From the President’s Desk

Warm greetings (emphasis on warm (very), here in Perth this week!) to everyone!
Warm greetings (emphasis on warm (very), here in Perth this week!) to everyone!
Manly Computer Pals stalwart, Judy Elias has been honoured as Northern Beaches Council’s Senior Citizen of the Year for 2023, and Pam Doughty has been recognised by her Club (AUSOM) for 30 years of continuous, dedicated service, editing their newsletter.
Safer Internet Day is a global event that brings together communities, families, schools and organisations from more than 200 countries to help create safer online spaces.
This worldwide initiative is celebrating 20 years in 2023, making it a great time to reflect as well as look forward.
Technology has evolved dramatically in the past two decades and the benefits have been huge. These developments have also exposed us to many risks with real-world impacts, making online safety awareness even more important.
That’s why we are calling on Australians to Connect. Reflect. Protect.
Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways.
Our times have changed this year – we will be running at the same time all year round – 11am AWST (Perth) time on the first Friday of each month.
It’s a new year and that means it’s time for the highlights of the Consumer electronics Show (CES) in the US. Some of the items that caught my attention from a disability perspective could have great implications as the year goes on.
I hope that everyone has had a relaxing and stress-free time over the course of the last few months. I know that the festive season has been challenging for many communities around Australia with record breaking flooding at one extreme and some nasty bush fires at the other around the country. here in the Kimberley we have been cut off from Perth by road during the course of the once in a hundred year event at Fitzroy Crossing, knocking out Highway #1’s single lane bridge that connected us to the rest of our state (and connected the two halves of Fitzroy Crossing itself, when the river peaked at 15.8m).
Unfortunately 2023 is not showing any signs of letting up when it comes to bad people trying to steal our money!
As more companies are refusing to pay ransomware, the cyber-criminals need to find other places to extort their ill-gotten gains.
Or how to get your (Digital) Ducks in a Row before you Drop Dead!
Jenny has delivered her popular informational talk twice in the last month, both in Member Clubs, Willetton Digital Technology for 50+ and the Walpole Community Resource Centre.
LifeTimeLine – where you can tell your life story through photographs… free for ASCCA Club Members
The Christmas and New Year Period is an opportunistic scammer’s ideal hunting ground, don’t be their prey! Keep talking about some of the potential scams and how to spot them with your members, family and friends!
As the year draws to a close, I thought it was a good time to reflect on some of the great accessibility improvements we’ve seen during 2022. So here are a few of my favourites.
Our latest round of face to face Be Connected Digital Mentor training has just finished up at the end of November. Tik travelled to Bunbury, Kalgoorlie and Geraldton to deliver these three one day-long workshops to members of Museums and Galleries in and around regional, West Australian cities.
Each year ASCCA run a series of competitions to encourage projects to inspire and encourage all of our members’ members to try to use new and emerging technologies in fun, creative and expressive ways!
…Thanks so much to those who were able to attend as a Club Delegate and take part in the recent Special General Meeting wherein we had a unanimous motion to pass a resolution to adopt ASCCA’s updated Constitution.
Last month I wrote about investment schemes. This month it’s all about love!
Windows 11 is here, and will be in an update folder near you soon. Find out how our Seniors can take advantage of these to make digital technology more accessible, no matter what their abilities are.
You are all (hopefully) by now aware of the recent data breach suffered by Optus and their customers, both past and present. There are so many reports and instruction emails and posts being sent to Optus customers and in the general domain that it can seem quite a daunting prospect to reign it all in and take adequate steps to protect yourself.
There’s been a lot happening throughout September for ASCCA’s SWADE Project (Be Connected), with a face to face meetup in Perth, Lead Digital Mentor refresher via Zoom and our first Digital Mentor training session for Round 8 (also face to face) in Perth …
October 2022 Training
ASCCA is now calling for expressions-of-interest in August’s online classes, designed for seniors.
…ASCCA’s October Clubs Forum via Zoom will focus on upcoming Get Online Week activities!