On Tuesday 24^th June our shed along with Singleton, Maitland, Windale & Bonnyrigg sheds were invited to a promotion inside Parliament House in freezing Canberra.

The purpose of the visit was to enlighten politicians of the need for Men’s Sheds, what they do & how important they are for men who perhaps are isolated socially or needing male company & all the other benefits associated within the male domain, including health issues.

We also stressed the importance of this Organization for men (& in some cases women) to be funded by government on a continuing basis.

We understand this Expo display was organized by a number of politicians who have formed a group calling themselves Friends of Shed’s & they use their influence to promote the Men’s Shed Movement within their respective parties.

Jeff Kennett from Beyond Blue is a strong supporter of the Shed’s. He chaired the short formal presentations & in concluding implored MP’s from both sides of Parliament to continue funding our organization.

We all had a small table to display some of the things the members are capable of making which included a working model of a wooden clock mechanism made by our ex-President John.

ohn.

Here's Bryan again only this time he undertook the job of making a full size Chocolate Wheel for Uniting Care Nareen Gardens. 
They are having a fund raising Fete in October & we reckon they will attract a lot of dollars with this colourful wheel.

Well done Bryan

FRIDAY  20th JUNE

HELP!! We need another one

The staff at Magnolia Manor requested another table mounted hoop la/Quoit board for their residents.
They said they need another one because they love playing it so much.
This one was made by Bryan one of our newer members who has learnt so much since joining
a few months ago. 

 Not a bad effort eh!

 

 

This is other game for Magnolia Manor & was made by Greg to add to the other one he made last year.
The idea is this one is sits on the floor or a low table & residents throw small bean bags to score the number of the hole they land in.

 There are plenty of friendly disputes playing this one

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.