Melbourne-based gadget junkie and devoted Dad, Robbie Berriman, has found a unique way to make daily visits to his six year old daughter, Shannara, who lives 1000 kilometres away in Sydney. It’s not quite Star Trek, but Robbie thinks he has found the next best thing to teleporting.
This story starts when Robbie and Shannara’s mum separated a few years ago and Robbie made a painful decision to move to Melbourne for work.
“The move from Sydney to Melbourne was extremely hard because I worried that the distance would make regular contact with Shannara difficult. I knew we could catch up on the phone most days, but it’s not the same as seeing her. It’s just not enough,” says Robbie.
A self-confessed gadget junkie and an IT professional by trade, Robbie was already well equipped for life online and had used a webcam to stay in contact with his daughter when on the road. Little did he know, this occasional novelty would become an almost-daily ritual once he moved south.
“I didn’t want to miss out on the little things in Shannara’s life. The beauty of webcam is we get to share the ordinary, everyday moments – the things that make us a family,” says Robbie.
“Shannara’s just started Grade one and I can help her with her homework, read her a bedtime story and show her the pictures in the book we are reading. She can show me her artwork from school and we can blow each other kisses.”
Importantly, Shannara can manage the webcam call to her dad by herself, meaning they can communicate without having to hassle mum all the time.
"Obviously, there were some concerns in the beginning; worries about security and young children on the internet. But it’s a secure connection between two controlled points. I’ve set it up so she can’t call anyone else, and no-one else can call her,” says Robbie.
“There is good news for people like me: living apart from the ones we love no longer means we can’t see their face, hear their voice and watch them grow.”
So how does a six-year-old remember her passwords, when grown-ups can’t quite manage it?
“Her password is the name of her teddy bear. She takes him everywhere with her so she never has any problem remembering her password.”
And Teddy will never let on.
What’s a Webcam?
A webcam (literally a Web or Internet camera) is a camera that is in some way connected to the World Wide Web, or Internet. The most common types of webcams are personal video cameras connected to a home computer. When used with specific software, webcams allow users to share a moving image of themselves with others. This image may be made publicly available on the Internet, or shared only with specific users via a secure connection.