Meet The Fabulous Five – aka Your Team IT
Team IT at U3A Port Phillip is a go-getting gaggle of gals who keep the wheels of IT churning, turning out Courses as fast as the Tutors and Course Coordination Team can produce them; while simultaneously fending off foes like the fiendishly evil Covid-19, they bravely handle any crisis that pops up – with diligence, dedication and aplomb – and still manage to have heaps of fun doing so.
Each Member of Team IT has their own special skills, but their main aim is a joint one, namely the smooth operation of U3APP Courses; maintaining and constantly updating our great Website, keeping our Members up to date with regular e-Bulletins, responding to queries from Members, while constantly researching new ways to improve services for our Members, and all the time devising daring ways to keep the deviously devilish villains at bay.
This has been more than usually apparent during the recent onslaught of that dastardly evil villain, Covid-19, when Team IT swung into action to make sure defeat was never an option, enlisting the help of Zoom, a little known super heroine who quickly took the world by storm with her ability to keep people connected, positive and above all – healthy.
Captain Marvel – secret identity Helen Vorrath
Special Powers: Super Brain with all synapses firing simultaneously – brain cells never sleeping. No evil virus, technological or pathogenic can sneak past her guard. With vast experience and stupendous stores of IT information, Helen uses her Super Brain to constantly think up new ways to improve U3APP for the benefit of all; doesn’t let devious enemies like Covid-19 stop her from delivering Courses to our Members.
Duties: When not out with the Marvel Team saving the Universe for the umpteenth time, she heads Team IT at U3APP, tutors Courses on Shakespeare, plays clarinet – currently in isolation but with the U3APP Allsorts and jazz group Jam Tomorrow in better days – maintains and updates everything IT, including the U3APP Website and IT Manual. Along with all this, Helen easily completes her Team Tasks like creating new Courses and assisting Members to manage the hurdles of logging on to the Website and Zooming their Classes.
Likes: Cats (specifically her cat), yachts (specifically her yacht), Shakespeare, music, good coffee.
Dislikes: Getting up early, people who think getting up early makes them virtuous, bad coffee.
Fun Secret Fact: Winner Fairsky Fancy Dress Competition, Feb 1969, in mini-dress made out of postcards of the Fairsky (as “The face that launched 48 ships”)
Childhood Nickname: Daisy (or Dazie, as she was usually in one)
Wonder-Woman – secret identity Diane Boyle
Special Powers: Wonder by name, Wonder by nature; her calm exterior a plethora of patience and perfect problem-solving ability. This gentle and tranquil facade hides a Woman with decades of IT experience and an extensive knowledge of all things technical and procedural, which she uses to lasso, corral and tame even the slightest problematic villain who tries to muddy the sparkling clear waters of U3APP.
Duties: Member of Committee of Management, integral part of the Covid-19 Working Group, helps to maintain and update the U3APP Website and IT Manual, creates new Courses on our systems, including the recent Holiday Program, facilitates Zoom Webinars, responds to queries and concerns from Members and Tutors. Project manager who keeps the rest of the team organised.
Likes: Scuba diving, travel, quilting
Dislikes: colour yellow
Fun Secret Fact: can be found doing wasgij
Childhood Nickname: Alice (in Wonderland)
Super-Woman – secret identity Karen English
Special Powers: Super Tech Wizard supreme on all things IT related, including the U3APP Office Equipment. Multi-Tasker Extraordinaire, able to effortlessly leap from one task to another, or one problem to another in a series of elegant and efficient bounds. A lifetime exposed to IT technology allows her to slay any evil before it has chance to take even a tenuous hold.
Duties: When not racing around Albert Park Lake faster than a speeding bullet and generally stopping bad people dead in their tracks, or flying into the Office to help with multiple issues, Karen also manages the U3APP Enrolment Team which looks after Class Attendance and Waiting Lists. With her Team IT mates, she ensures all Courses are created on our Website and helps Tutors and Members alike with the sometimes daunting task of accessing Courses on our Website as well as Zoom. Queen of designing, defining and documenting processes.
Likes: Travelling seeing new places and learning about their history, socialising with friends and family
Dislikes: Also hates getting up early especially on winter mornings
Fun Secret Fact: Loves the colour yellow!
Childhood Nickname: Kassie or Kaz
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – secret identity Jude Hatton
Special Powers: No Vampire or Ghoul is a match for this Slayer who takes her role surpassingly seriously. Superior IT Skills and an innumerable level of ‘know-how’ allows her to tackle any testy task with supreme confidence and ability. A keen knowledge of everything ‘Computer’ makes it easy for her to stay busy Slaying with one hand while keeping U3APP up to date with the other.
Duties: When there are no Vampires lurking and waiting to be Spiked, Jude tutors classes in everything to do with Computers, Tablets and Phones, as well as all her IT duties of creating new Courses for our Members and responding to calls for help at all hours of the day and night. Sadly a rather vicious vampire attack put Jude out of action for a while, but nothing can keep the Slayer under wraps for long and she’s ready once again to get stuck in to the pointy end of her job.
Likes: Her beautiful dogs (and all Mini Schnauzers), passionate about horses, and Quilting.
Dislikes: Being called ‘Judy’, cats and the colour GREEN
Fun Secret Fact: Buffy always thought she was destined to be a country girl but didn’t get to prove the point until she was nearly 60, divorced and children all grown up – she bought a beautiful 20 acre property on the top of a hill in country NSW and lived there for an idyllic 10 years surrounded by her beloved puppies, horses (Cruiser and Mystery) to ride, wallabies, koalas, snakes and incredible views and star-filled skies at night. Yes – she was a country girl after all!!!
Childhood Nickname: Hey Jude!
Bat-Woman – secret identity Kate Richards
Special Powers: When the Bat Signal shines out, she answers the call to protect and serve. With super fast typing speeds, a way with words and a turn of phrase that beguiles all her foes, she’s able to leap from one email to the next in a single key-stroke, dispatching any evil creature that crosses her screen and ensuring that all at U3APP are kept well-informed and guarded against any villainous acts.
Duties: When not out fighting grime (whoops – crime) and hassling Batman (who’s a real pussy cat btw), during these Covid-19 times Bat-Woman churns out, and keeps the “bullet” in the weekly U3APP e-Bulletin, has Members chuckling with regular posts to our Facebook Page, and along with the rest of Team IT, helps to create new Courses, responds to Members cries for help and generally tries to ensure things run smoothly at U3APP.
Likes: Chocolate, long walks on the beach with Diesel Dog, Chocolate, Alliteration, did we mention Chocolate?
Dislikes: when there’s no Chocolate!
Fun Secret Facts: has (had) a Brown Belt in Karate
Childhood Nickname: Calamity Kate, Katie-Did