IN MEMORY OF DAVE DEVLIN - The Wandering Tews
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IN MEMORY OF
DAVE DEVLIN.
1
President: Rodney Hansen. This issue.
V/President: David Redfern. In Memory of Dave Devlin
Secretary: Peter Rocca. Presidents Report 3
Member Details 5
Treasurer: John Beard.
New Members 5
Corona Virus 5
Committee: Peter (Pedro) Gill, Lock-down. 5
Ron Tew, QR Code and Check in App. 6
Ken Slater, AGM 6
David Smallbone, Memorial Reports 6
Bob Hansen. Geoff Grebert. 6
Dave Devlin. 7
Some Health Advice 7
Editor’s note. Repeat story by Geoff Grebert. 7
Again, I am dedicating this issue to Christmas Party 9
Market Day. 9
the memorials of late members Code of Conduct Issue 10
Geoff Grebert and Dave Devlin with Old rags. 10
coverage of their memorial services. Caboolture Youth Services 11
Sausage sizzles 11
I also have a repeat of a story Geoff Bunnings Breakfast 9th July. 12
wrote for this newsletter at the Bunnings 10th July. 12
onset of his illness. Market Day 10th July. 12
Mower Racing 12
If you have anything worthy of this Race Day 12
newsletter, please send to the email Story of the Month 13
address below. The tree hugger. 13
Upcoming Events. 14
Email: rhtew@bigpond.com Projects/Activities. 14
Haymes Paints Truck. 14
Traditional Funerals. 15
Just Better Care. 15
Luke Howarth visit. 15
Clock Project. 16
Geoff’s Boxes. 16
This Month’s Tip 16
Tool Holder. 16
Member Profile. NONE
2
Presidents Report. (Or as sometimes called ‘Rodney’s Ramblings’)
At the time of writing this president’s report your shed is once again
in a “COVID lockdown.” Over this period, please take the time to
connect with your mates and make sure they are ok. Some,
unfortunately live alone and their shed outings are their only catch
up with the real world and their mates. During the previous
lockdown we lost one of our members, Dave Devlin, who
unfortunately passed away at home. If not for us checking up on him
he may have gone unnoticed for some time. Dave’s family really
appreciated our thoughts.
It has been a big month for us at shed, up until the current lockdown
we seemed to get back to some sort of normality. Earlier in the
month we shared a fund-raising sausage sizzle with Moodlu men’s
shed and although not a big day due to the weather it was a good
learning experience for the much younger Moodlu shed members.
They really appreciated the few extra dollars, as did we.
The following day we had our first market day at shed and another
sausage sizzle at bunning’s. These events were all a success and
brought us in some much-needed funds.
A very big “thank you” to all involved.
Throughout the month we also had guest speakers ranging from
traditional funerals, Just Better Care Australia, and Santa clause.
Santa clause [Gavin] is looking to hire some Santa’s to work in local
shopping centres over Christmas. If you have that passion let me
know and I will put you in touch with Gavin.
Also, the men in the toy shop finally finished off one of the long-term
projects being the “Haymes paint truck”. This was presented to a
very teary and emotional Sammi at a special morning tea we held at
shed. We certainly have a very talented bunch of blokes in the toy
shop.
3
We also finished and presented to our local federal member, Luke
Howarth, the tropical fish project that our shed had been working on
for months. These fish will now be seen at many school aquariums
around our region and are a real credit to the people involved. This
was a long and complicated project that went through many hands
before it was finally finished.
Congratulations to all involved.
These colourful fish were finally presented to a very pleased Luke at
a special morning tea held at shed recently.
We have also had visits from the local Zonta club looking for raffle
prizes for some domestic violence raffles they are running, and a visit
from the Caboolture action group looking for crockery and furniture
for local homeless people. They all went away with something.
Unfortunately, it has not been all smooth sailing over the last month
at shed. We said goodbye to two shed members that passed away
recently. Geoff Grebert had a well-attended memorable day at north
lakes sports club while Dave Devlin had a memorable day and
sausage sizzle at shed that was well attended by members of Dave’s
family and friends. Dave’s ashes were spread on the shed grounds
that he loved.
The shed mower race day is coming up on Friday the 27th of august at
lakeside raceway. Dave Redfern is looking for men to help on the day
with being track marshals and crowd controllers. Woodford shed has
gone all out in making trophies, as has Logan men’s shed, so there
will be no shortage of trophies for winners, runner ups and best
presented machines.
The shed Christmas party has also been booked for Friday, 3rd of
December at the Caboolture sports club. This is free for our
members and $40 for their partners. Dave Redfern is taking names
for the dinner, so please see Dave as numbers need to be in.
