Swap Meet Volunteers - Take Two Steps Forward!

Swap meet volunteers have a long and proud history in our group. Most swap meet volunteers spend just two or three hours, once a month on a Melb PC stand. During that period we acquaint all interested passers by with details of our club, endeavour to assist people with their computing problems, and listen to (and record) members' problems.

We also try to solve our own computing problems, enjoy the company of fellow volunteers and, of course, check out the latest price of memory chips, hard drives and so on. Along the way we do our "darndest" to sign-up new members. Very importantly, we ensure that Melb PC maintains an appropriate profile at these very popular events that are visited by thousands of Melbourne's computer enthusiasts every Sunday.

Although one appreciates earning a one month extension to group membership for each person signed up, receiving a nice Melb PC shirt and free entry to the venues, the greatest satisfaction is achieved through the pleasure of meeting and talking to a variety of like-minded people.

We always need new volunteers. Would you like to join this exclusive group of members? To become a swap meet volunteer you should enjoy representing the group, be enthusiastic about your hobby and have two or three hours a month available on a Sunday. You do not have to be a technical guru.

Why not come along to a couple of swap meets, meet the team and see how you enjoy it? Melbourne based members have the choice between meetings at Malvern, Flemington (Showgrounds), Springvale, Collingwood, Camberwell, Box Hill and Moorabbin. If you are interested in participating in this very enjoyable pastime, please contact: David King on 9887 9771 (theking@melbpc.org.au) or Ian Dewhurst (dewhurst@melbpc.org.au).

The photographs on these pages were taken throughout December 2000.

Figure 1. Springvale Town Hall. Reinhard Schenk and Gary Taylor outline the benefits of joining Melb PC (with Brian Taylor on duty at the monitor in the background).	Figure 2. Springvale Town Hall. Gary Taylor and Reinhard Schenk select appropriate SIG material for a couple of interested customers.
Figure 3. Collingwood Town Hall. Thom Lyons and Mark Scholes provide technical advice to Phillip Lew and onlooker.	Figure 4. Royal Melbourne Show Grounds. Tony Calenti presiding over a handsome array of Melb PC giveaways.

Figure 5. Collingwood Town Hall.
Gloria Simos and Mark Scholes
enjoy a break between counseling knowledge-hungry visitors to Collingwood Town Hall.

Figure 6. The Ivanhoe Centre.
Kelvin Cording contemplates a
difficult problem whilst Erich
Shugg notes it down.

Figure 7. The Ivanhoe Centre. Kelvin Cording points to a solution.

Figure 9. The Camberwell Centre. Roger Giles selects SIG fliers for an interested enthusiast.
Figure 10. Royal Melbourne Show Grounds. Billed as "The Largest Computer Swap Meet ever held in Australia" and the last one for 2000, our member Zokrats Rozkalns can be seen in the left foreground of this huge hall.	Figure 11. Royal Melbourne Show Grounds. Dennis Olsen and Alan Villiers face the big day with confident smiles.

Figure 8. The Camberwell Centre. Roger Giles and
Ken Thomas relax pending the arrival of more customers.

Reprinted from the February 2001 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia