Essential Links ENTERTAINMENT LINKS ESSENTIAL LINKS GAMES LINKS GENEALOGY LINKS GOOGLE LINKS INTRIGUING LINKS MAPS & TRAVEL LINKS PHOTOGRAPHY LINKS PRODUCTIVITY LINKS TIPS & TRICKS LINKS UTILITY LINKS NEW MORE NEW Essential Links Online OCR What's The Font Free Fonts Spreeder - Speed Reading Tool Online PDF Editor Huge File Transfer Pixlr On-Line Photo Editor Pixlr Express PDF Compressor PDFill Google Images Google Maps Ian's Links

Computer Chat Session Links 7 May 2024 GROUP ACTIVITY Computer Chat Group Links IAN'S AI LINKS Create a YouTube Channel Uploading a video into YouTube Subscribing in YouTube YouTube Keyboard Shortcuts YouTube - The Basics CHATGPT for YouTube Active Brain Searching Photos on iPhone Take a Note using SIRI Converting HEIC to JPG Windy Printable Paper Paper Toys Nitch The Photo Society Wearable Which Book Documentary Heaven Timeline of History Dictation Extension for CHATGPT CHATGPT Manual Movie Posters Manuals Library Tips Collection Spirograph Behind the Name Engrish Alexa & Siri SIRI Commands SIRI Commands (Full list) How to set up SIRI Fun things to do with SIRI SIRI Tips and Tricks ANDROID Equivalent Systems to SIRI ALEXA Commands ALEXA Commands 2 How to set up ALEXA Fun things to do with ALEXA ALEXA & ECHO Tips and Tricks How to set up ALEXA on your Windows PC Moving Files Moving Files Document AirDrop Photo Albums on iPhone How to organise your digital photos Downloading email Attachments Android File Sharing About Google Photos Metadata Photo Searching On-Line Shopping Tips'n'Tricks How to save money Saving money while on-line shopping About Google Shopping How to use Google Shopping Saving money while on-line shopping Session Notes 7 May 2024 VARIOUS TOPICS All Topics Campbell Stanford Microsoft OneDrive Fences Video Editing Default Apps Anchor 1

Tutorials and Discussion Groups Card Playing Group Tutor: Campbell Stanford What a fun time playing cards can be! For raw beginners and cardsharps alike. Beginners are appreciating the comfortable pace at which they can learn and hone their skills. Great camaraderie in a very friendly group that is much more than just card playing. Learning and developing strategies combined with luck and great humour alleviates stress and keeps your mind sharp and active. Currently our most popular game is “Oh Hell” which goes down well with all players with winners switching around from session to session. Depending on the number of participants, we also play 500 and Euchre and have dabbled with cribbage, one of the best games for as little as 2 players. We have sessions twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays between 12:30 and 2:30pm. Please come and try it. You are also most welcome to bring a guest with you for a free session. iPad & iPhone Tutors: Various Learn skills and share experiences of the iPad in a friendly atmosphere and be part of a group that offers instructions and practical applications. You will learn tips and tricks along with links sent to you by Bill as answers are found to your questions. IPAD APPS Genealogy Workshop Tutor: Lois Kay Lois both teaches and co-ordinates the abundant talent and experience in the club to present well-constructed and informative sessions. Guest speakers are a frequent feature of this very popular session and if you are looking to build on your genealogy research – then this is the session for you. Tips and Tricks Tutors: Various A tutorial and discussion forum where you can ask questions and get answers and also learn tips and tricks for a wide range of computer/ipad/iphone/laptop situations. Ian will endeavour to provide solutions for your questions and will introduce you to a bevy of useful tips, shortcuts, hidden features, useful tools, actions and ways to achieve results on your computer and technology devices. Each session, Ian will provide you with a hot list of new ideas, tips and tricks to explore and use. Digi Photos Tutor: Rex Oddy This is a non-competitive and casual get-together to look at and be inspired by each other’s photos. We show our successes and failures and, in the process, learn some new tricks so we can capture better images. Simple photo enhancement is demonstrated using Photoshop Elements 9. A friendly and supportive group. Genealogy 1st Friday Tutor: Various First Friday of each month - genealogy topics and a chance to discuss your family research issues. and the opportunity to share family heirlooms. Recording Our Stories Tutor: Glen Plaistowe Discussion groups of shared trips down memory lane as we recall the unique experiences of our lives and learn how to record them for our descendants. A way to honour the people no longer with us by recording their stories. Our stories also document the phenomenal technical and social changes that have happened during our lives and create a living history. Anchor 1 Film Appreciation Tutor: Marina Sanderson Experience the magic of cinema at SeniorNet North Shore's newest session, "Film Appreciation." Join us in the cosy clubrooms as we transport you through time with a curated selection of timeless classics and contemporary masterpieces. Dive into the world of storytelling, cinematography, and emotion as we explore the art of filmmaking together. Discover the rich history of cinema and share your thoughts and insights with fellow film enthusiasts. Whether you're a cinephile or just looking for a delightful movie night, this session promises to be a reel treat for all. AI in Practice Tutors: Various A workshop where you'll delve into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence. A chance to discover the inner workings of AI, explore practical applications, and get hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies like ChatGPT and other AI applications. This interactive session offers a unique chance to ask questions, engage with experts, and gain valuable insights into AI's impact on our lives. Don't miss this opportunity to unlock the potential of AI in a welcoming and informative environment. Nostalgia Host: Various Join us for thought-provoking conversations, fun memories, and interesting insights. You'll have the opportunity to share your own experiences and hear from others in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Watercolour Painting Tutor: Glen Plaistow Join our relaxing and creative Watercolor Painting Workshop, led by experienced artist Glen Plaistow. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience, Glen will guide you through techniques to bring your artwork to life. Enjoy a friendly, supportive environment where you can explore colors, brushwork, and composition. Unleash your creativity and develop your painting skills in a fun and inspiring setting. All skill levels welcome! Cryptic Crosswords and Sudoku Host: Bridget Taylerson Sharpen your mind and have fun with our Cryptic Crosswords & Sudoku Workshop, led by puzzle enthusiast Bridget Taylerson. Whether you're new to these brain-teasing challenges or looking to refine your skills, Bridget will guide you through solving techniques, strategies, and tips. Enjoy a friendly, interactive session where you can improve your logic, pattern recognition, and problem-solving abilities. All levels welcome – come and challenge yourself! Handcrafts Tutors: June McCullough Discover the joy of creating with your hands in our Handcrafts Workshop, led by the talented June McCullough. Whether you enjoy knitting, embroidery, paper crafts, or other handmade projects, this workshop provides a warm and social environment to learn, share ideas, and develop new skills. Perfect for beginners and experienced crafters alike, come along and get creative with like-minded people. All skill levels welcome! Book Ends Host: Patricia Lough Love books? Join Book Ends, a lively discussion group led by Patricia Lough, where we talk about books in general—no set reading list, just great conversations! Share your favorite reads, discover new authors, and enjoy engaging discussions in a friendly, relaxed setting. Whether you're a lifelong book lover or just getting into reading, all are welcome to join the conversation and explore the world of books together. Computer Chat Tutors Melson Lee Curious about computers? Join Computer Chat, a friendly discussion group led by an experienced tutor, where we talk about all things tech! Whether you want to share experiences, ask questions, or explore the latest digital trends, this relaxed and interactive session is the perfect place. No technical expertise needed—just bring your curiosity and enjoy insightful conversations in a supportive environment. All levels welcome! FamilyTree Maker Host: Bernice Hyde Unlock the power of FamilyTree Maker in this hands-on tutorial session led by genealogy expert Bernice Hyde. Whether you're new to the software or looking to refine your skills, this workshop will guide you through building, organizing, and enhancing your family tree. Learn how to add records, photos, and research links with ease. Perfect for beginners and experienced users alike—come and grow your family history knowledge!

Sunday Meetings Fun, Entertaining & Informative Our monthly Sunday meetings are always popular and members almost always enjoy a guest speaker. Complimentary refreshments are served and it is a great time to mix and meet with other members. Meetings from 2015 to 2022 Click on a speaker's name in this table to go to the topic review or scroll through all the reviews chronologically below this table. Sorting the table can be done by clicking the arrows beside the Column headings May 2022 Guest Speakers: Ian Robinson & Jürgen Schubert Topics: "Surviving Childhood " & "Early Auckland and RMS Niagara" Ian Robinson shared his childhood memories and experiences in England and provided us with a hands-on picture of his young life from first memories through the “living through the war” period to his early youth. When war broke out his parents sent Ian and his older sister away for safety reasons as Dover, their home town, was the closest point to Europe. They were sent to Holyhead in Wales a town which appeared to be all old ladies and from their young perspective thought they were witches. They were terribly homesick and finally sent back to their Parents in Dover. Dover was the focus of extensive attack and so they were evacuated again this time to Pontlanfrith in South Wales – to a couple who had no children and did not even like children and so ended up in constant trouble. They were finally sent home again. Dover was known as Hell Fire Corner being subjected to all types of warfare and so Ian was again sent away, this time to Leigh in Dorset which was near his Grandparents who had a farm with loads of fruit trees, and snakes, both grass and the deadly Adder. Jürgen Schubert displayed early reproductions and photographs of wonderful quality of early Auckland from 1841 right up to 1921. We progressed through the years of the first tram in Queen Street in 1907, the building of the Town Hall 1911, the Ferry Building in 1912 and on to 1921 when the Auckland Railway Station in Beach Road was under construction. Jürgen told us of his “Faint connection to RMS Niagara” built in Scotland and launched in 1912. The Orion, a German raider disguised as a merchant ship, had slipped undetected into New Zealand waters and laid 228 contact mines in the approaches to the Hauraki Gulf on the night of 13/14 June 1940. At 3.40 a.m. on the 19th, the 13,415-ton Niagara, which had just left Auckland on its regular run to Suva and Vancouver, struck two mines off Bream Head and sank quickly by the bow. Fortunately, all 349 passengers and crew got away safely in 18 lifeboats. The Niagara was famous for another reason – it allegedly brought the Spanish Flu to New Zealand. For a more complete write up of these talks, click this link go to page 11 of our June 2022 “Essence” newsletter April 2022 Guest Speakers: Jude Walter & Véronique Guilloteau Topic: "Brainfit" Our April Sunday Meeting was so enlightening – and fun. We were visited by two highly dedicated and lively women – our presenter Jude Walter and her associate Véronique Guilloteau. Local Brainfit Coach, Jude Walter has seen first-hand the devastating effects of stress, age and disease on the brain and memory. As a practiced communicator, presenter and capability trainer, Jude is now putting her skills to good use, helping adult New Zealanders to understand that getting older doesn’t have to go hand in hand with memory loss and that the sooner you start strengthening your brain, the better. We heard how important it was to build the cognitive aspect of our brain to enable us to cope better should disease or injury occur. The cognitive aspect was described as working like a back-up battery should things go wrong. Jude emphasises that you do not lose your memory it simply dulls down so it needs to be used in order to regrow brain connections so getting older does not go hand in hand with a poor memory. Excellent techniques were presented to us in - ‘3 Steps to Memory’ For a more complete write up of these talks, click this link go to page 11 of our May 2022 “Essence” newsletter March 2022 Guest Speaker: Senior Sergeant Peter Pederson Topic: "NZ Police Dog Section" Senior Sergeant Peter Pedersen is the Officer in Charge of our New Zealand Police Dog Section and he brought with him his wonderful 7-year-old Jango who is now semi-retired. Peter has been with the Police Service for 38 years. We learned that the Police Dog Division started here in 1956 with German Shepherd’s from England. The dogs they use now usually stem from eastern European countries. One of their newly imported female dogs has just produced a litter of 11 little puppies. They start training the puppies at 8 weeks in puppy pre-school then assign them to a handler around 7 – 10 months and by 18 - 20 months they are operational. Peter spoke for 10 or 15 minutes about his experiences but then spent the next hour answering the multitude of varied questions our members had for him. We had many funny moments with Peter – if ever he gave up police work he could easily slot into an entertainment role. Jango had on his working uniform which incorporates metal pads inside the jacket – his body armour and the type of jacket can be ramped up in permeability for more dangerous situations. The dog’s jacket has two handles so the handler can pick up his dog if necessary – Peter illustrated how but Jango was not impressed – he lost all his dignity. All of Peter’s talk was done with great good humour and at times he threw one liners at us which added to the fun. He was asked about gun carrying and he explained yes normally he would have a Glock and pepper spray but thought he would be reasonably safe amongst SeniorNet Members. For a more complete write up of this talk, click this link to go to page 10 of our April 2022 “Essence” newsletter . February 2022 Guest Speakers: Kerry Dell & Catharina Flisijn Topics: "The impact of Toxins on Our Health" & "The Value of Muscle Strength in Overall Well-Being" Kerry Dell spoke on how to put your own body into balance and get results. Through her own experiences Kerry decided she needed to get her body into balance. She had studied nutrition but went on to look at the impact that toxins have on our bodies and determined that if our organs are not healthy they operate slowly but in addition our emotions can also affect the frequency speed so emotions play a big part. Our brain, also an organ, will respond as do all our organs. Nutrition plays a massive role so our diet needs to be “alive” and full of nutrients - it is not about a losing weight diet but eliminating the “dead” food otherwise known as processed food – read biscuits and all those foods that are so enticingly packaged. So the mantra is “put living food into the living body”. Catharina Flisijn from Fit20 – Catharina who was a nurse and an Educational Psychologist, decided to follow her passion of exercise. She pursued her passion with a programme called Fit20 which is a Dutch franchise method. As we know from our contemporaries, falls can become an issue and indeed Catharina quoted statistics that the number one cause of death for the 70 plus age group is the outcome from falls. So the answer is to have your own personal goal or expectation and from that establish how to keep healthy to achieve that goal. At any age progress is possible. We lose 1% per year of muscle from about age 40. We can slow the rate of decline by keeping active and keeping our muscles toned. The Fit20 programme is based on training once a week for 20 minutes – short, quick but intense. The focus is on living better each day and the whole body will respond through high intensity. For a more complete write up of these talks, click this link to go to page 10 of our March 2022 “Essence” newsletter . August 2021 Guest Speaker: Peter Marshall CNZM Topic: "Overview of life as a New Zealand Police Officer" Retired Police Commissioner Peter Marshall took time to provide us with an enlightening and entertaining overview of his life as a New Zealand Police Officer. At age 19 he was catapulted into walking the beat around Queen Street, Karangahape Road and the Gluepot in Ponsonby - fresh out of Trentham. Quite an initiation. Peter gave us a footprint of the New Zealand Police back to the 1960’s – including an overview of the many places around the world including Sydney, Canberra, London, Washington DC, Bangkok, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Bougainville and Solomon Islands, to name but some that are represented. For a more complete write up of this talk, click this link to go to page 13 of our September 2021 “Essence” newsletter . July 2021 Guest Speakers: Johanna-May Manks & Daniel Bloomfield Topics: "Fashion Tips" & "Travel post COVID" Our members appreciated Johanna-Mays ’ practical and down to earth approach to our wardrobe choices. She did not try to put us all into one fashion category but gave us the freedom to explore and exploit our own likes and dislikes when it came to colour and fashions and she highlighted the impetus that accessories can give our wardrobe choices. It was great for the men too as it made some of them think! Johanna-May was a knowledgeable presenter which she did with clarity and understanding of our individual approach and needs when it comes to the question of purchasing and wearing to suit our individual lifestyles. Daniel Bloomfield gave an amazing insight into Travel post COVID and at the same time was able to provide us with some valuable hints and tips on what and what not to do when it came to bookings. He had a wonderful in-depth knowledge through his 22 years in the industry which no doubt was pertinent in the survival of his company during extremely difficult times. Daniel was also knowledgeable and clear in his presentation — working from a deep understanding of the