While the Men’s Shed at Maranatha Village in Kallangur does make new items, one of the frequent activities is to ‘resurrect’ old and neglected ones.
Recently, the team spent many hours reviving an old bench seat, originally made by Don Bartley from camphor laurel slabs. The Men’s Shed team cleaned up the wood, reassembled all the pieces, and applied at least four coats of finish to bring up its old lustre. Now Don’s sister Dell Shaw is able to enjoy it at her home.
The seat was originally made for Maranatha and sat outside Reception, but currently it is ‘homed’ with Dell and her husband, Ted, and will be returned to Maranatha at a later date. The key workers on this project were Mark Witton, Ken Weldon, Arthur Wright, Jeff Hermann.
There are currently 15 members of the Men’s Shed, however not many have the skills to work on the machinery yet. The Shed hopes to set up approved training sessions in the future to increase the number of members who can operate some of the equipment.
The Men’s Shed is not just about woodworking skills, but also about fellowship and companionship. Most Thursday afternoons, a dozen or so members gather for a couple of hours over a cuppa and a biscuit for a companionable, nostalgic chat. The Shed provides a space where men can come together, share their stories, and form new friendships. For many residents, the Men’s Shed is an important part of their social life.
Most of the equipment in the Shed was generously donated by incoming residents when they entered the Village. However, we have been blessed to acquire a brand new bench saw, to replace one that had been on loan, with a generous donation from the Maranatha fundraising committee.
We are blessed to have such an active community at Maranatha Village, and look forward to seeing what the Men’s Shed at Maranatha will work on next!
Find out more about retiring at Maranatha Village in Kallangur.
