Inspiring Hervey Bay to take up tech
Ann Moffatt is passionate about the history of computing, because she’s lived it. Since 1959, Ann has worked in the IT industry and experienced the evolution of technology first hand.
Ann worked on the operating system for Atlas, the world’s first supercomputer and the first computer with an operating system, was appointed by the British Computer Society as advisor to the first computer gallery in the Science Museum in London, and wrote code for the black box for Concorde which was the first black box fitted in a commercial airplane. During her career, Ann has certainly travelled the full length of the information super highway.
Throughout her career, Ann has continually adapted and kept up with the latest trends and changes in technology. These days, she shares her wisdom and experience with the next generation of technology experts.
Ann is enjoying a busy retirement in Hervey Bay. As an Advance Queensland Community Digital Champion, Ann continues to inspire others to embrace the digital world. She runs a number of initiatives that help locals explore the possibilities of technology.
One of these initiatives is the Silicon Coast Extracurricular Coding School (SCXCS) that teaches local students and teachers how to code. Gaining popularity in its Hervey Bay beginnings, the coding school has plans to expand to the Sunshine Coast and up to Mackay and Cairns.
SCXCS teaches the coding languages used commercially, empowering students to apply their skills to develop apps, games or commercial systems used in companies worldwide. The courses give kids the opportunity to extend their learning beyond what is taught in school, and provides professional development opportunities for teachers who want to stay up-to-date with the latest coding techniques.
SCXCS students have developed apps for local businesses, including a healthy lifestyle app which was sponsored by the Hervey Bay Sunrise Rotary club. The students collaborated with local psychologists and nutritionists to develop a resource to help kids form healthy habits and fight childhood obesity. The app will be launched later this month.
In 2016, another group of SCXCS students was awarded second place in the Under 18s category at the GovHack Australia and New Zealand awards for their app Air Adventure, which allows users quick and easy access to air quality information.
Ann has also been instrumental in connecting the Hervey Bay community with technology leaders, arranging visits from representatives from Microsoft, Google and CSIRO.
“When I see something interesting, or I read about one of my mates doing something interesting, I ask them to come up and talk to us,” Ann said.
“It’s a simple format. The talks run for an hour but sometimes they might go longer with a group who are really interested in the speaker.”
Ann also shares her own computer history experiences and knowledge of technology, speaking to local community groups and schools about the technology changes she has experienced.
“What I’ve found is that these days most people seem to think that computers were invented in the ’80s, probably by the Americans and definitely by Bill Gates. So I try and put that right.”
Ann is very concerned about the spread of Malware and speaks regularly to Neighborhood Watch groups and seniors about how to avoid being scammed.
One of Ann’s great passions is teleworking, a work arrangement where employees can work remotely. She has worked from home for parts of her career, and is passionate about popularising the practice in Australia.
“When my children were young, I joined a company in the UK that gave work to women programmers who wanted to work from home and look after their children while they worked. In those days if you were out of the industry for more than 6 months it was very hard to get back in,” she said.
“I stayed with the company for 8 years, until I felt that my children were old enough for me to return to the conventional workplace,” she said.
“My passion has always been to get companies to allow their other workers to telework, because it’s not just for computer people. Anybody can telework so long as it fits the needs of the enterprise.”
In 2015, Microsoft recognised Ann as one of 10 Australian innovators for her pioneering work and advocacy for teleworking.
As an Advance Queensland Community Digital Champion Ann connects with other like-minded people who are improving digital literacy in their own communities.
“I love being part of a network of people who just want to make Queensland great,” she said.
For those who want to improve their digital literacy, Ann says just do it!
“Just take a course. It isn’t hard,” says Ann.
“People think that computer people must have wonderful brains and must be very clever, but I say ‘well I can do it, anybody can do it’.
“Understanding the digital world is essential today and for your future,” she said.
Know someone like Ann who is sharing technology with their community? Whether they’re teaching kids to code, or helping seniors master computer skills, nominate them as an Advance Queensland Community Digital Champion now.
Read more about the Advance Queensland Community Digital Champions program, and find champions in your community who are helping Queenslanders understand and participate in the digital economy.