current intricacies of the industry. For a more complete write up of these talks, click this link to go to page 11 of our August 2021 “Essence” newsletter . June 2021 Guest Speakers: Peter Cavanagh & Adrian Clarke Topics: "Financial Risk Management" & "Google Advertising" Peter Cavanagh was our first speaker who after 37 years in Risk Management highlighted for us the essential steps in managing the financial markets – emphasising that forecasting can be “bullshit” and should be treated with great caution. There are so many aspects such as changing exchange rates, the equity market, the credit market and cryptocurrencies (what is the true value of bitcoin – answer, what someone will pay for it) that forecasting is fraught with aspects that are impossible to predict. Peter covered the essential steps in managing risk which is of course a matter dear to our heart and his first rule was keep it simple, evaluate risk and reward and do not base decisions on forecasts for the above reasons. If you get the risk/reward relationship wrong it can be a very unhappy event and COVID is a further factor that is in the unknown basket. After morning tea we were given an insight into the world of Google Advertising with an expert in his field, Adrian Clarke . After many years in the printing business Adrian took on a new venture as Digital Marketing Manager for a company called Harper. Have you ever wondered why Google promotes the type of websites/products you that interest you? Your personal search history is automatically retained and the most appropriate websites are made available for your “delectation” - hopefully. Once you have put in your choice of product – a number of websites will appear – go to the Shopping tab near the top and it will take you straight to the type of product you want to investigate. This is a quick and easy method of speeding up your search. Thanks to both our speakers for their time, expertise, and informative presentations. For a more complete write up of these talks, click this link to go to page 13 of our July 2021 “Essence” newsletter May 2021 Guest Speaker: Erin Adkins Topic: "The Evolution of Print" Our first May Sunday Speaker, a refreshing and innovative woman of enterprise,was brought up on a farm in the Manawatuwhere she worked hard helping from about age 9. She arrived in Auckland 18 years ago and with zero knowledge of the print industry or selling experience set up a business which is now highly successful. Erin felt that her lack of printing knowledge was an asset in that she had no preconceived ideas and was willing to tackle the unusual as well as standard procedures. These days printing is not just a “print on paper” function as she prints a lot of promotional items such as golf tees and balls, coffee cups etc.in fact you name it and Erin is ready to improvise. She also has a design team who will create and recommend,which provides them with a huge array of work and results in punchy, awesome ideas. Erin outlined the progression of printing from the early Gutenburg press which although a huge improvement over handwritten books was nevertheless still a slow and expensive procedure. The modern methods used enable faster and so cheaper printing processes as they are able to print up to 60 “jobs” at the one time. So instead of printing out a single business card the system allows for a multiple prepared layout. Interestingly the printing process is a series of “cabinets” with each one set to print a colour so the layout passes through each cabinet and the particular colour is applied. As the work progresses along a conveyor system infrared lights quickly dry the colour before it passes to the next unit for the next colour to be applied. After the last colour the layout goes to a pre-programmed guillotine which then cuts in all the right places.From that point Erin outlined the various cover and binding methods for book type printing: 1. Buckram cloth or a printed poster cover – this is the most expensive method. 2. Stapled Books 3. Plastic binding 4. Wire bind (mostly taken over from plastic binding) 5. Perfect Bind – glued spine 6. Loop Staple – good for manuals. Stapled with ring binder. 7. Canadian Bind – fancy version of wire bind – has cover over it. Erin emphasised that they recycle wherever possible – including guillotining and binding unwanted items into handy notepads. Our members were fortunate to be given notepads and a pen to take home. A really interesting presentation from a lively and enthusiastic woman who has won awards for her inventiveness and the quality of her work. For a more c omplete write up of this talk, click this link to go to page 12 of our June 2021 “Essence” newsletter May 2021 Guest Speakers: Campbell & Ian Topic: "Adventures with Genealogy" After morning tea, we had a panel discussion fronted by the two doubtful looking characters in the photograph. The plan is to run a series of sessions for Beginners to Genealogy which as Campbell Stanford said is really Family History so in reality Family History is putting flesh on the bones of statistical records. He emphasised that we may want to investigate our backgrounds for a number of reasons such as validating family stories, how their lives related to historical events, did we inherit a medical condition and did we have any famous (or infamous) ancestors. Delving into our background can produce unexpected “pleasures” such as old family photographs, inheritance possibilities, birth parents if you are adopted and want to know more, religious background and the community in which people lived including traditions and cultural beliefs. Know how to extract this information from, and of course learn where to search, such as diaries and family bibles plus of course our own Genealogy Group members who are always willing to help out. You may also wish to connect or reconnect with living relatives. An associated benefit is delving into history in a more meaningful way and the thrill of the hunt. We do warn you of the addictive nature of this “hobby”. Ian Handricks then went on to talk on where to start, how to acquire the searching skills, how to log the information in a visible and interesting manner and where you go from there. That could be writing a book, writing one person’s story, writing one family’s story or simply enjoying the journey. Watch out for the sessions which will be promoted in our Newsletter. You can advise of your interest now by emailing Campbell Stanford at: camstan69@gmail.com For a more c omplete write up of this talk, click this link to go to page 13 of our June 2021 “Essence” newsletter April 2021 Guest Speaker: Ian Parkes Topic "Estate Planning" The main speaker was Ian Parkes , Branch Manager from Perpetual Guardian Trust who spoke on Estate Planning. Perpetual Guardian trust are the largest charitable trust managers of gifts in wills. He emphasised that EstatePlanning requires careful planning to minimise administration complications that can arise due to: grievances between beneficiaries, different legal systems between countries, tax and digital assets. These complications can result in long delays in getting settlement and funds released. Digital assets included accounts such as Facebook, LinkedIn (et al) so they can be closed and accessing passwords you used to gain access to financial information.Wills should be updated regularly specifyingbeneficiaries and distribution andthe executor and trustees who are responsible for administering your estate. The life circumstances of our beneficiaries may change e.g., divorce, marriage, death and if not kept up-to-date may no longer be valid, or represent your wishes. If you die without a valid Will, your property and belongings will be distributed according to the requirements of the Administration Act 1969 and not according to your wishes. Enduring Power of Attorney operates while you are alive so you need to have nominated two people in your Will and discussed things with them: one for your personal care and welfare and the other for your property. Since January 2021 there have been significant changes in the requirements for established Trusts that need to be incorporated where applicable. April 2021 Guest Speaker: Rex Oddy Topic: "Photography" The second speaker was Rex Oddy , SeniorNet’s Tutor in photography. Rex acknowledged how the general availability, good photo quality and accessibility of the cell phones has increased our interest in taking photos. He then identified the additional strengths a mid-range camera offers over a cell phone: increased ability to zoom-in and focus on a subject, adjusting for a wider range of lighting effects and capturing moving images. As well as the existing photography group on the second Tuesday of each month Rex is planning a Beginner’s Introduction series of sessions and a Making Videos group. March 2021 Guest Speaker: Ian Handricks Topics: "His Majesty's Theatre" & "Helicopter Trip" Our speaker was Ian Handricks who gave two presentations. The first was on the history of theatre in Auckland and especially the story of His Majesty’s Theatre, in Queen Street. He worked in that theatre for over 20 years beginning his career in theatre in 1964 as a 9-year-old moving spotlights on stage for his father who was the electrician at His Majesty’s Theatre. Ian’s mother was a ballerina who danced professionally for most of her life throughout New Zealand and his grandparents, aunts, uncles and distant relatives were also thespians. His grandfather, Norrie Handricks was a well-known stage entrepreneur and at one time owned most of the theatres in New Zealand –he employed a young boy in Gisborne by the name of Robert Kerridge to be a “gopher” –the rest is history. Ian eventually became a “flyman”! There was much discussion and nostalgic memories of the theatre and many at the meeting expressed fondness and related stories from their own experiences –one in particular from Julie Findlay who took a great interest in this theatre, more so when she heard it was going to be demolished!! She had signed the petition to keep it but unfortunately the powers that be decided it had to go. A day after the demolition she went to check it out and sneaked into the site and grabbed a piece of a pillar lying in the rubble. This piece became a plinth for a sundial which is in her garden. The second presentation was an account of the 3,500km helicopter journey Ian did late last year traversing almost the full length of New Zealand. Ian was fortunately gifted a week-long tour of New Zealand in which he flew the length of the Southern Alps, got alongside the top of Mt Cook, flew to Lake Manapouri, across the Canterbury Plains, around the lakes, rivers and mountains and other notable landmarks we often dream of seeing - from the snow-capped heights of the Alps, down the azure-blue of Lake Tekapo to the sweeping expanses of Middlemarch. February 2021 Guest Speaker: Ian Balme Topic: "Forgotten World Adventures" Ian drove us out of lethargy with a spirited relay of his life starting with education at Mt Albert Grammar through to Canterbury University where he met his wife Rachel. After several ventures he came across a book entitled “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David J Schwartz which inspired him to follow his passion for farming. He related that “he bought the most expensive farm he could find that day in the paper” for $1.3m in the Waikato – subdivided it into 6 lots and ran dry stock at the same time purchasing the Tawa Shopping Mall, sold that and was on the Waikato Council for 6 years. I can believe that a council situation was not capable of fulfilling his drive for expansion and innovation.In 2010 and out duck shooting with a friend he found an abandoned railway line and “thought he would chuck some wheels onto golf carts to ride the rails” and so got underway with what has proved to be a hugely successful adventure both or him and for travellers. There were some extensive difficulties in obtaining permissions to operate but in 2018 and 2019 they won the People’s Choice NZ Tourism Award (it was cancelled in 2020). There are various tour options available but the track boasts 142km of deep hidden valleys, bush and farmland, 98 bridges and tunnels to townships that time forgot. His wife Rachel is an accountant and keeps him on track with finances but COVID did have an effect despite 80% of business being domestic travellers. To overcome the downturnhe has partnered up with complementary tourist businesses in the area and so can provide add-ons such as alternate accommodation, helicopter rides, jet-boating and canoeing on the Whanganui River, a Lavender Farm and of course you can get your passport stamped in the self-proclaimed Republic of Whangamomona and even stay at the iconic hotel. Ian emphasised that while they have some regular packages from half day through to The Epic which is a 4day/3night adventure starting in Taumarunui they can in fact put together almost any package that appeals. The Rail Carts are self-drive 2, 4 or 6 seater - you don’t have to steer – just use stop, go or reverse. Hop onto a Forgotten World adventure as soon as possible and to once again experience the beauty of our country. Have a look at their website www.FWA.co.nz - it is full of great photographs, some videos and is easy to negotiate. January 2021 Guest Speakers: Ian Robinson & Peter Patten Topics: "Songs My Mother Taught Me" & "Things My Mother Never Taught Me" (Peter) & "Dover Castle" (Ian) Peter Patten illustrated via YouTube some very old but invaluable clips of former serious and comedic singers and he reminded us of the old ZB Sunday Request sessions and the playing of items such as A Fruity Melodrama which his Mother had introduced to him. When it came to more recent events Peter illustrated the Homes.co.nz site which provides information on properties for sale or sold recently and in most cases it showed the price and the GV –a really helpful site for people interested in the property market. A further site that proved to be of great interest was Google Earth. Knowing how to get the best out of this can provide “endless entertainment” but seriously it is a very helpful tool and a number of our members were thrilled to be introduced to its capabilities. After morning tea Ian Robinson entertained us with an informative and colourful look at the intricacies of Dover Castle and talked of its impact on the area. Dover Castle originated as a motte and bailey castle, built after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It was transformed by King Henry II between 1179 and 1188; building the keep, the walls of the inner bailey and parts of the outer curtain wall. Dover (meaning water) was described as the “Key to England” due to itsdefensive significance throughout history. It was famously, if ultimately unsuccessfully, besieged in 1216 by Prince Louis of France. Ironically it is built entirely of Caen stone from France. It is a beautiful castle with light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone and boasts a small chapel dedicated to the memory of Thomas Beckett the murdered archbishop of Canterbury.Dover Castle was Ian’s playground and you can imagine a young boy enjoying the tunnels and the secrets it had to offer. Ian recommends you do not go to Kent without a visit to Dover Castle – although you might have to wait a year or two. December 2020 Guest Speaker: John Hartley (aka "The Laughing Policeman") Topics: "White Rose Cars" John runs a company of what he terms “chauffer taxis” – after many years in the British and then New Zealand Police Force John “retired” and formed White Rose Cars – starting with three and now 7 years later has eleven vehicles operating servicing mostly the Franklin area but as he pointed out that can mean journeys of 50 –60 kms to take a client to town for the day for shopping and a further 50 –60 to take them home again. In seven years his vehicles have travelled some 3 ½ million kms. During the Covid lockdowns John’s business suffered a massive downturn and lost $130,000 going down to $150 in the bank and was on the brink of demise when he instigated some creative ideas and they weathered the storm. Their business was an essential service but that did not involve transporting people to “their Brother’s party” he could only take the public to essential services like shopping, medical necessities etc. He was put to the test by the public who tried all sorts of trickery to engage him in illegal transportation - even put to the test by what turned out to be a reporter who tried to trap him into a booking for a non-essential purpose. Throughout all John obviously never lost his sense of humour, his enthusiasm and sense of the ridiculous and at our Sunday Meeting he conveyed all of that and more to his audience who relished his West Yorkshire accent and dynamism. Laughter is the best medicine and we all had a good dose of that from John. It is no wonder he and his company won awards being Best in Business for three years then the Supreme Business Award. The best way to convey the energy and character of John is to include some shots taken of him during his talk to us. November 2020 Guest Speaker: Professor Paul Spoonley Topic: "A Rapidly Ageing New Zealand" Professor Paul Spoonley was the first speaker at our November Sunday Meeting. Paul was Vice-Chancellor at Massey University and stood down to return to frontline social research and writing. He completed a fellowship at the Max Planck Institute in Germany and was a Fulbright senior scholar at the University of California. Paul illustrated the changing demographics through to 2038 estimating by 2030 there could be six million of us with one and a half million living overseas. The main cluster will be in Auckland. Paul emphasised we have not as a country planned for this despite knowing that a very large number of baby boomers (born 1945 through into the 50’s) will be in the 80 plus age bracket.There will be more people aged over 65 than the 0 –15 age group and many smaller regions and towns will experience population stagnation –or even decline –as their population ages. An ageing population (people living longer a contributing factor) and lesser numbers in the work force will create issues that have not been addressed. It is estimated that people will live 25 –35 years beyond retirement and the need for long-term care facilities will significantly increase.Currently there are 4 workers for each retiredperson –this ratio will soon reduce to 2 workers and eventually become 1 –1 and we need to plan for this right now –there is no current plan. As an amusing aside,Paul mentioned the Queen and her acknowledgement of attaining the age of 100 –apparently she now has a team of 20 to deal with the requests for Centurion Birthday celebrations.Paul also spoke of a subject which is increasingly significant -that of being Digitally Connected not just for connecting withfamily but for running our day-to-day lives. His research also reinforces the need for Social Connectedness which in turn is strongly related to health and the quality of life. There are many challenges ahead for the “Silver Consumers” and his gravest concern is that the challenges are not being accepted and acted upon. November 2020 Guest Speaker: Glen Plaistow Topic: "The 1950's" After morning tea Glen Plaistowe took us on a journey through the 1950s and reminded us what wonderful years they were. Even though we might have been struggling with “growing up” they were for the main part good times to be a teenager. We experienced industrial unrest, Korean war, Yvette Williams winning our first female NZ Olympic gold medal, Ed Hillary and Everest, polio outbreak, Operation Deep Freeze in Antarctic, Opo the crazy dolphin, the Black Budget, introduction of PAYE, Brian Barrett-Boyes first NZ open heart surgery, Ardmore and the first Formula One race in NZ with our own Bruce McLaren 3rd behind Stirling Moss and Jack Brabham, Auckland Harbour bridge opened –countless memorable happenings but overriding all that the wonderful Rock n Roll era, never since have we had music that has made us dance like that –no need for fitness classes back then. Thanks Glen for the great memories. October 2020 Guest Speaker: David Lomas Topic: "Lost and Found" David Lomas : David attracted additional attendance due to our club’s very strong Genealogy Group. Most members would be aware of his Lost and Found series on TV. For the past 14 years David has been reuniting families – the original series being called Missing Pieces. H e estimates he has produced fifty plus of the Lost and Found group, arranged some 300 reunions plus 4 or 5 hundred meetings that did not get to air. His new series is David Lomas Investigat es. David’s background was as a journalist, deputy editor of the Listener, a feature writer and 20 years with TVNZ producing 60 Minutes having started with Holmes way back. He worked with Julie Christie (now Dame Julie) who introduced reali ty TV to New Zealand. Lost Identity was another production where the aim was to help young Maori who had become disconnected from their families. To date he has had some 8,000 applicants, solved about 700 but some just do not have a starting point. David knows from his experiences that reconnecting families changes lives with people now more open about being adopted or from broken homes. Between 1950 and 1980 some 80,000 children were put up for adoption. The current series David Lomas Investigates is a one hour one story series. Funding is from NZ On Air which requires him to change the name of the programme every four years and so they have to reinvent themselves but the theme remains the same – the desire to help New Zealanders find their lost relatives and give them a true sense of belonging and to know who they are. He is currently working on the second series which due to COVID will be filmed solely in New Zealand which makes it a far harder task – but then many are in this restrictive situation. Knowing how involved and busy David is our Members were most appreciative of the time he gave us. October 2020 Guest Speaker: Radha Banerjee Topic: "Banking - Protection from Financial Abuse and Scams" Our second Speaker was Radha Banerjee – a very lively, energetic and totally committed woman who spoke on behalf of Westpac Bank about banking methods and what our banks do to protect our money with emphasis on Financial Abuse and Scams. Various types of scams come and go in various guises, so we need to stay alert. Banks endeavour to protect us by: Using a strong Firewall Encryption Technology Use of a Fraud Team Automatic Log Out (if we stay online too long) Smartphone fingerprint and/or pin access If you do not already have internet banking it is first of all necessary to go into your bank to set it up. A bank person will assist with this and also go through the steps on how to use online banking. If you wish to send money overseas to family then the safest and easiest way is online. Big warning not to succumb to fraudulent requests for money allegedly from friends or associates. Scams to be aware of: Dating Scams: Send money so I can visit you and suchlike. Job Scams: “Sit in your home and make money” –they ask for your bank account number. This could be a form of money laundering. Trading Scams: Be very careful, some are legitimate but some are not. Research buyers and sellers, as this type of scam has been prevalent. Inheritance: You have won a lottery! Or inherited some money. Scam Calls: Call to say a family member has been in accident, or claim you owe money or your computer is running slow. email Scams: Attached is your invoice. If it is not correct “click here”. Or email allegedly from Bank. Call your bank if in doubt. Card Fraud such as ATM Skimming. We should also watch out for Identity Theft and Social Engineering: Important to keep your details up to date with your Bank, dispose of documents securely such as shredding, have a secure letterbox and register your mobile phone. Good Advice: Check your online bank accounts regularly. Afterpay: This is a new innovation which works a little like the old layby system. You make a purchase and arrange for payment in four instalments making the first payment at time of purchase the remainder two weeks apart. There are no fees provided you pay each instalment on time and authorisation only takes a few seconds. Shipping proceeds like any other online purchase Lomas 2020 Oct Walter & Guilloteau 2022 Apr Pederson 2022 Mar Dell & Flisijn Marshall 2021 Aug Cavanagh & Clarke 2021 Jun Adkins 2021 May Stanford & Handriks 2021 May Parkes 2021 Apr Oddy 2021 Apr Handricks 2021 Mar Balme 2021 Feb Robinson & Patten 2021 Jan Hartley 2020 Dec Spoonley 2020Nov Plaistow 2020 Nov Banerjee 2020 Oct Robinson & Schubert 2022 May Manks & Bloomfield August 2020 Guest Speaker: Ian Handricks Topic : "A Tour of Our Website" After the Annual General Meeting formalities, our Webmaster Ian Handricks took us on a tour of our website, www.seniornetns .com ,working through the different headings, then covering some of the content shown under Keeping In Touch. Click on Home, then Keeping In Touch to visit any of the 55 days that Ian added to the website during the earlier Covid outbreak. Ian demonstrated the Keeping in Touch link, using Day 6, and showed us some hair-raising driving along narrow roads high up in the wilds of Browns Bay. Only kidding, it looked a bit more like Mt Wellington. He also showed us the club collection of members’ baby/toddler photos. To view, click the About heading then Junior Net on the website. If you are not on there but would like to be, then send an appropriate photo into Ian. Come on, don’t be shy. Ian pointed out that the number of hits on our site was unusually high, 23,488, for a club of our size, an indication that the site is deemed to be very useful. July 2020 Guest Speakers: Peter Burridge & Cherry Parker Topics : "Fingerprint Technology" (Peter) & "Behind the Scenes on Election Day" (Cherry) Peter Burridge was our first speaker and quickly drew us into the wonders of fingerprint technology. Peter served in the police force including in Salisbury, Rhodesia and latterly in the Auckland fingerprint section covering the top of the North Island. However during his tenure in the force originally as a constable and then in CID he was involved in “scene of crime” forensics all around the world. He linked DNA and fingerprinting technology as complimentary which was aided by modern computing but for him in the earlier years he carried 1,024 fingerprint combinations in his head – not digitally. There are 3 types of fingerprints: Loop – representing about 60% of the population, Whorls about 30% of the population and Arch about 10%. Prints can be recorded from a porous surface such as paper or from non-porous like glass and plastic. Documents can reveal 100 year old prints and even the tips of fingers can at times provide sufficient information as can the palm of a hand. He emphasised that giving evidence is hard work and you really need to know your subject. Peter told us that in Salisbury fingerprints were stored in huge buildings with bomb proof rooms. In New Zealand we do not have National Registration so what is stored is because the prints belong to people who “have been in trouble”. It is now possible to identify from a small portion of a fingerprint, you do not need 12 identifiable points. The Commonwealth identification system is an excellent and co-operative organisation. Peter concluded by saying that Technology will always change but you have to know how to use it. It was also a meeting of old colleagues like Ian Robinson, Bret Bestic and Lindsay Todd – a grand morning. Cherry Parker was our second speaker and gave us an insight into organising an election in New Zealand and her responsibilities as Returning Officer - making sure that personnel were trained, polling booths organised and everything ready to go – not by 19 September but to ensure procedures were in place for advanced voting by 5 September. To give us an idea of the extent of the organising needed, there are 24 electorates from Papakura to Warkworth compared to 1 on the West Coast. This entails employing 500 people per electorate. The total number required for New Zealand extends to 32,000 trained people. The 2020 election is more complex due to COVID and the extra space and precautions necessary. Each electorate headquarters is required to have 600 square metres of floor space. Many of the smaller previously used facilities on election day such as church halls are unable to be used this time. They were instructed to operate under Level 2 controls in case the country needs to revert Level 2 virus conditions. Early in July, Cherry who is overseeing the Auckland Central area, received 14 palettes of “cardboard” furniture and a further 10 palettes were due mid-July and then closer to the date a further 3 palettes containing voting papers and registers. Training is Monday through to Saturday with two sessions per day from the beginning of September. There will be 30 voting places on the North Shore and 106 in Northland alone. However advanced voting commences on 5 September with 12 places available on the North Shore. Polling day starts at 9am with 35 staff counting the Advanced Votes at the headquarters, and those are the first progress reports that go onto our TV at 7pm. At 7pm voting day the booths close and the boxes get sorted - voters often put their vote into the wrong box. The counting is progressive with the Party votes counted first, then for the shore the Harbour votes, the East Coast votes and the Te Tai Tokerau votes. They push “send” and again it immediately on our home TV. Sunday they work from 8am to 4pm as all boxes are packed up in a special way for sending back to HQ, every Roll (list of registered voters) has to be de-spined and every page scanned to the Registrar of Electors. Monday they begin to count the votes again. Dealing with Special Votes is a very long process and takes about 10 days. Referenda votes will not be counted on the night and it will be about one week before results are known. Each electorate will handle 35,000 to 45,000 votes, not allowing for the people who vote twice (and up to thirteen times) but beware those people will be found and will be prosecuted. Last election in her electorate there were 8 people who multi voted – all were traced as when they scan the roll pages it throws up the dual votes. A team of people can take 5 – 6 hours to trace the multiple voter – then none of their votes stand. Should you die between casting your vote and election day, your vote is not counted! So take care. Recounts: Not a popular mission. They are done in total silence, a lawyer cannot touch any papers but can ask questions, a Judge sits in and if the “recording” is at all contentious the judge decides the outcome. There is very tight security during a recount and if anyone needs to use the bathroom they are accompanied by a Returning Officer. The entire election process is law driven and Officers are provided with a thick manual on procedures. So unlike the 1984 snap election they have had time to train and organise but it has been more complex and some criteria changed due to the virus. Our thanks to Cherry for a fascinating insight into the workings of an election – makes our effort of turning up and ticking a few boxes an anti-climax in comparison. March 2020 Guest Speakers: Cherry Parker & Bret Bestic Topics : "To My Darling Wife - a New Zealander's front line letters from the Italian Campaign 1943-1945" (Cherry) & "Perspectives of War" (Bret) Cherry Parker told us of her Great Uncle Henry and finding his letters home to his wife. She writes: 70 years after they were written during the Italian Campaign, the letters sent home to my great aunt in NZ were found in an old Gladstone bag - all in their original envelopes, tied up with string and numbered as they were received between May 1943 and Dec 1945 — all 376 of them. Every single letter began: "To My Darling Wife" and ends "Your loving husband, Henry" Cherry read them all, transcribed and turned them into a book. Excerpts below: Dec 1943: I did not have to dig this hole where I sleep now. Jerry had dug it so I just built my home over it. There are miles of bamboo in this country and hay stacks everywhere. I have put some bamboo round the sides of it and about a foot in the bottom. Then I dug a trench around the outside to keep the mud and water out. I am OK but this is a hard school for chaps who are not useful with their hands. It is much warmer down in a hole like this. The weather is cold and terrible. Going out today it started to snow. Perhaps this sea of mud will freeze then we will be able to walk over it instead of through it. 26 March 1944: As you realise we can't go at it day and night, so I have started a little job. I picked up a piece of metal from an aeroplane and I have got busy on it, spending every spare moment I have. My workshop is down a hole in my bivvy and my tools pen knife, files and odds and ends such as old razor blades for scrapers etc. I started off with a true model to measurement of a spitfire and I will mount it when it is finished on a stand. It is small about 4" long. This one will be made right up in the front line. 8th September 1944: Air Letter peanut brownie biscuits — I received a parcel from you today posted late April. No wonder I thought it had gone. It was the 3 tins of biscuits. You made a great job of packing them in those tins, not one was broken not even the peanut brownies. What surprised me was how crisp they are. Thanks a lot Pet. 7th September 1945: I received parcel No 41 from you today Pet. The homemade pickles will be a luxury. Some of the boys came to see what was in it. They were taken by the way you pack my parcels. There is so much more in this story. The base for the airplane was made from wood from an olive tree which had been blown up, as was the lid of the trinket box. The bracelet metal from an enemy plane. Bret Bestic (Brigadier) was our speaker after our morning tea break and Bret's "Perspectives of War" took us down a totally different aspect of campaigning, with some very astute thinking on achieving the best outcomes. High on the list was Logistics which were vital in keeping the morale of the troops in good shape. This included making easier the to and fro of letters and parcels from family to the fighting force. He talked of the necessity to break down a problem, to find a solution, the vital aspect of lateral thinking and that "there are no rules until you get to the end". He clarified the meaning of "Active Service" which literally gave the troops a licence to kill. Bret has had an amazing and varied life including the task of reviewing the procedures at the Paremoremo Facility due to his ability to plan and organise — I suggest you click on the link below and read of his "exploits" (and view his medals) — he seems to have fitted several lifetimes into one and still leads something of a nomadic life with as he said, very few possessions, as he travels so much — although he does own two barges one in Amsterdam to which he is returning shortly. He was very well equipped to talk to us about Logistics and Roger is hopeful of getting Bret back for a further Sunday to talk of some of his "escapades". Our good member Brian Cudby — also ex-Army has been an associate and friend of Bret for many years so they had lots to discuss. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/bestic February 2020 Guest Speakers: Hilary Arrowsmith & Jane Brodie Topic : "The Treasures Inside Your Library Card: eResources For You On The Move" Hilary Arrowsmith and Jane Brodie from Auckland Libraries enlightened us with e options provided Libraries. They took us through the many choices available online — with the saying we have "A Library in every pocket”. Below is a list of the various e resources some of which are available through the website and some via an app. Many of us love to have a "book book° as Hilary described hard copy books but the emergence of eBooks, eMagazines, eNewspapers eAudio etc allows us so much more flexibility. A great asset to travellers too. Libraries are equipped to assist with Genealogy research and have a huge number of digital Heritage images. Search under eCollections to get started. Our catalogue can also be accessed on its own mobile app. To order a book, go to the catalogue and enter the title, tap Request and have your library card and PIN ready. Your device will also remember your barcode and PIN. The best way to access and read eBooks and eAudiobooks is to download and read the books in apps (Libby and/or Borrowbox) available from the App Store or Playstore. You need to register within the app with your name, email, barcode etc. These apps are good because you can listen to or read everything offline — when you are travelling. If you don't want to use Apps or a mobile device, you can read or listen online in your browser on your PC by going through the website. To read an eMagazine , access is possible via our website: click eCollections/ Magazines or by downloading an app called R8 Digital in order to read offline. This gives you access to more than 600 international magazines. There is no limit to the number you can have, nor any set day to return. Have your email address ready and remember your Library is Auckland Libraries— not your branch library! To read a newspaper online, go to the Library website, click eCollections/ Newspapers. This online access allows you to read 2400 newspapers, from 100 countries in 56 languages. You can also access over 3000 local and international magazines to read as well. There is a mobile app you can use to download the magazines with a 30 day Library wifi permit. It's easier to use the online version via our website. To use Lynda.com — as above and enter the term "Lynda.com". These are online tutorials on computer, business and digital subjects. There are very good tutorials to help you learn more about your PC, iPad, iPhone and android phones. To use the Family History and heritage sites, go to the website and enter the words Family History. Five options appear. A limited form of Ancestry.com is available from within a Public Library. Remember that Auckland Libraries has a Family History Department with which you can make an appointment to gain expertise with your family research. Ring 09 3770209 Kura is Auckland Libraries' online Heritage collection of photographs, maps, manuscripts and local history. Look on the website. Searching a subject is now much easier with Article Search in the catalogue. Simply enter the subject you are looking for and then tap the "Articles" button instead of the catalogue button. For those who belong to groups such as U3A, the Auckland Libraries website subscribes to MANY databases which provide up to date information on people, science, art, history and topical subjects. Video Streaming of Documentaries, instructional videos, classic movies and kids' movies is available via the Beamafilm app and OverDrive App. lf you don't have a tablet, just watch in your desktop browser. January 2020 - Part 1 Guest Speakers: Julia Parfitt & Alexis Poppelbaum Topic : "Local Government - How we work and what we do" East Coast Bays Board Members Julia Parfitt and Alexis Poppelbaum attended our January Sunday meeting and we had the benefit of Julia and Alexis discussing with us how Local Government works — or at times doesn't work. Our long time Shore representative Julia, took us through the nuances of the amalgamation of our North Shore City with Auckland City and the differences in regional aspects such as libraries (North Shore opened 7 days a week but some boroughs did not open at the weekends) and resulting outcomes and Alexis spoke about her first term as an elected representative and what she hoped to achieve during her tenure. Oh what a "tangled web" it can be. Long story short, they encouraged us to get involved if we are unhappy about the decline in some services since the amalgamation, such as the state of berms, the quality of the water at our beaches and lack of signage when they became unsafe. They encouraged the use of the Hotline for complaints and impressed upon us to always get a case number — in case a follow up is necessary. Action should be acknowledged within 5 — 10 working days or in the case of health aspects such as sewage then "a few hours" is the criterion. This facility is also available online. See below for details. Their stated goals were to: Improve the consent processes in particular for housing and deal more effectively with situations where rules are breached. Tighten up on the Unitary Plan which is currently lacking in clarity. Improve need for accountability by elected members. Localism — people should have more control over what happens in their local area. Improve information regarding candidates to encourage more interest in voting. Improve the voting system and not have two forms of voting in the one election, as happened in 2019. Auckland Council have set up a new online tool so you can now report problems via their website. Once you've reported a problem (e.g. maintenance request) you can track and trace the request for real-time progress updates using the reference number provided. https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/report-problem/Pages/default.aspx January 2020 - Part 2 Guest Speaker: Margaret Scrymgeour Topic : "Don't Judge a Book By its Cover " Margaret Scrymgeour was our speaker after morning tea with the intriguing title "Don't Judge a Book By its Cover …... See a Man by his Cloth, as there is often a good deal of solid worth and superior skill underneath a jacket and yaller pants". [from Piqua Democrat Newspaper, June 1867]. The content proved to be enlightening and surprising. In fact, quite astonishing. We possibly all knew that 2 or 3 different covers could exist for the same story but did we know that one classic publication, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, appears to hold the record with more than 300 different book covers? There are some archetype covers so if we see the silhouette of an athletic man, walking alone down a long road we tend to think it is a story about Jack Reacher or a similar maverick man. However, Margaret proved to us that the front cover image could be very deceptive — to the point of ridiculous with some great examples that would totally give you the wrong impression of the content. Different images are used for appeal in different countries — the latest Tarzan edition Margaret described as "crass" — not at all what Edgar Rice Burroughs and Johnny Weissmuller would have sought to enthrall children. This was a brilliant concept and entertaining session and thanks to researchers Margaret Scrymgeour and Patricia Smith. December 2019 Guest Speakers: Various Topic : "Christmas Meeting" Bernice set us off on a Christmassy note with some fun Jib Jabs, a ProShow Gold presentation of the antics of those who attended Valentines and a showing of how she combines Photobook creation with Genealogy. This was followed by designs for cards, posters, book covers and suchlike created in Canva and taught by Cherry Parker . Cherry passed judgement on the efforts of our members and donated two of her own books and some goodies to the runner up Carol Wainhouse and the winner Shirley Hansen . Ian Handricks introduced items to keep both our grandchildren and ourselves busy and out of mischief over the holiday break —go to our website and on the home page right hand side near the bottom you will see a green panel "Holiday Activities" from there the grey panels are links for your computer and the turquoise panels are links for your iPad etc. At 11am we stopped for a delicious morning tea. Shirley Hansen organised the food and niceties for morning tea and with help from several members set up the food and drink at the back of the hall. Thanks also to the members who brought food for our Christmas celebration — the clean-up and dishes were left until after the meeting concluded so Shirley's team did not miss the items. After morning tea Glen Plaistowe took us down memory lane with Do You Remember 1950? — followed by a presentation of photographs taken by members throughout the year and compiled into a showing by Rex Oddy . November 2019 Guest Speaker: Tom Spratt Topic : "World of Technology in the Galleries and Exhibitions at the Museum" Our Sunday Speaker in November was Tom Spratt from our own Auckland Museum. Tom opened up the World of Technology in the Galleries and Exhibitions at the Museum for us. He introduced us to a Boop Box which they are trialing. Amazingly he placed a combination of a wood funnel lashed to a conch shell and when placed on the Box it gave the sounds a conch shell can make and a spoken commentary about the shells. Likewise when placing a model boat on the Box it created the noise you would experience from a ship moving in water. Information about an item is loaded onto a "tag" and the Box converts the information into audio. Technology is an integral part of the museum experience • Share Knowledge • Personalisation • Interactivity • Rich Content • Digitize our collections • High quality public interface • Connect people through all channels. They reach the public with the use of Pop Up Museums around Auckland which have worked well. He also spoke about the need for Security of the collections against Theft and Damage and of course Conservation. They have a team of 8 conservators who monitor the environment in which the objects are either displayed or stored. Only 10% of objects are on display and these are in many instances rotated. The items need protection from the Environment for: • Humidity • Pests • Light • Temperature • Vibration • Dust • Air Movement.The Digital Laboratory has 4 full time photographers who add thousands of HD images every month, including multiple images for each object. For high depth of field magnification, they take multiple photographs and multilayer them to achieve a crisp clear final image. The extensive Online Cenotaph has a person search and many of the galleries have touch screen accessibility and interactive platforms. In addition, the Heritage Services area includes extensive family history records with new content being added constantly - such as: • Published family histories • Family Records/stories • School Records • Census summaries • Baptismal registers • Articles of Reminiscences • Cinematic archive • Pharmacy records • Legal Deeds (approx 10,000). A very enlightening morning. October 2019 Guest Speaker: Megan Brice Topic : "How to Leave a Legacy by being a Great Coach" Megan Brice of Integrity Solutions proved to us that it doesn't matter what age you are the skills of being a great coach are invaluable in our everyday lives and particularly in relation to family/grandkids. Megan provided us with Behaviour Charts which we individually completed to recognise what category we fitted into i.e. Talker, Doer, Controller or Supporter as our strongest characteristic and at what point we "fringed" into another sector. Some of us were a little surprised! Understanding the way we "function" enables us to recognise what motivates others and how we can better relate to people and so assist with encouraging them to achieve. Megan emphasised the importance of mind-set and how this at times needs changing to enable development of self-worth and expansion of our belief system as our inner beliefs control all outcomes. To portray the Coaching Process she illustrated with diagrams the five steps of the process: Ask - Listen - Coach - Praise - Challenge So prepare by Asking Questions, Listen without distraction, Coach by discovering constraints and gaining agreement, Praise with sincerity and expressing potential you see and Challenge with specific goals with time frames and follow up (I look forward to hearing how you get on). We heard from 5 or 6 members who had experienced watershed moments in their careers and from some who had through work related or life coaching undergone a related process. Brian Cudby acknowledged that throughout his career with the NZ Army he had used methods of this type. There was so much more to the morning but seemingly all of our members bought into the philosophy — enjoyed finding out "what sort of person we emulate" and were duly intrigued with the findings. We did stop for a grand morning tea — thanks to members who brought along food — it was so good we did not need the chocolate bikkies this month. September 2019 Guest Speaker: Matt Chamberlain Topics : Cybersecurity What we need to know — please do not take the issue lightly. Matt Chamberlain from Tech Solutions at Noel Leeming provided us with very good advice and information on Cybersecurity and introduced us to their Home Security systems which can provide 'real time’ information or can record activity at your property. They have a natty little alarm doorbell with a camera and an app which shows on your phone ‘live’ what is happening. He spent some time discussing internet safety and the importance of good passwords emphasising we should use a mix of upper and lowercase. symbols and numbers and certainly more than 6 characters which can stop what he caked a Blunt Force approach by scammers. He advised don't use your date of birth and do not use the same password for everything. He was not averse to using a simpler password for relatively unimportant connections. He also advised that changing passwords six monthly was a good security habit. During discussion on security programmes he confirmed that Windows 10 has a built-in system called Defender and Apple also have an internal option, but you do have to activate it. When it came to scam emails he recommended if in doubt look for spelling and grammar errors and certainly look at the email address as that will often be a giveaway. There are various types of threats and a full explanation can be found on government sites: Spam: refers to emails, SMS texts or faxes from an individual or a company that you didn't ask to receive. i.e. Junk mail advertising products or services you don't want. Ransomware: A type of malicious software that denies a user access to their files or computer system unless they pay a ransom. Scams and Fraud: Online scams are intended to manipulate or trick people into giving away their personal details, financial details or money. Phishing: A type of email scam. The sender pretends to be a trustworthy organisation —like a bank or government agency in an attempt to get you to provide them with personal information such as bank account details. Denial of Service: These attacks am to restrict or impair access to a computer system. They typically target servers to make websites and payment services unavailable — preventing legitimate users from accessing the online services they need. Online Identity Theft: Using personal information from another person and using it for their own gain. Malware: Any kind of malicious software designed to damage or harm a computer system. Cyber Bullying: Relates to any kind of harassment or abuse that is carried out online through social media, email or a website. Credential Dumps: When a list of email addresses and other information (like passwords) is published online without permission. Can be exploited by spammers and cybercriminals. It is so important to use the ‘BCC’ option when emailing groups of people in particular. There are a number of websites where you can check if something is a cyber security threat or report an issue. [See SeniornetNS Newsletter October 2019 - Sunday Meeting) for more details]. August 2019 Guest Speakers: Several Topics : AGM After the official sector of the morning we had some special items from members: Glen Plaistowe "looked" at 1947 and occurrences during that year, Bernice Hyde explained the extensive uses possible with Photobooks, Campbell Stanford illustrated his family connection with Macedonia with some unusual display items from the war era and Peter Patten finished the morning with a collection of very good photos he took at the Chinese Lantern Festival. Bernice Hyde has been an extremely active and enthusiastic member of SeniorNet North Shore since 2009 and from the beginning has been prepared to assist in numerous areas of activity. Bernice has tutored in Genealogy, Family Tree Maker, Photobooks, iPad (particularly at the beginning), and has assisted in ProShow Gold. She has been a back-up to Allan White in the technology aspect and is always helpful on "what to plug in and where". Bernice is deserving of being made a Life Member of our club and at our AGM was duly voted to receive this award and was presented with her distinctive badge. Interspersed was a wonderful morning tea so thanks to Shirley Hansen and her team. Shirley has mastered the workings of the oven in the St John kitchen and we had hot savouries, egg sandwiches, ham sandwiches, asparagus rolls, cheese puffs, strawberries with dipping chocolate and cake of various types - enough to thrill even a 6 year old at a party. Thanks to the members who brought along food and helped make the morning so successful. July 2019 Guest Speaker: John Hartley Topics : Laughing Policeman (Back by Popular Demand!) Once again, we were treated to a talk from John Hartley or the Laughing Policeman only this time for the whole session. As formerly, there was lots of laughter throughout and amazingly all the anecdotes were completely new to the last session he gave us. He regaled us with pranks his senior officers played on him as a recruit, the three main types of drunkenness he had to deal with, all with actions to make them even more hilarious. Interestingly in England policing, each district is funded by locals and in John's time of service all the uniforms and hats for each district had differences as well. He discussed the pros and cons of his training and there was plenty of time for questions and comments throughout. Of course, also there was the mispronunciation of some of our Maori words which was a real hoot, and the time he spent in the motorcycle part of the police force. Even a New Zealand Police tale to boot. We finished on a sober note with the answer to a query about burglary where he gave us hints on ways to discourage a burglar of course with actions to accent his suggestions, We got a few funny shots for the newsletter for Roger. A really entertaining session. June 2019 Guest Speaker: Ian Handricks Topics : The Evolution of Music and Computers Ian Handricks, in his usual creative and informative style, provided a background history of music created on and for computers, how technology has altered the way we procure and hear our music, when digital music was first created and how it has forever changed the commercial landscape for musicians. He discussed how YouTube can be used as an entertainment centre and introduced some ways we can make our own music, using computers and ipads/tablets. Did you know that Sony produced the first tape recorder in 1946 at a then cost of $525 — about $7,000 today? Finally he demonstrated how we can find and enjoy our own style of music - at no cost. A really good morning. May 2019 Guest Speakers: Frank Graveson & Gaye Stratton Topics : Dogs in the Ross Dependency & Macular Degeneration Frank Graveson The Antarctic continent is larger than Australia and is divided into about eleven Dependencies with New Zealand being responsible for the Ross area. Frank took us through the landings from 1895 right up until his own voyage south and their work on the ice. The main theme was the part that the dogs played in each expedition and we had a wonderful insight into their behaviour and the contribution they made. They were loosely called Huskies but in fact derived from a number of breeds but the 1895 excursion took 75 dogs which were Western Siberian, plus 28 tons of Spratt's Dog biscuits - made in England. Frank was involved due to his Engineering ability and we were treated to an amazing hour of stories and visuals. Gaye Stratton from Macular Degeneration New Zealand warned us that 1 in 7 people over the age of 50 and 1 in 4 over the age of 80 will get Macular Degeneration. Gaye urged us to have our eyes tested and to make sure the optometrist does actually test for MD, as while many do test, not all do. The big message was ask. The two main risk factors were smoking or through inheritance, however diet could play a big part (particularly lack of leafy greens), but exposure to UV