By Bill Hearps
The shed was opened on 9th April 2011 by then Mayor Jan Bonde. It occupied one room (now the lunchroom) with a total of 10 members. With a vegetable garden and a wide concrete strip to double gates into Alice Street. The shed now occupies nearly all the Northwest corner of the showgrounds.
The current membership is steady at around 50 members, with an average attendance of 30 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 8 am to 1 pm.
At the recent Annual General Meeting, Ian Hardstaff was re-elected President, Kerry Hays Vice and Barry Purton Sec/treas. Also, at the recent state AGM of the TMSA (Tasmanian Mens Shed Association) Rob Mckenzie was elected as President after serving one year one year as the Vice President to Davis Seen of the Penguin Mens Shed.
More than 300 community projects have been completed during the past 12 months. Some of them from the Ulverstone shed were for the Tasmanian National Parks & Wildlife (nesting boxes for Penguins), Ulverstone Red Cross (memorial seat and book library), Wings Wildlife (animal shelters and flood damage), Wilmot Museum (frame for a double-sided mural). Major job of refurbishment of the old toilet block near the shed. A special ice cream is being created for Eliza Purton Home (soon to be delivered). Honor Boards for numerous groups have been made and updated, as have many items of furniture, and one of the better projects has been sold and delivered statewide.
Sensory tables have been very popular this year; a teacher bought plans for the shed and requested one be built. Two were built, and when the second one was advertised, there were many enquiries, resulting in 62 being sold and sent statewide, even to Cape Barren Island. Cutting boards made of a variety of timbers are also popular, but as one member says, they are too nice to use.
Several local businesses donate used pallets, which the shed members dismantle and recycle the timbers.
Only two bus trips were held this year: one to Launceston to visit Boags Brewery and the Maritime College and the other to the recently opened Dulverton Recycling and Waste Management centre, which proved very interesting.
Some of the past memorable rips were to Goliath at Railton and Becketts Earthmoving at Exeter. This is a collection of beautifully restored Mack Trucks and Caterpillar Tractors.
The shed also supports other community groups such as Beyond Blue, Women’s Shelter, New Mornings, Ulverstone Red Cross and Delta Dogs. Delta dogs are trained dogs Ted is a beautifully trained Golden Retriever owned by a shed member Ron who takes him to various places as a service dog in uniform.
The shed has an annual pizza night with the Forth Valley Lions, as we have some members in common.
The catering and garden groups continue to provide good service to shed members. A local catering supplier has donated tea and coffee to the shed since the inception of the opening in 2011 with only 10 members, their support is very much appreciated.
