At 81, Martha Hanlon reckons she still has a thing or two to learn.
One of these things is coming to grips with the cellphone she was given for Christmas last year.
Yesterday, Mrs Hanlon had the chance to do just that thanks to the "cellphone tuition" offered by Wanganui Collegiate students
at the Age Concern Aging Positively expo at Wanganui Racecourse.
Until she met Brittany Lupton, 14, she didn't realize she had to put an area code in front of numbers to call out. "I wondered why I could never get through!" she said.
Strangely, Mrs Hanlon was pretty au fait with texting her grandchildren.
"I'm learning the new language, I have to try and abbreviate it's good, it's fun because they thought I couldn't do that!" she said.
Her tutor, Brittany, said she had volunteered to teach elderly to use cellphones because it was important they knew how to use their phones if they needed help.
Jim and Gloria Jackson, who are in their 60s, brought along a cellphone they bought only last week.
After a session with Jonathan Steward, 15, they went away armed with the know-how to tap out a text, although they did not appear to have got as far as predictive.
"I was completely in the dark, but the young man told us what to do we came along here to learn. I've just sent a text to our daughter in Palmerston North," he said.
Event organiser Janet Lewis said the event, which had featured seminars, entertainment and information displays targeted at elderly, had won impressive community support and a big turnout from participating groups and visitors.
Joan McAuliffe, 84, a visitor to the expo, said she was impressed.
"From what I can gather, this is the social event of the year I've never seen so many volunteers or so many wonderful stalls," she said.
