`They've just got some computers in the library in Borrisokane, Co Tipperary. When our son came over at Christmas, we went down and he showed us how to set up an e-mail address," Peter Elrington explained as he beamed over the new personal computer he had won from Microsoft in the Education and Living/ UN Year of the Older Person competition.
"I'm really interested in the art package," he says, but confesses that it was his wife Diane "who did all the hard work and then put my name on it".
Peter, a former theatre director who changed lanes in mid-life to become a probation officer in England, and came to live in Tipperary a few years ago, says his family of five are trying to get him to write his biography now that he's computerised. "They think I had an interesting life." Peter is one of the six winners of PCs offered by Microsoft in the competition which ran in Education and Living in the autumn.
Another winner, Mildred O'Brien from Monkstown, Co Dublin, hopes to master they keyboard and use e-mail. "I've already had five lessons and I've mastered the mouse through playing solitaire," she says.
Shiela McSweeney from Ballyconnell, Co Sligo, has already used a computer. Now, she says, "I want to start storing visual images. I'm interested in using the Web but I'm really not au fait with it yet."
Unlike most people who start using a computer at work, Colin Power from Clontarf in Dublin has been using a computer only since he retired five years ago. "I want to get into Web pages and scan family pictures in," he says.
The other winners were Mary Hayes from Farnham Road, Cavan, on holiday in Spain the day the PCs were presented and Noirin Hession from Athenry, Co Galway, who was also unable to be present.
Julia MacLauchlan, director of Microsoft's European Product Development Centre, which is based in Dublin, says Microsoft was excited to have been part of the important initiative promoted by the UN Year of the Older Person to get more older people involved in IT. "Learning is a lifelong journey which doesn't stop when you retire. We want to make technology accessible to all members of the community," she says.
