MenzShed 30 September

Just 3 Days to Expo!

Yes, this Friday the Health and Wellbeing Expo opens in the Wellington Town Hall at 10 am till 3pm. And yes, I’m beginning to panic! We have a trestle table, a power point and I’m hoping a few leaflets. In terms of people, there’ll be Garry Prockter, Jim Yates and me. We’ve been offered moral support from a couple of others, but it’s not the state of our morals that I’m worried about. What concerns me is how can we project a good image of the MenzShed and what it does for men, and for the community? If you’ve been to an Expo before you’ll know there’ll be lots of stands with great displays and eager people trying to sell their way of life to the visitors to the Expo. I’m not certain that Garry, Jim and me handing out a few leaflets will convince people that the MenzShed has something to offer. If we had the room we could set up Norman, Robin and Garry as a Grumpy Old Mens’ group and invite passers by to join in. It would be great to have the Fire Engine there as an example of our work for the community, but there’s not the space, and the logistics involved in getting the engine from the shed to the Town Hall and back again are too great. What we need is YOU and some small part of your project working at our table - putting something to-gether, taking it apart, repairing it. Anything moving that will attract peoples’ attention so that we can tell them what a great job we’re doing. This is your shed. How can you help make our Expo stand a great success of which you’ll be proud.

There’s Nothing Like a Good Insult

These days the English language seems to have been reduced to short words of litte more than four letters. As one writer put it, “Some people never use words that might send a reader in search of a dictionary.” So I was pleasantly amused when an old RAF friend passed on a couple of good insults he’d come across in his reading. As you might expect both involved politicians, but from an era when the use of one’s intellect was an essential political attribute.

From a a certain Winston Churchill to Lady Astor.

Lady Astor “If you were my husband I’d give you poison.”

Churchill “If you were my wife, I’d drink it.”

The other from the British House of Commons.

A member of Parliament to Disraeli:

“Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.”

“That depends, Sir,” said Disraeli, “whether I em-brace your policies, or your mistress.”

Now if only there was an occasion on which I could use one of those.

Tomorrow Wednesday Grumpy Old Men 1-3

Thursday Workshop 10-1. Its the lastThursday of the month so I thnk that means a barbecue.

Thursday 2-4ish Mens’ Social Group

Don’t forget the Expo - Please let me know how you can help. John shrapnell@clear.net.nz

TOP

Urgent message from the Shed Friday 24 September

Help Needed

Health & Wellbeing Expo for Seniors

10.00am - 3.00pm, Friday, 1 October, Wellington Town Hall.

Come to this FREE expo and:

Discover a proactive approach to ageing...Come to Wellington City Council’s Health & Wellbeing Expo for Seniors, where you will find everything you need to know to enjoy a great life as a senior in Wellington.

Information available about travel, computer training, keeping fit, Tai Chi and genealogy. You can talk to people about services you may be entitled to and go shopping too - there’ll be a great range of gadgets, clothes and other interesting things on offer. Providers of care services and home support will be along too.

Wellington MenzShed has a stand at this Health and Wellbeing Expo next Friday, 1 October.

There will be many professional stands there from organisations like Grey power, Age Concern,

and others with interests in this area. We are a small player, but we are doing our part to

help men in our community.

We have a great opportunity to demonstrate and talk about what we are doing. We could

gain new members, new men with skills, and possibly funding to ensure we can keep going.

At the moment we have just a table, a power point, and one person to hand out leaflets.

We will attract people’s interest if we have something happening on our stand that shows the

sort of things we do. Then they’ll stop, watch, and we can talk to them.

We urgently need some sheddies to bring along anything small they are working on, and

spend perhaps an hour working at our stand. It could be screwing together some parts,

designing a better letterbox, gluing another part on your project, sharpening a tool, making

a Christmas present for your grandchild. Keep it simple to that you can easily carry in your

items, and any tools you need.

Please me to let me know what you will do, and what times you will be there.

