Norman Maddeaux

Norman has volunteered with the McConaghy Computer Club since February 2014.

He is a retired Ontario Government employee where his career spanned 30 years in the Information Technology field. His first job was as a programmer with the Ontario Water Resources Commission (OWRC) and subsequently with the Ministry of the Environment through the amalgamation of the OWRC with the Air and Waste Management and Pesticides Control Sections from the Department of Health, among others.     

Norman's expertise in programming included ASSEMBLER, BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN and Javascript. He later held positions as Senior Systems Analyst, Project Administrator and Manager of Systems Development in the information technology field within the government where he was responsible for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of information database systems. His career ended with the Internal Audit Division of Management Board of Cabinet where he held the position of Manager/Team Leader of Systems/EDP Audit and was responsible for directing a comprehensive program of information technology audits. During this period of his career he also developed and gave Security Workshops for government managers.

After retiring in 2000, he volunteered at a local school and developed/maintained over 80% of the elementary school websites for the York Region District School Board for several years.

In addition, Norman explored new avenues to apply his extensive IT experience. His journey into assisting seniors with technology began with a simple visit to a seniors' information technology group presentation, where he initially just listened to the individuals presenting out of curiosity. Intrigued by the initiative, he realized that his background could benefit this demographic navigating the digital age and after attending several sessions, offered to assist the group.

After retiring in 2000, he volunteered at a local school and developed/maintained over 80% of the elementary school websites for the York Region District School Board for several years.

In addition, Norman explored new avenues to apply his extensive IT experience. His journey into assisting seniors with technology began with a simple visit to a seniors' information technology group presentation, where he initially just listened to the individuals presenting out of curiosity. Intrigued by the initiative, he realized that his background could benefit this demographic navigating the digital age and after attending several sessions, offered to assist the group.

Many of the individuals attending faced challenges in navigating the rapidly evolving technological landscape, often feeling isolated and overwhelmed by the complexities of modern devices and digital platforms. By assisting, it allowed Norman to stay engaged with the field he loved while making a positive impact in his community. By leveraging his extensive background and expertise, he hopes to empower seniors to confidently navigate the digital world, fostering independence, community, and a better quality of life.

Norman is also a active tennis player in his spare time and has served as Vice-President and Treasurer of a tennis club and has assisted in teaching tennis basics to junior players for a number of years.  When not involved in tennis, Norman's passion is photography.