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THE IPSWICH MEN’S SHED INC

“Shoulder to Shoulder”-

Committee President: Terry Carter Vice President: Bob Lewitz Secretary: Brian Parker Treasurer Ian Weier- Assistant Treasurer Ron Banks Registrar: Ted Wedmaier Executive Officer Electrical: Darryl Edwards Committee: John Humphries; Dennis Sinnott; Ron Bopf; Ian Ross; Ross Kerfoot Membership fees $35 for 1 year – daily fees $2 plus $3.00 lunch Open Tuesday, Thursday 9am-3pm – Saturday 9am-2pm

PRESIDENT’S REPORT September was again a busy month and we have had many activities and wonderful fellowship. My Congratulations to Laurie Caldwell for being elected as our Zone representative for the Brisbane Northern region consisting of 25 Sheds. Laurie will be a big asset and will fly the Ipswich Flag proudly as we give him our support. Members participated in the First Aid course run by member Ron McDonald, and with the new Defibrillator, we are ready for any emergency. We had two Bunnings BBQ‟s in quick succession and my thanks to all who participated in them. Two days working at Bunnings Booval saw us increase our takings by $650 so thanks to all who undertook that work. A very successful Rotary meeting was hosted by us at the Shed and enjoyed by all. Thanks June Burt for the great apple pies and all who waited tables etc. The Orange ladies are finished and ready for collection. Dave has completed the Xmas Stocking and it will be delivered next Tuesday. Jeff and Rob completed the ballistrating which we required for Blaise Wyatt to assist with the renovation at his home and thank you Dave for the installation of same at 104 Blackstone Rd, Silkstone (we were mentioned in The QT for that community work) After some negotiating, we have now acquired Shed 3 and plans are in place for an upgrade of the electrical and new equipment sought. Thanks to Ted and Jim for their work on the Caravan. Darryl was very lucky to win a Camper trailer while working at The Jets BBQ recently. Well done! Dulux Paints has generously donated a pallet of paint so we will not require stain for some time. Our Shed has not as yet been successful in acquiring an Army Shed but we are now on top of the waiting list so fingers crossed!! Maree Garrett has generously donated many tools from her late husband‟s workshop and we thank the family for that. It was unfortunate that Ron Banks had his car damaged whilst parked at the Shed recently; and we are looking at installing a boom gate to hopefully stop this happening again. Capt Ben has kept us busy at The Salvos Family store and we try to help where we can. Renee loved the fish we made for her Mum - thanks to Ted, Ron Banks, Ken and John for this work. Regards Terry

Location: 3A Mining Street Bundamba Q 4304 Ph Contact The Shed 0455924784

Postal Address: 3A Mining street Bundamba 4304

ipswichmensshed@hotmail.comweb : ipswichmensshed.org.au

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IN THE SHED

(October 2015)

INTRODUCING ROGER (Bumpa) OVERELL: What an absolute pleasure it was to spend time in the garden gazebo, chatting with Roger and marvelling at his extensive, unique and very interesting life history. Born in Melbourne in 1947 to a once incredibly well off family, Roger spent the first years of his life with his parents living in Caulfield close to the Overell family mansion, “Carmyle” an estate still standing to this day, but sadly no longer part of the Overell family. The great depression saw the family‟s silversmithing and electroplating business suffer to the extent that the mansion and its extensive grounds were sold off with other assets. Roger‟s father Alan was a regular army officer who saw action in the Middle East (Tobruk) and New Guinea. He met and married Roger‟s mother Jean (nee Timperley) after the war. Jean who had seen service in the WAAAF during the war was the eldest daughter of Perc and Grace Timperley. Jean‟s brothers Don and Tom ran the garage business in Challinor St, West Ipswich. After the war Alan stayed with the army and eventually attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before taking early retirement in the services culls of the early fifties. Civilian life saw Alan struggle to find a suitable job in Melbourne but he was eventually appointed as secretary manager of The Launceston Club. So the family sold up and moved to Tasmania. Roger was severely scalded in a kitchen accident as a young boy and spent long periods in hospitals recovering from the injuries. He started school at Melbourne‟s Canterbury State School then East Launceston State School and on to Queechy High School. In 1958 the family moved to Brisbane and Roger completed his education at the Corinda High School. After leaving school Roger began working at Feez Ruthing Solicitors as a law clerk. Whilst this delighted his mother no end, Roger hated the job and craved to work outside, so after a time he left the law firm to seek other work and was employed in the retail industry for a few years.

