December 2018 Newsletter

On the 10th December we received the Building Certificate from council which was issued by Joseph Kane, council’s Compliance Officer. The certificate was issued after we had completed all work in the building to comply with various Building Code of Australia requirements. The efforts of Tom Skinner, Barry Guest, Robert Houston, Glenn Cox, Brian Franklin and John Humphries were major contributors in completing the necessary work to achieve certification. A big thank you to them from all the members.

The Bunnings sausage sizzle day on the 1st December was very successful grossing about $2,200 with a profit of around $1,500. Good effort by all who volunteered, especially Robert who pulled it all together with only a couple of days notice from Bunnings.

The Men’s Shed Christmas Party was held on 11th December and a very enjoyable time was had by all. Thanks to Ken Howe and Ray Meyer for organizing the evening.

The AGM was held on 12th December with good attendance and the majority of the previous committee re-elected along with a couple of new members. Congratulations to all committee members and I look forward to working with them in 2019.

Another addition to the shed is the shelter in the garden area with a BBQ area included. A great “engineering” feat by Jacko to complete the shed erection in time for the AGM sausage sizzle.

The car parking area has been marked out with 12 spaces which includes one disabled space. When attending the shed please park in the marked spaces. 

Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy 2019.

On December 11th Members and partners were treated to an afternoon of a 10 pin bowling session, prior to a sit-down dinner at Mardonna's Restaurant. Feedback was tremendous as shedders and their partners dropped ball after ball down the lanes. Craig Melrose top scored with 189 - a great score for an amateur bowler. It didn't take much coaxing to get everyone bowling. Some finger food was provided, and members replaced their sweaty efforts with plenty of cold drinks (the alcoholic kind).

After dinner Ken Ryan thanked all members for a full year of hard work, and awarded Tom Skinner the "2018 Shed Member of the Year". Special Mention was also given to Dave Churchyard, Robert Houston and himself for the tireless effort and time given to the smooth running of the shed.

Graham Miller has made great progress by removing the weeds and tilling the soil, while shedders are planting vegetables. On the decoration side, donated Kangaroo Paws are planted around the rock garden, and chip bark has been spread to minimise weed re-growth. The barbeque (donated by Bunnings has been moved into position by Rob and Ken. Soon we'll have a roof to finish off the rest area.

Christmas is coming and Ken took the opportunity to show wares from the Shed to prospective buyers. Bread boards are always in demand, but Alan's Doll Houses are particularly good at stopping mum's in their tracks. The amount of first class craftsmanship cannot be denied. We have run a market stall every month for the last 3 months, which returns some funds to the kitty, but is also a great Public Relations exercise as many brochures are taken.

The Barbeque area is nearly finished. Tom, Rob and Alan enjoying some sunshine.

And no women were involved! As the garden grows, so does the need to have tools handy, We purchase a galv shed, read the instructions, put some of it together, re-read the instructions, then finished the job. When it comes to screwing things together, you can always rely on a Shedder! The 'baby' shed was positioned outside next to the deco rock, and will no doubt fill up with gardening tools.

Selling 60kg of cooked sausages, members raised over $2000 at the latest Bunnings Barbeque Sizzle on Dec 1st. Thanks to all who participated. The weather was great, the mood was excellent, and the buyers happy.

When finished this 'bare bones' bike will be a replica of a 1962 Harley-Davidson Pan Head. Graham Evelyn has used all his resources to build this model using plastic, metal and wood. Lots of patience and lots of sanding required. His bike design comes straight from photos and memory so it will be interesting how close he gets to the original.

PROBLEM SOLVED

A little bit of inventiveness has replaced a bike chain with a small chain necklace. The chain above has been sprayed black, and fitted to a custom made gear to replicate the Harley Drive Train.

Progress: November 2018

The Chassis has been shaped, sanded, sprayed and lacquered. Each part has been made individually, and is slowly being put together.

Finished at last! 

Graham is extremely proud of the finished Harley Davidson Pan Head (Circa 1960) model, and already has his sights set on his next model. The photo in the garden is a Photoshop impression of Graham's model in a tropical garden setting.

From the Net

This is a genuine Harley Davidson Pan Head circa 1960's. Custom designs make each HOG individual, but the base design shows.

Mark Sullivan has a Degree in Podiatry, and a Graduate Certificate in diabetes education and management. On Thursday 6th December Mark visited the shed to give members a talk on "What Podiatry is, and management of diabetes and how it relates to the feet and how Gait relates to the feet."

The talk was well received, with Mark passing on many insights about foot ailments and conditions, causes, effects, cures and remedies. The connection between diabetes was shown, and Mark talked about the vascular system, deep vein thrombosis, fungal issues, cramps and much more. Members asked many questions, and Mark followed the talk with inspection of a couple of issues by some Shedders.

We wish to thank Mark for his time and enlightenment, and also want to thank Ken Howe for organising this lecture for the Shed Members.

Mark Sullivan can be contacted on 66992828. He is open Monday to Friday at his "ProStep Podiatry" office in suite 4, 30 Orlando Street (in the Cruickshank Centre). On Fridays, Mark is available at the Toormina Medical Centre.

The Coffs Harbour Community Men's Shed wishes to thank all our supporters, both large and small,
for their ongoing support and generous donations of time and money.