August 2017
Well, Winter is nearly over and what a cold one its been. It's been a busy couple of months in the Shed, for some its been the season of heading north and for others its been hospital trips and back to the Shed. Both Russell and Kevin have had serious operations and are back with us, however, Fred has not returned to the Shed since his hospitalisation. Great well soon Fred, all our best wishes are with you. The annual Lions Raffle, our big fundraiser is here, see Russell for tickets. The footy finals are getting closer, its been a tough year for our tipsters with at least one or two upsets a round.
Taras's Chess Table
As I said last newsletter, Taras made a fantastic chess table and we finally co-ordinated a time to take some photo's. A great looking chess set as well, I wonder if Chris helped with the carving. 
Kelly Thurling
When I first joined the Shed, one of the first people I met was Kelly. I remember him always at the end of the table with his oxygen bottle and always offering his assistance with any questions I had, and I had plenty. Kelly left the Shed and went to live in Ballarat to be closer to his family and sadly passed away in June.
Kelly designed and made the "Ally Fountain" on the left and this was one Kelly gave to Chris.
RIP Kelly
The Kitchen/Meeting Room
There have been some rather good changes taking place in this room, all thanks to us receiving a grant. A new fridge, some cupboards installed on the wall and some acoustic tiles to be installed to try and reduce the noise levels.
Another Seat
We received another request for a seat, the same as the memorial seat we put at the Golf Course. It was made and Geoff and I put it in position in our court.
A new Pastor in Town
A delightful angelic little boy was waiting for his mother outside the ladies room of the gas station. As he stood there, he was approached by a man who asked, "Sonny, can you tell me where the Post Office is?"
The little boy replied, "Sure! Just go straight down this street two blocks and turn to your right. It's on the left."
The man thanked the boy kindly, complimented him on how bright he was and said, "I'm the new pastor in town. If you and your mommy come to church on Sunday, I'll show you how to get to Heaven."
The little boy replied with a chuckle; "You're shitting me, right? You can't even find the Post Office."
St Leonards Primary School
Some months ago, School Principle Jenny Cowburn asked us would we be able to make the school a Ga Ga Pit. Of course we could, if only we knew what it was. Ga Ga (Hebrew for Touch) is a variant of dodgeball that is played with one ball.
Above is what we started with, some of the ply sheets were outside being painted, you can also see some in the background of the photo.Here is a good looking team of fit workers ready to go, and look at the load on the company truck. Luckily the tyres had enough air and took the load no troubles at all.
The start of assembling the Ga Ga Pit sides. Six of the eight sides had been undercoated and these were all installed on the last Wednesday morning of the school holidays. We planned to complete the assembly and painting (except for the outside pit panels) on the Friday. Jenny, school principle, had advised that the school children would design and paint the outside.
Mick said he wasn't happy with the progress we were making so he called in the big guns. Friday was going well until the heavens opened up and that spelt the end to the painting for the day. A few of us decided we would come down and paint on Saturday morning so it was complete before school began on Monday. Little did we know that the tree guys would be there taking down the trees right behind the pit. Back again after lunch, and the white paint we had was not the best, so another undercoat and plans to finalise on Monday. Well, the painting was finished and after speaking to the Principle we were asked to build some platforms so the smaller children could see into the pit. Truck loaded we headed down on a Wednesday to complete construction, were some way thru and our Quality Control/ Cultural Ambassador arrived on his baby Harley. as we got close to finalising work the sky became very dark with the promise of heavy rain, Chris started his baby Harley and headed off, we tried to finished but the heavens opened up and down she came for about 10 minutes. We completed work and went back to the Shed for lunch, but no Chris when we arrived. Russell had to take him home to change as he was soaked, and was not afraid to tell anyone and everyone how wet and cold he was. The sand was finally spread and here is the completed Pit with some of the team and some of the school children who have been eagerly awaiting completion.
Other Projects being Discussed
While we are completing the Ga Ga Pit, we have also been asked by Jenny to plan out some trellises for the school vegetable gardens.
We are currently speaking with the Bellarine Landcare Group regarding doing some Picnic Tables, Seats and Bird Boxes for the Memorial site on Swan Bay Road.
The Portarlington Golf Club are talking to us regarding some work for course markers that will require making a template to show them the quality of work we do and if acceptable there will be 18 of them to complete before the end of September to co-ordinate with their re-branding of the club.