This also did not satisfy his need for adventure, so Roger departed Queensland for the Simpson Desert where he worked in hard, hot, dry and dusty conditions drilling and exploring for oil. As Adelaide was the base for the seismic crew, Roger brought his young family south and at the end of the desert contract, settled there for a time working as a welder on the Kangaroo Creek Dam. Eventually he found his way to Melbourne where he spent time selling cars, before returning to Ipswich to work in a steel reinforcing company as a welder and crane driver. In due course a workplace injury forced Roger to leave the steel reinforcing company, but despite the injury, one silver lining was that the ensuing payout allowed him to put a deposit on his first house in Gailes. From there, Roger began working in a series of service stations in Yeronga and Graceville, as a manager and later as a joint owner. It was in this capacity that Roger trained and became a motor mechanic. After a few years in the service station industry he sold out and went to work repairing and servicing swimming pools. He got to know Don Forrer of Forrer‟s Pumps who offered him a job in the pump industry. For the next 30 years, he worked for several pump manufacturers and had another stint as a partner in a swimming pool shop and service business. After rising to the position of General Manager Northern Australia he was made redundant from Flowserve pumps, formerly Thompson‟s Kelly & Lewis in 2011 and retired When asked to recount some of the highlights he had experienced over the years, Roger happily replied that meeting his future wife Denise on a YCW bus trip, and marrying her some 48 years ago when he was only 19, was the absolute best time of his life. Together they spent many happy hours dancing and dining in such establishments as O‟Connor‟s Boathouse, TC‟s and Allycats. They also made several trips to the USA to visit friends. Roger and Denise have three sons, Lawrence, James and Justin. As well as speaking of them, Roger also now proudly talks about his two grandchildren, Nina and Eva. It is from a grandchild that his nickname arose, due to the young Nina being unable to say grandpa and calling him “Bumpa” instead. The name has stuck with Roger ever since. Over the years he has done many things that he retains as special memories. These include attending the 1956 Olympic Games with his father in Melbourne, seeing the Beatles live on stage in Brisbane, and being the President of the Ipswich Musketeers Baseball Club. He won a silver medal in the 1994 World Masters Games where he was also the Baseball Convener, which involved coordinating a competition at various venues for many teams from all over the world. One of the things he is most proud of however, is having been a speedway race car driver, a sport he loved and says - he was moderately successful at. Roger was a member of the Queensland Sedan Association and began racing FJ Holdens, before finishing his racing career driving an XU1 Torana. At the Archerfield track he co-promoted for two years; 150 lap races for speedway sedans which included pit stops. (Speedway‟s Bathurst) But it was not all good for Roger. Perhaps the major low point in his life (apart from being seriously scalded as a child) was being diagnosed with cancer in 2007. Having strength of character now stood Roger in good stead as he fought back against the disease, and thankfully he was advised in 2011 that he was in remission. This worked in our favour as Roger turned his attention towards the steering committee of a group of men, who were setting up a shed where blokes could meet and work together shoulder to shoulder. Thus the Ipswich Men‟s Shed was born and this is the shed where Roger became the President in the second year of its existence. During his presidency Roger helped drive the shed to bigger and better things, before finally handing over the reins to the incumbent president,Terry Carter. Roger remains with the men‟s shed and is an integral part of it. He is very adept at fixing machines and mechanical items. He is friendly and approachable and is willing to discuss his work and life with others. Thank you for all you have done for the shed Roger and thank you also for sharing your most interesting story with us. Laurie Caldwell

Well I’ll bee! Until I spoke recently with Doug Malloy (Ipswich shedder), I was of the belief that Australian bees were quite simply – just bees. I was pleasantly surprised to find out a few facts from Doug that have changed my mind and I have developed more of an interest in the little critters of late.

