• About
  • Historian’s backpack
  • Projects
  • Blogs
  • Contact me

I just love history

~ Local and Family History

I just love history

Monthly Archives: March 2015

You know you’re getting old when …

23 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by Susie Zada in My projects, Personal History

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Burroughs, Personal history, Susie, Unisys

United Unisys Users logoYou Google something and it reminds you of the things you should be recording as part of your own history!

Whether we’re in denial or just very forgetful, as family and local historians the one area that we are really bad at researching … ourselves or our Societies.

We forget the things we did, the places we went, and all the things we considered a normal part of our lives and “nothing to write home about”.  The last 24 hours made my rethink some of my own “history”.  These were the two triggers:

  • Inspecting the contents of the garage and the things that HAVE to go in preparation for downsizing
  • A Skype call to my brother which included my great nephew and great niece [5 and 2 respectively].  Mitchell, the 5 year old, wanted his grandpa to send me his favourite Minion trailer [what’s a Minion?  I know now!] and he also has had lots of questions about me.

So I ended up Googling words like Burroughs, Unisys, CUBE, U3, and United Unisys Users.  What I had in my garage were two large wooden purpose built transportation boxes, complete with locks and handles, that contained the perpetual trophies for the best presenter at each of our Annual Conferences.  One trophy for CUBE [Co-operative Users of Burroughs Equipment] and one for its successor U3 [United Unisys Users] following the merger of Burroughs and Sperry into Unisys.

I had to chuckle when I found one article from 1989 when I had been the Australasian representative at our ICU2 foundation meeting in Bluebell, Pennsylvania, USA.  Apart from me then reminiscing on the different locations around the world where ICU2 met, it reminded me when I was told that Susie was not an acceptable name in the Corporate world!  From then on I was to be know as Susanne – the name I only ever heard when I was in trouble with my parents or teachers!

The article mentioned.

Is it any wonder that as soon as I backed out of the so-called Corporate world I quickly went back to my Comfort name – Susie?

I’ve now contacted Unisys to see if they have an Archive or Museum – I’m part of it!

Another reminder of “getting old” – my brother and I were mentioned in the Social Pages of the Manning River Times in September 1953!!!!  True!  OK – it’s not the front cover of Woman’s Day but the article said “Mr and Mrs John Fussen and children, of Chatham, who have been holidaying in the Newcastle district, returned home at the week-end.”

Thank goodness for TROVE and GOOGLE – it’s going to help me with my memory and personal history!

Living back in the 20th Century

16 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by Susie Zada in Warnings

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Landlines, Mobile Phones, Phone calls

01telephoneOK – I confess to being permanently attached to my keyboard and a regular internet user – in fact into all forms of technology.  It’s just one area where I have been very slow – but for good reason!  I didn’t need and really couldn’t afford a “real” mobile phone – you know, one that does everything whether you need it or not.  My need for a mobile phone was limited to a safety tool for me if I was out in my car on my own at night.

In the last half of last year I had a chance to spend time on-hold on the telephone – being made redundant it meant I had more time at home while applying for jobs to catch up on all the different “gunna” tasks that I didn’t have time to do while I was working full-time.

So I investigated my telephone options and ending up saving a large amount each month by consolidated various services and bundling them through Telstra who I had been with for about 4 decades.

I ended up with a mobile phone that allowed me to make unlimited free calls after 7.00 pm during the week and all weekend – that certainly suited my needs and the smart phone helped with job searching etc.

Another consequence of being made redundant and not being able to get a job [too old they say!] – I started a Diploma in Library and Information Services online through Swinburne University.  Not realising how much it would affect my Internet download limits I started watching my Telstra account closely.

This month I identified a couple of large charges that were my fault – something I should have known but didn’t.  They might sound like smarll charges to you but to someone watching their pennies I considered them large.

CASE 1: I live in Ocean Grove, Victoria – phone prefix 03-52nnnnnn.  I have friends in Lara which also has a phone prefix 03-52nnnnnn.  I was silly enough to think they were in the same area and therefore a local call.  WRONG!  They are charged at STD rates despite being reasonably close to each other – $18.25 for the call.

MENTAL note to myself – DON’T ring “local” numbers during the day – wait until after 7.00 pm when these calls are free from my mobile.

