NEXT SOCIAL MEETING

Mon 04 December 2017

10:30 for 11:00am

Member’s Only

Christmas Lunch

Mt Gravatt Show

Grounds Community

Hall Cost:$12 for

Meeting, morning tea &

lunch.

> Photography Group Members are urged to see Shed website for 2018 Dates > See Calendar for other events

ALL Booking sheets @ the Shed Office & Social Meetings

Members are asked to consider sharing some of their working experience on a mid month Sausage Sizzle day. Please contact John Wicks to arrange.

SHED TALK

M E N M A K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E

Volume 8 Number 11

Inside

President’s Report……....2 Retiring President’s Address……………….....3 Photography News….…..4 Workshop Happenings…5 Incontinence………….….6 Mens Health……………..7 The Bread Run… 8 Cartooning……………….9 Storemen Arrangements.9 Woodturners Corner…...10 Scroll Sawing………….. 11 Camping at Iluka……… 12 Tasks…………………. 13 Photography Prize……. 13 Competition What is .. . 14 Chuckles……………… .15 Program December 16

Our Vision

To provide a facility where men of all ages can feel comfortable and gather together to spend time socially, as

well as in a practical manner, by participating in constructive endeavors that develop self esteem.

THE SHED PRESIDENTIAL HANDOVER Our President over the past thee years, Murray Rogash, congratulates Peter Lindsay on his election at the AGM on Monday 06 November 2017. See more on page two and three.

CHRISTMAS FUNCTIONS

Members and Wives/Partners Lunch: Friday 24 November— Southern Cross Sports Club Klumpp Road $35.00 pp

Members Lunch: Showgrounds Community $12.00 pp Hall (Details Page 16)

OUR OFFICIALS FOR 2018

Page 2 Vol 8 No 11

Patrons: Body: Dr Brian Kable; Mind: Assoc Prof Dr Grant Devilly;

Spirit: Rt Rev Dr Doug Stevens

President: Peter Lindsay

Vice-Presidents: Lloyd Akeroyd, Harry Crosbie, John Wicks

Secretary: Brian Wandel; Assistant Secretaries: David Crossley, Ken Mihill;

Treasurer: Jim Pollock; Assistant Treasurers: John Bettenay, Colin Gillies

Area Co-ordinators: Building & Grounds: Bill Semple

Community Projects: Bart McKnight; IT Coordinator: Neville O’Brien

Office: Harry Crosbie; Recreation: John Wicks; Welfare: Elwyn Jackson;

Workshop: Lloyd Akeroyd

Shed

Neil Egan,

Articles for the newsletter:

Send articles, jokes, comment, snippets, recipes,

tips, suggestions, bouquets, brickbats, etc

newsletter: www.newsletter@mtgrav

attmensshed.org.au

President’s Comments – November, 2017 Peter Lindsay, President Arising from our recent Annual General Meeting I want to thank you all for the confidence that you have placed in the Executive and the new Management Committee to provide leadership at our Shed. Thank you to the new committee and indeed to all who were prepared to nominate for positions at our AGM. I want to acknowledge the contribution of those who have retired from the Management Committee. Thanks to each of you for your willingness to serve your fellow shedders over the last year. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will read a summary of all the achievements of our Shed during the three years of Murray Rogash’s time as President. We can all take some pride in our collective achievements. I also want to thank all our members who have committed themselves to the various roles and responsibilities that enable us to share in the extensive range of activities that we will have on offer in the year ahead. The success of our Shed has been built on what we have been prepared to offer to each other in friendship and support. I read once that the letters of the word TEAM stand for Together Everyone Achieves More. It is my hope that during the year ahead we will continue to support each other through our active participation in our Shed TEAM. Peter Lindsay

Visit from Ian Walker Member for Mansfield Thursday 16 November 2017 Ian Walker visited our Shed last week to announce that, if elected, the LNP would provide a $30,000 grant to enable us to further enhance our Shed facilities. Ian recognised the great contribution our Shed is making to our community and beyond.

Postal Address: PO Box 239, Mansfield Queensland 4122 Website: www.mtgravattmensshed.org.au

Page 3 Vol 8 No 11

Retiring President’s AGM 2017 address As it is now three years since you gave me the honour and privilege of becoming president of MGMS, and as I am not standing for re-election, rather than re-iterate what is in my Annual Report I thought I would give you a summary of what has been achieved in that time. We know that the first 7 years under Brian Wheeler’s leadership was extremely productive in getting the whole concept off the ground and building the best Shed around. When I took this office in November 2014 I told you that I saw my role as one of stabilisation and ensuring long-term viability. I believe we have achieved just that. Please bear in mind that I am not taking the credit for our achievements over the past three years, they have been accomplished with the tremendous efforts of a great team. Physically we have:

Completed the Rec Room extension (and conducted our second “opening ceremony” in 2 years).

