[Computerbank] CBAI - SA March News

[Dale Long]

On Fri, 8 Mar 2002, romana wrote:
> CURRENT GOALS & ISSUES
> Behind the scenes, we are quietly working towards a couple of important goals:
> 1) Permanent premises.As many of you know, premises are our highest priority. 
> However, funding for premises is an issue. We are applying in June for WFTD - 
> Work for the dole, a scheme whereby we train long term unemployed in building 
> computer systems, installing Linux, and training recipients. This will supply 
> us with funding for premises and projects. Until then, we continue to operate 
> out of the Eagle's Nest (for those that have been here and know the horror of 
> our endless hilly driveway) that is mine and Shaun's home at Bridgewater. 
> This is not a great solution, both in terms of CBAI-SA access, and in terms 
> of our overcrowded house, and the impact on us and our 4 offspring:)
> Storage of systems is at our home, and in the sheds of members. This means 
> access to parts can be very difficult!
> One solution we are now investigating for at least a short term solution is 
> local councils - do they have rooms we can utilise as a community group? 

I would ask the WFTD people this as well, they may have a suggestion. But,
they will want to know which area we will be doing this in as the there
are organisations in each area (of Adelaide) who look after that area for 
WFTD facilities and events.
The central WFTD people will then recommend we speak with that respective
group (which could be any type of organisation depending on who looks
after WFTD for a given area).

I will call them today.

Where is the ideal location in Adelaide to have our CB prmises?
Closer to Bridgewater, or closer to Adelaide city central?

> 5) As soon as we receive Hard Drives,we plan an Installfest, to ship some 
> systems, clear some backlog, and give us back some space here:) Anyone want 
> to volunteer a venue, please do so, else its trudge up the hill time, folks:) 
> I will discuss possible venues with the folks from LinuxSA, and also see if 
> they have anyone interested in coming along to help.
> Date to be announced (as soon as we receive hdds from Vic, basically:)  )

You can have the installfest at my house. But we would need to have an
idea of how many systems we plan to build. As some parts will need to be
brought down from Bridgewater and elsewhere.

I have 8 monitors, a complete PC and several incomplete PC's ready for
building and testing. If we plan to build 8 systems on that day, we would
need to make sure we have enough hard disks, RAM and other bits, as well
as some spares to replace those components that are faulty. The large
components are already here, the monitors.

> 6) Meeting time - we have had recently several expressions of interest from 
> new volunteers- time to organise a face to face. This may be at the 
> Installfest, say for an hour beforehand, to discuss issues etc or we may 
> decide to hold a seperate meeting, depending upon feedback. Please let us 
> know your opinion asap:)

Either suits me.

> 
> We need volunteers to help with:
> * premises location, and moving day when we find one - try talking to your 
> local council, or suggest othe rpossible sources of premises

I will ask WFTD if they have suggestion or a place in mind. I will also
ask Belair/Blackwood/Mitcham council. 

We could put an article in the local Messanger newspaper. Want me to do
this as well?

An article in the Advertiser might go down well too.

> * writing the submission for the WFTD scheme

I have some papers from WFTD so I can follow up on this when we need to.

Dale.