February 2019

This is a very important month for the Forster Tuncurry Men's Shed...it's the month of our first Annual General Meeting as an independant stand alone AMSA styled Men's Shed. We gained autonomy about six months ago and now we press forward with the concept of a Men's Shed run for the members by the members.

It's imperative that you have your shed run the way you want it...independantly and not under the influence of outside organisations. We are made up of a mix of personalities with varying skill sets. The depth of our collective experience gives us the opportunity to do really worthwhile work together. It doesn't always have to be work either. We make time to have a laugh too. Our members are very lucky to be a part of this group of men. Together, we are stronger and bigger than the sum of our individual parts. That simply means that we can accomplish much more as a team than individually. I'm sure that many of you can think of an example when you had come to a dead end. It may be with the project you are working on, or even something that might be troubling you,. personally.

Assistance from another shedder (or two) is never far away. Maybe, it's asking for someone else's opinion on how best to do a particular task, or maybe it's that little head tilt saying..."let's get away from all this noise, go outside and have a chat about what seems to be bugging you"

The AGM is scheduled for 11:00 am Tuesday February 26^th,. Nomination forms are now available for those who would like to be nominated for the committee or the executive positions.

Newsletters are found at...

http://www.forstertuncurrymensshed.org/

Our Facebook page address is:

https://www.facebook.com/Forster-Tuncurry-MENS-SHED.../

Committee Meetings

The new committee will hold it’s first meeting directly after the AGM on 26th Feb. The old committee wanted all shed members to know they were welcome to sit in and listen to what’s going on.

Guidelines of the shed ....(among others these are a few reminders for all of us)

All incidents, injuries, hazards or near misses must be reported to the Shed Coordinators or committe members. In the case of an injury an incident report must be filled in.
Until you are proficient in the use of any of the machines, please ask for help.
Regular training on machinery and tools will be undertaken by the new WH&S Committee.

Behind the news

What is going on in the background, you ask ? Great question.....

Find out here in "Behind the news"

Our defribralator was checked during the second week of February, by a local company who is contracted to perform this task. A simple check of the liquid crystal display on the front will show a green tick indicating all is well with the battery and the units auto self check. Should a red cross be visible, then the unit needs attention
The above service call resulted in an offer to get a selection of members involved in an array of courses available for CPR, First Aid etc. Make it known to the committee if you would like to be involved in being educated in this field. It could save a life.
The shed has recently (Friday 15th Feb), been involved in a visit from patients of a local nursing home. We are getting the message that some male patients are keen to have a safe "Men's only space" within their own facility to do similar activities that we do within our shed. Many of these patients are too frail to travel regularly to Darawank and/or feel more secure at their own place of residence. This may well affect the continued use of the "Craft Room" in the way it has been planned for some time.
Kularoo Gardens, Estia and "Sunrise" Supported Living have all made contact with FTMS regarding working together, mainly at their own sites. This will involve a certain amount of volunteer participation by our members. Have a think about getting involved. It's not mandatory by any means, and maybe you are NOT in favour of it...food for thought.
I had the opportunity on Saturday morning (16/2) to have a chat with a fellow at the Forster Farmers markets. He was from the Forster Neighbourhood Centre. He is running a Men's Support Group every Thursday at beach Bums Cafe from 12:30pm - 2.30pm where they provide a free cup of coffee, a safe space for blokes to be blokes and to encourage greater engagement with the wider community. It's a discussion group designed to give an opportunity for men to talk about issues that they are affected by. The fellow's name is Steve and his contact number is 0405 375 470.

WORK PLACE SAFETY

The sub - committee has hit the ground running and are making inroads into our shed becoming a safer place to work and be involved in. Forms are being filled in to record members safety levels with a variety of equipment. There has been a minor change in bench layout to improve access and egress. I'm sure more is to come from this energetic and enthusiastic group of shedders. Like Committee meetings, WH&S Sub-Committee meetings are open to all shedders to attend and listen in. An evacuation plan is being formulated and Evacuation Plans will be on display very shortly. Updates to WH&S isues are regularly discussed at morning tea. This is a fine example of how well a sub committee can work. There are other opportunities to get involved if you want to be a part of such a group. I have no doubt that George Wilson will be heading up a sub-committee to be focused on our new covered outside work and storage space. Have a chat with george if you want to be involved. Who knows, a sub-committee may be formed to run special projects in the future. Maybe one for the Bandsaw Mill, or a catering committee for our BBQ's and celebration parties. Get involved in the running of your shed. Think about getting on board during 2019. Don't forget the AGM is coming up soon.

The WH&S Committee now have notified members on the big white board, the days when machine certifications will be done. Please consult the board and notify a committe member should you want to be assessed for competency. The WH&S team consists of John MacLeod, Mark Connor, Paul Heathcote, Phillip Esling, Eric Pfeiffer, Jeff James, Trevor Dawson and Tony Young. LATE NEWS: Unfortunately current committee member John MacLeod has just announced that he will be taking a leave of absence for approximately six months commencing immediately, so John's valued input relating to Occupational Health and Safety will not be available for a while. As a member of the current committee serving with John, I would like to say that he will be missed and that I wish him well during his leave. I look forward to seeing John back at the shed in about six months. (Ed)

THE FINER POINTS OF OUR CONSTITUTION

Did you know that "Proxy Votes" are allowed at an Annual General Meeting, but not at a Special General Meeting, or Extraordinary General Meeting ?

The above statement might give rise to a few questions.....Is that a true statement (above) ? If so, is that fair on the members? Can we change that part of our Constitution should we not like it?

Please read the Constitution (included within this website) for the answers. The more members who know the ins and outs of our Charter (Constitution) the better. This may give rise to some healthy conversation at the morning tea table.....on a completely different note....

The following is an excerpt delevered at an AMSA Conference in Newcastle a couple of years back. It relates to perecived threats to Men's Sheds

Threat 6

- Turning sheds into health services/centres

Most Government funding available to Men's Sheds comes from health budgets or because Sheds have a positive health outcomes for those who attend. The big health outcome recognised by all is that Men's Sheds reduce social isolation and this, in turn, means that shedders have a better chance of staying healthy than their non-shed counterparts.

However Sheds should not become Health Centres or Services. Health staff may be invited to attend the Shed by the shedders to educate or screen but this should be at the discretion of the Shed members and not be demanded by the health service.

What's coming up...

Friday 22nd February - end of month BBQ
26th February - the first Committee meeting for the new committee...straight after the AGM...all welcome
26th February - AGM...make your vote heard in deciding how the shed is run for the year ahead