George of the Shed Award

Who else but George has won he inaugural "George of the Shed Award". The award - also known as - the "Horses Arse Award" was presented today for outstanding efforts in mobile phone management, losing car keys when they were in the car door, looking for a brown jacket when he wore a blue one and for a convincing suggestion that our new Shed Acheivement, Achievement trophy had a spelling mistake engraved on it.

Well done George the trophy is yours for a year and we expect it back this time in 2011. Special thanks to ATB Trophies of Bateau Bay for donating and engraving the trophy.

The bottle of scotch was not part of the presentation but a deal done on the side with a fellow Shed member!

Someone Will Be Happy This Christmas

The men in the Shed have presented the rocking horse and the rocking plane to the Samaritans to pass on to some worthy children who may have missed out on a Christmas present this year. The plane was repaired and repainted by the men while the horse was made from scratch. Thanks to the men who put their skills into practice to support the community

Christmas Opening Times at Bateau Bay

Just in case you were planning a visit or even turning up to work, the Shed will be closing on Thursday 16 December and will open again on January 4.

This will give everyone a break for a few days over the festive season and hopefully all will return refreshed, and not having put on too many Kilos. For those with the sweet tooth we have already made plans with our Cake Shop Sponsors to be prepared for our first day of 2011 and they have promised the supply of quality morning tea cakes is assured.

We take this opportunity to wish all Shedders, and would like to be Shedders, a joyous and a safe festive season and look forward to sharing 2011 with you.

ADSSI CEO and Our Shed Goddess Pay Us A Visit

Today we had the pleasure of having Jenni Allen and Colleen Cooper visit the Shed to share a morning tea with the members. This is not the first time for Jenni but today we welcomed her in her new position of CEO. Colleen visits us regularly and she is always most welcome.

Both of our guests were presented with a small suitably engraved gift of a Bateau Bay Men's Shed key ring.

We are looking forward to entertaining other members of ADSSI in the New Year once the holiday season is over and business settles back into a routine.

The Three Cabinet Makers

You have seen the 3 Tenors and the 3 Amigos and now we introduce the 3 Cabinet Makers.

Graham, Bruce and Tom have been working hard on a magazine cabinet for Bateau Bay Bowling Club.

The Club made a donation to the Shed and asked if we could "knock up" a stand for them to display and store bowls magazines. This is the finished product and we a certain it will be a hit with the Bowls Club members when it is presented.

The finishing touches on the doors were crafted by Mark. His meticulous pyrographic presentation of the Bowling Clubs logo is a feature on the finished piece of furniture.

Cutting Edge Technology

This Shed promotes cutting edge technology whenever it can but there are always exceptions. When Chang donated his push mower to the Shed he thought he had seen the last of it, but NO! The grass strip in front of the Shed needed a trim so it was Chang who was elected to the task. It took him a while to get started though because he couldn't find the starter button.

Keeping Our Possums Happy

Graham and Allan have formed a great team as they continue to turn out more and more possum boxes. Sometimes it seems the Shed is full of them as they migrate from bench to bench in their ever expanding attempt at domination. But we are sure the possums are thankful for the chance to have a comfortable home.

The Shed Has a New Awning

Thanks to the wonderful support from ADSSI our new awning is in place and the men have a covered outdoor area in which to work and relax. The awning will be a great asset to the Shed with summer coming on and will mean outdoor social events can be held without the effects of the sun interfering with their health. On its first full day of operation men took their work outside to make use of our expanded facilities.

See I Am Taller Than You

Big Mike and even bigger Ray enjoy a joke during our trip to the Australian Maritime Museum to visit James Cook's Bark Endeavour.

Captain Jack Sparrow AKA Woody

Straight off the set of the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie our resident pirate Woody came to our Maritime Museum trip dressed for the occasion. He looked very much at home on the deck of James Cook's HMB Endeavour. To add to the occasion it was James Cook's birthday and had he been still alive he would have been 282 years old on the day we visited.

The ironing is Never Finished

Allan thought by coming to the Shed he would get away from those baskets of ironing that never seem to be empty. We have news for you Allan, there's no rest for the wicked at the Shed so bend your back and don't stop until all the edging is ironed on. The staff at the Samaritans are waiting for their cupboard to be finished so their rearranged office can get back to some form of normality.

