We met up with Tom Kayser at a Brisbane Sunshine Wanderers meeting at Kenilworth. Tom was absolutely full of life. He and Rae had recently celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary - so without asking his age, we could immediately put him as a septuagenarian. That is physical age - Tom doesn't let his physical age infringe on his mental age.

Ask Tom about BISCUITs and you could have him talking for an hour or more. What is "BISCUITs" you ask? Bribie Island Senior Citizens Understanding Information Technology. Tom became involved with BISCUITs when it started near his home about two years ago. It had been going one month, and he decided he needed to learn more about these new fangled computers. His membership number, he proudly tells you, is 124 and there are currently over 700 members. New Clubs have recently started at Caboolture and Wynnum and they are receiving similar membership influxes. The sharing of knowledge is totally voluntary and all credit is due to those older computer "experts" who take the time out of their retirement to spend hours each week to help other members.

To start from the beginning, Tom and Rae lived at Coorparoo for 42 years, before moving to Bribie Island, north of Brisbane, about 4 years ago. He has been a CMCA member for 11 years, first as a member of Brisbane Sunshine Wanderers, then as a founding member of the new Bribie Island chapter two years ago.

Since moving to Bribie, he has a problem - there isn't enough time in the week to do everything he wants. He builds model ships in bottles and maintains a pretty mean garden. When he's not involved with BISCUITs, he is in the community progress association. There are about 1000 homes in the Pebble Beach area where he and Rae live and they decided their waterfront needed some public toilets. So, as a very active member of the Progress Association, Tom and others on the committee gave the Caboolture Council heaps until to quote Tom, "They gave us $52,000 to erect a toilet block. I'm not sure whether this was to shut us up or whether they really recognised the need!"

Tom is also a frequent caller on callback radio on ABC 612 radio. If Tom rings in, you can rest assured wife Rae isn't home - she is probably out at her machine knitting club. We had heard talk about BISCUITs a few weeks prior to meeting up with Tom and it is extremely refreshing to see the animation which overtakes Tom when he discusses this obvious joy in his life. He also has fairly definite opinions on politicians - beware!

Tom and Rae have a 9 year old Coaster bus which has served them reliably - they have been around Australia once, across the Snowy three times, down to Tasmania, to the Chillago Caves, Cooktown, and lots of places in between. Free camping spots are Tom's specialty and he will soon tell you how far out of town is the best place to park, even down to noting individual trees which could be a bit of a worry to park under. Tom loves to tinker and maintain the bus. For intance he has a terrific gadget that warns you if you have forgotten to bring in the step!

Colin Hodges, Jeff Cutts and Rick Thornton were the master bakers who are responsible for starting the computer club. Back to his beloved "BISCUITs", he explains that you join the Club and work your way up depending on your degree of knowledge - the really knowledgeable computer people in BISCUITs are known as "Master Bakers", then you go down to a Baker, Tim Tam, Chocolate, Arrowroot and so on. The basic learners are a cracker - that means you can start up your computer and know where to click to open certain programs, how to click onto the internet and send an email. If you don't know anything at all, you aren't out of it either - there are special people who are called "weevils". Weevils have sessions on a special computer at the local library where they will show you how to lose your intimidation of the "monster".

The Bribie Island RSL club has proven to be a real friend to the BISCUITs Club and allow them to use their facilities. One hall will take 400 people seated and this is regularly full to capacity when they hold club meetings. BISCUITs members have gathered together 6 old computers which can be hired out for $5 per week to see if you would like try out this information technology stuff. BISCUITs have a monthly newsletter, appropriately called "Crumbs". Tom has every copy filed safely away and often finds a reason to refer to something he has learnt before - and other newer members use his reference library for their own learning.

Tom reckons there is no such thing as an old person - just someone who wants to sit around and watch the four walls. He has no intention of doing that and somehow I couldn't imagine him doing so - besides there is so much information on the internet on those model ships in bottles he wants to build - the H.M.S. Victory is his latest project. He even roped in a much younger female CMCA member at the Kenilworth meeting - Heather will be joining BISCUITs next month so she can learn to operate a laptop on the road and stay in touch with family and friends via email. We'll get an update from Heather as her new learning project continues.

People like Tom and Rae are an inspiration to all those oldies who recognise there is so much more to life. When they are not on the road, there are computers and knitting machines, gardening and model ships. Long may they enjoy the fruits of their "young" age!

Contact Tom and Rae at kayser@bytesite.com.au