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White Rock computer club offers seniors technical support and social stimulation

The White Rock Seniors' Computer Club has been assisting local seniors with their tech problems for almost 20 years.
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White Rock Seniors' Computer Club member Doug Pawson leads a presentation on photo editing last month.

Whether you’re a novice or an enthusiast, the White Rock Seniors’ Computer Club has you covered… provided you’re 55 or older.

Hosted at the Kent Street Activity Centre, the WRSCC which celebrates its 20th anniversary next Wednesday has allowed area seniors to learn skills that have become increasingly more necessary in our society.

“Most of these people didn’t grow up with computers, so they’re forced onto them now because of the government and the municipality,” said Doug Pawson, who, though he joined in 2016, has been doing presentations for the club for the past four years.

“(If) you want to do something, you’ve got to use your computer for it as well… so now they need to learn the basic skills,”he added.

“It’s an absolute must.”

Although it started with a small group of some seven people, today the club has close to 200 registered members.

Newly appointed club president Geri Sinclair said that although she first joined because she needed help using her iPhone, her reasons for coming have changed over time.

“It’s a social thing for me. I’ve met some very nice people, both just in the audience as a member of the club and also with the executive… and I’ve only been here not quite three years.”

Club members aren’t all novices some joined the club because they wanted to share their computer expertise with those who needed it.

Fifteen-year member Bernie Blessman, 78, recalled how he helped a couple in their 90s get their first computer so they could connect with their son.

“I said, ‘why do you want a computer?’ And it happened to be their son was in Afghanistan with the Canadian Forces, and they wanted to Skype. So they went out and they bought a laptop… I showed them how to use it and set up Skype for them,” Blessman said. “Even to this day, all they do is basically Skype.”

Former president Alta Alta said he also joined so that he could pass along information that he had picked up over the course of his career.

“First of all, I’m an electrical engineer, and secondly, my entire business career was spent working with computers… when I retired, it was kind of natural to join the computer club.”

Alta said he spends many of his weekday afternoons helping other seniors get the most out of their computers.

“A lot seniors, unfortunately aren’t very sophisticated in their computer usage.”

But members emphasized that seniors shouldn’t feel intimidated about joining the WRSCC.

Blessman said he wants members to feel comfortable asking any questions, saying that “there’s no such thing as a stupid question,” because everyone knows something someone else doesn’t.

“I’ve had someone that was a brain surgeon what do I know about brain surgery? I’ve had a couple lawyers, a couple of psychiatrists I mean this was a level of professionalism that I knew nothing about, but they (knew) nothing about computers.”

Ken Swan, a member for three years, said he always feels welcomed at the club.

“It’s very comfortable. You don’t see that in a lot of clubs… I always go home feeling quite refreshed.”

The WRSCC meets every Wednesday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., with people looking to join able to sit in on three meetings free of charge.

Membership in the club costs $15 a year, but requires that you have a basic White Rock Leisure Services membership ($38 annually).