First of all I would like to extend my thanks to the members who have accepted the call to join the new committee. I'm pleased to welcome Don Mckenzie as secretary, Henry Craven as user group co-ordinator, and committee members Ian Rankin, Nathan Pinskier, Graham Hurford and Andrew Boschan giving us a nearly full roster.

The next twelve months are crucial to the survival of the club. The continuing decline in the membership numbers increases the pressure on the club's finances. Accordingly the new committee has made the sourcing of a club-branded broadband service our highest priority. Provision of a club- branded ADSL service at an attractive price we feel will arrest and reverse the flagging membership numbers. This will not be a simple task but we must succeed for the future of the club to be secured.

We're also looking to find other services and products of benefit to members that generate funds for the club. The first example is our collaboration with the Freshtel telephone company. If you sign up for any of its VOIP plans, quoting your club membership number, the club benefits by a 10% commission on your monthly bill. In addition club members (and family and friends) will receive discounts on the purchase of handsets.

Before we make any offering to club members we'll be asking suppliers for review items (hardware and software). Each time we receive something to review I'll pull a name at random from the pool of reviewers. The reviewer will usually get to keep the item. Reviews will need to be about five hundred words and will appear in PC Update. To get your name into the pool of reviewers send me an e-mail at president@melbpc.org.au.

The first item that we have received is a Livescribe Smartpen that we believe will make the incoming secretary's job a little easier. One of these would have made my life at university so much easier in my far off youth. The distributor of the pen will be giving club members a discount when purchased direct from its website. Look for details in the next PC Update.

I enjoyed the presentation by Google at the November monthly meeting (to my shame the first that I have attended for a very long time). Thanks to Charles Wright for using his contacts to facilitate this. Unfortunately I missed the first presentation as four of us (the new committee) had to have a short meeting to appoint the co-opted members but I was told that this too was extremely enjoyable.

During the next several months I want to get to visit each of the SIG groups (with so many of them it will take me a while) with the intention of meeting as many of you as possible. So don't be shy and come up and say hello and then tell me what changes you'd like to see in the club's operations.

We welcome all feedback and ideas. Contact me or any other committee member at the addresses on the contact pages.
 

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