light, or if you have light skin and blue, grey or green eyes you were more vulnerable. The other big message was that if it is caught early enough a lot can be done to control and even improve your eye health. People with age-related MD should be immediately referred to an Ophthalmologist if they have sudden onset distortion or loss of vision. With MD you do not lose your peripheral vision — it blurs in the center and so can result in reading difficulties and loss of your driving licence. There are some supplements that can help such as Blackmores Macu-Vision and Lutein Defence. Do take it seriously — there is a lot at stake. Again the intemet will provide you with additional information so go to their official website: www.mdnz.org.nz April 2019 Guest Speaker: Sachin Arulambalam Topic : Virtual Reality Travel extensively for less than one month's power bill! It's true. Sachin Arulambalam of Origin VR spoke of the delights and benefits of Virtual Reality. VR is now being used in all types of leisure and industry using pre-programmed software. It is used for training purposes in: • Retail: product information and customer service. Shop using VR and have your selection delivered. • Surgery training: Otago University currently considering installing • Rehabilitation: after a stroke or procedure • Engineering: design a format and test rather than building an actual model • Architecture: create virtual models, time and cost effective • Entertainment: Sport, music, shows, birthday parties, particularly gaming • Teaching: Schools, Museums • Law Enforcement: Army, Police (NYPD use 100 different scenarios to emulate a situation for training purposes. Provides feedback on good and bad responses and for the military, ammunition is not needed, so safer and cheaper.) • Travel: visit the Grand Canyon (but be careful that you don't fall over the edge.) • Treat Phobias: Fear of Spiders, Birds, etc • Marketing: Eye Track — don a headset and it will monitor what part of the product you view the longest. • E Sports: Playing a game when you are not playing a game. March 2019 Guest Speaker: Phillipa Bans Topic : Never2old Our Sunday Speaker, Phillipa Bans, was well equipped to speak on health with 25 years as a practical registered nurse, degrees in Sport and Recreation and a Diploma in Health Science and currently Operations Manager at Never2old at AUT. Never2old is a multi-faceted programme targeting NZ Seniors to assist with strength and balance, social connections, education, adventure and challenge and overall wellbeing. Wellbeing is defined as "the balance point between an individual's resource pool and the challenges faced consisting of a sense of vitality (get up and go), a positive approach, ability to bounce back, a sense of direction, choosing activities that provide fulfillment and independence, good social connections and the ability to take notice of the world around them and embrace new experiences and opportunities to learn". Emotional: Feelings of satisfaction, optimism, mastery and being in control, a sense of belonging, a positive and realistic view of self and circumstances, being connected and able to manage one's emotional state. Social: Loneliness and social isolation can lead to an increased risk to health and decline in daily activities. Happy people live longer. Intellectual: Engage in mentally stimulating and creative activities, expanding knowledge, learning and discovering and sharing this knowledge. While normal ageing can lead to a slowing of mental processing, actual dementia is statistically relatively uncommon overall. Neuroplasticity: The brain's ability to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This is now a proven fact. Spiritual: Means different things to different people. It could be a walk in the park, it could be prayer or meditation. It may be assessing your values in life or examining and accepting other viewpoints. Physical: Determined by choices we make including physical activity, nutrition, sleep, harmful habits. The Ideal Formula: • Regular physical activity • Eating regularly • Choosing mostly fresh, unprocessed food • Keeping alcohol intake to a minimum • Avoiding drug use • Get at least 6— 8 hours of sleep a night. February 2019 Guest Speakers: Lukas Svoboda & Ian Handricks Topic : Internet Shopping & Cloud Storage Lukas Svoboda In recent years we have been told that "bricks and mortar" shopping is out and internet shopping is in. Well, the world of IT has come to its senses and is giving us the best of both worlds. Our first speaker, Lukas Svoboda, the IT expert for New Zealand owned company Mitre 10, outlined the advances under way. Lukas took us through the current developments in retail shopping and how they are meshing the attributes of personal and online purchasing. Emerging trends were: • Beacons — how your online searches trigger the display of related products. • Face Recognition — will eventuate — works on 16,000 points of reference on your face. (I didn't know my face was that big!) • Robotic Assistance — a little personal robot you can instruct to take you to what you want • Smart mirrors — "try on° a new garment without getting undressed and change the style, colour or size just with a gesture which will superimpose a garment over your own outfit. • Auto checkouts — later on these will trigger charging without the need to go through a checkout of any sort — no queues no delays. • Order online and pick up on the way home. • If you opt into the store"s app, it will guide you to what might interest you. Services — apart from supplying products they will send someone to help you install, build etc. You will be able to indulge in virtual reality from home with voice interaction and have a drone drop off your purchases. You won't get as much exercise but every "assistant" will be an expert. And - in time - they are talking that you will be able to touch, feel and perhaps even smell the products online. Ian Handricks was our second speaker and as always gave a clear and logical illustration of firstly The Cloud and Cloud Storage options, plus some hints and tips. He emphasised that The Cloud is simply a storage system as are flash drives, CD's, DVD's and back up Hard Drives (or indeed shoe boxes) — they are places to store your items, be that documents or your photographs and videos. Effectively you are "uploading" your items into a storage facility which you can then "download" if you need to. This does not remove them from your computer. It is making a copy. There are numerous cloud storage companies most of whom offer a degree of free access i.e. 5GB or 10GB and any amount in excess, they offer to store at a charge. Ian did however recommend that, if you need to add your email address to a website, that you photograph your address and insert, rather than "tap in", which can be traced. January 2019 Guest Speakers: John Hartley & Andy Young Topic : NZ Police John Hartley—known as The Laughing Policeman — well in this instance it wasn't John that was laughing it was his audience of 50 odd. They say laughing is a good tonic — well we all had a major dose of laughing tonic on Sunday. John was born in Yorkshire and joined the police and stayed on for 30 years. When he graduated he was the smallest of the group as most were ex miners or sons of and in the major league in height and size. On a trip to New Zealand with his wife and 3 children some years ago, with 12 pieces of luggage (8 for his wife) they decided that New Zealand was where they wanted to live. After some delays he was accepted into the NZ Police Force and sent to Wellington for 6 months to train and learn how to deal with "troublesome" people —having just spent 30 years dealing with some of the roughest and toughest imaginable. But that was okay. We were introduced to the uses of the wooden baton and the policeman's whistle and why the chain on the whistle was so long! He remained a constable, walking, driving, dealing with 111 calls, undercover drug work, "lots of traumatic and horrible things but nice stuff too". He loved the front line and used humour to deal with and diffuse situations. We had some wonderful stories from him including his pronunciation of Pukekohe where he was stationed. If you missed his stories you missed a treat—you also missed his dress ups with uniforms that still fit him and helmets and handcuffs. We already have requests for a return visit. Community Constable Andy Young talked of his job of making safer communities, engendering trust and focussing on victims. He warned us of the need to be alert particularly in car parks and certainly in hospital car parks where people often have their minds on more serious matters. While the usual alcohol, drugs, driving and organised crime are the major issues the North Shore has a lot of petty crime and car crime is high. Constable Andy confirmed that there are more and more cameras installed which are helpful after the fact but the NZ Police are manning more cameras which help in handling and controlling situations. In the UK CCTV cameras are monitored live. Young people are still making bad decisions and he is part of the Blue Light team who now largely concentrate on camps for the young. The internet is like the Wild West so there is a need to be careful at all times. Contact Neighbourhood Support they will help with advice. However Neighbourly needs to be used with caution. Don't tell Neighbourly, for example, that you are going on holiday. Timely reminder to record serial numbers — use smart phone to photograph but store details offsite or elsewhere. He was asked about drones but reported little trouble — most of the North Shore is a "no fly" zone due to hospitals and flight paths December 2018 Guest Appearances (as below) Topic : Christmas Meeting Our Sunday Christmas meeting was well attended as around 70 members enjoyed some great entertainment provided by talented SeniorNetters such as Campbell Stanford showing the potential of making a website, Glen Plaistowe and her moving tribute to Vincent van Gogh, a stirring rendition of Silent Night sung in German by Jurgen Schubert and Peter Patten and a visual display from the Photography Group tutored by Rex Oddy . Once again Bernice Hyde entertained with photos from the Christmas lunch and her funny Jib abs - poking a little fun at the committee. The morning finished with our own Dorothy Waddel who brought her full size keyboard down from Orewa and accompanied some beautiful singing by her friend Jan-Maree and her daughter Chloe - with members joining in at times and sounding wonderful. Finally thanks to our MC none other than Newsletter Editor, saxophonist and multi-tasking and talented Roger Willoughby who kept things moving along with enthusiasm. November 2018 Guest Speakers: Ian Handricks and Anna & Susie Topic : "Ask Mr Google" & "Improving Posture" Ian Handricks The last minute unavailability of our first advertised speaker saw our own Ian Handricks kindly step in as our first speaker at our Sunday Meeting. His topic was ASK MR GOOGLE. We learned that Google was a misspelling of Googal. Wikipedia defines Googal as the “large number 10100 , that is, the digit 1 followed by one hundred zeros in decimal representation. For us it means that through Google we have seemingly unlimited access to information and images. The success of searching is asking the right questions and in particular the use of the 5W's plus H. What, Who, Why, Where, When and How. Be specific and inventive in how you frame your questions for the best results. Everything available on Google is downloaded onto their massive servers and stored. Currently they are experiencing around one billion searches a day. Their first server was built out of Lego and old fridges. Enough to make your eyes goggle or google. Anna & Susie Our second session involved the owners of Suna Pilates in Takapuna, Anna and Susie. Their topic was Improving Posture, and Susie took us through a series of easy (?) exercises to point out how important good posture is and how to achieve it. Because pilates is so effective at building your body's core strength through balancing, stretching and correct breathing, it is popular with many doctors who recommend pilates to clients who are middle aged (or more). 10 reasons Pilates is ideal for older people: Zero impact, easy on joints. More oxygen in your bloodstream. Better flexibility. Improve alignment and balance. Support healthier sleeping patterns. Reduce the chance of falls. Less joint stiffness. Whole body exercise for balance. Lightweight - but not 'easy! Minimise the impact of illness. October 2018 Guest Speakers: Dr Mels Barton & Daniel Newcombe Topics : Kauri Dieback & Strategic Protects for Auckland Transport Dr Mels Barton This was a spirited and passionate talk by Dr Barton who is absolutely committed to finding a solution to kauri dieback although there is no cure in sight at present. In 2006, kauri were observed to be dying in the Waitakere Ranges, and an investigation commenced. As a result a new unidentified species was discovered. This was formally named in 2015 as Phytophthora agathidicida. The mould affect Kauri by damaging the root system, reducing the tree's ability to mike water and nutrient from the soil and transport it throughout the plant. Initial signs of infection can be yellowing of the leaves, eventually branches starve and die before the whole tree succumbs. Tracking the spread, it became obvious that “people” are moving the disease which is why it is so important to close off kauri areas to stop the spread as cleaning stations have limited effect as the tiniest spore can germinate. We asked Dr Barton what we on do and her emphasis was on educating our family and friends about the potential disaster we are facing. Daniel Newcombe Our second speaker was Daniel Newcombe, Manager of Strategic Protects for Auckland Transport. Housing is currently mostly extending North and South with some in the North West. There is a need to get “jobs” into the new areas otherwise roads will become more and more blocked. Daniel cited the instance of the housing growth in the Warkworth area as an example of houses without jobs requiring long distance travel for workers. While some feel disadvantaged with the new North Shore bus system he believed many had a better experience with vastly improved waiting times. He told us that they are trialing two electric buses already and once they have decided on the type they plan to be converted to all electric by 2025. There was concern about cycle ways diminishing the road system but he was convinced that these were part of the future of transport and it was obvious that they were continuing with these cycle lanes, regardless. He reported that usage into the city had increased by 35% but did not give us the details of actual numbers. September 2018 Guest Speaker: David Verran Topic : North Shore Ferries A full house was in attendance to greet our speaker, North Shore historian, David Verran. David talked about the people that influenced the development of the North Shore and how the introduction of an efficient ferry service connecting with Auckland Central was the prime mover in opening up the area, long before the harbour bridge. Ewan William Alison introduced the first reliable steam ferry. He went on to develop numerous business interests including a steam tram for further forays north to Takapuna and Birkenhead. Thomas Poynton , initially transported to Australia for political transgression, moved to Takapuna in the 1840's. He owned 67 acres and ran sheep, grew wheat and oats and was involved in local government. Edwin Harrow went from England to Natal and with success in diamond mining achieved riches which he brought to New Zealand. William Henry Shakespear (no 'e') bought 6 acres on what was later called Shakespeare Road. He and his wife owned a needlework and fancy goods shop in the city. Carl Franz (Frank) Fischer lived where the quarry is. He had a very strange and interesting history. August 2018 Guest Speakers: Ian Handricks Topic : A journey through the development of computers Sunday 12 August was our AGM and we had a good turnout to hear all the fascinating details of our accounts plus the events of the year and of course our annual executive elections. Our Chairperson, Barbara Anderson, gave her report on club operations during the year and duly thanked the Committee, the Tutors and Helpers and of course our Auditor for the enormous amount of work they had covered during the year. After the tea break our own Ian Handricks took us on a journey through the development of computers from day one, bringing to light some unknown and some long forgotten facts and features about the evolving technology. Ian also explained his own involvement in the very early stages of hardware (he began programming 51 years ago in 1967) and software including his work in 1981 on developing intraoccular lens design and manufacture using computer aided design (CAD) on the first IBM PC computer. Oh the things we did not know including the role that the first mouse (yes it was made of a wooden block and it was left-handed) played in the development of the technology. The presentation included loads of photos that brought back memories of bulky old monitors, floppy discs – oh how we have advanced and where to next! July 2018 Guest Speakers: Jennifer Venimore & Brian Cudby Topic : ACC Injury Prevention & Army Service in Malaya Our Speakers then took over. First Jennifer Venimore, Senior Injury Prevention Specialist for ACC. Jennifer pointed out that current data shows us that each year, one in three people aged 65 or over will have a fall, but falling over isn’t necessarily part of the ageing process. Many falls are preventable and the organisation www.livestronger.org.nz offers advice including a home safety checklist. Three booklets were made available to the meeting attendees from the Live Stronger For Longer organisation, “Love Your Hips”, “Home Safety Checklist” and “Love Your Independence”. Some of these were left with us and will be available to any member who wishes to collect one. Kerri Moran, Community Health and Balance Manager for North Harbour Sport, then continued and advised us to add exercise to our daily lives with the slogan “It’s Never Too Late to Start”. Kerri told us of Community Group Strength and Balance Classes. The classes approved by Live Stronger for Longer are shown on their website After morning tea we were given an interesting talk by our own Tutor Brian Cudby. The topic was Brian’s experiences of his army service in Malaya, as it was then called (now Malaysia) during the Malaya emergency in 1958, and later of his service in Vietnam. Brian started young in the NZ Army aged 17. He was with the 2nd NZ Regiment in Malaya in 1958 and in Vietnam 1968-69. June 2018 Guest Speakers: Sylvia Durrant, QSM & Brian Wintle Topic : Bird Rescues & Bhutan Bird Lady Sylvia Durrant, QSM, held our attention throughout her talk, amusing us with stories of bird rescues and showing us some real live birds. Sylvia brought along two Tuis, two Penguins and a Kingfisher and her dog helper Missie, a Border Collie, Huntaway cross. One of the Tuis had lost the use of its legs. Sylvia assured us she could fix it and had it tied up in a sling so that it was upright but its feet did not touch the floor. I have seen it since the talk and it is getting better. After morning tea Brian Wintle then took us on a visit to Bhutan where he has recently been. Paro is one of the most difficult airports to land a large jet. Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas has a population of 750,000, ¾ of whom are Buddhist. May 2018 Guest Speakers: Greg & Kathryn Trounson Topic : Why I drive an Electric Car Kathryn Trounson and her Husband Greg from The Better NZ Trust – Leading the Charge (sic electric car batteries!) spoke about “Why I drive an Electric Car”. Kathryn is a trustee of Leading the Charge which was established in January 2015. The Trust has a vision to create environmental, financial and health benefits for all New Zealanders through education, and assisting in the adoption of zero carbon renewable energy technologies. Kathryn is also Chairperson of Better NZ Trust and arrived in an all Electric Vehicle which we inspected at morning tea. Fortunately the sun shone briefly allowing us to all emerge and inspect. Our singing member Ora Lefebvre took one look under the bonnet and broke out into the song “Is That All There is!” Petrol, currently priced at around $2.08 per litre, is due to have extra taxes applied of possibly .22c per litre. Electric cars of course don’t run on petrol. And look at this: Dyson release plans to make an electric vehicle. Sir James Dyson, creator of the well-known Dyson vacuum cleaner, has indicated that Dyson will be branching out into creating a ‘radical’ electric vehicle with a potential launch date of 2021. With the added benefit of creating thousands of jobs, a significant amount of money will be invested. Sir James said he was spending $1.9 billion developing new battery technology, $1.9 billion on the hi-tech car itself, and $934 million on associated technology, including autonomous and 'robotic' equipment for cars. Apparently the government have committed to no road user charges until 2020. April 2018 Guest Speaker: Ian Handricks for Stef Billing Topic : The Wahine Disaster First item on the agenda was a Powerpoint presentation shown and commentated on by Ian Handricks in the unfortunate absence of Stef Billing. This whole meeting was at the instigation of Stef, a great idea Stef. Ian had also put a lot of hours into the Powerepoint which told us of the facts of the tragedy and Stef’s involvement. Stef was a 12 year old at the time and remembers the cyclone Giselle meeting a southerly Antarctic blast which peaked at 250 kph. Not only was the Wahine in distress but the whole of the Wellington region suffered considerable damage. The Wahine was a Union Steamship vessel and had been sailing the Lyttelton/Wellington route since 1966. It could carry 1050 passengers plus 200 vehicles. On the fateful day it was carrying 610 passengers and a crew of 123. After leaving Lyttelton, with a weather forecast not anticipating the storm encountered by the vessel, Captain Robertson decided to try and enter Wellington harbour at 5.50 am. The vessel had done this before in heavy seas. Just after 6.00 am the radar system failed after the storm had intensified and the Captain tried to sail back out to sea. In now ferocious conditions the vessel was reversed onto Barretts Reef and lost a propeller and the tragedy escalated, orders to abandon ship being given at about 1.30 pm. Despite all this happening close to Seatoun most of the passengers were swept over to the Eastbourne side of the harbour and this is where most of the 51 deaths occurred. Stef and his brother Chris had launched the Worser Bay Surf Lifesaving Club lifeboat and had managed to save a crew member. March 2018 Guest Speaker: Garry Clark Topic : Game Changers Garry Clark was our Sunday speaker – as it turned out a lover of all things new in Technology and gadgets. Garry spoke about Game Changers such as modern batteries and in particular car batteries and the rapid development of their capacity to charge quickly and go the extra mile or in our case kilometre. The newest Samsung car battery will charge in 20 minutes and take you up to 600kms. Garry does have an electric car and he charges it for 6 hours overnight at a cost of $2 or less and this will take him 150 – 200kms depending on how you drive and the terrain. There is an app that will pinpoint charging stations - the airport has a free service as do some commercial outlets. He advised that a slow charge is best for the unit. Seems that while conventional vehicles have 10,000 moving parts electric cars have only 20 moving parts – so much less to go wrong or wear out. His research suggests that before long we will be able to run our home power from a battery pack. Garry went on to detail the background of the South African born Elon Musk the founder of eBay and Tesla car man and many other developments including the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket which was in the headlines in early March 2018. This little venture was created at a cost of $90 million USD. Even if the rocket taking off did not hit the high spots with you, the return and landing of two of the three booster rockets back at Cape Canaveral on their end and on X marks the spot was very impressive. February 2018 Guest Speaker: Elaine Bracefield & Glen Plaistowe Topic : Bio Science & Windows 10 Technology Two very informative speakers kept our 60 odd – (well not actually odd) members intrigued on a wet and wild morning. Our first presentation was by Elaine Bracefield who is a Qualified Nutritionist and Biochemist, Glutathione and Cellular Health Expert and Certified SmartDNA Practitioner While most nutritionists will factor for environment and lifestyle, Elaine also considers her client’s genetics and offers genetic testing to uncover the missing pieces behind why you may be struggling with your weight, energy levels, positivity and other and other important aspects of your health. Elaine discussed the current cut, burn, poison (operation, radiation, chemotherapy) regime for treating ailments whereas she works in the area of identifying the cause, empowering the individual and rectifying before the person hits rock bottom. She deals with nutrition based on your genomic profile so it is a personal fit. While you cannot change your inherited genes you can change the mutations of those genes with the food that best fits your makeup. Think of food not just as calories but rather that it tells your DNA what to do. After refreshments Glen Plaistowe journeyed us through a well created power point on Windows 10. As Glen explained it was not a case of teaching today but rather showing what it offered. She described Windows 10 as a service as opposed to a product which would now work across all of our devices. It has a predictive aspect known as continuing. In other words your device learns your habits and reacts accordingly. January 2018 Guest Speaker: Ken Holmes & Ian Handricks Topic : Various BitCoins & Crypto Currencies and Self Publishing We had a three part presentation. Our guest speaker was Ken Holmes and Ken in conjunction with our own Ian Handricks collaborated on the first two subjects. BitCoins and Crypto Currencies – a form of currency used for buying goods and services. Money was originally linked to precious metals such as silver and gold, usually gold, until President Nixon changed that. Now money is “printed” and issued by Governments. Bitcoins are a digital currency and are stored online in a “virtual wallet”. Ken admitted he had long wanted to be a published author and he felt he had a story to tell and is well under way with the writing. Along with assistance from Ian he plans to publish his writings as an ebook with Kindle Direct Publishing. He illustrated the five steps needed: 1. Motivation – why do you want to write a book? For Ken it was to record some family history with comment on his brief Army career including a stint in Northern Ireland and a need to give something back. 2. Join a Writers’ Group – very helpful for advice 3. Review and Refine – essential fine tuning 4. Marketing – need to identify your target group 5. Publishing – can now do online, minimal set up costs December 2017 Guest Speaker: Christmas Meeting Topic : Various Speakers At our Christmas Meeting Sunday, we had all the good things including lots of tinsel and Christmas ornamentation. First of all Fraser Day showed a collection of favourites from his own photo portfolio plus a selection from his “pupils”. The show was co-ordinated by Brian Wintle and we saw some beautiful images. The photography group has been orchestrated by Fraser for around 8 years and included “shooting outings” and show and tell and critique sessions. Fraser claims his team have advanced so much they no longer need his guidance as December was his last session. Rex Oddy is to take future sessions and he will have something to add from his own perspective I am sure. A presentation was made to Fraser with thanks from the Club. A loooong morning tea with special items such as savoury sandwiches and rolls, Christmas cake, Christmas tarts, Cherie Bell’s famous muffins and cranberry specials plus strawberries, cherries and a carrot cake by Barbara Anderson - decorated for Fraser, so we had a cake cutting ceremony as well. November 2017 Guest Speaker: Dawie Otto Topic : Gmail Our speaker was Otto Dawie who discussed Gmail and what it can do for you if you have a gmail account which is free and easy to obtain. Dawie mentioned how it reduced dependence on Microsoft and offered many similar programmes at no cost. This negated the need to purchase software updates and upgrades as Google constantly refresh their programmes. The Google Suite includes gmail, Google Maps, a Calendar, Google Drive for documents and photos, Google photos, Cloud storage (there is a limit to this before you pay) Docs (Word), Slides (Power Point), Forms (information collecting) Sheets (Excel equivalent) and Events. Plus some lesser used options. In the main, transitioning over your current records is a simple operation of drag and drop. Dawie continued on extolling the benefits of having a Google account and is prepared to take further sessions with a practical hands on approach. October 2017 Guest Speaker: Nick Miskelly Topic : The fine points of fibre broadband Our speaker for the morning was Nick Miskelly from Chorus talking on the fine points of fibre broadband. Nick outlined the various aspects to help us decide if fibre is right for each individual but started with some interesting facts: 1862 First telephone line in New Zealand 1865 Electric Telegraph Department created 1877 First Telephone – apparently at Kaiapoi 1888 Post and Telegraph Department created 1987 Telephone Corporation of New Zealand deregulation – completed in 1989. 1990 Telecom NZ formed 2008 Chorus was part of Telecom 2011 Chorus became an individual entity Estimated that the percentage of New Zealanders with UFB will increase to 87% by 2022. The old copper system was designed to transmit voice and much of the wiring has been in the ground for 100 years. It then needed to cope with sending data and in 1980 dial-up was introduced with broadband in 1999. By 2007 all the street cabinet wiring was upgraded with most cabinets connecting to about 500 consumers. Fibre has the ability to send multi signals at one time and the data throughput is massive. The introduction of Netflix in 2014 pushed up the demand with copper being unable to cope – especially with multiple home users – two people in house can double the download demand. Many homes have 6 or 7 devices. Nick informed us that due to a lack of experienced installers their training programme has been extensive and is ongoing. He stated that until the commencement of the Waterview tunnel the UFB project was the largest project in New Zealand. New methods have speeded up installation as they no longer need to dig trenches. You can go to the Chorus website, insert your address and the site will state when broadband will be available at your address if required. If you are interested in proceeding with UFB you apply through your ISP. The correct procedure then is as follows: 1. A representative from Chorus will meet with you at your home and discuss what is involved – it is most important for you to be involved in the discussion and it will take approximately one hour. September 2017 Guest Speaker: Brent Summers BSc Topic : Broadband options Our Sunday speaker was Brent Summers BSc – introduced by Lois Kay. Attendance was good on a miserable day. It was pleasing to see Julie Green in attendance following her serious operation. The photo here shows Julie in happier times at our AGM. Doesn’t she look good? We had a lively and humorous two hours, believe it or not, about Broadband options (fibre or copper), Bandwidth, the Internet, email, the “Cloud”, providers, and Artificial Intelligence. Did you know that at 10Mb/s ADSL, a King James Bible (3MB) should take about 3 seconds to download? Have you got time to wait around for this? July 2017 Guest Speakers: Ian Bonallack Topic : Return of the Jedi You will remember the very informative and useful Dumb Questions sessions run by Ian Bonallack. Well, we prevailed upon Ian to make a trip to Auckland to be our speaker at the July Sunday Meeting and to hold a question and answer Dumb Questions on the following Monday. Ian moved to Wellington 18 months ago and he spent a few minutes telling us about the move and the differences between living in Auckland and living in Wellington. Wellington was a big drawcard as he has family there including two delightful grandchildren. He showed us photos of his new home and garden and of course the grandchildren. He then regaled us with his life as an Actor. Yes true – he had a part in a (Sir) Peter Jackson movie called Mortal Engines and there could be further productions. The hours were long with early starts, the makeup and costuming quite involved, the breakfasts were extensive, the coffee machine was excellent and overall it was a huge amount of fun. Ian outlined the difference between our Club and the Kapiti SeniorNet where he now tutors. Kapiti is a much more structured environment where members turn up for classes, do the lessons and go home. They do not have a Sunday Meeting. There is none of the convivial aspect that our club engenders and he misses the relationships he built up here. He emphasised how fortunate we are to have the interaction we do. For us it was a reminder of how much we miss Ian’s presence and the numbers attending proved this. June 2017 Guest Speakers: Theunis Van Schalkwyk Topic : “Moving Auckland Forward” Theunis Van Schalkwyk has been in New Zealand for 10 years and his role is Group Manager, Strategic Projects for Auckland Transport. Under the title “Moving Auckland Forward” the challenge is the projected growth for the region. In 1991 Auckland had a population of 1 million and it was believed the city would grow by about 10,000 per year culminating in a population of 2 million by the 2060’s. From 2001 – 2003 there was a growth spurt and again in 2013 to 2016 with an increase of 121,000 in those past 3 years – growth in Auckland projected to be much faster than any other region in New Zealand. The 2 million mark is now estimated to be reached some 30 years sooner. This puts tremendous pressure on roading and housing and by 2024 we will need an additional 421,000 new homes which will impact enormously on transport. Airport passenger growth is expected to be 20 million by 2020 and 40 million by 2044 with 9 new airlines into Auckland in 2016. Cruise ships now number over 100 per year and are much larger, carrying many more visitors. The big questions to answer are how to accommodate these increases with access to jobs, congested roads and a public transport system capable of coping. Theunis reported that a strategic approach has now been agreed – with 4 billion being the funding shortfall!!!! Their main thrust is how to use technology to overcome these problems but they are also learning from other cities. There is major necessity for roading networks, motorways, tunnels and improved busways and hopefully the introduction of light rail. Light rail looked to be a very inviting alternative being quick, comfortable, smooth, easier to access than buses and efficient. Many of the planned large city buildings are designed allowing for underground rail links and new stations including at the Aotea Centre. Eventually a light rail service from Takapuna to the Airport is in the pipeline with Albany to Airport to follow and simplified zone fares will be implemented. Within the next 10 years the busway to Albany will be improved and then it will extend to Orewa. How much of that will we see – well we shall see? April 2017 Guest Speakers: Debbie Grace Topic : Online Banking Our first speaker Debbie Grace of WestPac Takapuna provided us with confidence in the use of Online Banking and discussed the security of payments by credit card online. Debbie assured us that banks are constantly upgrading their firewall security and have people employed full time in this capacity. WestPac have a Demo site which you can access as follows if you would like to experiment: It is possible to save statements, apply for loans and credit cards and WestPac now offer International Bank transfers as well as a myriad of other services such as pay and transfer options and the ability to download tax certificates. Debbie did recommend you advise your bank if you are going away as they monitor accounts for unusual activity and she emphasised only using public wireless that requires a password. In addition Debbie brought a wonderful home- made cake for our members. March 2017 Guest Speakers: Brian Cudby & Bernice Hyde Topic : Photo editing and photo books A really wet day for our Sunday meeting 12 March but our members were not daunted by the rain. We had good attendance for a display of skills by our Tutors who illustrated some of the programmes available for learning at SeniorNet North Shore. First up Brian Cudby, speaking in his best parade ground voice due to a hitch with the sound system, spoke of the various photo editing programmes available such as Picasa, Pixlr, Gimp and Photoshop Elements. The first three are free but you need to purchase software for Photoshop Elements although a trial version is available online. Brian showed us a group of before and after shots which were quite