Overseen in excess of $100,000 worth of external improvements such as verandas almost all the way around the building, solar power, shades, enhancement of the northern area including concreting areas and installation of the retaining wall and safety fence (another official opening), storage shed and finally, the memorial walk (a further official opening in conjunction with our Bob Pope memorial function). I guess this makes us Shed champions of “official openings” as well. All this has been accomplished with the help of our amazing supporters as mentioned in my report.

Strengthened our relationship with our co-tenants of the showground eg. The massive amount of work done on the Girl Guide hall and surrounds.

Continued growth in membership numbers, with that number currently standing at about 300 from over 40 different postcodes, participating in 25 plus activities, proving that we are not just a “place where blokes to make stuff” as believed by some members of the public. We have truly become a venue of choice for men to enhance their lives – an organisation which places great emphasis on the health and wellbeing of our members.

Administratively we have been just as active. In this time we have: Built a more structured Management Committee with the introduction of new positions

such as Vice Presidents (one of whom is standing for election as president today), Workshop Co-ordinator, Recreation Co-ordinator, Building and Grounds Co-ordinator to the extent that every group activity carried out at MGMS has a direct avenue to the MC. All members of the MC have completed position descriptions so that their jobs can be carried out successfully in the event of adverse circumstances. Although we all like to think we are indispensable, the cemeteries are filled with indispensable people.

On the governance side of things, we are now the envy of most Sheds in Australia, having completed a portfolio of 27 policies by which all aspects of MGMS are run.

We have continued with our strategic planning by revising the plan for the 2016-19 period and will continue to look forward in this manner. As I just mentioned, we are looking at succession planning in a similar light by not leaving anything to chance.

We have initiated the MGMS Future Fund, a vehicle via which Shed members and members of the public can assist in the long-term sustainability of MGMS by means of bequests or tax-deductible donations.

Once again, I thank you all for the opportunity to serve this great organisation. I believe we have done what we set out to do three years ago and have no problems handing over to the incoming president who will, I am sure, take MGMS through to its next stage.

Murray Rogash

Page 4 Vol 8 No 11

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP NEWS - VISIT TO ROMA STREET PARKLANDS

Seven MGMS photo group members met at Roma St Gardens for the second last outing of the year on Friday 6th of October. Once again the group encountered pleasant weather and a coffee for everyone, got us ready for the walk. The gardens are very lush at present and members enjoyed seeking out photo opportunities for present and future competition assignments. Six members stayed for lunch, enjoying the companionship, good banter and the cool breezes flowing through the cafe in the park. Colin Gillies

Page 5 Vol 8 No 11

WORKSHOP HAPPENINGS

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1&2 “There must be something under here!” Men being intro-duced to the table-mounted router as part of the intermediate woodworking training. Intermediate woodwork has completed for this year and will recommence in March next year. The course will consist of training on the various machines in the woodwork area and then several projects to use and consolidate this new found knowledge. 3 The cold saw making short work of a length of steel. 4 Don explaining the finer points of folding table construction to three Wednesday woodworkers Lloyd Akeroyd

Page 6 Vol 8 No 11

By doing pelvic floor exercises you can strengthen these muscles and improve both bladder and bowel control. Advice was given on how to identify one’s pelvic floor muscles and how to perform pelvic floor exercises.

Also: Drink 6-8 cups of water each day limit caffeine, alcohol and fizzy drinks Eat a healthy diet, rich in dietary fibre (fruit, vegies, breads and cereals) Exercise (regularly) Good toilet habits (go to toilet when bladder feels full. Don’t go just in case). When sitting on the toilet put elbows on knees (squat position)

INCONTINENCE

Factors that may cause pelvic floor muscle weakness Pelvic surgery Obesity Smoking Heavy lifting High impact exercises Chronic coughing

Our Guest Speaker for the monthly Sausage Sizzle event on Monday 16 October was Rae Plush from the National Continence Foundation of Australia.

Rae’s presentation was lively and interesting and many times riveting.

Topics included: Good bladder habits for everyone After dribble—a Common problem for men Continence and prostate Pelvic muscle training for men.

The overall message was that men can suffer continence issues AND there are ways to treat the issues or prevent them.

The importance of pelvic floor muscles was little known to many members. Pelvic floor muscles play an important role in bladder and bowel control.

Rae emphasised the availability of a National Continence Helpline which is 1800 33 00 66

“Most cases of bladder and bowel control can be cured or better

managed”.

Page 7 Vol 8 No 11

Dementia - Can't I just pop a pill?

There are currently two types of medications available for dementia.

The first are known as cholinesterase inhibitors (eg Rivastigmine or Exelon) and they’re used to treat people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s or Lewy Body Dementia. They work by reducing the breakdown of a chemical called acetyl choline which is important for learning and memory. In people with Alzheimer’s disease, the brain cells that produce acetyl choline start dying off so there isn’t enough of it in their brain. The drug increases levels of acetyl choline and it can slow down the progression of the disease in some people but it won’t reverse the damage that has already been done. Its effect seems to wear off after 3-5 years and it can take 3 months to start working. It comes in the form of capsules or a patch that you stick on the skin.

The second group of drugs are called N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists (eg Memantine or Ebixa) and they’re used in people with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. These drugs block the action of a chemical called glutamate. People with Alzheimer’s have too much glutamate. This causes excessive amounts of calcium to enter their brain cells and damage them. The drugs help some people but only for a few years.

A person can take both drugs at the same time and they may benefit from the double treatment because the two medications work in completely different ways.

Recently there’s been optimism around a potential drug for a specific type of dementia called frontotemporal dementia or FTD. About 11 500 Australians have FTD and it tends to strike at a much younger age than Alzheimer’s. Symptoms can begin as early as 45 years (though usually the person is in their 50s or 60s) and 10-15% of cases are due to a gene mutation that can be passed on from one generation to the next. The good news is that the University of Melbourne is starting a trial in which patients will be given sodium selenate tablets for 12 months and tested for improvements in brain function.

If you’ve picked up on the word selenate - a form of selenium - and know that Brazil nuts are a rich source of selenium, it doesn’t mean licence to start hoeing through packets of Brazil nuts because getting the dose right is critical. Three Brazil nuts a day is plenty. Too much selenium can be toxic.

As for supplements that may be helpful in people with dementia, I give my father vitamin D, omega-3 and curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric). Research suggests they may improve cognition and there appears to be no harm in taking them.

This concludes my Dementia Series for now. I received a lot of emails about various aspects of dementia and I felt it was important to provide what answers were available. I hope you’ve found them helpful.

Helena

MEN’S HEALTH - DEMENTIA Cont. Dr Helena Popovic

SHINGLES

Shingles can be very painful and lead to serious long - term complications. A FREE VACCINE IS AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE AGED 70-79 YEARS OLD

www.immunise.health.gov.au

Page 9 Vol 8 No 9 Page 8

Vol 8 No 11

THE BREAD RUN EACH TUESDAY FROM THE MT GRAVATT COMMUNITY CENTRE Over the past year Mt Gravatt Community Centre has been receiving donations of excess bread from Nursery Rd Brumby's. Ted drops the bread into the community centre and a combination of our volunteers and a roster of volunteers from the Men's Shed come down and pack the bread up for use in our food parcels.

The community centre currently packs anywhere between 110 and 130 food parcels a month that supports approximately 400 adults and children a month. Over the past 12 months we have seen the demand for food relief grow in our community.

Financial pressure affects many people in our community from those experiencing unemployment, underemployment, high rents, financial crisis, bereavement and the increased cost of living. After food assistance our second biggest request is for people requiring assistance to pay their electricity bills.

Denise Foley Community Engagement Coordinator MGCC

Bread that is surplus to requirements is given to the Shed.

Page 9 Vol.8 No 11

CARTOONING WITH KEVIN LINDEBERG

NEW STOREMEN ARRANGEMENTS IN THE WORKSHOP

The new arrangements in the store are showing signs of success. Men are lining up at the counter with calls of ‘two middies please’ only to be served up a glue bottle or a power tool. A peek inside the compactus shows an emerging order as new homes are found for items and some long forgotten items again see the light of day. Photos, Left to right, Brad Gibson, Frank O’Leary, Steve Ogle, Brian Wheeler, Allan Wallace. Lloyd Akeroyd

Shedder's resident cartoonist/illustrator, Kevin Lindeberg, with some of his cartoon faces used to illustrate the tricks of the cartooning trade on how to conquer the difficulties of perspective and facial expressions. Some 10 would-be enthusiastic MGMS cartoonists have been regularly attending his master classes which have been found to be enlightening, insightful and full of fun.

Looking into the woodturners’ corner we see keen turners now applying the skills learned in the beginner/practice phase, to the production of a wide variety of items.

An ornate leg to be used in the copy lathe to produce a set of four legs for an occasional table. Several bowls of varying sizes and shapes.

Finger spinning tops to satisfy a surge in interest in the competitive air that these things can generate. Decorative ornaments for the Christmas tree and

the Christmas dinner table. A successful venture into the challenging area of segmented turning. Members who only a short time ago had little or no woodturning experience are producing these works to a high standard. Wood turning is relaxing and rewarding. Members are invited to try this activity. Bert Dean

On Thursdays a group of members of the Scroll Sawing Group cut jigsaw wooden toys to give to children (free) at such events as Mount Gravatt Show, Mount Gravatt East State School fete, Bunnings etc. Members of the group are Elwyn Jackson (Leader), Brian Sherwin, Richard Hughes and Ned Kelly.

Page 10 Vol.8 No 11

WOODTURNERS’ CORNER

SCROLL SAWING ENDEAVOUR

Page 11 Vol.8 No 11

CAMPING AT ILUKA WITH PHOTOS FROM GARY EARL AND DAVID TATE

The travel group’s recent visit to Iluka and the Clarence River area was once again very enjoyable and interesting. Highlights of the visit were the river cruise and visit to the Jacaranda Festival at Grafton. Lunch at the hotel at Yamba overlooking the beach and ocean was pretty spectacular and the social interaction in the evenings in the camp kitchen was special aided by some prize wine tasting. Contact was made with the local mens shed where we compared notes over a cuppa. As usual we found them to be a great group doing good things for their community. Our next trip is scheduled for February. Watch this space. K.Schneidewin

Page 12 Vol 8 No 11

1. MONTHLY SAUSAGE SIZZLES On the third Monday of each month the following members prepare and serve the sausages that sizzle.

And for only $5.00 you can get two sausages including a free morning tea! From left to right: David Robinson Arthur Muhl Ken Larby Robert Bushell (leader), Ian Young and Noel Studders

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TASKS THAT DON’T JUST HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT

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3. OUR General Manager WASHERUPPER Nearly every day Ned Kelly collects used mugs and provides a good washing up.

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PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR PRIZE

2017 has seen the introduction of the Inaugural MGMS Photographer of the Year Award, which is an exciting monthly competition for points, culminating in the presentation of the trophy at the last monthly meeting in December. The competition has been welcomed and supported this year by the photo members, and will continue next year, bigger and better. And the winner is ?????......You will have to be there to see on December 4th. Colin Gillies

2. MEET OUR DEDICATED GARDENERS Monday is the day our gardeners get to it to trim the grass and attend to plants. They are, left to right, Jim Poulton, Phil Hillery and Stewart Newell.

Page 13 Vol.8 No 11

BUS TRIP—MALENY, MONTVILLE, KENILWORTH - 10 NOVEMBER 2017

The weather was fine on Thursday (unlike in Brisbane) and the trip was easy going, one of enjoying the scenery and friendly conversation. Morning tea was provided by Mt Gravatt Busses at the start of the Steve Irwin Way. Then onto Maleny for a drive around and stopping next at Montville for a walk down the famous shopping street for own choice of lunch place. Kenilworth and its Cheese Factory was our last main stop with travellers sampling the Factory’s goodies and chat with the Café Manager. Thanks, Len Fortescue for yet another well planned outing.

Page 14 Vol.8 No 11

COMPETITION - DRAWN 4 DECEMBER 2017 Look at each of the items below and submit the answers to the Office by 4 Dec What is it?.............................................................................................................. What is it used for?................................................................................................ Who made it?........................................................................................................ Your name?...........................................................................................................

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5

4

A substantial emotive prize awaits the winner!

Page 15 Vol 8 No 11

A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. 'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.' 'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.' A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?' Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

(THIS GETS BETTER!)

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ('el computador'), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

With Murray Joll

Notice of Social Meeting Monday, 04 December 2017 Members’ Only Christmas Lunch

The Community Hall at Mt Gravatt Showgrounds Cost: $12.00

Workshop, Recreation Room Timings and Meeting Program for

December 2017

Page 16 Vol 8 No 11

Printed courtesy of Councillor Krista Adams and the Holland Park Ward Office

10.30 Cooking Demonstration