For a small fee Allan gives ironing lessons as we expect this Shed to be the leader in satorial elegance. What chance of that happening!

Our Brush With Fame

Following a request from ATB Trophies to repair the bases of some football trophies Andrew & Steve put their woodwork & wood polishing skills to work. Little did they know the trophies belonged to Steve Ella, the "Zip Zip Man" & were major awards presented to him while playing for Parramatta Rugby League Club.

The trophies had been stored under a house for many years & the bases had begun to rot, but with a lot of fine cabinet work & elbow grease parts have been repaired or replaced. Now with the figures remounted on their stands & the engraved plates back in place they have been returned to their proud owner.

What a Fine Shed

Parking at the Community Centre has become very congested now that we are open for 3 days each. To help manage parking more efficiently Mark has applied his best sign writing skills to produce some very clear parking signs and then Nigel fixed them in place.

All we need now is for the tenants and visitors to follow these clear directions.

Another Day Another BBQ

The end of the month means it's BBQ time and this month we had 2 in 2 days. But not a single person complained. Here Daryl & Mike share some time together, probably discussing how to convert Daryl's powered scooter into a dragster with an 80cc motor and "Harley" style extended handlebars.

By next month the BBQ area should have a permanent cover to protect us from the Summer heat.

Roy Demonstrates his Chainsaw Skills

Roy prides himself as a skilled craftsman and here he shows his skills using a chain saw. Roy can usually be found on either the wood or metal lathe or preparing some exotic timber he has brought from his personal stash for a fine cabinet work project. The range of skills on display in the Shed never fails to impress and so much can be learnt just by observing and then asking.

You've Done It Again Bogie

Two views of the drinks table that is Bogie's latest project again shows his skills in woodwork and decorative rope work. The miniature ships wheel sits on top of a turned post both being highlighted with decorative rope bands and flowers. A glass top sets the finished table off beautifully. Another job from the hands of a skilled craftsman.

Second AGM Shed Presidents Report

BATEAU BAY MEN’S SHED

ANNUAL REPORT – 21 September 2010

Welcome everyone to the 2^nd AGM of the Bateau Bay Men’s Shed.

It gives me great pleasure to present the Shed Presidents Report to you this afternoon after what has been a very productive year.

I would like to begin my report by voicing publically my thanks to Colleen Cooper, Kevin Armstrong and Nigel Stretton for the untold work they have done behind the scenes for this past year.

Colleen is our link with ADSSI and without their magnificent support this Shed would be a fraction of what we have today. It has not only been the monetary support that Colleen has been instrumental in obtaining on our behalf, and that is what most members see around them, but it has been the advice and personal support that I have found to be very important.

Kevin as Secretary has constantly trawled the Internet seeking out grant options and then putting his wordsmith skills to good use in completing the applications. He has also been our ‘go to man’ when technical matters of Shed governance have been sought.

As Treasurer Nigel has balanced our accounts every month and has ensured our bills are paid on time. Despite the help he gets each morning when he opens the “piggy bank” he has kept his composure and has seen us end the year with a healthy credit balance.

Those of you who were members before our 1^st AGM will look back on the year and remember how the Shed was then and how much it has developed in 12 months. This is a result of our members who see this place as ‘their Shed’, take a personal interest in its operation and work toward its growth. Everyone here today should be proud of what they have helped to achieve in such a short time. I believe our rapid growth in membership is a result of the welcoming nature of all our members and men feel comfortable in belonging to a group that gets things done while at the same time making individuals welcome.

Due to attendance pressures we are now open 3 days per week and while Tuesday and Thursday remain the busy days attendances on Wednesday are increasing as men see this day as an opportunity to have more space in which to work and have easier access to machines. There is also a better selection of morning teacakes with less hungry mouths to feed. Thanks must be paid to our bakery suppliers, Legends Bakery at Wyong and Killarney Vale Bakery for helping to keep our sugar and cholesterol levels in the high bands. During the first 6 months the Shed was open the average attendance on a Tuesday was 17 and on Thursdays was 16 while for the second 6 months average attendances were 27 for Tuesdays and 21 for Thursdays. Giving us an average for the year of 22 on Tuesdays and 18 on Thursdays.

Earlier this year we arranged for Hearing Australia to visit and test our hearing, this in turn led to a recommendation for a couple of men to arrange further testing.

