News: WA website Bulletin 2010/11 Tuesday 8th June 2010

WA website Bulletin 2010/10 Tuesday 8th June 2010

• To use the links below, first login then press the Ctrl key on your keyboard whilst you click a link in this bulletin.
• It's easy to generate a new password yourself - should you forget it use the link in Welcome box on the Home page.
• Please read "Website Tips repeated" at the bottom of this bulletin and if in difficulty refer to the online Help Forum.
• You'll find more (cheeky) advice here >> Help request - unable to open document (a Neil Martin contribution).

What's new

New feature - Personal histories - Two members have written their life histories. Go to a new page here >> Personal histories in the History section for contributions from John Lott 1947 and Danny Gunn 1955, both Australian members. These are great reads which I expect will appear in All Hands soon. A third Australian Branch member is also writing his story.

John Lott emigrated to Australia after coming ashore in 1957 and eventually owned a sheep-station in NSW. Danny Gunn was born in Melbourne. His 60 page story is mostly about the 10 years he and his family spent as "yachties" sailing around the world. I'm serialising this in 4 parts the first of which is online at >> Personal histories; the other three parts will be uploaded as I publish the next three website bulletins.

Between us there must by many personal histories worth telling, so now's your chance! If you want your life story published on the website let me know. (Only life histories though - for other experiences create your own Topic in the Forum).

New photo uploaded - A 1947 cadet group photo from John Lott here >> LottJ47.

Warsash Momentos - One of our recent new members Anthony Ireland 1960 is interested in Warsash mementos. He has located websites offering various items including cuff-links, key rings, calendars and Christmas cards. Also a website able to copy cap badges. Living in Spain with little else to do (just kidding Anthony) he has offered to do any necessary artwork. The WA crest of course is an ideal subject. If you are interested in pursuing this matter with Anthony or think his idea has potential please let him know via this email link Anthony Ireland copy to me at Chris Clarke.

All Hands Spring 2010 colour edition online - A full colour edition All Hands Spring 2010 has replaced the previous b/w version and can be downloaded here >> All Hands Spring 2010. Unfortunately the website doesn't let me place items in publishing date sequence which I hope to change during the website review currently under way.

Crossed the bar

Alan Jordan has heard from Simon Purchall that Simon's father John Purchall 1955 who lived in Sydney, crossed the bar nearly two years ago.

Richard Bayley 1945 who lived at Romsey Hampshire has sadly also crossed the bar. Richard was a Past Master of The Southampton Master Mariners Club.

Put more in - get more out of the website!

Try your hand in the Forum. It's not difficult and you'll find plenty of guidance here >> Forum.

We have a number of Forums where you can raise and discuss a host of issues for anyone to read and respond to. You can ask questions, start discussions or try to track down out of touch colleagues. See an excellent example here >> Warsash legends. Further examples:

• To help trace long lost colleagues visit one of these e.g. Ex-School of Navigation, Ex-College of Maritime Studies or Ex-Warsash Maritime Academy.
• To relate your experiences with a particular shipping company visit here >> Shipping companies. If your company name is not shown let me know and I'll create a new sub-forum.
• In need of a laugh? Then visit here >> Have you heard the one about? for the latest humorous entries. Try this one for size >> Navy Recruiting Office! Better still create your own entries.
• What do you get up to in your spare time? Tell all in this forum >> Pastimes and hobbies. It might be golf, reading, sailing, dancing, climbing - even train-spotting (once had a friend who read old train timetables before going to sleep)!

Fancy a challenge?

• Go to Gallery Home > Where in the world is this? for a picture quiz. Five photos, only two solved so far, both by John Marshall 1959. Clues added. See if you can identify any of them.
• Upload your own photos to this gallery for others to identify. But don't give any clues in the name of the file uploaded which could give the game away!

Website usage

• The number of unique visitors to the website in May averaged 43 per day (48 throughout April); so far in June averaging 33 per day.
• There are 1,878 posts in the Forum, 1,082 photos in the Gallery, 4,094 names in the database including about 370 members.

Kind regards,

Chris Clarke 1959

REMINDERS FROM EARLIER BULLETINS

WA Event 2010 15th - 18th July 2010 (Botleigh Grange dinner and Arcadia cruise)

Members interested in attending this event (assuming vacant cabins remain) or who are already booked will find an information update in the Events calendar here >> Event 15th July 2010. Ron Caine (organiser) has pointed out that members wishing to attend the informal dinner to be held at the Botleigh Grange hotel on Thursday 15^th July 2010, who will not be resident at the hotel, are now required to make a reservation for this meal. Read further information via the above link.

Online All Hands Editions

If you don't need a printed All Hands you could set an indicator in your website Profile denoting this, which will save us printing and postage costs. Unless you decide to change the default setting you will of course continue to receive printed copies.

• To read how to set the indicator go to sub-forum >> Member's Profile then load the Topic Profile - opt for online or printed All Hands.
• Anyone belonging to our Australian or New Zealand Branches choosing to rely on a downloaded copy only should also let Neil Martin know.

All Hands Journal: If you have any articles for the Summer 2010 edition please email Ron Caine.

All Hands download times - The time taken to download All Hands from the website depends on size and the speed of your Broadband connection at the time. You may need to wait patiently sometimes especially as Broadband speeds vary so much. I usually indicate download times based on 5 Mb Broadband speed at which speed journals with few exceptions, download within 1 1/2 minutes and most under 40 seconds. There are a couple of exceptions but even so its well worth the wait.

WEBSITE TIPS REPEATED

Your first actions after logging in:

• List recent messages and photos created on the website using the function "View" in the top right corner of your screen.
• Click on "View - Posts since last visit".
• Click on "View - All photos last 4 weeks".

Lost your password?

• Generate your own new secure password via the website click "About this website/ Unable to login?" in the drop-down menu.
• This will email to you a link to change your email address and then another email to notify after the new password has been generated.
• Remember - passwords are case sensitive.

Step by step website instructions

• Click here >> Forum Home then place your cursor on the forum "Help".
• Lessons from the "Help" forum are sent o periodically from the website.