Quarter 1 2014

A lot has happened since the last note.

We now have new associations with Mary Potter Hospice and Wellington/Wairarapa Plunket Association.

The beginning of the year has been quite busy, with a regular influx of people utilizing the Shed.

We are still occupied with the IHC’s Active and Alpha groups, we now also have Te Waka – Whaiora involved.

There still are the smaller jobs such as letter boxes, sharpening tools, repairing handles etc that get dropped in.

We have a chap, David, who has just completed a stack of crazy signs for a wedding and is now making a cool play house.

We have David making a crazy mobile Weta (he volunteers at Zoolander).

We have a few people coming in one evening for tips on DIY. (Thanks Dave)

There is a collapsible table in the design experiment stage, from small to large.

There is Simon making models, he also is repairing ones a woman gave us, that was handy, him.

Ron has done a massive job at Plunket over quite a period. (Too big for the fathers to finish) Good One Buddy.

Ross has started at Mary Potter Hospice, doing their maintenance; this appears to be an ongoing project, while they accumulate for their much needed refurbishment.

Along with the usual suspects dropping in it has been and hopefully will continue to be as it should.
Quarter 2 2014
Cheers

Just an Update - September 2013

We have had a busy time of it of late, with various requests for assistance, picking up gear, making and repairing toys, cabinets, for various originations and individuals around the Wellington Region.
 
We have had quite a few new people in and through the shed for various different reasons.
Some offering their expertise to call upon if needed, ranging from photography, IT technology, joinery, plastering and building.
We are grateful to those, Thank you.

Some of the jobs

• Lockable tool cabinet - Kindy
• Repairing trolley handle so the kids won’t tip over
• Make improved trolleys
• Replace missing large puzzle pieces
• Make climbing boards
• Kids to scale saw horse
• Stands for some festival
• Gravity Karts 3 & 4 wheeled
• Quite a few name plates – IHC
• Bird Baths
• People in for various repairs (Bikes, Cases, Vehicles etc)
• Pick up furniture for client (Health Board)
• Side tables – for elderly
• A custom sized dining (to fit under shelf) – for elderly
• Build up height of lounge chair – for elderly
• Recycling Station
• Refit bathroom to storage with wall to wall shelving

These were for Newtown Play Centre, Miramar Play Centre, Clifton Terrace School, The City Mission, Fringe and Island Bay Festivals, IHC, Pensioners.

We have two lots of IHC groups of peoples and their care-givers utilising the shed, with another group starting this week.

• In the interim (between writing and now) we have made stairs for a woman who has a child without stomach muscles. ( She was granted care assistance, but care-givers are not allowed to lift their charges). Funding did not go that far. They needed stairs to get to the change table; they had to be moveable and able to be put under the cot when not in use.
• We are currently stripping an unused outside room to be made into an overnight caregiver accommodation for a chap who has had a stroke.
• We are actively involved with people/clients from Pathways, Active, Idea etc.
• We have just received expression of interest from Local Host (WCC funded – the homeless situation)
• Shelving for Plunket

September update

Hi Folks
Thought I would give you an update on what’s been happening at the shed. The numbers are on the rise and we continue to get enquiries from both individuals and other organisations who feel their members would benefit from utilising the shed.

The Sheddies have been doing odd jobs for the manager Philippa, at the Soup kitchen, such as repairing the outdoor benches; they are also in the process of constructing a large wooden tool chest for the sisters who have the community gardens in Island bay; the second lot of educational toy have been finished and returned to Hataitai  Play Centre - the staff and parents are over the moon and another plate of homemade cookies was presented. I was lucky enough to be there and got a sample chocolate chip this time just like mum used to make, we have taken a third box of equipment that is in need of some TLC away.

I had a call from Clifton Tce school who wants us to build them a recycling station so they can separate paper, plastic and glass so Ron and I went up and measured up their job and met the staff, one of whom  has an 80 year old father who is a retired watchmaker and also likes to make toys, and has made one every year out of wood and donates them to the likes of Women’s Refuge, He has done this for the past 50 years - anyway he is keen as mustard to go to the shed so I have been in touch and given him all the details It just so happened that as we were on the phone the time turned to midday and his whole house started chiming from all the clocks he must have - it was funny as I could hardly hear him for about thirty seconds.

Ron has been working with the City Mission and continues to help with different projects. At present he is in the process of turning a bathroom into a storage room with wall to wall shelves, as they need as much space as they can find, to store the xmas hampers they give away to our less fortunate in the community, with Christmas around the corner .

A teacher from Kilbirnie primary school has been in touch wanting to get one off the Sheddies to come and take a class of 5-6 year olds and show them how cogs and pullies work, and also set them a basic task to complete. We have a retired builder who is in negotiation with the teacher.

