Samford Area
Mens Shed

On Wednesday 20^th of September,2023  the men (and their partners) gathered at the Shed for another SAMS guest speaker night.

Of course, the evening started with the legendary SAMS barbeque dinner, but more importantly SAMS had the pleasure of inviting Rebecca Hawken as our guest speaker.

 Rebecca enthralled all those present talking about her life and experiences as an aircraft pilot – from flying out in the Australian outback to flying Boeing 777’s airliners for Virgin Airlines. The interest that Rebecca generated can be gauged not only by her talk but also the range and breadth of questions that came afterwards.

 Once again: another delightful and successful Guest Speaker night thanks to Rebecca’s talk and also the organising skill of Allen Marr and the rest of the Events and Entertainment committee.

Amanda gave a 30 minute presentation showcasing some of Queensland’s iconic rail journeys, concession fares information and holiday experiences. She represents Queensland Rail Travel.

Bob Walker spoke about Our Rights as Consumers / Am I entitled to a Refund? Bob is a representative from the Office of Fair Trading and has given many talks at Men’s Sheds.

Our Guest Speaker for July was Dr. Neville Blomeley, a retired GP, who represented The Heart Foundation when he gave a very enjoyable and educational Heart Health Talk on Wednesday eve July 24^th to SAMS members and their partners.  The topics included Eating for a Healthy Heart, Warning Signs of a Heart Attack and Life After a Heart Attack.  His knowledge and presentation were excellent with just the right amount of medical information combined with down-to-earth details that the audience could relate to.

Prior to the address members and their guests enjoyed conviviality and a wonderful BBQ meal prepared by SAMS wonderful team of cooks. Very popular was the fire pit provided by Macka2.

The guest speaker for this month was the thoroughly entertaining Stuart Buchanan.
Stuart is a Samford local who joined the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service around 1973 and he and his wife Shirley worked hard as keepers along the Queensland coast for many years.
In that time they encountered cyclones, maritime rescues, drownings, murder and intrigue. His main claim to fame is his restoration of the Bustard Head Lighthouse near the town of 1770.

His stories together with his personable delivery had the audience enthralled and laughing in equal measure.
He has written and published several books including “The Lighthouse Keepers” and “Lighthouse of Tragedy”.  Stuart kindly donated a copy of each of his books to SAMS.

Fun & Games in the Shed! Our Guest Speaker Night for February turned out to be something special and definitely one of the more enjoyable events in memory. Jan Bloc, better half to Dennis, used her vast scientific knowledge and experience teaching school children to entertain and educate the members and their guests. It was a night spent solving puzzles, constructing helicopters and playing with slime. The feeling after the fun and games was that we can't wait for a repeat event. Photos from the night can be viewed in the Gallery.