Category Archives: General Membership

News for the general club membership

Club Activity, Community Project, Fund Raising, General Membership

Fight Prostate Cancer by supporting Movember

Many of us have had prostate cancer or know of someone who has had it. It is not the death sentence it was once. This only the case because of money raised for research into ways of managing the cancer.

I would not be here today if it was not for this research; however I still cannot grow a moustache but I can support someone who can.

Syd is a club member who has also survived prostate cancer and he can grow a moustache. Please support him in his fund raising effort.

Colin Dobson

Together we’ve helped stop men dying too young, funding vital prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention projects. Every bit counts, which is why I’m back for another month of Movember. Will you help me out again?

https://mobro.co/SydJohnson

I’m supporting the Movember Foundation because they’re tackling some of the most significant health issues faced by men.

There are two ways you can contribute to my Movember fundraising:

  1. Donate online at https://mobro.co/SydJohnson
  2. Or, write a cheque to ‘Movember’ referencing my registration ID (486723) and mail it to: Movember, PO Box 60, East Melbourne, VIC 8002, Australia

Learn about the important work Movember is funding and the impact your donation will have: https://au.movember.com/programs/cause

Thanks for your support.

Syd Johnson

Club Activity, General Membership

WOSP Open Day

The club is preparing an Open Day on Saturday 3rd February 2018. The purpose of the Open Day is to advertise the club’s activities and attract new members.

It is proposed to display a gallery of member work pieces as such the committee requests all members to assess their achievements and make them available to the display. You may even consider putting a price on your articles and see if they will sell.

Wood turning demonstrations will be scheduled throughout the day. Volunteers are required to demonstrate the making of whistles, pens, spinning tops & perhaps a bowl or two.

In addition other displays will include picture framing, intarsia & pyrography. On the open day we will canvas the ideas of Saturday morning sessions and short courses for picture framing, pyrography & intarsia courses.

 Additional attractions will be a classic car display and perhaps some product suppliers.

Planned advertising is through radio (Classic Cars contact) and flyers to Seawinds, local men’s sheds, banks, shops, villages for seniors, friends & family of members, the tourist bureau, etc. The council will be approached for permission to have sandwich boards around Rosebud.

Discuss the open day with others and see how you can help. Share your ideas.

General Membership

Club Election Results

Your committee for the 2017-18 period is:

President John Bayliss
Vice President Rod Bew
Secretary Greg Millar
Treasurer Peter Rodgers-Wilson
Committee: Gaven Davis, Colin Dobson, John Feeley, Ron Higgins, Jeff Killeen, Gordon Waddingham
 
John Bayliss thanked the 2016-17 committee for their efforts and expressed appreciation to the members who stood for office.
Club Process, General Membership

Your Session Leaders

The clubs session leaders have donated their time to help you complete your planned activity. However the session leaders have different skills and you should be aware of their skills should you require specific assistance.

Ron Higgins has been the Monday evening session leader for a number of years and has a broad range of skills, although he likes to specialise in wood turning.

Roger Stebbing is an artist whose portraits & landscapes require frames. So he developed his picture frame making skills & is prepared to share them with you on the first Monday evening of each month.

The club is often requested to undertake some specific activity. Dennis Connor always takes the lead in these cases. His general carpentry skills are excellent.

Gordon Waddingham loves to assist members wanting to wood turn. He has a number of projects for beginners that are simple & inexpensive but will assist you in developing your turning skills.

Gaven Davis is a retired chippy who loves woodturning well. If you view his past projects you will be challenged to improve your own skills.

Dennis, Gordon & Gaven are available on Tuesdays. They also have access to jigs that will assist you making some attractive bread boards & trays.

In a past life Rob Oram was a fitter & turner. Rob possesses imagination & initiative and has the innate ability to assist with any project you wish to undertake. At the request of one member wanting to make a jewellery box Rob made available his own router & finger joint jig. So if you want to make a jewellery box then Ron is the person to see on Thursday evenings.

Although Colin Dobson is in his first year as a session leader he gets enjoyment in helping members learn the skills of using the wood turning chisels correctly.

Of course on Wednesdays are toy making days. As many toys need to be mass produced Bert Bartlett is the man to see about making jigs to make your job easier.

Club Activity, Community Project, General Membership, Toy Making

The Toy Team

If you visit the clubhouse on a Wednesday you will see plenty of activity. It appears everyone has a task and it is tackled with a smile & enthusiasm.

At the beginning of the year a plan is established considering the most popular toys, the resourcing to make, paint & store the toys before handover in late November.

John Parrent’s past project management skills is tested in bringing this plan together. The success of the quantity & quality of toys delivered over the past couple of years indicates 2017 should be another good year.

WOSP on a Wednesday is not just a toy workshop, it is a social gathering. It is a friendly community which in many ways provides the heart of the club. The attendees represent 20-25% of the club. A large percentage of the toy workforce also supports the Bunnings BBQ’s, the main income of the club. Conversations at mealtime are friendly & energetic. Discussions focus on the best techniques for streamlining production, prototyping new toys and arguing about whose football team was best.

Club Process, General Membership

2017 Member Benefits

Club Membership is only $60 per year. In the first year there is a once off administration fee of$45 which includes the provision of your name badge. The cost for participation in the workshop is $4

So after outlining the cost you are likely to incur, the following benefits are available to you.

  • Access to workshop with 8 lathes, 2 Band Saws, a scroll saw, bench saw, crosscut saw, planer, jointer, single & dual drum sander, bench sander, spindle sander, mortise & tenon jig, framing guillotine, a paint spray booth room with spray equipment, numerous handheld power tools. In addition there are hand tools, drill bits & Forstner bits, routers & router benches as well as 5 work benches.
  • Workshop access to 6 sessions per week with an experienced session leader
  • Opportunity to be involved in making toys for charity distribution at Christmas
  • Receive 10 “The Woodpecker” newsletters each year & access to club website
  • Opportunity to participate in club fundraising at Bunnings BBQ’s with other members
  • Availability of small lending library
  • Access to experienced woodturning & wood working mentors
  • Membership open to both men & women
  • Members receive a club card and name badge.
Community Project, General Membership, Toy Making

Toy Handover

To most December 3 is just another Saturday but for the club it is a celebratory day as it culminates the completion of almost 700 toys by a group of club volunteers. During the year these volunteers donate each Wednesday to toy manufacture. John Parrent excels in the general organisation while Bert Bartlett ensures there is a jig to simplify the making of any toy.

The toys include rocking swans, prams, bikes, garages, helicopters, ambulances & police cars, fire engines, push carts, ironing boards & irons, wheelbarrows, tool boxes, carousels, trams, ride on trucks, doll cradles, quoits. In addition there will be a number of trick boxes plus naughts & crosses games.

The toy will be donated to representatives from Food for All, Salvation Army, Rye Lions & Westernport Charities who in turn will distribute them to children within the Mornington Peninsula. The function will also be attended by representatives from Bunnings, Bendigo Bank & Hillview Quarries, fantastic supporters of WOSP.

Everyone is welcome to attend the toy handover.

Club Activity, General Membership

Defibrillator Training

Defibrillator Training by David Gordon
Defibrillator Training by David Gordon

Training was conducted by David Gordon on 10th November at the club. David demonstrated the use of the defibrillator in conjunction with CPR. The members John Parrent, Joe Raulli, Eddie Hunter, Ron Higgins, Dennis Connor, Greg Millar, John Bayliss, Colin Dobson, Gaven Davis & Jeff Killeen attended and were involved in the discussion of various scenarios that could occur within the club. Thank you to Hillview Quarries who generously donated the defibrillator and the expense of the training.