Events

Come along for our Thursday morning clean-up of the shed and then stay and enjoy our famous SCMS scones with jam & cream!

Purpose Build practical understanding of mental health, recognise early warning signs, and know how to respond—for yourself and for others. Key Messages Mental health is active and learnable, not a fixed state Mental ill health is a persistent disturbance that impacts daily functioning Early attention leads to better outcomes Recognise the Shift Early signs: stress, worry, disconnection Warning signs: low mood, fear, loss of self‑belief Deeper conditions: depression, anxiety, trauma reaction What Helps Move from coping (avoidance, distraction) to solving Talk early, see a GP, use what’s worked before Set small goals, organise support, build solid relationships Supporting Others Listen with empathy, be useful, look after yourself Involve others when needed and persist Training and community resources are available Bottom Line Mental health improves when awareness, early action, and practical support are actively addressed.   Geoff Paull is a retired Psychologist specialising in sports psychology and in later years, men's health. After completing Honours in Psychology at Curtin University—with a strong focus on sport psychology under Prof Denis Glencross—Geoff headed overseas. He spent time at Florida State University and then completed his PhD at Arizona State University. That work opened the door to an academic career in the UK at Staffordshire University, where Geoff progressed to Principal Lecturer and Head of Sport, Health and Exercise Psychology. In 2001 he returned to Perth and put a long‑held plan into action: establishing a private psychology practice. Over subsequent years his work ranged across therapy and counselling, exercise‑based interventions, and performance enhancement programs, delivered from locations east of the city until I fully retired in 2024. Alongside clinical practice, Geoff has been deeply involved in men’s wellbeing and mental health initiatives. His strengths include learning and motivation, goal setting, communication, and relationship building—grounded in broad competence across mental health care and a particular interest in men’s help‑seeking behaviours. Geoff has held executive roles with organisations including the WA Men’s Health and Wellbeing Association and The Menswork Project. His work in positive masculinity and men’s wellbeing has included facilitating workshops and education programs, running retreats in WA and Bali, and leading a men’s group in Perth - now in its 22nd year. In retirement Geoff has continued to deliver mental health presentations. Sessions focus on practical, real‑world issues that matter to men—especially those more vulnerable to threats to wellbeing. 

Building on the success of Allan Bandt's wines sourced from Wines Direct in April, we have bought some more Shiraz's from Wines Direct and will host a big Shiraz night as a EOY Special for Wine Group members.  Expect a good selection of never to be repeated bargain big ballsy Australian reds, all for the bargain basement price of $5. As usual we expect the evening will be popular, so don’t hesitate to reserve a spot immediately.  If you reserve a spot, but then realise you can’t make it, please let Stephen or I know ASAP so we can offer the place to other members. Chris / Stephen / Mark - WAG Management

All Members who intend to be part of the Woodworking Group will need to complete this Power Tools Induction Training. There is a once off Cost of $10 for this Training Course, which can be paid when you purchase a ticket. Note: Members are required to complete the 'Yellow Dot' Shed Introduction session before taking part in a Red Dot training session. There will be a maximum of 3 persons for each Training Session.  If after booking, for some reason you cannot attend the training, please advise the Red Dot coordinator, Jeremy Wallace, on 0406927650 (SMS please), or email (jeremywallace5@outlook.com) as soon as possible, so we can arrange another session for you.  If you have trouble booking please contact Jeremy by SMS. The successful completion of the Red Dot Training is a pre-requisite to booking the Blue Dot Woodwork Machinery Course. Once you have completed this Training, your Membership Badge will updated to show a Red Dot and enable you to undertake any projects in the Main Workshop that utilise only Power Tools. 

Hello Cooking Class Sheddies You will certainly not want to miss the June cooking class on on Tuesday 23 June at 9am. Michael Somerville-Brown has kindly arranged for his friend Jean Mahe to lead us in cooking the French classic dishes Cassoulet and Basque Cheesecake. Jean was born and raised in France starting a career in commercial cookery before moving to Australia.  He worked for 24 years in commercial cookery and setup and ran a successful restaurant in Adelaide and a successful patisserie in Perth for many years before taking up a training role in the then Perth Technical College.  Jean has continued this role for 40 years in the training and education of young people seeking qualifications for a career in commercial cookery and hospitality at the Bentley campus of the South Metropolitan TAFE and its associated training Restaurant “Bentley Place”. We are very fortunate to have Jean leading us. We will eat what we cook and lunch will be at about 12.30pm. A fixed cost of $25 per person will apply to each class to cover ingredients. Beer and wine will be available for purchase on the day. Please purchase your ticket in advance. As always, I look forward to seeing you on the day. All the best Michael Henderson

To maintain your Blue Dot Woodworking Accreditation you will need to, you will need to undertake a Verification of Competency (VOC) Assessment as follows. Woodworking members aged under 75 years will be assessed every 24 months Woodworking members aged 75 to 80 years will be assessed every 18 months Woodworking members aged 80 to 90 years will be assessed every 12 months Woodworking members older than 90 years  will be assessed every 6 months You will be assigned a simple task which shouldn’t take more than about 30 minutes. This is not a test of your craftsmanship; it is simply a demonstration that you can competently use the machinery unsupervised without endangering yourself or others.  You can book your VOC Assessment by clicking on your preferred VOC Assessment date below. The Rostered Supervisor for the day will oversee your assessment and he will either deem you "competent" or refer you to a Trainer for further assessment or training. If you choose not to do the VOC Assessment,  you will no longer be able to use the Machine Room equipment unsupervised.