John’s Farewell BBQ

May 2014   John’s Farewell BBQ

John has now left the Shed for greener pastures north of us. He and Evelyn are moving to Cessnock to be closer to family.

John is a founding member of the Bateau Bay Men’s Shed and has been its President since its formation. Graham Craike has taken over as President and Fred Murray as Vice President.

John will be missed. We hope he will pop in now and again to catch up with us.

A BBQ was held to bid them farewell.  He and Evelyn were presented with a gift voucher for accommodation and a good meal at the Hunter Valley’s fine restaurant the Il Cacciatore and Resort near Cessnock.

Karen McNamara MP - Member for Dobell Visits Bateau Bay Men's Shed

Karen McNamara accepted an invitation to join the men over morning tea to gain an insight as to the set up of the shed, the companionship amongst the members and to see some of the work carried out in the shed.

Following her visit she spoke in the House of Representatives of her visit and how much she enjoyed her time talking with the men.  A copy of her speech is presented below.

KAREN MCNAMARA MP 

Member for Dobell

27 February 2014

CONSTITUENT STATEMENT

BATEAU BAY MEN’S SHED

Last month I was invited to tour the Bateau Bay Men's Shed and share in some morning tea.

Upon my arrival I was greeted with the message, 'You'll need to have thick skin to survive here'.

While this may be true, from the friendly banter between the men at the shed I quickly learned the tremendous role played by the Bateau Bay Men's Shed in the lives of its members.

The Men's Shed movement began as a means to provide retired or unemployed men with social engagement through activities and male companionship. In my electorate the work of community groups such as the Bateau Bay Men's Shed makes a tremendous difference to the lives of men seeking activities and social interaction out of the home.

When I asked how the Men's Shed operated, I was advised men can arrive when they want, stay as long as they want and leave when they want. When I visited the shed, it was packed with 30 men, all of them eager to have a say and enjoy their morning tea.

Over morning tea I learned and witnessed firsthand the importance of the shed to its members as they shared stories of their work, friendship and activities outside the shed, and shared a couple of jokes.

New South Wales Men's Shed Association Director, Mr John Sharples, said:

The philosophy of the shed is that, it is good for members to spend a third of their time working on private projects, a third helping to maintain the shed and a third on community activities.

Engagement with the community is an important emphasis and the men enjoy working to add value to the lives of individuals and the activities of many community groups.

I would like to commend all those involved with the Bateau Bay Men's Shed and congratulate them for their contribution to our local community. 

Great Faces For Radio

 ABC Central Coast will never be the same again after their live broadcast from the Shed.

The number of members presenting for interview was not as many as first thought but those who did were chosen because of their good looks.

The ABC's Scott Levi talked to the men about their reasons for joining a shed and the value they saw in being a part of the Men's Shed Movement.

But There are no More Clamps Left in the Shed!

Tom and David can't believe that Ron was still wanting more clamps to hold his project flat while the glue dried.

Having been advised there were no more clamps in the Shed Ron was still concerned he had not applied enough to ensure everything was OK.

All David could say was, "Anyone in need of a lightening arrester" while Tom could only fold his arms and not comment.

But That's Not All - Thanks to Karagi Court Charity

The Karagi Court Charity funding for the Vertical Drill Mill machine extended to a 20 Ton hydraulic press for the metal shop and a 3 HP 3 cylinder Air Compressor for the wood shop.

With the Compressor permanently installed in the dust extraction shed outside the main workshop the main working space is much quieter. As the compressor is powerful enough to supply a steady volume of compressed air we now have "drop down" hoses in the workshop which allow air tools to be connected very quickly.

The men have also rigged up extension air intakes to draw clean air into the cylinders.

With 20 Ton capacity we can now press and bend just about anything

Our super Compressor

Thanks Karagi Court Charity Committee

Karagi Court Charity Committee presented a Vertical Drill Mill to the Shed which will mean the opportunities for members to work on more extensive metal projects.

With the instillation of this major machine  the Shed can now handle just about any job we are asked to do and we will only be limited by the skills (or lack of) by the members.

While this is a specialist machine men will have the opportunities to learn new skills and to enhance their Shed experiences.

Details of the cutting tool and vice

Barry loves his new toy

John is keeping a close eye on his project

One needs a degree to work the control panel

Channel 7 Visits the Shed

When the Channel 7 News team asked to visit the Shed to promote Time Banking the men jumped at the opportunity.

So a small group showered, brushed their hair, checked their actors equity membership cards and put on their camera faces. Peter and Fred fronted the camera to promote Time Banking while the rest were content with playing a supporting role as the  more lowly paid 'extras'

Barry wasn't offered an interview but made sure he was hovering wherever the camera was pointing.