Tech help volunteer retires

A MAN who ran weekly sessions helping people navigate technology has retired from volunteer work, after close to two decades of service.

Ian Blackburn first began running free technology help sessions at Laurels Education & Training in Bacchus Marsh, before moving the sessions to Lerderderg Library every Wednesday, where they continued for 12 more years.

In 2019, Mr Blackburn received a Leadership in Access & Inclusion Award from Moorabool Shire Council.

He received the award for “leadership in advancing the rights and interests of people with a disability” and providing “outstanding leadership in computer and mobile technology…ensuring older people and people of different abilities can access the digital world”.

Mr Blackburn said the idea came about after he retired from the workforce.

“I wanted something to keep my mind occupied after retiring. I just carried it on and carried it on…it was a good feeling to know that I was helping somebody,” he said.

“I enjoyed helping people, and they seemed to enjoy it. It was company, and it broke up the week being on Wednesdays.

“It wasn’t teaching, it was more helping. The idea was people would tell me what their problem was, and I’d help them out.

“When I started out at Laurels, there was a teacher there that ran lessons. It was ‘today we’re going to do lessons on this topic’…it didn’t matter if people attending wanted to learn about that topic or not.

“I got the feeling by being there, that most people didn’t want to learn about what the topic was. So I suggested they tell us what topics they wanted to learn about, so we changed it to that, and it seemed to improve things.”

Turning 82 this year, Mr Blackburn hopes to “pass on the torch” to someone else, so locals who need help with technology can access it easily and for free.

“I’ve got other things I’d like to do, and I was getting a bit bored doing the same thing week after week,” he said.

“It’s been very close, if not over, 20 years. I’m hoping someone else will pick up where I’ve left off.”