The Shed was to the fore in supporting Dave Betts from Mingara Club when to promote men’s health he paddled from Port Macquarie to The Entrance. He has plans to repeat the paddle again and I am sure our support will again be strong.

In May this Shed was well represented at a seminar informing disability providers about the role Men’s Sheds have in our community and delegates inspected this Shed as part of their days program.

During Seniors Week a successful BBQ was held which resulted in additional awareness of the Shed and as a result our membership numbers increased. An application has been made to repeat the function during Seniors Week 2011 with a BBQ on each of the 3 days we are open.

A major fund raising project, which led to an ongoing healthy relationship, was the November BBQ initiative from Woolworths Bateau Bay during Men’s Health Month. A new manager will be taking up his position in the Bateau Bay store next week but already the current manager has plans in place to ensure a similar promotion occurs during this November.

An outing to the Australian Maritime Museum was very well attended and thanks to David Boulton we gained free access to the floating displays. David is now arranging another trip to inspect the HMB Endeavour replica before it sails around Australia.

During the year we have been approached by a number of community groups and business enterprises to make or repair items. In partnership with Wild Life Arc the Possum Box project saw a production line in full swing and having sold the first 11 a second run is now needed. Members have accepted responsibility for projects such as folding notice boards for Wyong Knitwits, adjustable signs for a motor bike rally, the repair of football trophies, the making of 45 computer stands, the construction of a magazine cupboard for the Bateau Bay Bowling Club and the modification of 3 Table tennis tables for Vision Australia (formally the Royal Blind Society). The staff at Tuggerah Lakes Community Centre have realized there is a skilled group of men on site who can be called on at a moments notice for small jobs.

As a member of the Tuggerah Lakes Community Centre Tenants Committee we have agreed to repair the parking signs, repaint the car parking bays and have arranged for a Men’s Shed sign to be fixed to the notice board at the street entry.

During the year we approached the Tumbi Umbi Campus of Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College and offered to present a perpetual trophy to a male student showing excellence in Technology. This offer has been gladly accepted.

Brooke Carter, a young mother with cancer, came to the attention of our Shed during the year and Mark on our behalf approached a number of businesses seeking support for a charity fund raising event. As a Shed we donated items for auction and booked a corporate table for the evening.

Sadly this year we farewelled 2 of our members Allen Booth, who was one of our earliest members, and Ian Fuller. We miss them both.

In the near future we hope to see the erection of the awning at the front, and perhaps even the side of the Shed and this will provide additional working space as well as an undercover entertainment and storage area. The development of the metal shop and the ‘small engines’ bay will be a priority now that a dedicated group of men are making constant use of the area. When the Sheds workshop set-ups are complete there will hopefully be a period during the coming year when more time can be allocated to individual and community projects.

I conclusion I would like to publically thank the Shed Committee for their support during the year. I have already singled out Colleen Kevin and Nigel but I also want to thank the other members of the Bateau Bay Men’s Shed Committee, Graham, David, Mark and Bruce for their continuing support and initiative. Bateau Bay Men’s Shed is running like a well-oiled machine and it is due largely to the members of the Committee and all members in general for this because each and every one brings something different to our Shed with their ideas, skills, companionship and energy all adding to the enjoyment of being members of this Shed.

I wish the incoming Executive and Management Committee a successful year ahead confident in the knowledge that the Sheds culture has been firmly established.

John Sharples

President

Bateau Bay Men’s Shed

New Shed Committee Elected

The 2nd AGM of the Shed was held on 21 September and a new management team and committee was elected.

For the next 12 months the management team is:

President - John Sharples

Vice President & Secretary - Kevin Armstrong

Treasurer - Nigel Stretton

Committee - Colleen Cooper - ADSSI, Graham Craike, David Boulton, Mark Segal, Bruce Tubnor & Mike Gavaghan

Mike Has Extra Brain Capacity

Big Mike is always thinking up new projects for the Shed. But Mike if you too much your head will explode.

Now we know why his thought process is so much quicker than anyone else in the Shed, he comes complete with twice the thinking power. Who needs a super fast computer with all the thinking capacity in one of our members?

We need your thinking skills on our Committee Mike.

