Ann Cronin started as a volunteer at the Dunedin Gasworks Museum about eight months ago, teaching blacksmithing. She had an idea of how to use the museum as a shared space for education. After meeting a couple of other people with bright ideas, things are starting to happen. Business editor Dene Mackenzie reports.
The Dunedin Gasworks Museum will soon be full of young computer programmers after school and on some evenings, thanks to the endeavours of Ann Cronin and some helpers.
Ms Cronin, who is studying for a PhD in psychology and neuroscience - with a specialty in learning - at the University of Otago, became a volunteer at the museum, working in the forge to teach people blacksmithing.
During her hours at the museum, she started formulating a plan on how to open the museum up to a wider range of the South Dunedin community and believed an educational facility could be possible.
Ms Cronin met the board and convinced members of the worth of her idea and things started falling into place.
A chance meeting with Wicked Networks owner Stewart Fleming meant the installation of wireless broadband at the museum at gigabit speeds.
Dunedin won the gigatown competition but take-up of ultra-fast broadband in South Dunedin is lower than in other parts of the city.
Mr Fleming, who has a history of providing free fast internet connections around the city to try to encourage innovation, agreed to help with the project.
Along came Alex Gregory, a computer science student at the university, who already teaches ''sphero robotics workshops'' to school pupils in Dunedin, and the idea turned into a project.
The aim is to run computer programming classes for 9 to 12-year-olds at first, extending it to teenagers once the first classes are established.
Community meetings had been held and Ms Cronin tapped into some good ideas.
Community involvement was important, she said.
Mr Gregory will co-ordinate a the code club which will start soon, perhaps by the end of this month or early in October.
''The rejigging means we are moving from steam power to bits and bytes,'' Ms Cronin said.
''This was the most advanced technology in its day and now we have broadband.''
Asked about her motivation, Ms Cronin put it down partly to ''Celtic madness''.
She has a broad Irish accent.
''I have these skills and found a space, so why not put those two things together? Without these next steps, it is hard to keep Dunedin on the map. We have the fastest internet, we need to use it.''
Apple computers had been donated by the university, Ms Cronin had snaffled some tables from Christchurch, toys had been donated for some of the younger children to play with and she has been begging and borrowing frantically to get the things she needs.
Mr Fleming said the low uptake of UFB in South Dunedin was from a combination of economics, families not being interested and older generations not having the time or money to get involved.
However, children were learning about computers and programming at school but were often unable to do the work in their own time if their family was either not interested or did not have the computing power available at their home.
By creating a community space full of technology and UFB, all they had to do was turn up and participate, he said.
For something to work, people had to see it happening in front of them, rather than reading or hearing about it.
Putting in the Wi-Fi made fast broadband accessible and it showed people the potential of it, he said.
''If we do it, something amazing will happen. You can only find that out by doing it. We have had plenty of people in Dunedin who contributed to the community by being in the right place at the right time - fantastic success.
''There have been three surges in 15 years when the right people got together to create something amazing. There have been hard times in between but we can't stop. If we stop, nothing will happen.''
Ms Cronin said young people had offered to support the project.
The university had a volunteer programme and Mr Gregory had enlisted some of his fellow computer science students to help.
''We wanted to do something in South Dunedin where the need is the greatest.''
The museum was close enough to most of South Dunedin for participants to walk there after school but it was hoped community group funding would be obtained to run a pick-up bus at some stage.
A funding application had been made to InternetNZ and grants had been applied for from local funding organisations.
Meetings had also been held with Dunedin social agencies to help promote the programme.
One of the most important issues for Ms Cronin was the children would have to socialise to participate.
A Minecraft club would be established but members would be together, rather than playing alone at home.
At a glance
• Dunedin Gasworks Museum will be turned into a computer programming shared learning space for South Dunedin children.
• Ann Cronin, Stewart Fleming and Alex Gregory are combining to teach skills, including how to get the best out of Dunedin's ultra-fast broadband.
• Activities will include computer programming and robotic programming to give children hands-on experience.
• A Minecraft club will be established.
