A Brief History of the club
In 1996 a group of men interested in working with wood & wood turning found there was nothing on the peninsula where they could pass their time & develop their skills. (The concept of Men’s Shed did not develop until 2003 & that was in NSW). After much persistence they were granted the use of a gardener’s shed behind the Neighbourhood House on the corner of Boneo Road & Besgrove Street. It was decided to pull down the gardener’s shed and after much effort replace it with a 25 sq. metre workshop with an earthen floor. A 23 sq. metre shed was annexed to the workshop. Classes were held in this space. Limits were placed on class size. All equipment was purchased from club funds. To accommodate members at General Meetings this area was cleared of equipment and chairs installed, as there was insufficient space to conduct a meeting. In fact, weather permitting it was preferable to hold meetings in the open. Toilet facilities continued at Neighbourhood House. The subsequent official opening was 1997.
There has never been a 5 year plan to consider membership, equipment or workspace. However the venture proved successful and attracted a variety of tradespersons & professionals alike.
More fund raising attempts bore little fruit. Fortunately the Council provided a grant and a bigger shed was built which provided work space, a meeting room, kitchen & toilet facilities. The official opening was in 2002.
Now 2 workshops existed side by side. One of the perks of a woodwork club is that it attracts tradesmen capable of joining the 2 workshops concreting the floors and adding new machinery including the electrical work where required. Since 1996 one day a week was spent making toys for the children at Christmas.
Funding & space were the 2 biggest issues. Once Bunnings initiated weekend BBQ’s the club obtained a reasonable source of income. As space was required sheds were either joined. Once work space was adequate, a solution was required for toy storage space. 3 metre x 3 metre sheds were added as required.
The club was quite comfortable with day & evening workshop sessions 5 days per week, (one of which was solely for toys), knowledgeable session leaders, an enthusiastic committee, regular BBQ volunteers, and a president of 10 years providing direction & conciliatory guidance.
In 2017 the council decided to build a swimming pool on the land adjacent to the club’s workshop. So the workshop had to go. Almost overnight the club with the council’s assistance began to look for a new home. Eventually the site at the Vern Wright Reserve was deemed appropriate although a new workshop had to be built.
The new workshop floor plan is 380 square metres, 25% larger than the clubs former site. Externally there are 3 roller doors that can only be opened from the inside, a bike rack & a disabled parking spot. External power points are available plus there are 18 solar panels on the roof providing power to the building and machinery.
Internally there is a meeting room with a mezzanine above for storage. Each piece of equipment has power & metal ducting available. The dust extractor is controlled by a power board alongside the rear entrance which exits to the dust extractor. Other features are an eye wash basin, unisex toilets; internal windows in the meeting overlook the workshop. In addition, there is internal & external security monitored by Coastcom.
On the 24th June 2019 the workshop was handed over to Woodworkers of the Southern Peninsula. After moving all the equipment & setting up the workshop day sessions began on the 5th August 2019on the proviso the dust extractor would not be used until it was housed to eliminate the noise.
The official opening was 12th October 2019. Now WoSP will be able to continue making toys for charities to distribute at Christmas. Club documentation shows that WoSP has been making toys for 21 years.