Devonshire Tea In the Shed

Who says the men in the Shed have no class? The proof is here with a demonstration from Mark on how to enjoy a Devonshire Tea during a Tool Box meeting. Notice the elegant tea cup, probably with Earl Grey tea and the delicate serviette plate. BUT WHERE IS THE 4TH SCONE? Check out the lump in his cheek, and the guilty look on his face. The camera never lies Mark.

You Want How Many!!!???

When our favourite sponsor, ADSSI, asked if we could make stands on which to sit their new computers in their office we jumped at the chance to help.

Then we found they only wanted 45! But because we lost count we made 47!

So the production line kicked into gear and as the stands were assembled they started to take over the Shed. But after cutting 188 biscuit joints, drilling and sanding 188 holes, applying 92 coats of lacquer and sanding each stand between coats and then rubbing each of them back with steel wool and furniture polish the project is complete. And all this before the computers were delivered to the ADSSI office.

But it was worth it to be able to give something back to an organisation that has given so much to this Shed.

Bateau Bay Men's Shed Inc. AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the Bateau Bay Men's Shed will be held at the Shed, 1 Bay Village Road Bateau Bay on Tuesday 21 September 2010. All are invited to attend the meeting commencing at 2pm.

Copies of the Agenda, Nomination Forms and Proxy Nomination forms are available from the Shed.

Membership fees of $10 for the upcoming year are currently being accepted and all financial members are entitled to vote at this meeting.

Membership fees will be accepted until Thursday 16 December 2010 after which a new Application for Membership will be required at a cost of $15.

With A Little Help From My Friends

Alex has recently moved into a new house and he needed to modify his workbench. With help from Mike, who carried the bench top to the Shed, and Ray who helped drill holes for the coach screws, Alex had his bench remodelled in no time at all.

Even with very limited sight Alex doesn't hold back and insists on keeping the men on task. Such great support is part of what our Shed is all about and with this amount of cooperation every one wins.

Exceptional Work of Art

Steve has spent months cleaning up this beautiful slab of Huon Pine and the results speak for themselves. Now he has a table that will bring pleasure to all those lucky enough to sit around it and marvel at the shape and colour of this ancient timber and at Steve's workmanship.

To see a piece of natural material many 1,000's of years old brought back to life in this form is inspiring.

Steve's Huon Pine Table

Steve has excelled yet again with another piece of pure craftsmanship. This slab of Huon Pine has been transformed from a rather ordinary lump of timber into a remarkable piece that would be the talking point in any room.

Dashing Beanie Alex

Alex is always in for some fun and felt that the colours of this beanie suited his inner feelings more the others on display. He felt that being the sensitive new age guy that he is the russet tones of this beanie best complemented the outfit he chose to wear to the Shed on this occasion.

Graham Enjoys the Reward for His Work

Graham was only too happy to pose with his new head dome cover. Though he was hoping for it to be in red & white or was it red & green or even blue & white.

Well never mind Graham it suits your complexion.

For his efforts he also got to take home a jar of home made jam to keep the Director of Home Affairs happy.

Bogie our Male Model

When Bogie left the Navy I wonder if he ever thought he would end up as a "Beanie Model"? Well he has, and they say the camera never lies.

The Tuggerah Knitwits knitted some beanies as thanks for the sandwich boards. The men, especially those who don't need to visit the hairdresser too often, were very thankful to try them on especially as the day was rather cool.

Morning Tea with the Knitwits

Morning tea was a very noisy event when the Knitwits visited but the men were on their very best behaviour. While we couldn't come up with any plates for our guests we were able to tear some paper towels from the roll in the washroom to use instead of serviettes.

Well we thought it was classy!

Knitwits in Our Shed

Three members of the Tuggerah Lakes Knitwits visited our Shed on Tuesday to accept 2 Sandwich Boards we had made to assist them in advertising their meeting room. Here Annette Evans, Community Development Worker from Wyong Council, presents Graham with a certificate of thanks on behalf of her group. Graham took over the design and construction of the sandwich boards and as expected produced work of the highest standard.

Finishing Touches to the ADSSI Printer Table

Nigel & Barrie have been working overtime to finish the "one off special order" printer table for ADSSI. This table has been made to fit into a specific part of the ADSSI office to hold a new and much larger office printer. Nigel designed to table to accommodate boxes of various size printer paper and trays in which the office staff can place any uncollected printing. Now all we have to do is to find a car/ute big enough in which to deliver the table.