4
In finishing, these are distressing times for many with self-isolation
guidelines putting distance between families and friends, and health
issues limiting time spent outside the home and at your shed with
your mates. If anyone feels isolated or distressed, please contact any
member of your shed committee.
As always – ask your mates “R U O K “
Rodney Hansen, President, Burpengary and District Men’s Shed Inc.
Member Details.
It has come to light recently that information for some members on
file is incorrect, such as email address, phone number and
emergency contacts. We have a form for all members to take, fill out
and return with updates, so please comply. One of our difficulties is
email addresses so please print neatly.
New Members.
New members since June.
Listed below are the new members since May, so when you bump
into them give them a big welcome. They are as follows: - Ben Van
Den Elst. (Ben Elst)
Corona Virus.
Lockdown.
As I put pen to paper on 5th of August SE Queensland is once again in
lock-down. At this stage it is until Sunday the 8th of August, but if
things do not improve, this could well be extended. All members will
be advised when the shed reopens.
5
QR Code and Check-in APP.
I was quite a surprise to see how well everybody took to using the
QR code upon entry to the shed? More of a surprise was the couple
of members who bought a smart phone for this purpose. There are
only a couple who use the TAB provided in the lack of having a
phone, but this is perfectly ok, and I do encourage those members to
keep using that system.
AGM.
Our AGM will be held very shortly, so remember to renew your
membership fees so you will be eligible for committee nominations,
and possible voting on the day. The date for this is dependent on our
auditor’s report, and several weeks’ notice to be given.
Memorial Reports.
Geoff Grebert. (Passed on 20th June 2021)
Geoff’s memorial was held on the 22nd of
July at the Northlakes Sports Club. What a
tribute it was to a man that will be sadly
missed. Many a people turned up, with
family from all over Australia, and the shed had a good turn-out as
well. Many stories were told about his life by family and friends that
bought a few tears and lots of laughter, such was the influence Geoff
had on people. I have re-published a story of advice Geoff wrote for
the newsletter at the onset of his illness, see below.
6
Dave Devlin. (Passed on or about 1st of July)
It is
with
sadness
that we
lost two
valued
members in the last month. Dave Devlin had requested in his will
that some of his ashes be scattered at the shed, so it was decided to
hold a memorial for Dave at that time. This was held on the 27th of
July with as many of Dave’s family and friends attending as there
were shed members. Maurie Walsh officiated with Rodney giving a
speech for the shed, and Dave’s Friend Tracey giving a eulogy in the
place of, and for, his niece Melissa.
Some Health Advise.
A story written for issue 8 in February 2019 by Geoff Grebert.
This is a repeat story from issue 8 and is printed exactly as written
then. Even though Geoff didn’t die from the cancer, the advice is
good, so I have decided to print it again.
A Shedder’s experience that might help fellow members.
Most of our regulars will know who this item is about but I have
asked that we keep my name out of this article as our newsletter
does get distributed to others outside of the Shed environs. This is
not intended to be about me per-se. It is intended to stress on our
members the importance of taking responsibility for the
management of YOUR health. To set the scene, so to speak, I will
recap briefly on my recent experience.
7
At the beginning of January, I received a diagnosis of incurable Stage
4 metastatic Lung Cancer. Welcome to 2019! I am hoping that I can
receive some treatment that will slow the progress of the cancer
down so that I can have a bit more time to wear the wheels out on
my caravan, spend some more quality time with my wife and
continue enjoying my activities with you guys.
Enough about my problems. Let’s talk about you. Prior to my
diagnosis I had no inkling that I might have cancer. It was found
incidentally to a scan I had to check my cardiac health. I spoke with
my GP about this because there is a high incidence of cardiac disease
in my direct male family line. I had the scan and, ironically, my
cardiac health is pretty good! My GP had no concerns about it all
when she read the report. But, in that report was the “kicker”. This
scan did detect abnormal lymphatic activity in my neck. That lead to
further tests and appointments with specialists and diagnosis of
cancer.
Now, please listen closely, had I not wanted to do a pre-emptive
check on my cardiac health I would not be composing this item for
our newsletter. Why? Because I would not know that I have Stage 4
Lung Cancer. I have no significant symptoms that indicate to me that
I have developed a disease that will kill me. I am STILL doing
everything I usually do; I have not lost weight; I don’t have a bad
cough – nothing.
So, my plea to all of you is to have a regular check-up with your GP.
Us blokes are notorious for avoiding doctors like the plague. Why???
