John (83) is Ireland’s top silver surfer
A RETIRED 83-year-old guard from Rosslare is the tops when it comes to new technology and has just been crowned the top silver surfer in Ireland, winning the Golden IT Award at the recent open eir Silver Surfer Awards.
Retired Garda John Hayes left school at 13 years old to help on the family farm but his determination to succeed drove him to teach himself to read and write at the age of 20 so he could join the Gardaí and serve his local community.
Showing he’s still unafraid to learn he has embraced everything the internet has to offer, Skyping his siblings in America, using Facebook to keep in touch with nieces and nephews around the world and playing bridge online with friends and strangers alike from the comfort of his own home.
Congratulatig John, Eamon Timmins, CEO of Age Action, said his was an amazing achievement and goes to show that age is no barrier to taking advantage of the thrilling opportunities presented by the internet and new technology.
‘ The majority of older people in Ireland have never been online. We hope John and all of our Silver Surfers encourage anyone with a computer sitting unused in the kitchen, or a tablet still in its wrapping paper, to get online and open up new worlds of information and entertainment,’ he said.
Dearbhaill Rossiter, Head of Corporate Affairs, eir said John was a great example to all to all of us and certainly shows that age is not an issue when it comes to using technology.
John was presented with a framed certificate and a new digital tablet.