amazing and highlighted the worth of “fixing” your photos. Gail Moore in her orderly and logical manner illustrated how to “control” all the photographs we have on our computers and how to set up folders in a methodical way so we can always find what we want without stress. A good lesson on “photo housekeeping”. Applies to all our data. Bernice Hyde is our resident expert on photo books and recommended Harvey Norman for first time users and although they were the most expensive, they offer the best variety of styles and attributes. Bernice plans to take a session on creating a collage in Picasa for inclusion in a photo book. The morning was rounded out with Barry Pinkney speaking about his much favoured ProShow Gold programme. Shots of the Tinakori Road area included some wonderful old homes accompanied by a lively rendition of Pineapple Rag. He illustrated fusion, which is the use of still and video clips, in his Butterfly Creek creation and finally the wonders of Easby Abbey in North Yorkshire. February 2017 Guest Speakers: Dawie Otto and Shane Symons Topic : improving the “patient experience” After morning tea Dawie Otto and Shane Symons – both newly arrived from South Africa – gave us a clear run through on the iPhone versus the Android cellphone systems detailing the differences and answering a number of questions. There is more to come as Dawie and Shane are taking further sessions on phones and related topics such as Google Photos. Now here is a piece of information that was worth attending for if nothing else: They tell us there is available a WiFi Dongle that takes a sim card. So going Overseas? A great way to easily and economically set yourself up in foreign climes. Have a look at their website which is under development with our own Ian Handricks – iTeaspoon. Dawie is the IT Brewmaster and Shane the IT Barista. Have a look at the menu while there. February 2017 Guest Speaker: Ravina Patel Topic : improving the “patient experience” Ravina Patel from the Waitemata District Health Board gave an insight into her role which is improving the “patient experience” when that patient is within the fold of the Hospital system. The ability to communicate effectively with a great diversity of those needing help and at the same time recognise the cultural differences of those people presents a huge challenge for the people at the coalface. The Waitemata Board has a 1.6 billion dollar budget for the 2016/2017 year and employs 7,000 staff. The North Shore Hospital has 650 beds and Waitakere Hospital 250 beds plus there are some 30 community sites all of which need to be funded from that budget. The IT Section is part of improving patient care and employs the use of e-systems such as iPad minis which are used to access information for prescribing as they are taken right to the bedside to assist in the administration of drugs and treatment. Patients are also encouraged to use their own iPads and devices to keep them in touch with news, family and friends. A well prepared and presented hour and our thanks to Ravina for her visit. January 2017 Guest Speaker: Juliana Goodman Topic : New Zealand Nutrition Foundation Sunday the 8th of January we were treated to a very “positive” information session from Juliana Goodman from the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation. Juliana is well qualified (2 degrees in related subjects) to speak on nutrition and health and did so with enthusiasm and illustrated knowledge. Juliana reminded us that, while long life is desirable, the quality of that life is also important and although we cannot alter our genetic heritage we can enhance the length and quality by sensible eating and exercising. She reinforced the importance of the main food groups that assist us: Vegetables, Fruit (both of which should be the bulk of our food intake) then breads and cereals (preferably wholegrain), milk and milk products (for calcium) and protein in the form of lean meat, seafood, eggs, nuts and legumes. The importance of good hydration, (preferably water), three meals a day starting with a really good breakfast, good food safety habits, limited alcohol intake (note she did not say none) and as much physical activity as you can safely undertake. This could be walking, dancing, exercises or if these are not suitable for you then standing up and sitting down several times helps maintain muscle stability then a little resistance training by lifting a can of peas in each hand – before eating them. Don’t forget to utilise sunshine (ha ha) to get that Vitamin D you need to absorb the calcium into your bones. You need 15 – 30 minutes a day but remember outside the 10am to 4pm parameters for safety in summer and 10am to 2pm in winter. Healthy eating does not need to be expensive eating but poor choice of food can lead to many problems including lack of energy. There is so much more that Juliana covered and the question and answer section was very popular. Space does not allow further comment here but do go to the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation website for more detailed data and lots of good ideas and advice. November 2016 Guest Speaker: Joy Frazer Topic : The new revolution, “Science will shape human destiny as never before” Sunday the 13th of November and 60 odd members (don’t mean the members were odd) were treated to insights into the “very recent” evolution of computers or main frames as the original machines were called as the word computer had not materialised back then, but also where technology was heading. The original machines progressed from vacuum tubes to transistors, then microchips. Joy spoke about the difference between linear progress and exponential growth. She illustrated linear growth being the methodical relatively slow process of moving through phases 1 to 5 taking each step in turn but how now with exponential growth we were jumping from 1 to say 16 to 32 – so giant leaps in development. The Industrial Revolution of the 1600’s and 1700’s brought people into factories and introduced new diseases. The advent of trains enabled movement over longer distances compared to horse travel and on through to artificial intelligence. Michio Kaku is an American theoretical physicist, futurist, and populariser of science. He is a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York. Joy discussed how his predictions are very much on target and suggested his books were worth reading and very readable. Some available at the library. Many of the early versions of new technology are initially beyond the reach of the ordinary person due to cost but over time become more competitively priced – just as the original Gutenberg Bibles were affordable only to the extremely rich. Likewise Nanotechnology has taken science to another level. One aspect that is holding back the move into more and more advanced technological changes is the need for new Laws – ostensibly to protect us all from the “educated stupids”. The world of our great grandchildren will be far removed from what we now know. October 2016 Guest Speaker: Julia Bartlett Topic : Computer-based Animation & Cartooning Guest Speaker Julia Bartlett gave a very informative and clear speech on animation to the meeting. She showed us how computers could be used for animation using 2D and 3D examples. Julia used a graphics tablet that clips to your computer and enables you to draw images and make them move. The graphics tablet was a Bamboo brand and you can see these at Wacom.co on the net. Julia made the exercise look simple but it requires drawing and step by step stages throughout. She explained these stages very clearly to us with the use of a Powerpoint show and extended on examples from this by putting in the first and last drawings in a sequence into a computer. You then set it to go and the computer does the rest. Julia is prepared to take a lesson in our Learning Centre and show people how to do this, so look for a session by her in the November schedule. September 2016 Guest Speaker: Acting Sergeant Kate Williams Topic : Police Force Tools We had an excellent meeting with two good speakers. On a bright, sunny, morning a bright sunny, police officer, Acting Sergeant Kate Williams, based at Glenfield, took us through the latest tools our wonderful New Zealand Police Force use to make the Force more efficient. When the original computer system was installed back in 1976 it was considered ground breaking but was actually a nightmare of a system to use. Now with their mobile devices, iPhones in the main, they can look up details on the street which cuts down the amount of paper work and makes for more efficient policing. The NZ Police have 14,000 mobile devices available to use and they can even dictate letters, load them into the system and they are issued as corrected and edited correspondence. She recommended that we record serial numbers on items purchased as with their data base and on the spot systems it is often possible to track down stolen items. August 2016 January 01, 2020 Guest Speaker: Barbara Anderson Topic : AGM We have had a very eventful year on looking back. Perhaps the biggest event being the agreement we established with Ian Handricks on 18 July 2015. This was considered to be a win/win situation for both the club and Ian and I think it has turned out that way. Ian has continued his role as occasional Sunday Speaker, taken up tutoring, set up and continues to update our wonderful website, and acts as relief newsletter editor. July 2016 Guest Speaker: Bill Rayner Topic : Grey power Bill Rayner the Chairman of North Shore Grey Power was our Sunday Speaker and provided an extremely informative and detailed account of the function of Grey Power and the influence he felt it had on Governments in improving circumstances for older people. June 2016 Guest Speaker: Chelsea McIntyre Topic : Bank Scams Chelsea McIntyre from BNZ Bank gave a very informative presentation on scams, a modern swindle. The “big four” are phishing, phone fraud, Credit card fraud and skimming. It is believed that about 15% of the population have experienced one of these scams. Phishing is when a contact is made “fishing” for information that will help them swindle you. Credit cards need to be kept secure by not letting anyone know your password and keeping you card save. There is an advantage of having a second card with limited credit for use online use. Before going overseas always let your bank know your dates away, countries going to so the bank can identify any unusual withdrawals. May 2016 Guest Speakers: Natalie Cutler-Welsh & Ian Handricks Topic : History and Workings of Social Media Ian discussed the history and development of social media from its early beginnings in the BBS systems being used before the start of the internet through to the omnipresent Facebook and Twitter phenomena of today. Natalie, an ‘Impact Entrepreneur’, Author, Podcaster, Social Media, Business and Networking Coach and a mother of three, showed us how social media is having an impact on the world. She gave us an insight into the workings and integration of social media in business and answered our questions on security, data protection and generational uses of this technology. April 2016 Guest Speaker: Steve Davis Topics : The World of Connected Wearable Devices We had a very successful meeting with full house attendance. Steve Davis, Noel Leeming Technical Installer, took us through the new world of connected wearable devices including Fitbit, Tom Tom and Apple watches which cost between $700 to $35,000. An item called Chrome Caste turns a TV into a Smart TV with a cost of $68.99. and Steve thought it a must buy. March 2016 Guest Speaker: Bill Bennett Topics : Computer Developments Our Speaker was computer journalist Bill Bennett. In the first half he spoke of his early years in computing including brief meetings with Bill Gates and Tim Berners-Lee in England. In the second half he went on to tell us of his thoughts on the immediate future of computing and its various innovatory uses. Much of the real development has been the emergence of advanced software as opposed to the focus on hardware. Bill was asked about Internet Banking and felt the Banks had created a “quite safe” environment but did warn against using Free WiFi for that purpose. February 2016 Guest Speakers: Councilor George Wood & Michael Upton Topics : The Greater Auckland Council and Fire Dangers Auckland Councilor George Wood explained in detail about how the Greater Auckland Council came into being and went on to tell us how the different parts of the Auckland Council operate and how much or how little control, in the case of the Local Boards, they have over events. Our second speaker, Michael Upton, Waitemata Fire Safety Officer, caused some consternation amongst the attendees by parking his fire engine in our car park! It was a beauty, complete with bells and whistles. Certain ladies in the audience were quite taken with Michael and his team of three, they did look very young and very fit and remarkably slim. Michael gave us an excellent rundown of fire dangers in the home and how to avoid them. January 2016 Guest Speakers: Trevor Willmot & Ian Handricks Topic : Automobile Technology Trevor Willmot gave a lively presentation brimming over with all sorts of essentially mechanical information. He spoke of the paradigm shift due in the development of all things although his particular interest was motor vehicles. He believed that there would be more change in the next 5 years than we had experienced in the past 50 years. Trevor spoke of all the diagnostic devices available and was asked about the function of computers in vehicles. He advised they do thousands of calculations constantly to refine fuel usage and optimise the performance. They also recorded faults like an on board mechanic. December 2015 Guest Speakers: The Tutors Topic : 2015 Achievements Our final meeting of the year was very well attended and we all enjoyed a display of work by some of our talented groups. The members were greeted to a slide show of photos from Frazer Day’s digi-photo classes. Barry Pinkney arranged for no less than four pieces to be presented from his classes. Genealogy had a piece by Stewart Rundle and also had an attractive and informative presentation of members’ work and finds at the rear of the hall including PhotoBooks from Bernice Hyde. November 2015 Guest Speakers: Richard Bose & Alan Edwards Topics : Mainframe to Micros & Retirement Richard Bose detailed the evolution of computers from Mainframe to Micros. This was a fascinating ride from the humble beginnings of huge main frame Univac computers which in retrospect held very little capacity to the current micro systems that can handle multitudes more bits and bites in one very small unit. Our second speaker was Alan Edwards, CEO of Metlifecare who gave us a lively insight into his early life, personal development and subsequent role all of which he described as a lead into “retirement”, in that, from the day we are born we are headed for retirement. October 2015 Guest Speakers: Bjorn Binzegger & Brian Wintle Topics : AgePlus & Iceland Our first speaker was Bjorn Binzegger of AgePlus Charitable Trust who brought along a number of items that are helpful in making our lives easier particularly if you have a “hindrance” of some kind. One that intrigued us the most was the wine glass that does not fall over. Our second speaker was Brian Wintle who told us something of his trip to Iceland. The photo to the left was taken by Brian in Iceland. September 2015 Guest Speaker: Ian Handricks Topic : Contemplating Cartography An interesting and informative journey into the world of maps, map-making and computers. Learn all about Google Earth and Google Maps, discover how Street View was created and how you can use this in your genealogy endeavours … and much, much more. Ian will show you how to get the hang of on-line maps, street plans, terrain and relief maps … even how to explore maps of the ocean floor and terrestrial bodies! You will learn how computer mapping is used in everything from metrology to air travel applications. This will be a practical, fun and exciting jaunt into a wealth of visual and very useful knowledge … stuff that has a real and practical use in our day-to-day lives. August 2015 Guest Speaker: Ian Bonallick Topic : Gadget Upgrade This was the AGM and well attended by 59 SeniorNetters. A very nice Morning Tea followed. The AGM was followed by a talk by popular Tutor Ian Bonallack explaining why it wasn’t essential that we have to constantly upgrade to the latest gadget and that we can resist the blandishments of manufacturers and retailers. This point was very apt considering that Microsoft are pushing us hard to take up their Windows 10 system. If you are happy with what you are currently using, be it Windows 7 or even XP, then why not stick with it? This was Ian’s last Sunday Meeting talk. Thank you Ian for all the talks given over the years, invariably well prepared and presented. We will give you a proper send off at the September Sunday Meeting July 2015 Guest Speaker: Nick Miskelly Topic : The Structure of Chorus Nick Miskelly enlightened us about the structure of Chorus and that the Public do not have access to them directly only through your own ISP. He also mentioned that on joining Chorus he had to learn a new language full of acronyms like UFB = ultra fibre broadband and their motto is a Better Broadband for New Zealand. Nick arrived armed with samples of fibre and also had Chorus pens and keychain giveaways. His power point presentation included short video clips for easy understanding . Nick fielded lots of questions through the Tea Break and gave several explanations on why our Fibre connection is not the expected 30mbps. We may even need Chorus to reinstall the connection! Well Done & Many Thanks Nick June 2015 Guest Speaker: Tony Lewis Topic : U3A The president of Takapuna U3A, Tony Lewis, presented on U3A. The Constitution amendments were accepted. Mary O’Sullivan and sister Margaret took us through their Gallipoli experiences. Margaret proved to be an excellent speaker and it was suggested that the Flanders visit be part of a future session. Thank you Bernice Hyde for helping Mary and Margaret in their preparation for their presentation and also in helping compile their excellent photobook. May 2015 Guest Speaker: Precious McKenzie Topic : His Life Precious McKenzie took us through the early years of his life in South Africa and England via a DVD of a British TV programme, "This Is Your Life". He is an outstanding example of a person triumphing over adversity. Later he amused us with his tips on how to save wear and tear on our backs. It seems letting the elbow do the work is the answer. He also showed us the correct method for lifting and also for picking something off the floor. All this said in a very amusing style. Please reload Arrowsmith & Brodie 2020 Feb Handricks 2019 Jun Burridge & Parker 2020 Jul Bestic & Parker 2020 Mar Handricks 2020 Aug Parftt & Poppelbaum 2020 Jan Scrymgeour 2020 Jan Christmas 2019 Dec Spratt 2019 Nov Brice 2019 Oct Chamberlain 2019 Sep AGM 2019 Aug Hartley 2019 Jul Graveson & Stratton 2019 May Arulambalam 2019 Apr Bans 2019 Mar Svoboda & Handricks 2019 Feb Hartley & Young 2019 Jan Christmas 2018 Dec Handricks, Anna & Susie 2018 Nov Barton & Newcombe 2018 Oct Verran 2018 Sep Handricks 2018 Aug Venimore & Cudby 2018 Jul Durrant & Wintle 2018 Jun Trounson 2018 Jun Handricks for Billing 2018 Apr Clark 2018 Mar Bracefield & Plaistow 2018 Feb Holmes & Handricks 2018 Jan Christmas 2017 Dec Dawie 2017 Nov Miskelly 2017 Oct Summers 2017 Sep Bonallack 2017 Jul Van Schalkwyk 2017 Jun Grace 2017 Apr Cudby & Hyde 2017 Mar Otto & Symons 2017 Feb Patel 2017 Feb Goodman 2017 Jan Frazer 2016 Nov Bartlett 2016 Oct Williams 2016 Sep Anderson 2016 Aug Rayner 2016 Jul McIntyre 2016 Jun Cutler-Welsh & Handricks 2016 May Davis 2016 Apr Bennett 2016 Mar Wood & Upton 2016 Feb Willmot & Handricks 2016 Jan Tutors 2015 Dec Bose & Edwards 2015 Nov Binzegger & Wintle Handricks 2015 Sep Bonallick 2015 Aug Miskelly 2015 Jul Lewis 2015 Jun McKenzie 2015 May

