Chairman - Carl Horn
Carl joined SeniorNet Nelson in 2010. He has been a member of the Management Committee over the past three years, acting as the Minute Secretary to assist the Secretary. He also acts as the tutor for the Android Starter Course and three Microsoft Word workshops.
As well, he attends the monthly Android Interest Group meetings. Carl’s first encounter with computers came in the late ‘60s when he was hired by an aircraft manufacturing company in Montreal, Canada, as a trainee programmer. That was the beginning of a 25 year ‘career’ in DP (data processing), the forerunner of IT (information technology). He worked as a programmer, systems analyst, programming manager, computer services salesman, computer auditor, and systems assurance programmer. He taught computer programming at a Montreal university and at several private schools.
Other jobs he’s had during his working life include: seaman, telephone engineer, and mining surveyor before being trained as a computer programmer, and taxi driver, city bus driver, and union organiser after his computer ‘career’ ended abruptly due to one of several redundancies. Now that he is retired, he uses computers to support his various volunteer activities and hobbies. Carl says he wouldn’t be able to do half of what he does if it weren’t for email, his electronic calendar schedule, the Internet, word processing and spreadsheet programmes, presentation software (like Microsoft’s PowerPoint), and his smart phone.
As well as SeniorNet Nelson, his other ‘group’ activities include: Vice-President and Club Captain of the Nelson Hinemoa Croquet Club, at which he is an addicted competitive premier-grade player; Big-Brother mentor of a 11-year-old Little Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters Nelson; member of U3A Nelson (he participates in eight of its fortnightly study and discussion groups); Nelson fund-raising coordinator for the Blind Foundation, including running the two annual street appeals and collecting donations from the boxes scattered across the region on retail store counters; member of the Nelson Science Society and its Astronomy Section (he operates the Atkinson telescope on public nights at the Observatory); committee member of Fresh Focus (Monday morning speakers forum) and Alliance Francaise (trying to improve his French, learned in Quebec, Canada, but spoken too infrequently after 35 years in NZ); member of the Toastmasters Madhatters Club (which helps members to develop personal social confidence through learning the art and skills of public speaking), the Green Party, and Amnesty International Nelson.
He says he’s looking forward to his time as your Chairperson. His primary concern is helping SeniorNet Nelson to recover from the cancellation of the TEC funding and the loss of our primary tenant. We have about two years to balance our budget, otherwise we’ll find ourselves in a financial crisis. His secondary concern is encouraging members to share knowledge and skills. Arming ourselves with knowledge of digital devices and their software ensures we all get to enjoy it. If we can attract others to join us and share their knowledge and skills too, that would be excellent. Lots to do. Carl is looking forward to helping all of us make it happen.
(From Newsletter - June 2016)