1 THE IPSWICH MEN’S SHED INC Location: Postal Address: 3A Mining Street 3A Mining street Bundamba Q 4304 Bundamba 4304 [email protected] Ph Contact The Shed 0455924784 web : ipswichmensshed.org.au “Shoulder to Shoulder”-NEW COMMITTEE President: Terry Carter Vice President: Bob Lewitz Secretary: Brian Parker Treasurer Ian Weier- Assistant Treasurer Ron Banks Registrar: Ted Wedmaier Executive Officer Electrical: Darryl Edwards Committee: John Humphries; Dennis Sinnott; Ron Bopf; Ian Ross; Ross Kerfoot Membership fees $35 for 1 year – daily fees $2 plus $3.00 lunch Open Tuesday, Thursday 9am-3pm – Saturday 9am-2pm PRESIDENT REPORT MY THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE YEAR SO FAR AND LOOK FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS AS WE HEAD INTO 2016. I HAVE HAD SOME NEGATIVE FEEDBACK RE 1. VENUE AND MEAL AT THE JETS XMAS PARTY 2. A COMMENT ABOUT THE NEGATIVITY OF CERTAIN AWARDS 3. THE ALLOWING OF WOMEN AT THE SHED XMAS PARTY 4. THESE ISSUES WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY 12TH AND DEALTH WITH ACCORDINGLY. I LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT YEAR IN 2016 AND WITH YOUR HELP CAN MAKE THE IPSWICH MEN’S SHED THE BEST AROUND REGARDS TERRY (JANUARY 2016) MEET SHED MEMBER: COLIN (Taffy) JAMES A very big thank you to Col for taking the time to write this for me. It was a very enjoyable read and a fitting and fun start for the New Year. “Born in December, 1950, in a small town in South Wales called Ammanford and being the first grandchild on both sides, I was spoilt rotten. My childhood memories are of sunny days [all 3 of them] playing and working on my grandparents farm – looking after 12 cows, 100 sheep and one cart-horse (which I hated). At one time I suggested to my grandfather that we put the horse in a sack and drown it, but somehow it never seemed to happen – maybe he couldn‟t find a sack big enough. My teenage years were spent playing Rugby, having holidays in Butlin's and helping out my other grandparents who ran the local pub – this entailed me having to drink a lot of their beer and on my 18th birthday, having to do an “Alfie Langer” dance on a table. School days eventually came to an end and career choices had to be made. Although I was a semi- professional rugby player for our village team, I could not maintain a high-standard of living on 10 shillings a week and 2 pints of beer after each game! So it was off to Teacher Training College for me, to follow in my dad's footsteps by becoming a wood-work teacher. It wasn‟t all bad and I learnt many things and gained a lot of knowledge in College :- how to make beans on toast, keep 24 kids entertained and safe and how to survive on a minimum wage [teachers earned $40 a week, truckies $50, and coal-miners $120]. One of the good things that happened was that it was while at college that I met my future wife – Yvonne. After teaching for a year in Gravesend [Kent], my friends suggested that Yvonne and I should head for a warmer climate. They mentioned the Bahamas or a strange and exotic place I had never heard of - called Brisbane. We tossed a coin to decide which B we would go to. We have since spent the last 40 years wishing we had gone to the Bahamas instead [only joking!], except for January 2011! Yvonne [with a little help from me] has raised 3 boys in our life :- Nathan [34, a chippie, living in Sunnybank], Andrew [33, a scientist, living in Taipei] and our baby Matthew [28,who taught in Moscow for 3 years, but who is now home and studying IT at St Lucia]. We are still waiting for our first grandchild to come along. My younger brother has 7 - not that I'm competitive. Since retiring I have been a regular at the Ipswich men‟s shed where my current project is building a canoe. I enjoy sailing and my other enjoyments are reading, particularly war books. My favourite author is Matthew Riley. The last film I saw (and one which I really enjoyed) was „Bridge of Spies‟ and I like TV - particularly „Survivor‟, but my most disliked program on TV is „The Block‟. Thank you for sharing with us Col and we look forward to seeing the canoe in the water in due course. OUT AND ABOUT: GOOLOOWAN – THE SPOOKY HOME ON THE HILL Thanks to the Ipswich City Council for this information. (Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich ) Gooloowan is situated on 43 Quarry Street Denmark Hill overlooking the vast city of Ipswich. It is steeped in a rich history that extends back to the purchasing of the land in 1862 by the famous Ipswichian Benjamin Cribb. After immigrating to Ipswich in 1849 with his first wife Elizabeth and their three