Our Healthy Morning Tea Spread

While some men come to the Shed to work on projects there is no denying that our healthy morning tea table is also very attractive. Thanks to the owners of Legends Bakery at Wyong for their support. The men all agree you are really "legends". For those on special diets then this is a test of your willpower.

Now We Can Get Some Metalwork Going

Garry has done a great job in building our metalwork bench. Now that this very sturdy bench is complete our members have been making good use of this part of the Shed. Behind Garry is 1 of 2 welding curtains that divide the machine section and the small motors section off when men want to use either the MIG Welder or the stick welder. We can now have 3 separate working areas in our metal shop, so no more welding flash.

I Hear Nothing!

Frank, our most reserved and quiet member, always uses hearing protection when working on a machine. Perhaps some of our other members can take his example and use the safety gear provided when working on noisy machines.

A Hive of Activity

Everyone has a task and are concentrating on their jobs. The table in the centre is full of donated wooden toy parts and templates as well as a letter box Alex, our blind member, is finishing and another bird/bat box.

HMAS Vampire

Steve Craig has spent 5 years creating this accurate working scale model of the HMAS Vampire. The detail is immaculate to the point where the checker plate deck corresponds to that of the vessel itself. Deck equipment can be assembled and operated as on the full scale version.

With the skills this man brings to the Shed anything is possible.

Can We Build It, Yes We Can.

Billy Hingston has completed his model dozer and has it presented it in a most realistic manner. The tracks are operable as is the blade. The detail involved in putting together this model is a credit to his skills.

What's Up Roy?

After only seconds in command of the periscope Roy appears ready to report a serious incident aboard the 'Otway'. Is it too late to order a crash dive Roy or is it simply you have seen the morning tea trolley coming along the wharf?

Whatever it is George seems to be saying, "don't worry about Roy its almost time for his daily ration of Port and that usually fixes his melodramatic sightings".

'Woody" Keeps a Watch

We all felt comforted when 'Woody' reported no enemy ships on the horizon during his watch aboard the Submarine 'Otway' moored at Darling Harbour.

Good to see the Navy has adopted Bateau Bay Men's Shed shirts as their new uniform. The senior service gets with the strength.

Every Man Needs a Shed and a Warship

Having inspected the warship Vampire the men are granted shore leave and are ready to move on to another assignment to help save the free world Pity help us all!

Thanks Dave for organising a great day out at the Maritime Museum.

Another Happy Possum

Shed members were present to see Graham present a number of Possum Boxes to Naomi from Wild Life Ark during a Tool Box Meeting. Graham has been the driving force in getting a number of men to help in the construction of these Possum houses and they were gladly accepted by Naomi as with winter around the corner the furry animals are seeking refuge in the roofs of houses.

During the presentation Naomi asked if the Shed members would be interested in making more of the boxes to be sold and the profits shared. A team of willing helpers are already well under way with the first of what may be many batches of boxes.

Well done Graham.

Another Skilful Shedder

George "Bogey" Knight is one of our newest members and brings with him outstanding skills in knot tying. As a retired Naval man he honed his knot tying skills during many years at sea and now he brings them to our Shed. Here he displays the brass bell with decorative knot designs he has donated to the Shed to be used to call the 'workers' for morning tea.

This is another practical demonstration of the ownership the men are feeling for our Shed.

Dave Owns the Wig

It was dress up day at the Shed and Dave's wig was the main attraction. Who would have thought grown, not necessarily mature, men would get their kicks from playing pass the wig.

Would You Give Your Money to this Man?

As a retired Bank Manager Roy is used to handling other peoples money. But I'm not sure now that I see the hair piece he wears so proudly if he looks to be the sort of person I would trust my hard earned salary to.

Kevin Continues to Act the Part of the Secretary

One wonders what goes on in the mind of Kevin, our Secretary, perhaps he really does think he's a "dolly bird" secretary but would you want him sitting on your knee taking dictation?

Woolworths Manager in Disguise

Brett, Manager of Woolworths Bateau Bay, likes nothing better than visiting the Shed for morning tea. But to get out of his store he needs to put on his disguise. While he's always welcome we never know when he will turn up or which of his many fancy dress outfits he will be wearing.