Don’t settle for just a blood pressure check and some standard blood
tests. If you have any, I mean ANY, concerns then don’t be afraid to
raise them. If there is a significant health issue in your family history
then let your GP know about it. Don’t be arrogant, but don’t be
overawed by your GP. YOU must manage YOUR health. The GP is
8
there to facilitate, advise, recommend and guide you. If they refuse
to order a test that you want done and that you are prepared to pay
for, then find another GP. Many times, they will find a way to have
simple tests bulk billed if they are a proactive GP.
Here ends the lesson
Christmas Party.
Friday 3rd December.
The shed Christmas party will be held at the Caboolture Sports Club,
near Morayfield Rail Station, on Friday the 3rd of December 2021.
Members will be admitted free with a charge of $40.00 for partners.
We need numbers of attendees to aid with the booking, so see
Rodney and put your names down. More information closer to the
date.
Market day.
We finally managed to run our market day on the 10th, and it turned
out quite a worth-while day. It had rained the few days before hand,
so the ground was a little boggy, but with our new concreted areas
we had enough room to erect our gazebos and still have ample room
for patrons to mingle around the tables. The day was reasonably
profitable so I guess there will be future discussions on having these
on more occasions. With all the work our members put in to prepare
for the day, set up on the day, and pack up after on the day, a big
thank you, already done by Pedro, from the committee and all other
members, you know who you are, so pat yourself on the back,
because of your efforts the day was the success that it was. The CWA
women ran the eateries in our kitchen area on the day and by all
accounts had a financially viable day as well. They also controlled the
COVID check-in point as well and were obviously well up with the
requirements. Our sausage sizzlers were also busy on the day.
9
Possible Code-of-Conduct Issue.
Approval from committee first.
During the month of July, a situation evolved that started off being a
possible Code-of-Conduct issue. The Committee immediately acted
as soon as it was aware of the situation by having meetings and
interviews with members allegedly involved. The situation has now
hopefully been resolved with certain members being made clearly
aware of the committee’s decision, and there were no actions of
penalty taken against anybody. A particularly good result in the end.
Maybe it is time to remind all members that we operate under a
Code-of-Conduct that all members have read and understood upon
their originally joining the shed, so there should not be any incidents
of this nature unless there are underlying factors, as was in this case.
Let me also remind all members that one function of the committee
is to ensure that all members abide by the code-of conduct rules, so
if there is any incident that fits into this category in future, members
are asked to talk about it to a committee member who will then act
to hopefully resolve the situation before it escalates, such as this
incident did.
Remember we are all here because the shed offers us something,
whatever it might be, that we each look forward to, and all members
should respect that privilege afforded to everyone else, and we the
committee will work our best to ensure that this happens.
OLD RAGS.
The workshop men will always be needing old rags, so if you can
please bring them to the shed instead of turfing them.
10Caboolture Youth Justice Services.
We are now seeing a different crew turning up than before, even
Phillippe has passed on his duties, possibly not for long but it is nice
to see the program advancing.
A special meeting was held on Thursday 22nd of July between our
shed, local council and Youth Justice Services. In attendance were
Rodney Hansen {President} and Peter Rocca [Secretary} from the
Men’s Shed, Phillipe and April from Caboolture Youth Justice, Ben
McMullen from the Environment Department, Councillor Mark
Booth, Robert Olding from Sport and Recreation, Naomi and Micca
from various Council departments.
The main discussion was on the Possum Boxes the youth have been
building at the shed, and then wanting to fix the boxes to trees in the
area. There seems to be a little disagreement between council and
others about correct building material and correct work practices in
fixing the boxes to trees. Remedies could be forthcoming soon for
these problems.
We were also advised that there are grants available every quarter
for such programmes that we are currently running with youth
justice, so Peter asked questions on who to contact at council for
these grants. It will be with interest to see if anything eventuates
there.
Sausage Sizzles.
I have to mention at this stage that the week ending on Saturday the
10th of July was one of the busiest weeks fund raising I have seen in
my time with the shed. Our onion cutters were in full gear peeling
and cutting for a sizzle on Friday the 9th, another on Saturday the
10th, and also the markets on Saturday the 10th as well. The market
ran a little short on onions, but a local purchase got them by.
11Bunnings Friday 9th of July.
We received a call on the Monday of that week from Moodloo, who
had organised this sizzle, wanting helpers to be able to attain staff
numbers. They had obviously heard that we are willing to do this for
part of the takings, they win, and we also have a win. It rained on
that day so takings were down, but anything in the coffers will get us
closer to shed 3.
Bunnings Saturday 10th of July.
This was the sizzle we had instead of the one cancelled a couple of
weeks prior. Many thanks especially to the men who put in a full day
at this sizzle due to the market being held the same day. These men
have already received thanks from our committee, but I couldn’t
write this without also mentioning it. It was rather windy again on
this day, so they had to put up with the gazebo occasionally lifting off
the ground.
Market day 10th of July.
A sizzle was also held at the market day, with a reasonable amount
collected, adding the fine effort by all on that weekend.
Racing Mowers.
Race Day.
A reminder that the next race day is on Friday the 27th of August,
starting at 9:00 am, Lakeside Raceway. We are looking for flag
marshals for the day, so get yourself into a good vantage point by
doing this job.
12Story of the month.
The tree hugger.
A woman from Sydney who was a tree hugging, vegetarian and anti-
hunter purchased a piece of native bushland in northern NSW.
There was a large Gum Tree on one of the highest points in her
property. She wanted a good view of the natural splendour of her
land, so she started to climb the big gum.
As she neared the top, she encountered a Koala that attacked her. In
her haste to escape, the woman slid down the tree to the ground
and got many splinters in her crotch.
In considerable pain, she hurried to a local ER to see a doctor. She
told him she was an environmentalist, vegetarian, and an anti-hunter
and how she got the splinters.
The doctor listened to her story with great patience and then told
her to go wait in the examination room and he would see if he could
help her.
She sat and waited for three hours before the doctor re-appeared.
The angry woman demanded, “What took you so long?”
He smiled and then told her, “Well, I had to get permits from the
Environmental Protection agency, Native Vegetation, Parks and
Wildlife service, and the Bureau of Land Management before I could
remove old-growth timber from a ‘Recreational area’ so close to a
Waste Treatment Facility.
And I’m sorry, they turned you down.”
MY CAT JUST CAME HOME WITH 24 BAGS OF
KITTY LITTER.
Time to stop this nonsense.
13Upcoming Events.
August.
• Monday 23 August. Bunnings Sausage sizzle.
• Friday 27th August. Mower Racing Lakeside 9:00 am.
October.
• Wed 13th October. Senior’s day Morayfield Sports Centre 9:30
am.
December.
• Fri 3rd December. Christmas Party Caboolture Sports Club.
Projects & Activities
Haymes Paints Truck Presentation.
On the 15th of July we presented to Sammi a
wooden truck made by our ‘toy men’ after a
request from them. We were presented some
time ago with a photograph of an olden day
Haymes Paints truck and asked if we could
produce a wooden model of that nature. When
Sammi saw the result, she was taken aback
somewhat and had a very sentimental moment, not believing the
result that she was seeing. It also turns out that the truck was
intended as a gift to Haymes CEO in
Sydney, David Haymes, who sadly
passed away two weeks prior making
her moment an even more
sentimental one. I think we should
thank SEQ Signs for doing the sign
writing on the truck, and without any charge to the shed I might add.
14Traditional Funerals Presentation.
Our late member Dave Devlin organised a presentation to be given at
the shed by Tradition Funerals before he passed away. This
presentation turned out to be a very big hit with all members as Lisa
and Lesley, from Traditional Funerals, gave a talk about Funerals and
Funeral Bonds. They had also arranged Chris, from Stewart Burr and
Mayr Lawyers, to give a talk on wills and power of attorney and such,
and also Ian, from QUT, to talk about
a body bequest program, body
donation for medical research
education. These were subjects that
all our members showed great
interest in even though many had
already fulfilled these necessities.
Just Better Care Presentation.
On Thursday 29th July Safe Care gave a
presentation about their organization
and what facilities they provide to the
elderly. There was information I wasn’t
aware of, being that I could be eligible
for funding for at home assistance, so I
will be making it a priority to call them, to start the ball rolling.
Luke Howarth Visit.
On the 20th of July Luke Howarth,
local federal politician, visited to
pick up the fish cut-outs we made
for him. (This follows a story in issue
35) We were given several photos
and asked if we could make some
15A4 paper sized cut-outs of them and have them painted in their
colours. The fish are for displays hanging above several fishponds in
the area to give children an idea of some of the local fish. The
response from Mr. Howarth when presented with the fish was one of
amazement at the quality of the finished product, and the size of the
donation made to the shed, I think, reflected his feelings.
Clock Project.
We were given a metal framed clock face
and asked to do some work to it so it can be
built into a clock. Pictured is as it turned up,
there should be more on its completion.
Geoff’s Boxes.
Geoff has been making
several boxes for the
shed and has been doing
a good job of it as well.
This Month’s Tip.
Tool Holder.
I was having a problem with tools
vibrating off my workbench whenever I
used a power sander. To prevent this, I
mounted a magnetic bar into a piece of
hardwood and added a dowel to the
underside to fit in a dog hole.
PROUDLY COMPILED AND PRODUCED
FOR
Burpengary and District Men’s Shed
By
Ronald H. Tew
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