December 5 last was a black day for the men of the Baxter Shed. Fire ravaged through our building in the early hours of that morning. An early morning walker spotted the flames and the Baxter CFA was able to respond quickly. These actions prevented the total destruction of our premises.
To date the premises remain unusable and we continue to work with Mornington Peninsula Shire and the building insurers to resolve how the building will be brought back to life. Contents are separately insured and we continue to work hard to recover what is salvageable and negotiate to replace what is lost.
With now close to six months elapsed the battle with bureaucracy is a long and frustrating journey.
As a Men’s Shed, we continue to function on a limited basis.
Each Wednesday we meet from 10:00 to noon at the Baxter CFA rooms for morning tea and a chat.
Tuesdays we are fortunate to have use of the Westernport Shed workshop at Bittern and soon we will have access to the Cranbourne-Casey Mens shed at Pearcedale on Thursday’s.
The support of the Baxter CFA and our brother Mens Sheds on the Peninsula has been a lifesaver for our shed community.
Lunch for the ladies.
The men of the shed recently hosted our wives and partners at a Mother’s Day luncheon at the Baxter Hall. A special occasion of thanks to our nearest and dearest. It was an opportunity to bring all up to date on the progress of shed recovery. Our good ladies also had the opportunity to see inside the shed and understand the extent of the damage.
The fire.
It is thought the fire possibly started in our Shed rag bin stored under the work bench lining the mid section of our west wall. The heat generated melted adjacent tools such as electric saws and sanders in addition to damaging/destroying workbenches, roof panels, dust extractor piping, air conditioning units and so on.
A quick inspection suggests that most items in our “woodworking area” have been destroyed with the remaining areas, including our kitchen/quiet space, severely smoke and water damaged.
In simple terms; “It’s a bloody mess!”
The support of the Baxter community cannot be understated during our sheds time of turmoil, the shed thanks all who have stepped up in our time of need.