John Shrapnell 473-7128, mobile 021-403-003, shrapnell@clear.net.nz.

TOP

MenzShed 21 September

Tom Says Make More Use of the Shed

Tom White, the Wesley Community Worker who is one of our founding members wants to see the more use made of the Shed.The shed is used for at most, one to one and a half days a week! Feel free to find ways to utilise the other 5 and a half days (before we even begin to think about evening use). We have upstairs office/accommodation space still to utilise also. Tom says setting up this shed took three years and the combined efforts of half a dozen people. He would really love to see any sheddies with spare time, energy and oomphhh for our lovely Shed to step up and offer to be more deeply involved in the operation of our current shed to make it even more successful. For example we are still in need of a ‘shed coordinator’ to manage the daily use of the shed. All the best, Tom.

New Fire Engine for J’Ville Kindergarten

The children at the Johnsonville Kindergarten will get the surprise of their life on Tuesday (12 October) when a brand new fire engine will be delivered to their kindergarten in Kipling Road, Johnsonville at 11am. A couple of months ago the kindergarten asked the Wellington MenzShed if it could repair the childrens’ old fire engine. It was a favourite plaything but it wasfalling apart and when the MenzShed team look at it they decided it was beyond repair. Not to be defeated, the team from the Wellington MenzShed measured the dilapidated old vehicle and used it as a model to build a brand new fire engine. It is now painted in bright red and decorated with NZ Fire Service decals. It will hold several kindergarten children and can be pushed and steered around theplayground area. The material for the new fire engine was kindly provided by Mitre Mega 10 at Petone. The “sheddies” who worked on the project Terry Streeter, Andrew Stephen and Wayne DeLaCroix. They will be at the presentation of the new fire engine together with a real fireman in full dress for the occasion.

Silverbeet for the Sisters

The garden out the back might look a little thinner this week. The first harvest of leaves was to go to the Sisters of Compassion for their meals.

Anyone for the Expo?

So far Garry Proctor is the only sheddie to offer to do something for the Health and Wellbeing Expo on Friday 1 October. We need more.

shrapnell@clear.net.nz

TOP

MenzShed 14 September

MP Visited

Last week Workshop session was treated to a free lunch by National MP Paul Quinn. Mr Quinn spent half an hour chatting with sheddies before talkingabout how pleased he was to see the Shed helping men each their full potential. It was suggested to him that he could help by finding the Wellington MenzShed a new home. Perhaps one of those many buildings left empty by the IRD moving into new deluxe premises. He said he’s bear that in mind, but don’t hold your breath. The free lunch was enjoyed by all who were around when the MP arrived.

Fire Engine Red

It looks as though work on the FireEngine is reaching the final stages. Last week the white undercoat was applied and I presume the next step will be the traditional red coat of paint. I have no doubt that children will be amazed when they see their refurbished fire engine.

Grumpies tomorrow

Norman Kabak has just skyped me to ask that I remind the other Grumpy men in our midst that there will be the usual mix of grumpiness about the world and intellectual discussion of other the erudite matters tomorrow (Wednesday) from 1-3 in the Shed.

What happened to the Rogues?

Two weeks ago I put up about a dozen of more photos I’d taken of sheddies and their names. The purpose was to help us to get to know each other better and be able to use names rather than just Oi you!. Has it just been mislaid or did someone not like the idea? I need to know how people feel about innovations or other matters like this so that the Shed can be run in a way that makes all feel comfortable.

Our Stand at the Town Hall

There’s been no response about our stand at the Health Wealth and Wellbeing Expo at the Town Hall on Friday 1 October. Dough Walklin and myself have volunteered to be there all day but so far all we’ve got to show as the MenzShed Wellington is a couple of posters. That won’t sell the concept to anyone. If you’ve been to one of this type of expo recently they are usually full of stands with people standing beside a couple of posters. The visitors just nod and walk on. What stops them in their tracks is something happening on the stand. Then the visitor will stop, watch and maybe even ask the odd question about the organisation. What have we got that fits that bill? Are there sufficient tools that need sharpening that we could run a grind stone? Is anyone into carving and could carve at the stand? I’d even take Norman rendering a few American folk songs - no, second thoughts lets scrap that idea - we want to the to stop not run away.

