02/08/2026
Last Friday, 31 July, was a red-letter day for the Shed as we celebrated the official opening of our two newest additions—the Engineering Workshop and the Production Storage Building (Wood Store)—in conjunction with our monthly Friday BBQ.
The honour of cutting the ribbon fell to our Deputy Mayor, Desley Simpson, who officially declared the buildings open. Fortunately, she managed the task without needing a tape measure, angle grinder or workshop induction!
Desley was joined by members of the Ōrākei Local Board, whose continued support of the Shed has been greatly appreciated.
We sincerely thank them all for taking time out of their busy schedules to celebrate this important milestone with us.
Chairman Alan Minson welcomed our distinguished guests before leading everyone in the waiata "Tūtira Mai", accompanied by our resident guitarist, Alan Simpson.
In his address, Alan reflected on the Shed's remarkable progress over the past ten years. Membership has now grown to around 230 members, more than 250 community projects have been completed, and members have produced an impressive 16,500 predator traps. He explained that the new buildings were constructed to relieve workshop congestion and support the Shed's continuing growth and popularity.
A special highlight of the day was the attendance of our centenarian member, Basil Campion, whose determination to be part of the celebration inspired everyone present. He came to the shed with his Walking frame – painted British racing green – same as his Jaguar, which is still sitting in the garage and hasn't been driven for six months
Once the formalities were complete, attention quickly turned to the barbecue, where Graham Collie once again demonstrated that he can handle a hotplate almost as well as the workshop crew handle power tools. Judging by the speed at which the sausages disappeared, his reputation remains well deserved.
The biggest vote of thanks, however, belongs to the many Shed members who devoted countless hours to planning, measuring, lifting, hammering and, occasionally, scratching their heads as they transformed an idea on paper into two outstanding new buildings. They worked through wind, rain and enough cups of tea to float a small boat.
The result is something every member can be proud of. These new facilities will serve the Shed for many years to come, providing much-needed workshop space and storage. And, with a bit of luck, they might even give us somewhere to keep all those pieces of timber that are simply "far too good to throw away!"
