Sick List- Great to see Bob D back at the shed driving again and on the tools. Just need some more jokes Bob! Some other members are still struggling with health issues. We wish you well.

Farmers’ Market- The last market in the Mall went very well with almost a sell out. Over $1400 taken between this and Springfest. No results for this week’s market.

Community Market –Fairly slow with only 3 stall holders. Thanks to Judith P for potting up some plants as these sold well. Workshop $250.40, BBQ $46.50 and Kitchen $44.00   giving a total of $340.90.

Raffles- We currently  have 3 raffles running- our own with the cooker and toy as prizes, Springfest for a 6x4 trailer and tools valued at $5000, and Ballarat South Rotary car raffle. All are $2 per ticket. This is a good way to fundraise from people outside our shed i.e. family, friends and neighbours. Our raffle and Springfest raffle will finish this week.

IGA supermarket and Haintz Pharmacy- These two businesses support BECS by a token scheme (IGA) and a rebate on prescriptions (Haintz). Members and their families are encouraged to support these businesses.

Nissan Hut – A very successful clean up day prior to the Conference. About 13 guys helped out. By stacking the bin John V M managed to fit 10 m in a 9m bin. We got rid of a lot of particle board and found windows we didn’t know we had! Thanks to Alan B for the hamburger lunch. We will try to tackle the back shed this month.

New Members- We have had a number of new members join in recent days. Please make them welcome and get to know them. Many have interesting stories to tell. It is encouraging to see new members actively involved and taking initiative in projects. A couple of members have recently had their fathers at the shed which is great to see.

Music Group –Going well. We have asked them to perform a couple of numbers at our Christmas break up. We have also purchased a number of music stands for the group. Ken P has replaced some curtains in the flat which were in very poor condition. We have purchased a portable p.a. system for use by musicians and for meetings when required.

BBQ Helpers- Thank you to all those who have helped on the bbq’s this month!

Holidays –David and Paul have returned from overseas trips, David from Japan and Paul from the Americas. Both had a good trip but glad to be home.

Springfest- Thanks to the guys who helped to erect the large tent on Saturday. We took back 3 wheelie bins in the afternoon to half fill with water as the forecast was grim. Although the weather on the day was poor with showers and wind the tent stood up and people came out. Sadly the people who made our pencil cases were not there on the day so when we unloaded all the boxes we had no idea what went where. It could have been embarrassing if we couldn’t make one ourselves! Bernie R and Doug S came to the rescue and made 1 each, and David P came a little later. These guys worked for a solid 6 hours with virtually no break. A great effort guys! It’s not often you would have children waiting in a line for 10 minutes for their turn but they did on Sunday. Parents were helping their children as well, and my assessment was that it was a very successful day. We found we needed to pre-drill most pieces and we had to send Denis to Bunnings for extra drill bits. Remember our help with Springfest is in order to fund a wet area upgrade in the rec. room - a worthwhile project. The bbq at Springfest was also very successful thanks to Alan and his team. A huge effort which will help the bank balance. From the list I believe we had over 14 people involved with Springfest. I hope you are all acknowledged at our next general meeting.

Workshop –Projects this month include 2 trailers in the metal area, 1 a motorbike trailer to be modified and the other to repair broken tail gates, lights and brackets. Thanks to John E and Neale M for undertaking these jobs. Ron L and Len C have been repairing a number of wooden chairs – tightening legs etc. (on the chairs that is). We have a last minute rushed project to build a tree of life. Thanks to Len C, Doug S and Ron L for design and construction. Terry W has been cleaning up some work benches which improves the look of the shed. Doug S has finished another display board, relocated the spare wheel on the bbq trailer and helped on other projects without putting his name on the list.

Donation – Graham R has donated a sandblast cabinet with all the accessories which is being set up in the workshop. Sorry I overlooked this last month Graham.

Constitution – Thanks to all members who turned up and voted at the last general meeting to change the constitution. This will now be lodged with Consumer Affairs.

Ballarat Show display – Thanks to Ron L for organising a BECS display at the show.
Stay  active for life- We have been contacted by this group to see if we are interested in some gentle exercises to be held at the shed on a Thursday. Unfortunately we did not have enough numbers to run the program last week. We are making this program available to women to participate and make up numbers otherwise it will not happen. It is a requirement that you have a medical clearance. Please see Doug J for forms. This will be the last week to register your interest.

Grasscutting – Thanks to Ray and Marj D for keeping the grounds in order and cutting the grass prior to the conference.

Grants – We have lodged an application for a grant to upgrade the water supply to the shed with United Way/Ballarat Foundation. A plumber has agreed to do the connections for nothing, and as theses grants are co-contribution our part would be to dig the trench, lay the pipe and back fill. Further details to be advised.

Sponsors – Each month we will give a short update on how our sponsors support us.

Voice 99.9FM – On the first Wednesday of each month we get 30-45 mins. To speak about Mens Sheds in general and our shed in particular. This allows us to talk about upcoming events. At the AMSA conference Helen Bath and Voice team had an outside broadcast with a number of interviews.

Bakers Delight – Every week we pick up a number of loaves of bread for use in our lunches and breakfast. This is a valuable contribution to our work.

Simplex Insurance Solutions – Simplex sponsor the registration of the BECS ute as well as being our insurer. Any time we need a certificate of currency for an event we have the document by the end of the day.

Ute update – Nothing to report as yet.

Christmas Breakup will now be Thursday 12th December at Royal Mail Hotel, Sebastopol.  Starting time 6.30pm.
Please note change of date and indicate attendance on noticeboard list. Cost approx. $26 p/h.

Conference report – In organising 2 breakfasts in 3 days for over 150 guests you start to worry about all sorts of things. Have we got coffee and milk? Is the place presentable? Will our volunteers turn up? Have you told everyone the right time and date? I sympathise with Al (refer his letter) but I needn’t have worried. It was a successful 2 days and we had lots of positive comments from delegates to the 5th National Men’s Shed Conference. A couple of catering issues (mainly people who don’t know when to stop). Special thanks to the people who displayed cars including our member Moyle, the volunteers who did the cooking, pre and post cleaning, the guys who set up the rec. room and anyone else who came to mingle and talk to our visitors. We have received an email of thanks from Prof. Barry Golding. Barry was awarded the Ted Donnelly Award and life membership of AMSA at the Conference. The conference had some great speakers on a wide range of topics. Mike Brady was a highlight at the conference dinner. It is a pity the cost precludes many of our members attending as it is good to hear what is happening Australia wide and internationally. John Evoy from Ireland who has visited our shed on 3 occasions has developed over 270 men’s sheds in Ireland in approx. 3 years with virtually no govt. assistance, something we can empathise with. Click here to hear John's interview with Voice FM

The next shed conference will be in Newcastle in 2015.