Beyond Disability Inc
Tricia McGill - Former Volunteer
Hopefully all the books will sell, but even if they don't the combined effort proves what a wonderful group of people are connected with BDI.
Also, this year I instigated contact with ComTec, a division of Yooralla. One of our participants is now using devices recommended by their assessor, and finding her computer a lot easier to negotiate because of these special aids.
Big things like this stand out, but overall the many minor events throughout the year go together to make me feel a sense of satisfaction and completeness. My pride in being a part
of the program never diminishes. Tricia McGill Sept 2004
For me the highlight of this year with BDI has to be the launch of our second book, More Thoughts and Feelings. It was no mean feat to gather poems, short stories, and anecdotes from our members, then to edit, polish and produce the collection, and present it to the printers. The production of this book wouldn't have been possible without the sponsorship of two of our most ardent supporters. To secure Dame Elisabeth Murdoch to launch the book for us was the icing on the cake. My thanks to those people I managed to
persuade, coerce, or cajole into coming along with us on this particular ride.
This has been another full year for me with Beyond Disability. A year with its fair share of ups and downs. I’ve attended two funerals, sadly. Bert Edwards passed away in November last year and Stan Goldsworthy in June this year. I’d looked after both men for almost as long as I’ve been with BDI. Both men were excellent wordsmiths and their stories and poems will be greatly missed in the next book in our Thoughts & Feelings series. Both were also very outspoken and unique in their way. Bert’s wife, Queenie, also left us to return to England and I miss her sharp wit and friendliness. But, doors close and new ones open in life and I have new clients to take their place.
On the upside my Family & Community Support award presented at the 2008 Casey Community Volunteer awards was a wonderful surprise and honour. We don’t volunteer our time for any other reason than we like to help others as best we can, but nevertheless it’s always lovely to know that those efforts are appreciated and acknowledged.
I will continue to do my bit to ensure that Beyond Disability continues to grow and thrive. I treasure the friendships I have made and am continually proud to be associated with everyone involved in the programme, especially Richard our leader, worthy recipient of the OAM.
Tricia McGill Oct 2008
Another full year has passed with Beyond Disability. We’ve lost a few people and gained others. And some of us are slowing down a bit, but that’s not to say that our enthusiasm is waning.
The downside of our work as volunteers in our small online community is that when someone passes away the loss is magnified. Frances Caspertz passed away in January and Noel Cogger in July. Both were true gentlemen and are sadly missed. I never met Noel face to face but his contribution to our last book was inspirational, and I loved his stories and poems. I had the pleasure of looking after Frances during his time with BDI, and despite his illness he was always cheerful and optimistic, and very appreciative of every little thing I did for him.
But, doors close and new ones open in life. Queenie Edwards, one of our longest-standing clients returned from England and to the Beyond Disability fold. New clients replace those gone before.
As always I will continue to do my small part to ensure that Beyond Disability continues to grow and thrive. I treasure the friendships I have made and am continually proud to be associated with everyone involved in the programme, especially Richard, our inspirational CEO.
Tricia McGill Oct 2009
The past year has been a stressful one for everyone involved with Beyond Disability. Colin was my mentor, adviser and good friend. I still can’t comprehend that he is gone, and when I hit a snag I still have to stop myself from whizzing off an email to him for assistance. I am having to find out things for myself to solve problems that arise. Glen and Ian especially have been a great help as they have many answers to the technical problems encountered along the way.
Now Glen is battling a serious illness and our thoughts go out to him and wish him a speedy recovery and hope that he returns to the BDI fold before too long.
We have all had to take on extra tasks and as always I do the best I can to cope with all that comes my way. Sadly we lost another couple of clients this year. Sylvia Lloyd passed away early in the year and Bob Sharp died a few weeks ago.
One of the good things as far as I am concerned is that now most of our clients are paying by direct debit. This is a great help to us as it saves time, and makes life easier all round.
When I look back on how difficult life was when we were on dial-up and had slow connections and many drop-outs I wonder how we got by. We are so lucky to have wireless broadband.
If any of you have been connected to the NBN you will need to contact your phone provider, if you haven’t done so already, before the complete change-over to optic fibre. I didn’t realise this and even the man at the Telstra shop didn’t give me the correct advice. I thought that once the box was installed on the exterior wall I was done. If, like me, you have a medical alarm this has to be connected also by Telstra. You need two boxes installed inside your home. One of them is for the back-up battery for your Mepacs or whatever alarm system you have. It was a painless and free experience and the lovely Indian NBN advisor walked me through all stages over the phone, and was a phone call away if I needed extra advice.
I look forward to the year ahead and pray that it is better than this last year. Tricia McGill Team Leader (2015)
I don’t think it is just me, but the years seem to be going faster and faster. This past year has been one of learning and coping with lots of tasks as far as I am concerned. Thank goodness for my wonderful fellow volunteers. Ian stepped in after the second tragedy befell us in less than a year with Glen’s passing soon after Colin’s. Ian has done a marvellous job and has taken over the role of my mentor. I don’t know what I would do without his support and knowledge, and might I say, sense of humour. He has done a great job of filling large shoes worn by his Technical predecessor at BDI. Then we were luckily joined by Chris Mills and also Klaus Jungling, who both have a far greater knowledge and experience of computers than I will ever hope to have. Klaus has agreed to become a part of the committee for 2016/17 and is a valuable asset to our team.
One of the brighter spots in this past year has been the creation of our new web page. I hope you have taken the opportunity to browse and search many of the valuable links for help, fun projects, and places of interest to be found there. Maximum Data Solutions did a marvellous job and we are very lucky they agreed to take on the refurbishment of our web page.
Please never hesitate to get in touch with your volunteer should you need assistance. Remember we are here to help you, so don’t sit there worrying if your computer has problems.
As always, life goes on and despite setbacks we survive and my hope is that Beyond Disability continues to thrive and grow. Tricia McGill (2016)
This year has been an unusual, not to say horrible, one for most people in the community. First came the fires, then the floods and then this pandemic. The volunteers here at Beyond Disability, as always, found a solution to most problems caused by this previously unknown virus. Our meetings, as our Annual General Meeting
will be, have been conducted via Zoom. Thanks to Ian George for setting this up and providing us with the necessary skills to cope with a new, for me especially, means of communication. The worst difficulty brought about by the pandemic has been the no contact and self-isolation part, for the main crux of our programme has always been the service provided to our clients in their own homes.
Nevertheless, with a little ingenuity by Ian and Klaus most that has cropped up has been dealt with. Thank goodness for trusty Team Viewer that allows access to the client’s technical equipment be it a PC or laptop. We all pray that next year is a better one than this—surely it cannot be any worse. Tricia McGill BDI Team Leader (August 2020)