 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Letters to the Editor |
From Graham Dean
Dear Editor,
Recently a member wrote to this column complaining that the moving of the general monthly meeting location to Monash University discriminated against women. As a country member I empathise to some degree with her type of feelings. It is easy to perceive a sense of inequality when the majority of a group support a particular issue to their mutual benefit.
Country members pay the same fees as city members but do not enjoy the same benefits. The additional distance, time and cost to attend any SIG, training course, meeting, etc becomes impractical and even local cost telephone support is unavailable. But I accept that it is, after all, 'Melbourne' PC User Group and it must cater for the majority of its members.
In the case of the general meeting, to get 500 people to a meeting of any group is a significant achievement so the organisers must be doing something right.
The demographic centre of Melbourne has always been to the east. Some years ago it was centred in Camberwell so it could well have moved to Clayton by now. State planning authorities consider the eastern sector of Melbourne to include Western Port Bay while the western sector does not even reach to Werribee.
So the longer I live in the west the further the real Melbourne moves away from me. Never mind, after all they did film the program 'Sea Change' in our area so there must be some benefits to living outside the Big Smoke!
Graham Dean, Geelong.
From Ian S. Douglas
Dear Editor
In regard to the paragraph in PC Update concerning the brief Alec Campbell memorial service, I
thank you for your kind remarks.
Members may find the background of interest. Since retirement (redundancy) about four years ago, my life
is still full of activity. For the last 30 years I have been very much involved with my local (Croydon)
community band, both as a player and administrator. Yes, if you thought you saw me as Drum Major leading
a couple of bands in the Melbourne ANZAC Parade, you were right. With some Army service, and now as both
a Voluntary Guide at the Shrine of Remembrance and the Regimental Bugler of a military re-enactment group,
the Mt Alexander Rifles, I get a lot of experience in listening to and playing the bugle. On a few occasions
I have played at a street intersection in Melbourne at 11 am on Remembrance Day while a police officer has
stopped the traffic. I also get to play at the Shrine for a Trustees' Service in June, and for the Voluntary
Guides' Service in October. On ceremonial parades and functions it is, of course, necessary to play the
bugle calls from memory, so there is a need to work at them.
When I do attend such functions as an observer, I usually pack my bugle, not because I want to displace
any other player, but just in case that person doesn't arrive. In that event I could help the organisers
out of a difficult situation. In the case of the RIPGIG meeting I thought of the possibilities, and put
the bugle in the car. When the Chairman said we would observe a minutes silence at 11 am I offered to play
Last Post and Reveille. The rest you know.
Members with more than a passing interest can see more information about me in my web page on the Melb PC
Members Pages.
Yours faithfully,
Ian S. Douglas.
Reprinted from the August 2002 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
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