WITH ASCCA AT ROYAL EASTER SHOW

Our club was invited by Nan Bosler, President of ASCCA  to provide volunteers for the Seniors Hub at the Royal Easter Show, to talk about ASCCA and let seniors know where they can find a seniors computer club. Nan said most would probably ask about the photo competition Telstra was running as part of the Seniors Hub.

Jon Bayley and I volunteered to help out on Seniors Day on Wednesday. ASCCA's Development Officer Mark Young was at 
the Seniors Hub to tell seniors about ASCCA's activities and Telstra's photo competitions. and Jon and I joined him.

We spent most of the day helping Mark tell seniors about how to find computer clubs and how to enter Telstra's "The Show through my eyes"  photo competition - we also entered the competition, but didn't win a prize - a telstra mobile phone and $50 gift card voucher.......

......but Julie, a Parramatta Computer Pals member, and a seven years worker at the Show, did win the days first Daily Prize of a mobile phone and voucher! Congratulations Julie!

Our booth was visited by many seniors, country and Sydney based, and we told them about the computer club in their area. Jon and I also met up with seniors from the Parramatta area, so hopefully our club will get some more new members.

I spent my lunchtime break to wandering around the Show. My granddaughter Sammy had texted me to get a My Girlfriend showbag, so off I went to the very crowded showbag area. My lunch was two very tasty cheese toasts and chocolate milk.

I later found the District Exhibits where my favourite was the Western District produce tapestry.

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Our volunteering day at The Show was soon over, Jon and I helped Mark pack up the ASCCA display, and then we battled the crowds to get to the train station for our trip out west, where the three of us happen to live.

IT'S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH - Balancing the books

It's the start of a new month and I have to balance our books and present a bank statement, reconciliation, profit and loss, income and expenditure details reports to our regular committee meeting.

Thanks to our previous Treasurer Hazel and her detailed written instructions, and to my great off-sider Aileen who balances and banks our receipts every Wednesday, it is now a task that is easy, provided I take care to enter income and cheque data into our computerised financial app.  Thanks Aileen - you are a great help and save me heaps of time...........

It's great when I get this window congratulating me on balancing the account! 

But, when it doesn't balance, it's a lot of hard work checking all the data inputs, and sometimes receipts, cheques.

Thankfully, my data inputs are accurate, and a non reconciliation hasn't happened for many months.

After preparing all reports, I email a pdf of each report to members of our Management Committee for their examination prior to the meeting.

As you can see, the Management Committee members closely examine my reports! And that is good for our club.

I have just reconciled the March 2014 accounts and emailed pdf copies to each committee member. Next step is to present the accounts to next Tuesday's Management Committee meeting and answer any questions about the accounts. I am always glad to hear questions, as it shows the committee members are closely examining my reports.

Each month I present a summary of the previous months income and expenditure, and reconciliation of our bank and computerised register details, to our members.

Another busy, busy afternoon at ComputerPals

I arrived at the Training Room just in time for the 1.15pm start of  President Deborah's short course Google Docs and Google Drive for management committee members, trainers and assistant trainers.

It's a very special

course because our club uses Google docs and drive extensively in a number of ways. Such as maintaining a waiting list for courses; to book people into courses each term; to share the agendas for member and committee meetings; and a number of administrative notes,events,contact list,etc.

So, it was no surprise that ten of us attended this important short course to learn how to effectively use this Google system that lives up in the clouds, and allows our management committee and others to collaborate on a document and give them edit, comment or view access.

Deborah's course finished at 3.30pm, but we didn't go home! 

Our smiling President had organised us as a committee to discuss increasing course fees and cutting down on expenses. Stay, she said!

Two hours later we had reached decisions that Deborah will refer to our Management Committee for decision.

Then we went home!

,MARCH 2014 MEMBERS MEETING

Our computerpals club must be the happiest club in Australia, thanks to the funny and strange utube videos shown each month by John Hain,

Our Club President Deborah lost the plot
 a couple of times, but came good eventually
to present the Mug of the Month to Elizabeth.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,  

....................and to listen intently to this month's guest speaker Dustin Wilson of W3 Networks.

Dustin, who hails from Sydney, Canada. He is the founder of W3 Networks, and spoke about his experiences and setbacks in founding his fixed wireless internet services, and his intention to provide Parramatta and western Sydney with a fast and efficient wireless internet network.

Dustin's W3 Networks provide ParraConnect's free internet services, and is also our Club's internet service provider, by wireless. Dustin was happy to receive one of our club's mugs.

I really enjoyed the morning tea break, and I am sure Michael also enjoyed it, thanks to John Hain and his band of volunteers who carry out our course bookings and payments duties. Their efforts enable Michael and me to socialise with members, particularly new members - and to enjoy some coffee and cake...thanks all!

 Jon Bayley helped to answer member's questions in the Q & A segment........

........and Hazel was surrounded by her friends at the end of the meeting.

NSW SENIORS WEEK EVENT "EVERTHING OLD is NEW AGAIN"

Our Parramatta Computer Pals for Seniors held a NSW Seniors Week "Everything Old is New Again" Event today at historic Parramatta Town Hall today.

Trainers Judy and Lilly talked about how scrapbooking has changed from manually made scrapbooks to scrapbooks that are now compiled and printed from a computer.

Volunteer Office Assistant Aileen was busy between sessions putting members onto the Waiting List for second term courses.

President and Trainer Deborah's session was about the evolution from early days slates to present day apple and android tablets.

Trainer Jon complemented his session with a display of his and his father's early day cameras and equipment.

Jon demonstrated how slideshows had developed into displaying your holiday, family history, etc photos in specially compiled and printed photobooks.

Other sessions by trainers Deborah and Michael showed how technology has transformed the way we do ordinary things like reading books by way of e-books and companies' accounting systems by spreadsheets.

Club member Jennie was very interested in Judy's scrapbooking and camera display.

Visitors, members and trainers enjoyed coffee and a chat in between information sessions.

BACK TO COMPUTERPALS AFTER VANUATU CRUISE

On February 22nd I boarded Rhapsody of the Seas with my wife Josie and former DMT workmates Bob and Noel and their wives to cruise for 12 nights from Sydney to Vanuatu and return.

I arranged for volunteer Office Assistant Aileen to document and bank ourclub's incoming monies during my absence. Aileen has been assisting me with the documentation and banking for some time,

We returned home yesterday, and today I went to the office to collect the banking documents.

Aileen did a great job! She clearly documented, balanced and banked three lots of incoming monies....thanks Aileen for doing such a wonderful job while I was away!

PS. I am flying to Gold Coast next week. Can you help me out again, Aileen?

While in our office, I decided to check out our members' free Android Phone and Tablet Special Interest Group (SIG), being conducted by our President Deborah with the help of Jon and Michael.

A small group, for a change, but all very active and enquiring. Today's exercise was to learn how to attach a photo and share it with somebody. Deborah and Jon had their hands full, as android phones and tablets come with setups that are all different.

Our android phone and tablet SIGs are held on Friday afternoon, once a month. The next is 1.15pm to 3.30pm Friday 7th March. SIGs are restricted to financial members only, and need access to a Android tablet or mobile phone.

SHORT FILMS SHOWN AT MEMBERS MEETING - February 2014

Well over 60 members attended our popular Members' Meeting today, and were treated to a showing of members short films featuring many members of our great Craft Group as well as those two loved sisters Hazel and Beryl, talking about their time at Parramatta Home Science School. The short films were done as part of a grant from Parramatta Leagues Club for film making members to attend workshops at Parramatta's Information & Cultural Exchange (ICE) to learn how to make short film documentaries.

Beryl and Hazel had members entranced with stories of their
time at the school, especially about when Hazel burnt chops and covered it up with lots of gravy before being presented to the school head mistress and eat and mark..

Hazel and Beryl commented on how exciting the filming was, with lots of crew and cameras taking over their lounge room. Beryl even took some pics of the crew, Hazel, Dawn and Deborah setting up.
Beryl related how she had to leave school at 13 to look after her mum and her babies.



Members were pleased to meet up again with Ron Taylor who, because of illness has been unable to attend meetings for some time. Ron was happy meeting up with the friendliness of the many members who welcomed him back to oour friendly club

Beryl and Hazel really welcomed Ron back!

 Michael and me are now able to circulate amongst members, now that John Hain has organised volunteers to book courses and collect monies.

                      Keith South showed and talked about the printing of his new family history book.

Thanks John and all you volunteers, I really enjoyed not being tied to the treasurer's cash tin this meeting, it was good moving around and talking to members, and also being able to take heaps of pics.

Josie and me glide out through Sydney Heads tomorrow evening on the Rhapsody of the Seas for a 12 night cruise to Noumea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia. This cruise resulted through use of the internet by being sent email about travel deals at great rates!

So, no more blogs for a couple of weeks...........................unless I find wi-fi for my tablet, and then I will post an update of our cruise........