In Australia there are at least 1600 species of native bees, with about 10 species of those being like the small, black social stingless bees such as we have in the Men‟s Shed garden. “They don‟t sting” I was told. “No they don‟t sting”, Doug agreed…… but they do occasionally bite when disturbed”. Not too painful a bite, but a little annoying nonetheless - as I found out when we went for a look inside a hive and got swarmed. But seeing inside the hive was well worth a little discomfort as Doug explained that he had identified some interesting peculiarities with some of the different species of stingless bees. It seems that initially they all start in a similar way, building a wax scaffold on the base of the hive inside which they store pollen and honey. Unlike honeybees however, Australian stingless bees do not store their honey and pollen in an organised comb structure. Instead they have a network of round storage pots that surround the central brood comb spiral. The wax also differs from that of the honeybee and is technically called cerumen. It is in fact a mixture of wax and propolis, a resin that has been taken by the bees from plants. What is remarkable is the way brood combs are erected by various groups of stingless bees. Doug advised me that over the years he has observed a number of different structures in the various hives he has opened. He gives some examples as follows: One group of bees builds a spiral staircase of cells. Another builds cells in flat layers. A third group of bees that he has identified, build saucer shaped cells layer upon layer and a fourth group builds a funnel outwards from the hive. Some groups of bees even display diverse and interesting behavioral patterns. One group of bees he has identified, are quite shy and if someone stares into the hive, the bees will back away and endeavor to hide until the perceived threat diminishes. Another group actually blocks their tunnel at night – closing the door so to speak. I found it interesting when I was advised that someone local is selling native bees and a hive box for around $500 a pop. Seems that bees may be a lucrative investment. Doug is a really interesting man to speak with and he knows his subject well. He is willing to share his knowledge and I would recommend spending some time with him if you have an interest in nature or want to find out more on the subject.

SHED UPDATE .Membership has grown to 110 at the time of writing.

The finished Christmas stocking for the Queensland Times went down a treat. It has been

photographed and the picture has published in the paper. For anyone who has not seen the

picture, there is a copy on the noticeboard at the shed.

Ted Wedmaier and shed members are in the process of rebuilding the caravan and it looks

(even at this early stage) that the finished product will be something the shed will have been

proud to be a part of.

Ian Ross with support of other members has been working extremely hard at getting new shade

cloth up and over the garden. He makes a hard job look easy. The gardeners in particular thank

Ian. It is so nice to be able to work in the garden without having hats knocked off due to the

previous shade cloth hanging too low.

The gardens continue to show great growth in vegetables and we now have a new raised

garden on the Salvo‟s side of the fence, which is already sprouting corn and peas. New tomato

plants are starting to show good growth and these should soon be producing large tomatoes,

which the shed can use for lunches in the near future.

For new members and as a reminder for longer term members. Don‟t forget that we have a

well-stocked DVD and book library available for use by members. Please sign for what you take

out and sign back in when you return items to the library.

In the interest of personal safety and maintaining machinery, the committee has appointed a

number of members as Machinery Safety Advisors.

They are: Dennis Sinnott, Jeff Edwards and Warren Lewis in Woodwork and Ross Kerfoot, Ron Bopf, John Humphries and Rob Burt in Metal work.

Please make use of their expertise and ask for assistance if you are unsure of the aspects of the machine you are using.

Please respect their input if they speak to you about the possible risk you may be posing to yourself, the machine or others.

Dispute Resolution: The committee has a system in place for dispute resolution. Should you

consider you have an issue in the shed, please approach a committee member as soon as

possible to discuss the matter.

An Interesting Fact about Safety in the Shed: Continuing on from the articles above

referencing safety officer appointments in the shed, a statistic was provided at the QMSA Annual

General Meeting in September.

During the meeting it was stated by the QMSA that seventeen (17) fingers and thumbs have been lost by shedders in machinery accidents in the last 12 months. That is without doubt 17 too many and probably 17 accidents that could have been avoided had sufficient safety procedures been followed. Respect your Safety Advisers and their right to discuss dangerous safety practices with you when necessary.

Smoking is not permitted within the vicinity of the shed (particularly during meal times). The

committee has designated the smoking area to be at the end of the shed past the caravan.

A timely reminder from one of our members. Injuries may occur at any time in the shed. Even a

scratch can become infected. If you haven‟t had a tetanus shot in the past ten (10) years, it may

be a good time to visit your doctor

VISITING OTHER SHEDS CARINA MEN‟S SHED:

The shed is initially somewhat difficult to locate in that it is situated behind swimming pools, gymnasiums and other buildings and in front of sports fields. Once located however, it is seen to be a modern and well equipped shed which has recently had some work done to make it even more presentable.