CASE 2: It is the trend these days for people to do away with their landline and operate from their mobile only.  This sounds like a great scenario for many people and saves them money.  The other week a friend rang me and left a message on my home phone [Landline].  Stupidly I just hit reply to their call – it was on a Sunday.  My mistake?  Of course it was to a mobile number and consequently I was charged STD rates even though I was just calling “locally” to Geelong.  Just over an hour later I suddenly realised that I was ringing a mobile.  I hung up and rang my friend back using my mobile – free to use on weekends.  I spent another hour on the phone helping to solve a problem – $17.84 for the first hour and $0.00 for the second hour & a half.

MENTAL note to myself – From your landline, DON’T hit reply in case it was from a mobile phone!

LONG-TERM MENTAL notes to myself:

  • Don’t presume that a phone number is local just because it has the same area code and prefix
  • Don’t reply to a message in case it’s from a mobile phone
  • Reconsider accepting a terrific offer from Telstra or whoever to get rid of your Landline – it could be costing your friends a lot of money to get in touch with you, particularly if they don’t have a mobile phone with various free options.

Even though these high charges were my fault, in fairness to Telstra they have agreed to credit one of them back to me.  They didn’t have to and I thank them for their considertation.

Just think twice before you make phonecalls!

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Always check the HOME page April 5, 2018
  • World ??? Day March 31, 2018
  • Finding records on PROV website March 27, 2018
  • Yarrawonga Family History Group March 18, 2018
  • VAFHO Family History Expo in Sale, April 2018 February 20, 2018

Upcoming Events

  • GDHA Meeting May 12, 2018 at 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Cape Clear Recreation Reserve Hall, Cape Clear, Victoria Geelong and District Historical Association quarterly meeting
  • Kings Genie Talk: Family History - Fun and Free May 16, 2018 at 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm 130 Bellarine Hwy, Newcomb VIC 3219, Australia Speaker: Susie Zada. Midwives and Nurses: researching female ancestors
  • Warrnambool Family History Seminar May 19, 2018 Warrnambool VIC 3280, Australia Various speakers
  • GFHG Meeting May 23, 2018 at 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Belmont Library, 163 High St, Geelong VIC 3216, Australia Presenter: John Stewart. Topic: Getting the most out of TROVE
  • GSV Thursday Talk May 24, 2018 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Level 6, 85 Queen St, Melbourne Vic 3000 Speaker: Susie Zada. Topic: Victorian Land Titles and documents - from Old to New
  • GFHG Meeting June 27, 2018 at 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Belmont Library, 163 High St, Geelong VIC 3216, Australia Presenter: Max Beck. Topic: Max will talk about his book A Different Earth - about his gg-grandparents journey from Cornwall to the Burra copper mines in South Australia.   
  • Wodonga Family History Group July 17, 2018 Speaker: Susie Zada. Topic: Australian Wills & Probate and Indexes
  • GFHG Meeting July 25, 2018 at 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Belmont Library, 163 High St, Geelong VIC 3216, Australia Presenters: Two DNA gurus - confirmed but names will be divulged closer to the date! Topic: DNA Testing for Family History: Basics & Examples. A webinar / online presentation with a question and answer session at the end (technology permitting).

Archives

  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • July 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014

Categories

  • 175 Years Ago
  • Architects
  • Books for sale
  • Database and Indexes
  • Essentials
  • Events
  • Family History
  • Geelong Football Club
  • Heritage
  • Important news
  • Intro and ramble
  • Land Documents
  • Local History
  • My Family
  • My projects
  • Personal History
  • Research books
  • Uncategorized
  • VAFHO
  • Victorian Government Gazette entries
  • Warnings

Recent Comments

Start 2018 by accent… on It’s not too late for Ad…
Susie Zada on Blowing up the Milo tin !
Carmel on Blowing up the Milo tin !
crissouli on Blowing up the Milo tin !
Susie Zada on Blowing up the Milo tin !

My Links

  • Bellarine Historical Society
  • Geelong & District
  • Geelong and District blog
  • Geelong and District facebook page
  • Geelong Family History Group Inc
  • My Ancestors' Arrivals
  • Susie Zada's facebook page

Recent Posts

  • Always check the HOME page
  • World ??? Day
  • Finding records on PROV website
  • Yarrawonga Family History Group
  • VAFHO Family History Expo in Sale, April 2018

Archives

  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • July 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel