeting of Parramatta ComputerPals for Seniors and joined on the day.

When Margaret learned that I was already into video and photo editing, she wanted me to be a trainer, but I said no, I'm too involved with the credit union movement but I'll help you and John in any other way.

Over the past two years I've done a number of courses. Courses that I really enjoyed were photo story by John Moxon and digital photo management by Jon Bayley, both are very computer literate and excellent trainers.

Next thing I was involved in helping John and Margaret move 6 or more computers from their home to our club rooms and , with the help of my son Graham, erect the projector screen. So I was involved!

Since then I have become a Buddy to Jon Bayley and I find this very satisfying, helping members learn the finer points of digital photo management and the great benefits of installing and using Picasa.

I really enjoy the friendships I have made in the club, and also enjoy the social times...monthly meetings with a guest speaker and morning tea ably supplied by the two Granville sisters (and others), as well as the school holiday club lunch at Parramatta Leagues Club that I attend with my wife Josie and grand-daughter Samara.

It was at a monthly club meeting that I first heard about Photobooks. At the time I was planning a slideshow of my wedding and honeymoon for our 50th Anniversary party - when I heard Linda Falgiatori from Creative Memories talk and show her Photobook I saw what I wanted - not a slideshow but a Photobook. I joined her class and made a wonderful photobook that I presented as a surprise to Josie at our 50th. Since then I have made about 10 photobooks, they are a great way to preserve family history in a way that will survive for many generations.

I thank Margaret, our Secretary and John, our President for helping to bring ComputerPals for Seniors to Parramatta..........


John Lee

Have another look at our website - plenty of changes

Have you looked at the ParraPals website lately?  Quite a number of pages have been updated in the past week - especially the Courses page.  The full timetable for Term 2, commencing in the week commencing 19th April is shown,  With some important exceptions - mostly Monday courses - courses start in Week 2, just after Anzac Day.  The first week has been set aside for some two hour refresher courses.  These are proving very popular but there are still some vacancies in the Email Refresher course.

The other web page which has been updated is the Links page. The genealogy links have been checked and updated, and there are some useful links under the Seniors section.  Let me know if you have a suggestion about links on the four topics displayed.

Are you a member of Facebook?  If so, I do hope you will join the group Parramatta Computer Pals for Seniors

Ghost Hunting at Rookwood Cemetery

After a long summer hibernation the Genealogy Special Interest Group is meeting again after our Members' Meeting on 19th March. We will break for lunch and then convene at 12:30 pm.

Rookwood Cemetery
Our first excursion for 2010 is a guided tour of Rookwood Cemetery. Depending on the numbers interested, we may either join a scheduled tour one Sunday morning, or arrange our own tour on a date that suits. Tours are led by volunteer guides from the Friends of Rookwood, and we can choose any of several themed walks - the 700 acres of cemetery is too big to cover everything! Most of the Cemetery Trusts have websites where you can search for the burial details of your ancestors, so come prepared to go ghost hunting.

Lost Cousins
Deborah has recently discovered an interesting free website called Lost Cousins (www.lostcousins.com) and will talk about it at the meeting. If you have ancestors or relations who are listed in the 1841 or 1881 England and Wales census, or similar censuses, you can list them on this site. If any "lost cousin" has matching records you can get in touch with each other through the site.

Problem solving
Sometimes when you get stuck researching an ancestor, someone else has had a similar problem and can help you with a solution. Bring any information you have about a problem ancestor to a meeting and we'll try to help you.

A good day out on the Parramatta River

Seventeen members of the Digital Photography Special Interest Group and other club members enjoyed morning tea and lunch at Circular Quay after catching the all stops Betty Cuthbert ferry to town yesterday morning.  Most members had their cameras - the purpose of the exercise - and made good use of them along the way.
Even for those of us without cameras - yours truly dropped hers a few weeks ago - enjoyed the day, chatting to our mates and enjoying the scenery.
Maureen Neilsen grew up near the Parramatta river at Concord, and regaled us with stories of her childhood on the river, and the changes she's noticed over the years.
Rain had been forecast, but luckily for us it didn't arrive till one o'clock, after we'd finished our lunch so we caught the express ferry back to Rydalmere and Parramatta.  We all agreed it had been a very pleasant day, and were keen to organise another outing, maybe to Windsor and Richmond, to Olympic Park, lunch at the Sydney Rowing Club at Abbotsford.  There are so many possibilities...
Thank you Michael - the new co-ordinator of our Digital Photography Special Interest Group - for organising this outing.
Don't forget, there are two 10 hour courses for digital photographers, each running most terms.  These are Manage Your Digital Photos, and Digital Photo Stories. Photographers may also be interested in trying the PowerPoint course as well, or encouraging us to run a scrapbooking class.