Entering the shed via the side door entry leads into a vestibule with both male and female toilets on the right and a visitor‟s sign-in counter and office space on the left. Once signed in, directly ahead of the sign-in area is a very large room with kitchen and dining at the front end and space for events, meetings etc. at the rear of the room.

Back to the vestibule and turn right down a corridor leads to the sheds single extensively equipped and quite large workshop. In total area, adding together all the space at the Ipswich Men‟s Shed, we have considerably more work space, but Carina has done well to make their shed presentable and user friendly, despite their smaller work area.

Unlike Ipswich, Carina is not principally focused on workshop activities and they have no garden. Other activities run by Carina for men include: Exercise classes, swimming groups, walking groups, a bridge group, lead-lighting, backgammon, digital photography, veteran car‟s group, a capella singing group, a decorative (fusion) glass group, and a leatherwork group.

Some of the recent projects undertaken by Carina Men‟s Shed includes 5 x stools and 6 x mortar shells for Fort Lytton. 200 x miniature baseball bats made and squatter‟s chairs built.

Their financial situation is currently sound and they have been successful in obtaining grants, but thy must now concentrate on Shed initiated revenue generating opportunities, exploration of innovative concepts, corporate sponsorship and donations.

One of the programs they are about to commence in conjunction with rotary and the Carina PCYC, is a pilot program to provide guidance to local teenage lads who are struggling to find direction in their lives.

An attractive new “Boys Shed” facility is approaching completion at the PCYC complex. It should be quite a challenge to turn the young men around.

Perhaps my only minor criticism (if it can even be called that) was the sight of alcohol being consumed in the Shed (not in the workshop). After the alcohol free environment of the Ipswich Men‟s Shed, it somehow seemed out of placed to see empty beer cans on the window sill at the end of the meeting.

Otherwise a relaxed and enjoyable visit to a well presented shed. Thank you Carina Men‟s Shed for your hospitality.

Conversations for Life: Prior to the AGM of the Queensland Men‟s Shed Association in September, I was privileged to sit in on a lecture for the Carina Men‟s Shed, presented by a representative from Connetica on the Sunshine Coast.

Connetica is a not for profit organisation who gives lectures entitled “Conservations for Life” to groups all across Queensland. This includes Men‟s Shed groups, should they be interested in hearing the subject being spoken of..

I felt that the lecture was particularly relevant for men‟s sheds. The topic “Conversations for Life” dealt with taking the time to speak to people who may be suicidal, were suspected of being at risk of self-harm, or who were generally appearing to be more „down‟ than usual. The message was that just by taking a little time to speak with that person; that may be all that is needed to change their perception and maybe even to save their life.

Conversations for life states -, “If you are worried about someone. If you notice a change in their appearance/mood/behaviour. Have a CONVERSATION.

Why is this important? Consider the following statistics –

Every year in Australia

400,000 people think about killing themselves 65,000 – 70,000 people attempt suicide More than 2,500 people die by suicide 1 in 4 young people experience a mental illness Every day 7-9 people die by suicide Every 8 minutes someone attempts suicide Lets‟ all be aware. Look for signs. If in doubt have a conversation for life. If you would like an App on your phone, ipad, or Android that guides you in speaking to people who may be at risk and what to say to them, then go to www.connetica.com.au and download the App for free.

All Power to You:

At some time in our lives most of us are going to develop some form for Arthritis. Arthritis is a name for a group of conditions affecting the joints, and it causes pain and stiffness in affected joints as well as possible symptoms in some form, e.g. joint swelling and redness, fatigue.

There are over 100 forms of arthritis and the disease does not just affect women. Many men suffer as well. The Queensland Men‟s Shed Association in partnership with Shed West, Kenmore, Metro North

Brisbane Medicare Local and Arthritis Queensland have now developed an Education Pack on the subject and also a very entertaining video for you to view.

The 28 minute video features a group of men shedders who got together to discuss their various forms of Arthritis from Gout to Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and Ankylosing spondylitis in a humorous and yet educational way.

