The Pentridge Cruiser

Submitted by Paul Blanksby on

John Bucknell. Ace wood carver, teller of martini-dry jokes, and always up for a story
over a cuppa and an Anzac or two. A few years back, JB brought his bedraggled pond yacht
into the Mens Shed. This little boat, about 50cm long, made of timber and various bits of tin,
had been made by an inmate at Pentridge Prison in the 1960s and gifted to 6-year-old John
through his father, William, a warden at the gaol.
But now? Oh dear. The mast and rigging were askew, the steering missing vital parts,
and the sails limp and tired.

Ugly Duckling - or Beauty under the Calico?

Submitted by Paul Blanksby on

We get regular commissions to carry out at your Men’s Shed. Tables that wobble,
man-cave signs to engrave, wonky wheeled toys to persuade straight again, and treasures to
uncover beneath decades of yuck. 
We were ready when Alice brought a piano stool she had bought at a bargain price
from a well-known antique store. Loose legs? Reattached and firm for more fortissimos and
then polished. But that calico covering! All torn at one corner and, frankly, puzzling.
Carefully removing the rough material, Bruce and Michael discovered exquisite

Julie's Garden Seat

Submitted by Paul Blanksby on

Fifty-seven years ago. That’s both a long, and a short, time.
57 years in this little town we call the Burgh. Imagine the changes. The little white
house behind the pub, the walls chuckling at the sound of another baby born. Coal fires in the
Metter, warming a Struggle Town miners’ cottage. Lilyvale’s railway station - gone! The Co-
op. Crawchie Day. Mrs. Braggs wool emporium. Holidays in a shack down at Bulgo. A dip in
the big dam after school. Horses tied up outside the shops. Ladies in white at the Bowling
Club. The Band Hall burning down.

The Walk to save your men

Submitted by Paul Blanksby on

What is that noise?
That clanging, bongoing, and scratching?
It's enough to wake the dead!
We were walking along Cemetery Road, a motley group of men, women, and Peppa
the Pig (dog). There was a bongo drum, indeed. Maracca's, tambourines (we had a Salvo's
connection). And the infamous scratchy ball instrument played by our leader and Shed Health
Officer Ron Balderston. 
Why were we walking, on this starlit Friday evening, turning left onto Walker Street

Almost Boot-Scootin' at the Shed

Submitted by Paul Blanksby on

Although we are Helensburgh Men’s Shed, and have been serving our community
since 2016, we often carry out projects for people outside the Burgh. We recently made a new
‘scooter-board’ (sounds good with an American accent) for Family Connections in Bangor.
Caitlin, a local lass, works there and got the Shed involved in creating this important
paediatric physio equipment. One of our new members, Stephen (Wood Wizard) Dodd,
created the scooter-board (remember the accent – come on) with help from other shedders.

Spreading the (Shed) Word

Submitted by Paul Blanksby on

This year is the 30th Anniversary celebrating Men’s Sheds in Australia – and who do
we have to thank for that?
A woman, of course!
In 1993, Maxine Chaseling (nee Kitto), coordinator of The Heritage Club, an
activities centre for the older generations in Goolwa, South Australia, conceived the idea of a
men's shed after her own father had become depressed, stuck at home and no longer able to
work after suffering a heart attack.
She noticed that the only thing giving her father purpose was working in his shed.

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