Robert Herod

14/04/1946 --- 24/07/2014

The late Robert Herod was our much esteemed Treasurer

until his sudden passing in July of this year.

In appreciation of the support to our Shed by his beloved 

Freemasons on the Central Coast

he wanted to reciprocate with a gift to be used on special occasions at their  functions.

Sadly he passed on before it was completed. 

Close friends Peter & Ron thought it would be an honor to  complete the task for Robert & as it is now finished present it as planed. 

They did most of the work but called on Robert Corlet 

(who stepped  in as the intrem Treasurer)  

to do the inlaid logo of the Freemasons movement.

Both flagpole stands were inscribed with a ongoing tribute to Robert. 

We at the Shed thank you guys for this lasting tribute to 

Robert Herod who will be missed

R.I.P.   Robert

Sorry no photos this time

 

About 5th Sept. we received an Email from AMSA head office asking if we would be willing to participate in the 

 

Great Outback BBQ Campaign. 

 

The idea is to raise much needed funds for the Farmers doing it tough out west. The money is to be used to buy fodder, repair damage done due to drought, floods, bush fires etc. as well as food & clothing for the needy.

We put it to the boys & they all agreed it was a great idea. They said it should be held after the AGM on the 23rd Sept. ( which was postponed on the day) as that was when most members would be attending the shed.

Because a donation was involved it was decided to go a bit up market with the catering & we had sausages, steak, bacon, onions coleslaw & all the other normal trimmings. 

We were having such a good time everybody forgot to take photos of the event.

About 30 members stayed for the BBQ & at day's end we managed to raise $250 for the cause.

It may not sound like much to some, but we feel that for 30 members (most of whom are on pensions) it was a great effort. We even managed to extract dollars from old miser George!!!

We think Farmer Someone would say:

 

 "Thank you for caring"

 

Bateau Bay Men's Shed administration also says 

 

Thank You Fellas

SURPRISE  -  SURPRISE

On Tuesday 7^th October 2 of our members were invited to a Rotary Award evening in the Tasman Room at Mingara.

Fred Murray & John Walker were asked separately, by Alex Lee, to come & support  the other while representing our Shed. Neither Fred nor John knew they were to receive an award on the night. Fred thought he was there for John & visa versa.

Both Wyong & the Entrance Rotary were represented by their respective Presidents & assisted by other committee members.

Karen McNamara M.P. Member for Dobell was also in attendance.  

After a few preliminary short speeches a nice baked dinner was served followed by desert, fruit, cheese tea & coffee. Not many backed up for seconds.  

Then it was award time & Karen was asked to read a short citation for each of the 6 recipients & present their awards. 

The surprise was apparent on both our members’ faces when their names were read out. 

John received an award for his previous dedication to organising the toolbox talk agenda for our Sheds & lately his valuable work organising the ongoing problems carers are exposed to over a long period of time. He responded by detailing his passion for what he is doing & the benefits to carers. 

Before reading Fred’s citation Karen mentioned the time she attended a SUPER BBQ (her words not mine) at Bateau Bay Shed earlier this year & how well she was received & respected.

Fred’s award was basically recognition for his Community service with the Shed as well as other areas of volunteering he does away from the Shed. Fred responded with a few short but effective words about how Men’s Sheds are impacting on member’s lives & outlook in retirement etc. He also mentioned to Karen how the concept has exploded in Australia from 300 Sheds some years ago to over 1000 today. He emphasised how critical Government funding was to this worthy cause. 

Congratulations to all who received recognition 

 especially our Shed members.

This is a trophy brought to us by Rod Smith on behalf of the

 Australian Armourers' Association .

 It had been designed & started a few years ago by Bruce Tough, & Rod. had taken on the responsibility to see it through to completion.
It is to serve as a memorial  to WOFF William (Bill) RILEY, & will be awarded to eligible Defence Force personel for their achievements, boasting a smaller bomb at the side noting their name etc.
The main polished portion of the trophy (we've been told) is exactly the same size as the head of the real bomb head.

It came to us as just loose components with no mounting facilities at all. 
As these pieces were  finished  items our main concern was not to scratch or damage them in the mounting process
John Mills figured out the best way to attach all the pieces, and went about machining the fixings to do the job. Barry milled the centre 20mm projectile flat so it could be screwed on from the back.
The copper data plate was reworked by John to ensure it was all in proportion.
We think it looks great, Rod is ecstatic & we received a nice donation from the association as well !!!

Sorry for the quality of the text plaque image.

 The 2 blokes in this photo had nothing to do with it. They just think they're so handsome  (camera hogs)

Well done fellas

Wyong Ladies Bowling Club needed to gain the members attention at meetings & functions etc
They borrowed a small marimba from us to see if it would work. 
It was a great success but a little too large for their needs.
They asked if we could make them a mini version with only 3-4 keys. 
Our resident musician Mark jumped at the chance.
He had been wanting to make something with aluminium keys for a long time.
He tuned them to perfection & the result was amazing.
Much appreciated by the Bowling Club & a superb effort from Mark!!
Maybe we can call upon him in the future to make a normal size marimba with the same keys.

   

About 2 months ago we were approached by Toowoon Bay SLSC & asked if we would take on the task of completely refurbishing a surf reel for them. It was to be used for display at their 60th anniversary, 50's style surf carnival in October 2014.
They asked that it be restored to as near to new as possible because after the event it was to be used as a heritage piece & displayed at the clubhouse. 
On one side of the reel will be the names of all the foundation members while on the other side will be the names of the first crew. 

It turned into a really interesting project for a number of our members. All the fittings were re- chromed. Robert & Mark completely dismantled the reel, restored the ends & made new cedar slats for the rope. Bob turned up the new reel biscuits to replace the originals. Justin & Greg hand polished the frame back to it's original pristine condition. 

Robert made the 2 new flagpoles they also wanted as seen in the photos below.

They all can be very proud of the finished product as seen below.

Great effort fellas

 
On Monday 30th July our shed once again hosted Woosh before & after school care children.
These kids varied in ages from about 8 to 11years. 

This year we decided to make things a bit more interesting. 
Instead of them just making swords, surf boards & anything else that came to mind; they were able to bring their own picture or photo they had previously glued to a piece of MDF cut to A4 size & supplied by us. 
Under supervision they were allowed to cut these up on our scroll saws into random shapes to make their own jigsaw puzzle. The perimeter was then glued to a pre-cut backing board to complete the puzzle.
They all thought it was so cool to be able to use a machine to do a project.

Once they finished the jigsaw it was back to making swords & daggers etc.
The kids enjoyed what they were doing so much we virtually had to start pulling the roller shutters down to make them go home!!

Many thanks to the volunteer shed members who helped to make the day such a success.