'Silver Surfer' candidates sought

The search for Ireland's top computer user "of a certain age" has begun with the launch of the Google "Silver Surfer" award with Age Action.

The computer giant and the charity for positive ageing are seeking nominations for the awards, asking people to put forward anyone they know over the age of 50, who has made technology a part of their daily lives.

It is the third year of the awards, won last year by 95-year-old Evan Hassell from Dublin. He received the award for his very frequent use of the internet and his mobile phone.

Unveiling the award today at Google's European headquarters in Dublin, Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte said the "view that older people can't catch up with new technology is one of the great myths".

Mr Rabbitte said it was important that people who were excluded from these skills when they were younger should enjoy the benefits of technology in their lives and this was part of the value of the Google and Age Action awards.

The Department of Communications, through its Benefit 3 programme, offers digital training grants for community and voluntary organisations and will help train some 30,000 people this year in computer skills.

Mr Rabbitte said technology had taken over to the extent that traditional letter writing through the postal system had dropped by 20 per cent since 2000 and it was important that older people should be able to access the increasing number of Government services that are now online.

Chief executive of Age Action Robin Webster described older computer users as "time lords" who were showing how "life could be better for many more people. Many people don't appreciate the opportunity there is [through computer skills]".

Google social action manager Sinead Gibney highlighted "how isolating" it is for people who don't use the internet", particularly when "bigger chunks of our lives have moved onto the internet".

Ms Gibney said the company wanted to help older people use computers more efficiently and "to make the internet representative to all and representative of all".

Last year's runner up in the awards, Mabel Gargan from Milltown, said she first started using the internet to email her son in Australia. Ms Gargan (89) uses it now for doing her shopping online and booking flights and theatre tickets, and "I check restaurant menus if I'm going out because it can be hard to read menus when you're there because of dim lighting and small print".

She also uses it for Skype, particularly to see her great grandson in San Francisco, who is nearly two-years-old. "He mightn't meet me again, but he'll know that was his great granny on the internet."

This year there are seven awards including a new category of family tutor award for those under 50 who have help to teach an older family member how to learn or improve their computer skills.

The award categories also include the Golden IT award for individuals over 100 years of age who use the computer.

Nominations for the awards can be made at www.ageaction.ie/silversurfer or by phoning Ciara on (01) 475 6989. The closing date is September 2nd, and the award ceremony will be on September 27th at Google headquarters in Dublin.