The Weedmat Solution

The Sisters problem of micturating yokels has been fixed. I tried to buy some black polythene sheeting to fix inside the door to stop micturate from penetrating the door of their food store. But I could only buy huge expensive rolls. I finally found a suitable product thatappealed to my sense of humour. I used Weedmat!

shrapnell@clear.net.nz

TOP

MenzShed Thursday 9 September NEWSFLASH

Breaking News from the Shed
Tuesday 7 September
W E L L I N G T O N
Invitation Clash Resolved - Sheddies to Get Morning Tea and Lunch

Great news! Because of some political realities, MP Paul Quin can’t make it to the Wellington Shed until lunch time on Thursday. This means we can comfortably go to Morning Tea with the Sisters at 10am and then be back by lunch time to meet our other visitors, MP Paul Quinn, and ACE director Dr Jo Lake. And Paul Quinn is bringing lunch for us. Now you can’t miss out on all that, two treats in one day. See you Thursday.

TOP

MenzShed Thursday 9 September

On this Thursday morning (9 Sept) we’ve been invited to morning tea at 10 am with the Sisters of Compassion at the Soup kitchen next door. Bit tricky because we ourselves are expecting visitors that morning.

We’ve been asked to make sure the Shed looks clean tidy and busy on Thursday. Steve Jardine was hoping to get Stephen Joyce, the Cabinet Minister to visit but theMinister is sending MP Paul Quininstead.

Our other VIP visitor that day is Dr Jo Lake, the Director of Adult and Community Education. There might be some news media people present. Steven says this might make a bit of a splash for the MenzShed as the Listener is due to publish a story too.

Read more about this in the 9 September newsletter.

TOP

MenzShed 30 August

There we were, at least a dozen blokes, and being quietly led like lambs to the slaughter by this attractive young woman, Ruth Collingham. An hour later, and nearly everyone present had fallen for her blandishments and had volunteered to be a this, or a that, or a something to help run the MenzShed. Since none of us had any intention of volunteering when the session began, this was a wonderful achievement, and Ruth deserves praise for that. Read more about this in the 30 August newsletter.

TOP

MenzShed 19 August

Good Morning Sheddies

Yes, it's someone else with your weekly newsletter. Nigel Clough is busy setting up the Kapiti MenzShed and is working on his local weekly newsletter. John Shrapnell has stepped in (Nigel and John were broadcasting colleagues in a former lifetime).

So what's new ? Well, everyone can see that the fire engine is taking shape now. Before too long the project could be ready for delivery and we'll make a lot of children very happy. Andrew picked up Fire Service decals last week and Mitre 10 Mega have offered something similar of their's to display as the material sponsor.

Have you noticed the progress Garry 's making with his rocking horse. A great piece of work from Gary who works quietly but steadily on his project. It's just the machines that are noisy.

John has finished assembling his tap aids for arthritis sufferers last week so they are ready for final sanding and varnishing

Meanwhile Jim is getting the workshop organisation into shape.

Emergency Callout

Robin answered a desperate call from the Sisters of Compassion to help out a Refugee family with a faulty washing machine. They also had a sick baby. This happened just as we were closing up shop last week. Don't know the outcome, but simply stepping up like he did and going off immediately with Sister Phillipa means Robin deserves the Medal of Compassion.

Nigel says he has no doubt there are lots of other positive things to mention, but last week he focused upon talking with people and drinking tea. Nigel also says the Refugees have been reminded to remove the carpet tiles if they want them, or we will make uses of the tiles.

Today (Wednesday) Gary will be opening up at 1pm for a session with out Grumpy Old Men.Tomorrow (Thursday) the usual session but we will have one or two visitors popping in. Jane from Upper Hutt's Job Seekers will being taking look with a couple from her group, and a young Vietnamese student volunteer may come with Helen Young.

John been assembling our various databases and looking for gaps in our information. Shortly he will start sending people a personal email to each of you showing you the contact details we have listed so that we can fill in any vital gaps.

Meanwhile remember one of the greatest pleasures in life is doing what others say you cannot do.

TOP

MenzShed 12 August

Life is back to normal again this Thursday with our usual workshop activities under way again.

The Naenae Community Fair is over so the focus is back to our own things again.

Bags of Kindling sold well as was expected. Same with the various Bird Feeders so our stock is low in those areas again. Lots of interest in the cradles but nobody came up with the dosh.

The Fire Service has some Decals for us to use on the famous fire engine so that project team is definitely back into full swing.

Jim has been working on all sorts of safety and workshop layout issues in the Shed. Please count your fingers going both in and out of the shed.

W'ere hoping that Refugee Services have taken away the carpet tiles. It will make some extra room. Refugee Services is also looking for a volunteer to cut some carpet to fit an apartment. They have carpet available and a refugee with asthsma and bare floors in the supplied apartment. The carpet just needs cutting to fit. A proper laying with edging is not permitted. There is even the suggestion that the carpet tiles might be better. ANY VOLUNTEERS??? Let us know and we will put you in touch with the right people.

We still haven't had any luck with that soup machine. Anybody have contacts in the serious soup making market?

SO ON WITH THE NOISE MAKING TOMORROW

PS We don't know about everyone else but we think we will be into serious tea drinking and talking this week.

See you all there

TOP

MenzShed 5 August

Hello all Sheddies

Another week has almost passed and

IT'S MENZSHED THURSDAY AGAIN ON 5 AUGUST.

Last weeks social occasion with guests from Refugee Services, Porirua Wessley Elder Care and the like went extremely well. The pies and cream butterfly cakes we had were all baked and donated to the occasion by John. They were just MAGIC!!! Garry's efforts on BBQ sausages also went down a treat.

No 6 HAINING ST MENZSHED WORKSHOP SESSION STARTS FROM 10AM

Its back to the tea, coffee, biscuits, the fire engine project, firewood, tap turning aids, cradles, rocking horses and all sorts of activities. Don't forget we are finishing off some items for selling at Naenae MenzShed's Community Fair stand this Saturday 7 August. If you get a chance take a look at the fantastic job Henry has made of some dolls cradles. Any grand daughter would treasure one of these. Last week Garry was well into a rocking horse too, and Doug has generated at least 10 bags of kindling for sale at the fair. John had the first of his tap aid for artritis sufferers completed. Nigel is working on a couple of honey water feeders for birds too but keeps getting distracted. There might be a bit of midnight oil burnt at his place to get the promised items done.

In case any of you are interested he is currently feeding about 40 wax eyes, 1 black bird and 4 Tuis with his honey, fat/peanut butter pinecones and cut apple feeders. Nigel notes it just makes his day each morning to step outside to find them waiting to see what's for breakfast. They will come out of winter in fantastic condition to go into breeding season.

This weeks session will have an added purpose

MEMBERS INPUT TIME FROM 11AM THIS THURSDAY 5 AUGUST

The Haining Street MenzShed has been in operation now for more than a year. So it's time for us to do a bit of navel gazing to see what we are doing right, what we are doing wrong and what might be something different to try. By making this effort we can make sure that the Shed does what the members want and not some committee's idea of a MenzShed's purpose.

MENZSHED BELONGS TO US, THE MEMBERS

This Thursday at 11am we have enlisted the services of an outside specialist, Ruth Collingham, to help us review the past year and get feedback on moving the place forward. Input from members is crucial, so please come along and help with programme ideas that will make the place a success, in moving into the next year of operation. We need some members to put up their hand, to volunteer help keep the place interesting and working for its men members.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL THERE.

TOP