[Announce] Update on a few Linux Australia activities

Fri Apr 21 11:58:52 AEST 2017

Hi everyone,

Hope this note finds you all well, and as we head into another long
weekend, please do stay that way.

As always, we're committed to keeping our membership up to date on Linux
Aus Council activities, both in the interests of transparency and
openness, but also to keep touching base with our membership and
ensuring our activities are in line with what you, our membership, would
like us to be doing.

        VALA Tech Camp, Melbourne, July 2017

Linux Australia is partnering with VALA to provide a $2500 Diversity
Scholarship to VALA Tech Camp, to be held in Melbourne in July. The
event has a strong open technologies focus for the Library sector. The
Scholarship will be focussed on under-represented cohorts such as
Indigenous and rural and regional practitioners. We're working through
the specific wording, and more details will be available shortly. Linux
Australia will also be helping to deliver some content around open APIs
on the day, and we've reached out to the Melbourne Python community -
who have responded brilliantly - to deliver some introductory Python
content.  I'd like to thank Hugh Rundle and Lesley Ryall at VALA for
their professionalism and desire to help libraries and technology
intersect.

https://portal.vala.org.au/page-18116

        Discussions with Internet Australia, IT Professionals
        Association and Telecommunications Society regarding 'what
        happens after NBN'

Led by George Fong from Internet Australia, several organisations have
met recently to discuss what happens after the NBN rollout. I will not
insult your intelligence by recapping those issues here, other than to
say that some critical thinking at a national policy level is required
to understand how Australia's digital infrastructure will be shaped
beyond 2020. Linux Australia is delighted to be working with our
colleagues across the Australian technology landscape to drive some of
these conversations, and I'd like to flag that a more formal
announcement is being prepared. As always, your comment and feedback
will be actively sought.

        Linux Australia Grants Programme

The Council, after considering community feedback, has recently awarded
a $1000 grant to Moe Men's shed, who are in early stages of development,
to deliver some introductory open source information. We have also
considered a grant from Stemformatics at the University of Melbourne
(more info requested and provided, now for discussion at Council) and
University of Newcastle to deliver open source information in the
curriculum (tabled for discussion April 30th). Another Grant Application
has recently been received from CryptoAustralia to set up a Mastodon
node for the Australian community.

As always, we appreciate the community's feedback into these
Applications to ensure their alignment with our values.

More Grant Applications are expected in the coming weeks.

https://linux.org.au/projects/grants

        Partnering with WordCamp to help facilitate WordPress related
        activities in Australia

These discussions have been incredibly fruitful and have now progressed
to WordCamp and Linux Australia working on a draft Memorandum of
Understanding to frame the partnership. The draft MoU is being
socialised between the two organisations and further updates will be
provided. If anyone from our community would like to be involved in this
piece, please do let me know.

        linux.conf.au 2018 Ghosts in Sydney

Ghosts was held in Sydney in early April, and I'd like to thank firstly
the LCA2018 team, headed by Bruce Crawley and James Polley, and our
incredible Ghosts and assurance team - Michael Davies, Steve Walsh,
Cherie Ellis, Josh Stewart, Hugh Blemings, David Bell and Katie
McLaughlin. An LCA2019 representative from $super_secret_city was also
in attendance to assist with transition and continuity. Ghosts is an
important activity both to impart useful knowledge and tips, and to
provide Linux Australia with a level of assurance about the readiness of
the team to execute our flagship event. LCA2018 passed with flying
colours, and is on track to deliver an incredible experience.

You can follow the conference on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/linuxconferenceaustralia/

and on Twitter at

https://twitter.com/linuxconfau

        JoomlaDay Australia Sydney 17-18th June

Tickets are now available for JoomDay Day Australia in Sydney

http://joomladay.org.au/

Huge thanks to Tim Plummer for his incredible organisation work.

Follow along on Twitter @JoomlaDayAU

        WordCamp Brisbane July 22-23

Preparations are well under way for WordCamp Brisbane, and tickets are
now available at

https://2017.brisbane.wordcamp.org/tickets/

Huge thanks to the organising team - Dion Hulse, Ricky Blacker, Cameron
Jones, Hannah Malcolm, Peter Bui and Robert Wilde.

Follow along on Twitter @wordcampbne

        Pycon AU Melbourne August 3-8

The CfP for Pycon AU is now open!

https://2017.pycon-au.org/

Get submitting!

        Rebranding

Council has been hard at work on a Rebranding Brief, which will help
support the transition to a new Membership Platform and web presence.
We're currently revising the Brief before seeking quotes. If anyone
would like to be involved in this process please do let me know.

        Facebook page

Linux Australia now has our own Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/LinuxAustralia/

As always, your feedback, comments, suggestions and constructive
criticism is warmly welcomed.

With kind regards,
Kathy

-- 
Kathy Reid
President
Linux Australia

0418 130 636

president at linux.org.au
http://linux.org.au

Linux Australia Inc
GPO Box 4788
Sydney NSW 2001
Australia

ABN 56 987 117 479 

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