Community project noticed at hall
The Men’s Shed steps up for Okoia Hall noticeboard
Among the many community projects undertaken by the skilled team at The Men’s Shed was a weatherproof cabinet for community notices, to be attached to the outside of the Okoia Hall.
At The Men’s Shed last Thursday to pick up the finished cabinet was Carol Teutscher, of the Okoia Hall committee. “A while back the committee decided to make themselves known a little more,” she says. A few years ago an “Okoia Hall” sign went up. With the Okoia community growing, the hall is becoming a focal point and more events are being held there. It was decided a noticeboard was needed so people and groups could promote and advertise local events, community groups and businesses.
“Garth Stevenson introduced me to Ivan Stick, the shed manager, who said they’ll treat it as a community exercise, something they do now and then,” says Carol. “We provided some of the materials.”
She says Okoia man Dave Westcott provided a suitable piece of polycarbonate and some plywood and The Men’s Shed advised her on a few other bits to buy for the construction of the noticeboard cabinet. The cabinet has a transparent polycarbonate door, a Pinex interior board on which to pin notices, and is lockable.
Darron, aka Griz, and Gerry built the cabinet. Griz says it’s fun to work
on community projects and play with all the gear at the shed, but it’s the friendships made there that are really important. Newly arrived at the shed is half a tonne of horizontal mill, a tool bought with the aid of a grant from Wanganui Rotary South, says Bevan Chilcott, Men’s Shed president. The
Men’s Shed is well equipped and is
based in premises made available by Tupoho. “They give us a very good rental which allows us to exist,” says Griz, “And their ethos is about helping the community. A big thank you is owed to them.”
Men’s Shed community projects are all over town and beyond, including the planter boxes at the tram shed, the refurbished gates at Maxwell Cemetery, and more.
Coincidentally, one of the items produced by the team at the shed is “departure boxes”, as they call burial caskets.
At the moment, The Men’s Shed is leasing the property month to month and the members are looking for replacement premises. If anyone has a big, empty shed . . . ?
“It would be lovely if we could find something like this where we know we’re secure,” says Bevan.