Ron was telling me everyone is getting along well to the point when the sun showed its face the other day they had a whip round and had an impromptu BBQ.
So things are ticking over really well, anyway till next report
bye for now.
Regards

Steve Jardine

MenzShed Wellington Open Day - Saturday, June 16th 11am – 2pm

On Saturday, June 16th 11am – 2pm, Menz Shed Wellington will be holding an Open Day and sausage sizzle.

Menz Shed Wellington, has been created to meet the needs of older men in Wellington, with a particular emphasis on meeting the needs of those who are socially isolated.

Menz Shed Wellington is up and running, with a mix of men using the facilities to pursue their own hobbies, enjoy companionship and to participate in community projects.

Menz Shed Steering Committee
June 2012

·       Ph: 027 438 4660
·       Email: menzshedwgtn@gmail.com
·       Web: menzshedwgtn.blogspot.com

Shed update 8 May 2012 - it's all go!

We had an artist who has been painting Murals around Wellington to try to curb graffiti approach us about painting a Mural on our roller door, as it had been tagged and looked unsightly With the Sisters blessing we gave him the go ahead and that has been completed and looks great. We have some Sheddies building planter boxes out of pallets we had been given by Bunnings. Some old fashioned wooden Jig Saw puzzles owned by Paparanga Kindergarten had pieces missing which the Sheddies have replaced and painted.  A Sheddie  has started doing some traditional Maori carving. Another Sheddie who has all the right tools and is cleaning up Paua shells and carving out animal and butterfly shapes to make Mobiles for babies cots. Another job is coming up for the Wellington City Mission -  they need shelves built. They were so pleased with the food donation box that Ron, one of our coordinators made, we are going to be getting all their jobs. The donation box is so bright and impressive at the supermarket that the likes of the SPCA had a new box made because ours made theirs look shabby. So it’s all go atTHE SHED.

Back in business in the New Year

The Wellington Menzshed has been quite active since opening again after Xmas.

We have a number of new members and some old ones have been in.

We have built a food donation box for the Wellington City Mission, made a table for an injured pensioner, fixed some toys for a kindy, made shelves for someone who was unable to do it for himself.

We are in the process of helping build a glass house for the community garden at Owhiro bay run by the Sisters of Compassion.

We also have a new member who fixes bicycyles for a few people.

Come along to join in these activities.

Grumpy Old Men article, Capital Times 23 November

This article is a sequel to that below - the response from the Sisters (our landlord)

Whose shed is it anyway? A Capital Times article 16 November

This article in the Capital Times 16 November is an update on the situation of the original MenzShed Wellington.

Note changes of times for activities.

Menzshed 26 April 2011

Projects on hand

Stuart Hudson, Jim Yates and Henry Hodge have been busy painting the children’s chairs for Kilbirnie Plunket and have now completed 6 of them. There are 4 more chairs and a table which need attention and Jim Yates hopes to get them to the shed by Thursday. Henry Hodge did such a good job repairing the first 6 - and with luck he may return this week to deal with the second batch - it’ll be good to see you back Henry.

DIY Power

Robin Bodley, who is a recognised expert in the differences between scale and surface rust, has an interesting project on the go at the shed. He’s constructing a home based electricity generator using a man-powered bicycle frame, with a stator that he obtained from an old washing machine. (Do hope I’ve got the technical description right!). Robin hopes to demonstrate and exhibit in the future. I’m sure he’ll pass on tips to anyone interested in constructing a similar machine to reduce their domestic power bill

Coffee News

There’s palpable air of sophistication at the MenzShed these days. When we first started, smoko was usually a cup of lukewarm brown stuff made from the remnants that you could scrape from the coffee jar. However all that changed with the arrival of man-about-town, Les Collins, he of the trilby hat Les introduced a touch of class to the shed by donating a working coffee machine that used real coffee beans. Now we have been gifted a second one and Norman Kabak is spending some time get-ting it into optimum condition.

A Ring of Steel

Rolf Kluger called in last Thursday for a natter. He donated welding equipment to the shed which he would like to see used. Rolph has a wealth of Wellington engineering stories in his backpack.

Our Treasurer, Jim Yates, is looking forward to sign-ing up members for the shed this week. The annual subscription currently stands at $1.00 - so get your gold coin ready when you visit.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) from 1pm the evils of the world will be discussed by the Grumpy Old Men. On Thursday the real work will continue on our various projects.

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MenzShed 16 March

Fellow Sheddies -

A reminder that the Shed is open tomorrow and Thursday.

"Grumpy Old Men" meet Wed. from 1:00 till 3:00 ish.

Conversation, Coffee, Conviviality, and Crunchy Bickies,

precede more serious talk about issues and ideas.

Come and expand your mind, or at least what is left

of your mind.

Thursday, we hope to start on a special project of painting

little chairs for an early childhood center, and painting the

apartment upstairs, so that we might find a tenant and help

to reduce our out of pocket rent.

So, come one, come all, and meet some new members

who signed on last week.

Also, someone wants to make a movie about the "Shed",

so this needs some conversation as well.

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