January 24, 2018
Kingaroy Men’s Shed held a special barbecue at their workshop near Kingaroy Airport on Saturday to thank members who sprang into action to help victims of the Boxing Day storms.
Men’s Shed president Eric Ford said he received a phone call from former Salvation Army rural chaplain Neville Radecker asking if there was any chance of getting some help for residents in the Minmore Road area west of Kingaroy whose properties had suffered damage.
An email was sent around members and a group of volunteers quickly gathered together.
“When we left at 8:15am we had nine blokes,” Eric said.
The Men’s Shed volunteers spent three days working on fences, and then turned their attention to a big problem … a 2000 gallon polytank which had been blown down a hill.
Deputy Mayor Kathy Duff said the woman who owned the tank was “in a state” and didn’t know how she would get it back up the hill.
The volunteers worked out a way to get the tank re-positioned without further damage, much to the property owner’s relief.
Eric said the Men’s Shed had also assisted an owner who had lost a roof off a shed. Pieces of corrugated iron were strewn all around the property.
The volunteers collected the debris and loaded a skip bin for the grateful resident.
Eric praised the members of the Men’s Shed, who don’t usually do this sort of work.
“They all worked marvellously. It was great to see a bunch of blokes working together,” he said.
Kingaroy Men’s Shed members meet regularly at the old Motor Pool building near Kingaroy Airport.
They have equipped their workshop area with both wood and metal-working equipment where members complete multiple projects.
The group currently has 44 members.