The Indented Head Yacht Club are also in discussions with us regarding some work at their site.
It is a very good sign to be contacted by these different organisations asking us to be involved in their projects.
What a Donation
This brand new Sidchrome Socket Set on the left was found and handed in to the Police Station. After waiting the required amount of time they give things away. The local guy that mows the oval near the shed, chose our Shed as the lucky recipient.
Mid-year Dinner
Following on from a very successful partners Dinner at Christmas we decided another Mid year dinner was a good idea. Unfortunately, this time of the year a lot of our members are away, headed for warmer weather and we didn't get the required numbers for the set menu. However, everyone had a good feed and really seemed to enjoy themselves. Plans were being discussed for a much more interactive dinner come the warmer weather.
Football Tipping
Well only a couple of weeks until the finals and the completion of our tipping competition. At this time the leader is Son-in -Law followed by number one grandson, but there is only 4 points between the top 10. Good luck everyone and GO Dee's.
VMSA News
Toward the end of June Treasurer Bob represented our Shed and attended the VMSA meeting held in Inverloch. At the meeting a motion was moved and carried supporting the VMSA decision to withdraw from the AMSA, and another motion was similarly carried supporting a No-confidence motion in the AMSA.
Each shed attending was given a number for the tool give-away at the end of the meeting and we received a Mitre Saw Stand. If anyone wants a stand for their own use, please see Bob or Mick, with an offer. VMSA has organised a fleet management deal with Hyundai that can
be utilised by any members of the St Leonards Shed. Denis Minogue has
spoken to Stewart MacDonald at Werribee Hyundai - the fleet manager. He
knows all about the deal (not all Hyundai dealers are involved) and he will be
happy to assist and meet the deal that has been set up by the VMSA. Bob said it was worthwhile attending the meeting and the next VMSA gathering planned is for the 10 year celebration of the VMSA. Vet News
Bruce's neighbour found out that her dog could hardly hear, so she took it to the veterinarian. The vet found that the problem was hair in the dog's ears. He cleaned both ears, and the dog could hear fine. The vet then proceeded to tell the lady that, if she wanted to keep this from recurring, she should go to the drug store and get some "Nair" hair remover and rub it in the dog's ears once a month.
The lady went to the pharmacy and bought some "Nair" hair remover. At the register, the chemist told her, "If you're going to use this under your arms, don't use deodorant for a few days." The lady said, "I'm not using it under my arms." The chemist said, "If you're using it on your legs, don't shave for a couple of days."
End of FY
The Committee had long held views that as well as our Operating account, we should establish another account to provide assurance for the members that the Shed has enough coverage to continue to operate in the event of any problems. This is included in our Strategic Plan. We were finally in a position to act on this prior to the end of this Financial Year. We closed our cheque account (troubles purchasing items as it takes so long for cheque clearances) and opened two new accounts. At the end of the FY we had $5,000 in our Safety Net Account and just over $4,000 in the Operating Account. The interest from the Safety Net account will go into the Operating Account.
The Debating Club also had a good year ending the FY with cash and liquid assets of $880, while purchasing major items for the Shed such as the TV, new Urn, Toolbox and Mens Shed Stickers over $440.
Lions Raffle
Tickets for the Lions Community Raffle are available from Russell. Books are only $10 for 5 tickets with ALL the proceeds going to the Shed. We always try and get each member to sell one book each, the prizes are all local and this is a great service that the Lions club organise for local groups to raise some funds. Best of Luck.
Member Profile
Tickets for the Lions Community Raffle are available from Russell. Books are only $10 for 5 tickets with ALL the proceeds going to the Shed. We always try and get each member to sell one book each, the prizes are all local and this is a great service that the Lions club organise for local groups to raise some funds. Best of Luck.
Member Profile
As is usual, we again introduce one of our members and complete a profile. Last newsletter you met our resident all knowledgeable Doctor, Taras Mikulin, this month it is our Vice President, hockey player extraordinaire, Russell Bath.
Name
|
Russell Bath
|
Partner
|
Dianne
|
Children/Grandchildren
|
4/2
|
Great
Grandchildren
|
0
|
How long have
you lived in St Leonards?
|
10 Years
|
Before St
Leonards?
|
Glen Waverley
|
What did you do
before retiring?
|
Own business –
Insurance Industry
|
Football Club you
support?
|
West Coast
Eagles
|
