NEWSLETTER MARCH 2018

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1 NEWSLETTER MARCH 2018 A big hello to all members, especially those who have joined recently. We are well into 2018 and the Sheds are back in full operation. A reminder to members that the Southport Uniting Shed is the only Shed that has scheduled operating hours; Friday 9am to 1pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm. St Lukes Shed is now only used for project work, the current project being the marimbas for Middle Park Primary School on Wednesday mornings. The Port Melbourne metal working Shed is only open on special request. It s pleasing to note that our membership continues to grow with three new members joining over the past three weeks. This certainly reinforces the need for our type of organisation in the Community. We encourage all members to make full use of the facilities and services we provide, to participate in the social and health care events that are available; and to contribute by assisting with the community and fund-raising activities we arrange. The Committee welcomes any suggestions you have for ways we can improve services or facilities for our members. Please feel free to discuss with any Committee member. The Committee: President: Bob Small Secretary: Tony Donohue Treasurer: Justin Gates Membership Coordinator: Steve Ingrouille Workshop Manager: Rod Hall Committee Member: Barry Bevan Committee Member: John Stirling Committee Member: Peter Harkin Finance Report We are pleased to report the Shed is in a healthy financial position. We currently have $6,787 in our cheque account and $18,509 in an interest-bearing account. There are no large outstanding accounts to be paid. In addition, the written down value of our equipment exceeds $17,000. We are at that time of the year when applications for grants or subsidies from various organisations become available and we will be lodging further applications this year for a number of planned activities, functions and purchases; senior s week, the Men s Shed garden, tools and safety equipment, training, first aid courses, additional new machinery etc. THE MEN S SHED GARDEN The garden has flourished since the first lot of crops were planted and fruit and vegetables are being harvested. The garden will be ready for a second planting shortly. This is a wonderful achievement and the sub committee and volunteers who worked on this project should be proud of what they have achieved. Members are encouraged to drop in and have a look at the garden which is adjacent to the SPUC Shed.

2 If you are interested in gardening and wish to participate please contact one of the garden sub-committee members: John Stirling Steve Ingrouille PROJECTS The marimba project is almost completed and we have an increasing list of other project requests for this year. If you are willing to assist with some of these please contact Rod on Christmas Trees a fund raising initiative Tony came up with the idea if making small Christmas trees from various pieces of timber offcuts that were around the Shed. He worked on these tirelessly during last year and was able to have a stall available free of charge at the South Melbourne Market. Tony and Don offered the trees for sale in early December and these were an overwhelming success. They sold out quickly and raised over $800!! In addition Tony and Don handed out our Shed brochures and had a great number of enquiries. Tony has already started making this year s stock and if anyone is interested in helping him out please contact Tony on A MEMBER S PROJECT John Rowe, who joined the Shed last August, has taken recycling to a new level. John gets hold of old rowing sculls and carefully removes a section. He then refurbishes that section and adds a glass top and legs to make a beautiful coffee table. Certainly very unique and well sought after by the rowing fraternity.

3 Great work John! HEAT POLICY With the extreme weather being experienced this summer the Committee decide to implement a formal heat policy. This policy is based on OHS rules that generally apply in industry: PORT PHILLIP MEN S SHED HEAT POLICY The reason for this policy is that excessive heat is both a health and a safety hazard. Working in hot conditions can result in a number of adverse health effects. Signs and symptoms include generally feeling sick, nauseousness, dizziness, weakness, clumsiness, collapse and convulsions. Such risks can impact not only an individual member but also those nearby. To avoid any possible issues relating to heat associated problems the Committee has introduced the following policy: If the weather forecast for Melbourne is predicting a high temperature of 35 degrees or greater than all Men's Shed activities for that day will be cancelled. This includes shed openings and any other external activities eg Bunnings BBQs. The forecast temperature is that forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) at 5pm on the day prior to any activities occurring. Details can be obtained from the BOM site: In the event the Melbourne forecast is less than 35 degrees but the actual temperature during the day exceeds 35 degrees, members' activities shall cease when that temperature has been reached. It is the responsibility of the Shed Supervisor on duty or the event organiser to cease activities having consideration for the health and well-being of all members. It is Members' responsibility to check the Melbourne forecast to establish if shed openings or other activities will be affected by adverse weather conditions. This policy does not apply to planned events or functions being held indoors in suitable premises eg group lunches or dinners.

4 Members are reminded it is their responsibility to check the weather before attending at a Shed on days when the temperature is forecast to exceed 35 degrees and to follow the instructions of the Supervisor should the temperature exceed 35 degrees at any other time. VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED Being a voluntary organisation we rely totally on our fundraising activities to keep the Sheds operating. A condition of membership is that members are required to participate in at least two community or fund-raising activities each year. The Bunnings BBQs are an important source of funds and we are always looking for volunteers to assist. If you can help out please contact Barry Bevan on LAPTOP AND COMPUTER TRAINING We were fortunate last year to receive a grant to purchase a new laptop and modem. These are now both operating and Office 365 has been installed on the laptop. We now plan to conduct basic training on applications that will be of assistance to members; Windows Explorer Internet Explorer Outlook MS Office suite; Word, Excel, Powerpoint The curriculum is currently being prepared and classes (one hour duration) will be held at the Southport Uniting Shed, probably Saturday mornings 11am to 12 noon. Further information will be provided shortly. FORTHCOMING EVENTS We are planning a number of events during 2018 and information on these will be provided closer to the event date: Metal working; welding classes, theory and practical Picture framing course Lead lighting course Social dinner with partners and friends SAFETY FIRST Our Sheds are no different to any commercial organisation and we are committed to a SAFETY FIRST approach in everything we do. There can be no compromise when it comes to safety and members are reminded that they must comply with all safety rules. This includes the wearing of all required PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) as well as ensuring their actions do not place themselves or another member at risk. Before operating any equipment take a minute to ensure you have the correct equipment and that any activity you are about to undertake will not place anyone else at risk; is the immediate area clear, are others operating adjacent to where you will be working, is there likely to be any material flung from your work; off cuts, sparks etc NOISE is an often-forgotten risk, there is a high occurrence of Tinnitus in the older population due to the lack of recognition of the risk long term exposure to noise creates.

5 We currently have an issue with the use of the thicknesser in the SPUC Shed. Members who intend to use the thicknesser should firstly take the time to advise other members present they intend to use the thicknesser and give them time to obtain some hearing protection. The thicknesser is extremely noisy and members are reminded that thicknessers are intended for finishing the surface of materials and not for shaping or reducing. There is other equipment that can be used for that purpose. Please ensure you limit the use of the thicknesser to the minimum required. Members should be aware the USE OF MACHINERY is restricted by its capability and capacity. Most of the equipment we have installed could be described as at the high end of the home handyman range and therefore it does have limitations. This is the best equipment we can afford due to our limited budget. During last year we unnecessarily spent funds on replacement parts where machinery had been overused. We are now placing restrictions on the types of materials that can be handled in the Shed and any second-hand material must be approved by the on-duty Supervisor. We look forward to all members having an enjoyable and rewarding time at the Shed during Regards and best wishes Bob Small President On behalf of the Committee