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Newsletter Tips SCHEDULE Some tips and tricks on writing a great newsletter NEWSLETTER TIPS GROUP ACTIVITY The Advantages of a Newsletter People who receive newsletters electronically can forward them easily to others, thus extending readership. Advertising and marketing can be among the biggest expenses in a company's budget, and determining where to invest marketing dollars is key. Dollar for dollar, few marketing vehicles deliver more return on investment than newsletters. While they can't replace all other forms of promoting the business, newsletters are a valuable component of a well-rounded marketing program. Maintain Relationships Newsletters are a good way to keep in touch with customers or interested people for little effort. With today's desktop publishing software, newsletters are easy to produce in appealing formats and send instantaneously to everyone on the company's email list. Sending newsletters on a regular basis reminds readers about the company. When people need a product or service the company offers, they're likely to call one they hear from regularly. Educate and Inform One big benefit of newsletters is that the sender controls all the content. Newsletters can educate readers about new products, highlight employees, share successes and announce upcoming events or promotions. They even can serve as another advertising vehicle by offering coupons or specials only for those who read the newsletter, which is a smart way to track readership. If a company has received negative press or customer feedback, the newsletter is an ideal place to clear up misconceptions or explain the company's viewpoint. Reach Target Market Newsletters get right to the company's target market -- the people who already have shown an interest by buying a product, working for the company or signing up for the company's email list. Because the company already knows this audience's buying preferences or interests, it can address topics that it knows will interest these readers. Newsletters do this in a friendly, unobtrusive way, by informing and keeping the audience updated without overtly asking for a sale or contribution. Low Cost Compared with other advertising and marketing vehicles, newsletters are relatively inexpensive to produce. Most newsletters are sent electronically, eliminating even the cost of paper and postage stamps. A two-page or four-page newsletter doesn't require the addition of a new employee but can be worked into existing employees' workloads. Once the newsletter's format and scope have been determined -- perhaps even outlining recurring columns -- the newsletter becomes even easier to produce as time goes on. NEWSLETTER SAMPLES SENIORNET NEWSLETTERS GREAT EXAMPLES FREE FONTS FREE IMAGES MORE FREE IMAGES WORD TEMPLATES FREE TEMPLATES CANVA TEMPLATES FREE CLIP ART CLUB NEWSLETTERS GOOD NEWS HUB COPYCHAR

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Your Life Story SCHEDULE This is a step by step guide to recording your and your family’s life story and a guide to providing photos for the book. GUIDE TO WRITING YOUR BIOGRAPHY GROUP ACTIVITY Overview Your life and the lives of your family are important. You have taken on challenges and won the day. You moved the human condition forward and bettered the earth. Tell your story and Inspire yourself and others! You will leave a legacy – your story and the story of your family. You may think you have lived an unremarkable life, but succeeding generations will be interested in hearing it. What you consider normal and mundane will be interesting and slightly exotic to them. You will help protect the history of your family. You may be telling all the stories you can about your life and your take on things, but that won’t assure you that it will be remembered the way you are telling it! We rely on written or recorded information much more than verbal histories. Record your story and make sure it is woven into the history of your family. You may inspire someone else with your story. Remember those challenges you conquered? What about those problems you solved? Someone else, somewhere on the planet needs to hear how you did those things. They need to understand that it is possible and they need to be inspired by the way you conquered and solved them. It opens the door to reconcile open issues from your past. When you review your life from start to present, you will encounter unresolved items. Reviewing your life and accomplishments can cause you to see how you have overcome real and perceived obstacles such as these. Reflection can help you move past the feelings and perhaps provide a path to reconciliation with relatives and friends. Summary Writing your biography: Provides an opportunity for self-reflection and self-awareness. Helps to process and make sense of life experiences and emotions. Allows you to pass on your legacy and values to future generations. Can serve as a therapeutic tool for healing and growth. Gives you a chance to document important events and memories for posterity. Offers a creative outlet for self-expression and storytelling. Helps to clarify personal goals and aspirations. Enhances communication and relationship-building skills. Improves writing skills and creativity. Can be a source of inspiration and motivation for others. "I WAS BORN..." IDEAS FOR YOUR STORY IAN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY 7 AGES WHAT TO INCLUDE Definition An autobiography is a nonfiction story of a person’s life, written from their point of view. A memoir is a type of autobiography that focuses on a particular period in the author’s life rather than their whole life. It is best to record an autobiography. An autobiography should include all the most important details of your life story and/or the life story of the family member about whom your write. What to Include in your Autobiography A description of your personal origin story. This can include your hometown, your family history, your formative years, some key family members and loved ones, and touchstone moments in your education. Profile people and teachers who have influenced you. How did you get your name? What have been your nicknames? Write about you personality - why you are like you are and what triggers your emotions Significant experiences. Add accounts of each personal experience that shaped your worldview and your approach to life in the present day. Detailed recollections of episodes from your professional life - often these are the turning points that your autobiography will be known for the moments that would inspire someone to pick up your book in the first place. Be sure to give them extra care and attention. Personal stories of failure. Follow your setbacks with a good story of how you responded to that failure. Your philosophy on life. What wisdom would you like to leave to your family? What aspects of life are important to you? How do you define your character? Write about the people that have inspired you. Who were or are your role models? Why or how did they affect you. What are the events that have defined you? What significant events have helped shape your destiny, outlook on life, relationships etc.? What do you aspire to? Your romantic life, your faith, your aspirations, your dreams and your spiritual profile Profile your family. Describe those closest to you and their character. Their lives and your relationship with them. Their influence on you. Write about your friends, your pets, your workmates and your sporting and/or club companions. Discuss your passions - your favourite authors, movies, music and songs, art, theatre, food and drinks, games and activities, desires etc. talk about your dates, engagement, wedding and break-ups. Talk about being a parent -giving birth, nurturing, educating and how you might have helped shaping the next generation Write about your belief systems, your politics and your relationships with the community Write about where you have lived. The country, the town, village, suburb and the homes you occupied etc. – what are the favourite memories Profile your travels. Where have you been? What were your experiences? Favourite places? People you met. Friends you made. Life-changing experiences. Talk about things that have triggered your emotions. Things that made you proud, sad, happy, excited, disappointed, angry, terrified, joyous, laugh, cry etc. Write about your significant achievements in life. Honours gained, inventions, awards, trophies, educational awards, workplace moments etc. Write about your career. Why you chose it, milestones and achievements, etc. Write about things that you have collected, built, crafted, painted, made and dabbled. Write about your cars, caravans and modes of transport - what is your dream vehicle? Write about famous and notable people that you've met, people you wish you hadn't met and those you would like to meet IDEAS 1 IDEAS 2 IDEAS 3 IDEAS 4 IDEAS 5 Step-by-step Process Procrastination is your worst enemy! Make a start … “I was born…” Use a structured approach – Create your major headings, then sub-headings for each major etc. as below – then simply write sentences where required. Major headings Sub headings Sub-sub headings Key words Sentences I have prepared a long list of prompts to help you write your story or the story of another family member. They are a sequence of simple memory joggers that will help you structure your story or, for that matter, a story for anybody who has a story to be told. Not every prompt requires an answer and some may be irrelevant, but using a prompt system makes the task so much easier. (n.b. If all you can do is to answer the prompt questions with brief replies and you do not have the ability to write the story, I can generally create the prose required from your answe rs) ... The seven ages of our lives can also be a great help in getting some structure to your story. I have prepared a simple document which will help ... As an example, my biography is on-line and can be viewed and read on-line at ... "I WAS BORN..." LIST OF PROMPTS SEVEN AGES IAN'S STORY AI Writing Tools - CHATGPT Recently one of the most significant developments in technology has been released – AI (Artificial Intelligence) text and image generators. ChatGPT, created by a company called OpenAI, is a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows you to have human-like text created. The language model can answer questions, and assist you with tasks such as composing emails, essays, and code. OpenAI is also responsible for creating DALL-E, a popular AI art generator. ChatGPT is the fastest growing app of all time. In January, only two months after its launch, UBS analysis estimates that ChatGPT had 100 million active users! ChatGPT can write and debug computer programs, compose music, teleplays, fairy tales, and student essays; answer test questions (sometimes, depending on the test, at a level above the average human test-taker); write poetry and song lyrics. ChatGPT remembers previous prompts given to it in the same conversation; journalists have suggested that this will allow ChatGPT to be used as a personalized therapist. To prevent offensive outputs from being presented to and produced from ChatGPT, queries are filtered through OpenAI's company-wide moderation API, and potentially racist or sexist prompts are dismissed. ChatGPT can write introduction and abstract sections of scientific articles, which raises ethical questions. Several papers have already listed ChatGPT as co-author. You can use CHATGPT extremely effectively to help you write your story: Tell it to rewrite from the 1st to the 3rd person Ask it to describe your hometown in a particular year Get it to write prose from a bundle of facts Ask it to write an emotional passage for your book Get it to proofread your book Get it to rewrite a particular section in a specific style Ask it to write about a particular time in history in your lifetime Ask it correct your spelling and grammar Ask it to translate any text from any language Get it help you when you have writers block Test out your writing ideas by asking it to evaluate your writing To use CHATGPT to help you write your story ... Download the PROMPTS TABLE (see button to right -->) Answer a number of questions Drag mouse over questions and answers and COPY (CONTROL C) Open CHATGPT Enter "write prose in 1st person - [then paste info from PROMPTS TABLE (CONTROL V) ] This will convert all your answers into nicely written paragraphs ready for your book! CHATGPT LINK DALL-E LINK CHATGPT PROMPTS WHAT IS AI VOICE RECOGNITION PROMPTS TABLE CHATGPT LINK CHATGPT EXAMPLE ystory Sources for your story There are many sources for reinvigorating your memories and making it significantly easier to write your life story. These can be: Your photos Your family Your diaries and journals Your home Your friends After a long life, it can be sometimes difficult to remember specific incidences in your time on planet Earth! There are many things that you may have collected, saved or have access to that will help prompt you into remembering important things in your life: Pets you’ve owned Houses you’ve lived in – Photos/Plans Cars Collections Humour/Cartoons Your heroes Your friends World Events during your lifetime Locations you remember People Associated with Locations Workplace/Colleagues Clubs/Associations Certificates Newspaper Clippings Book Covers Maps – Google Earth Street Views – Google Maps Poetry Afterword War – Medals/Ships/Battle Details Cemetery – gravesites/ headstones Signatures Sports Popular Culture of the times – Films/Books/People/Politics School work from childhood Advertisements of the times Fashion of the times Notable connections Plunket cards/books Music – Yours/of the times GETTING STARTED WEATHER ON BIRTHDAY DAY OF BIRTH DAY IN HISTORY MY BIRTHDAY FACTS BIRTHDAY SYMBOLS BIRTHDAY PERSONALITY BIRTHDAY CALCULATOR 1st & 3rd Person Writing First and third person are ways of describing points of view. First person is the I/we perspective and Third person is the he/she/it/they perspective. While first-person writing offers intimacy and immediacy between narrator and reader, third-person narration offers the potential for both objectivity and omniscience. My preference is 1st person for a personal life story: First-person point of view, of course, can only speak for the narrator and can only see things through the first-person narrator’s eyes. Writing in first-person should come naturally if you’re used to writing journal entries, blog posts, or personal essays. First-person establishes a kind of intimacy between the narrating character and the reader. It also invites the reader to identify with the one narrating the story from their perspective. First-person is more subjective than third-person, which can be a problem if the reader finds it difficult to identify with the narrator’s attitudes, reactions, and general worldview. If they do resonate with the reader, though, first-person can draw the reader in more effectively than a dispassionate third-person narrative of the same story. Templates A number of websites provide pre-designed templates that allow you to write your story by entering information at various places and then the template package does the rest. Some of these templates can be found by clicking on the buttons to the right → PDF FILLER MY LIFE STORY THE LIFE STORY PERSONAL LIFE LIFE STORY OUTLINE Publishing Options You don't necessarily need to write a book to publish your life story - there are many options available to you: Publish a book Create a photographic history (album with captions) Create a website Create and publish an eBook Make a children's book of family stories aimed at the young generation Record your story as a video (upload to YouTube) Make a sound recording of your life Publish a photobook with stories Engage a professional ghostwriter Set your life story to music Detail you life as a poem Creative Ideas To make your published story interesting, you might consider incorporating some of these ideas in your work (I used most of these in my autobiography - deliberately to make the finished book more interesting, a chance to present my philosophy and outlook on life and the challenge to be more creative): Place a quote in the footer of every page (share your philosophy on life) Use a poem as the introduction to the book (use CHATGPT to help you write it) Write an "Afterword" to be the last page of the book outlining the wisdom you would like to pass onto the next generation Create a gallery of your friends (headshots with names) Create a gallery of your workmates and colleagues Create a gallery of school photos - even better if you can track down headshots of your favourite teachers Insert a relevant cartoon or caricature Include any press releases that you may have had about yourself Include photos of your pets Include floorplans of your homes Have a gallery of certificates and awards you may have earned Set aside a part of the book where you can say "thank you" to those that have helped you on your way in life Choose carefully the title of your book (I chose "The Pursuit of Wisdom" because it sums up my main goal in life) Perhaps include a section called "My bucket list" where you can detail what you would still like to achieve in life Invite family and friends to write a paragraph or two about you and include in the book - in other words testimonials POEM SAMPLE SCHOOL SAMPLE FRIENDS SAMPLE PRESS SAMPLE SAMPLE TESTIMONALS

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