At 102, most people avoid screens. Not Dean Simes. In the suburbs of Sydney, this Australian spends his days teaching other retirees how to get by with their PCs and smartphones. At the head of the association Computer Palshe gives lessons to students sometimes twenty years his junior, who finally come to understand what is hidden behind the icons of Windows.
In a world where the digital divide leaves millions of seniors behind, Dean Simes stands as a counter-example. Presented as one of the oldest geeks in the world, he repeats that “Age has never been a criterion”, as he recounted in a testimony relayed by ABC Radio Sydney. Of Windows 11 to smartphones to AI-based search engines, his journey proves that you can get started very late and stay up to date.
At 102, how Dean Simes became the computer science teacher everyone wanted
Based in Ku-ring-gai, in northern Sydney, Dean Simes directs Computer Pals since the transition to the year 2000, when Windows XP arrived on the market. He was over 75 at the time and didn’t buy his first personal computer until he was 80. Curious, he followed a three-year course to understand systems, hardware and interfaces, before starting to teach others. Ku-ring-gai Town Council recently named him Citizen of the Year for his work, with Treasurer Bill Soper summarizing: “We bow to Dean’s computer skills.”
Windows, smartphones, AI: what Dean Simes really teaches retirees
In the classrooms of Computer Palsno unnecessary jargon, but concrete actions. With the teacher Dean Simesstudents learn how to use Windows 11, spot good and bad links on the Internet, protect themselves from malware, send messages on WhatsApp or create tables in Excel. It also guides them to install applications on Android and configure their smartphone. Among his students, for example, is a 94-year-old couple, Vera and Michael Last, who come to practice every week on their Android phone. Always up to date, Centennial has added sessions on AI-powered search engines, and reminds everyone that the key remains to “practice, practice, practice.”
From Sydney to France: why his computer lessons at 102 concern us
At 102 years old, the “prof” does not spend his life in front of a screen. He follows a routine of sports sessions, time with his six children, games of bridge and road trips around Sydney. As he admits, this prevents him from becoming a “couch larva” and pushes him to continue to animate Computer Palseven if he knows that he will one day have to pass the baton, “not yet”. His example also speaks to French seniors who feel lost when it comes to online procedures, banking services or medical appointments on smartphones. His computer lessons at age 102 prove that, when it comes to technology, age is never an obstacle.