The video can be viewed on the Queensland Men‟s Shed Association web site at www.qldmensshed.org or at www.arthritis.org.au.

Alternatively, if there is sufficient interest amongst shedders we could sit together to view the video and to work through the Education pack titled “All Power to You!” so as to better understand the disease we currently have, or the one which we may be going to suffer later in life.

Knowledge is power and the better prepared we are the easier it is to handle.

Please advise the committee if you would like to take a group session in “Taking Charge of Arthritis”.

Food for Thought: From the Presidents Report for the QMSA Annual General Meeting in September 2015 – The

Growth in Queensland Men‟s Sheds has slowed in the last 12 months with only four (4) new

sheds opening in the past 12 months (2014 – 2015).

Many sheds are struggling financially. Although it may sound ghoulish, one of the suggestions

being considered by some sheds is investigating ways in which shed members may be able to

pass some of their estate to their respective men‟s shed after their passing, should they choose to

amend their wills accordingly.

The Warwick Men‟s Shed has raised $10,000 for drought relief. Atherton Tableland Sheds send

weekly hay bale runs into the outback. The QMSA donated $1000.00 to the drought relief at the

Annual General Meeting.

OUT AND ABOUT

FROM LIMESTONE TO IPSWICH – A NEW TOWN CHANGES ITS NAME WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN

Panorama of Ipswich looking down Brisbane Street from Queen's Park, 1887 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich.

(This article is reproduced with thanks to the Ipswich Library and the Ipswich City Council)

We recently had a query from Ipswich, England asking how our city was named and whether we were connected directly with their town. I found an answer for them on the Ipswich City Council website, listed under their history section, „suburbs and place names‟.

“The first name for Ipswich was „The Limestone Hills‟ or „The Limestone Station‟, the name used in convict days when lime was quarried here. This name was shortened to simply „Limestone‟ and was the name used by the first free settlers in 1842. It appeared on the f irst maps of the town and was used in the newspaper reports in the „Moreton Bay Courier‟.

The name Ipswich was given by Sir George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales. Gipps visited the site of the new town just before the free settlers arrived, while surveyors were still working to draw up a plan for the town.

Governor Gipps interfered with the surveyor‟s work. He said the streets had to be narrow and he told the surveyor that Limestone did not need a town square. He also decided to change the name. If you look at the first plan drawn by the surveyor Henry Wade in 1842, it bears the words „Proposed Plan of the Town of Limestone, by Henry Wade Surveyor‟.

Above that in smaller letters added later is „To be called IPSWICH‟.

Why did Governor Gipps choose the name Ipswich? One possibility is that he remembered what Harry Rous had said when he visited Moreton Bay about 10 years earlier. Harry Rous was captain of the ship „Rainbow‟ and he was also the second oldest son of Viscount Dunwich, Earl of Stradbroke – this is where the names Dunwich and Stradbroke Island came from.

Harry Rous must also have visited the country near Limestone because he is supposed to have said that it reminded him of the town of Ipswich which was near his home at Stradbroke in England.

Maybe Governor Gipps remembered this and picked Ipswich when he wanted a new name instead of a convict name. Governor Gipps might also have liked jokes with words. Ipswich in England is a very old town and it used to be spelled „Gippeswic‟ which means Gippi‟s Wic or Gippi‟s Village.

So Ipswich was Gippi‟s Village. In other words, Governor Gipps might have named the town after himself. We don‟t really know.”

I would love to travel back in time to the fateful February day and ask Governor Gipps why he chose Ipswich for the name of our town. I personally hope it was the second possibility listed above.

Information taken from the Ipswich City Council website (http://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/about_ipswich/history/suburb_place_names/ )

SHEDDER’S ADS

This page is available for shedders ads for such things as buy, sell or exchange etc. (Sorry exotic massage and relaxation ads will not be accepted for publication ). Submit ads to Terry or Laurie for future publication.

FOR SALE – Santa Suit Attached is a picture of a Santa Suit for sale. . It is a large size, extremely well made, with plenty of room for a pillow or large stomach. Comes with pants, top (Velcro fastened), belt, hat, high quality wig and beard. The lady wants $140.00 for it. Anyone interested can contact me at the shed. Brian Parker

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