My night of dreams

Our VIP, Internet guru and popular Advertiser journalist Samela Harris also wears her favourite color, black as does my stylish daughter, Felicia Williams, who, as MC calls the gathering to attention. Before her is an exciting mix of Adelaide’s glitterati, academia, present and past women community leaders and media identities, particularly popular ABC radio personality, Carole Whitelock and husband, Ken.

Felicia tells the crowd that I have been notoriously technologically challenged because I once telephoned her from London requesting that she book a return flight to Adelaide on the Internet because it was cheaper. This engenders a polite tinkle of laughter. However, crowd reaction turns to loud clapping and hoorahs when she announces the film option and reads out greetings from Peta Astbury from Cannes Film Festival in France where she is seeking funding for the film.

My long-time Advertiser colleague Samela Harris takes the podium and tells her own memories of my Internet ignorance within an informed speech on the awesome nature of the world wide web. And as she quotes amazing figures in the millions and billions, I know whatever the rough ride as I learn to master the digital medium, that I need to be on this cyber bandwagon or be left behind on the wayside.

The truth is I wouldn’t be standing here at all without the efforts and energies of my wonderful, multi-skilled husband, Olivier and my talented web designer, Ray Jalil of Figasia Multimedia, a fact I now tell the audience. How lucky am I to have Ray, the ABC TV’s on-line producer for Poh’s Kitchen and Talking Heads to create my website? However, Olivier has been the hands-on man, bringing it all together sitting at the home computer by the hour, taking my words and the photographs he has taken and posting it all together. This is our team effort, husband and wife, lovers, too, and now the team of two beginning an informative, lively and entertaining new medium for older readers.

Within our number is the academic expert on popular culture and communication, Dr Jackie Cooke and I vow to seek out her knowledge to understand the nature of web communication.

All too soon, it is time for glamorous hostess, Alyce Chandler to hand round a gold platter of petite macaroons made specially for tonight by Adelaide French patissier Andre Guerinet of Mulots Patissiere. I tell everyone they are metaphors of the sweetness of life for older people.

Be Sociable, Share!