children, Benjamin quickly established his „London Stores‟ business on Bell Street where they resided in the residential area above the store. After the death of Elizabeth in 1852 Benjamin decided to move to Brisbane. It was not until 1856, however that he finally returned to his stores after he was offered a partnership with John Clarke Foote, and they set about establishing the large department store, Cribb & Foote, which became famous in Queensland. After re-marrying to Clarissa Foote, Benjamin Cribb soon had a large family of children to cater too and whilst living in a small house next to his stores he realised it was no longer big enough. He therefore made the decision to purchase his first block of land in 1862, a block that would play host to the wonderful dream home that was to be called „Gooloowan‟. Between 1862 and 1864 Mr Cribb managed to purchase approximately 11 1/2 acres on Denmark Hill where he and his wife intended to build. They had a grand dream and in 1864 construction commenced on the house that would remain in the family for more than 124 years. The magnificent structure that was erected was a sight to behold and an excellent fit for the large family of Cribbs, who called it “Gooloowan” – an aboriginal word meaning „house on the hill‟. The house has many distinguishing features that add to its charm including a wide circular driveway that today plays host to a variety of bamboos, Poinciana‟s, camphor - laurel‟s and palms. As well as this, the building itself, a two storey plastered brick house, is supported by two large column‟s on the front verandah which extends around the perimeter of the bottom storey. Within the house there is a stately drawing room, and dining room on the lower level and nine bedrooms on the top floor with a magnificent wrought iron lace verandah that continues around the top level. The top floor also has another distinguishing with two bathrooms for both the male and females of the house, which was said to be common in English family houses where money was of no consequence. Gooloowan was also built with style in mind with a white marble mantelpiece originally brought over from Italy holding pride of place in the Cribb Family drawing room and finely carved cedar fittings and joints forming an integral part of the interior of the house. The house is also host to numerous fire places and sets of french doors that open onto the verandahs with cedar shutters adorning each window of the house. As well as the nine bedrooms there is also a small servants quarter with two bedrooms that led to a large kitchen and laundry. One of the main features of Gooloowan is the magnificent library that is present in the hallway of the entrance. With its ornately carved cedar panels, it appears to hold an old world charm that perfectly captures the image of gracefulness that is Gooloowan‟s heritage. In 1983 after being in the family for more than 120 years Gooloowan was sold to a local Doctor. Today, the house exists in a semi-original state and stands as a reminder of Ipswich‟s rich and diverse history. But It is the spooky ghost story for which this house is most well-known. In the year 1889, a maid working at the house by the name of Rose Dold became pregnant to another worker. She went to great lengths to conceal her pregnancy and after having her child, she decided it would be best to lob him down the household well. The body was later recovered from the well by domestic staff at Gooloowin. In the years following this abominable act, residents and passers-by claimed they could hear the cries of a baby coming from the well. Visitors and occupants at Gooloowan also reported seeing a female apparition stroll about the grounds in old maid‟s clothes, while in some rooms – which have remained virtually unchanged all these years – a palpably foreboding presence could be felt, as if someone was watching one‟s every move. From time to time the house is opened to the public and tours are provided along with morning tea. It is said that the inside of the house is amazing, as are the grounds; and a visit is well worth while if the opportunity should arise. Blame a Christmas cracker for this one: Q: What do you call a penguin in the desert? A: Lost. JUST A MINUTE: Norm Toyer: Favourite Type of Book – Crime and Spy stories Favourite TV Show – Doctor Foster Least liked TV shows – Reality TV Favourite Movie – Gone Girl Favourite Comedy – Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder – Speak No evil, Hear No Evil, See No Evil Favourite Food – T Bone steak and mushroom sauce First Car – 1956 DeSoto - straight 8 , creamy brown in colour.