Esquimalt Men’s Shed Meeting Notes June 11th 2026

Greeting gentlemen;

Present were:

• Ian Stapley
• Rob Harris
• Doug McLeod
• John McWilliams
• John Houston
• Gregg Eligh
• Roger Jennings
• Ian Horridge
• Jan Woo
• Tuyen Nguyen
• Pat Olson

First off Rob H reported on our time at VicWestFest Saturday June 6th.

Despite mixed weather, turnout was strong. 

• Roger’s 3-D printed toys were the top seller; 16 pcs @ $5 per.
• Doug’s polished stones were also a strong draw; the kids brought parents, or grandparents. Many adults also obeyed the siren call of polished stones. Both items proved great conversion openers.
• One of Doug’s stone pendants sold. 
• One each of mason bee house and robin nest platform sold as well.
• I and others had several conversations with those interested in the shed over the course of the afternoon.
• On the whole the effort seems to have been well spent; developing connection with the Vic West Community Ass’n aligns with our mission.

All up we took in about $168 in revenue. 

Roger’s material cost was estimated at $20.

At Rob’s suggestion, John H moved to reimburse Roger $20 from the cash proceeds.

Seconded by Ian Stapley.

In favour; 6 yeas.

Motion passed. As did $20 cash to Roger.

John M will deposit the cash proceeds from VWF.

Thanks to Roger and Doug for supplying their crafts. Much appreciated on all sides!

Thanks to Pete and Doug for the tent and tables, etc.

Thanks to all volunteers staffing the tent on the day, and getting stuff to & from site. 

Pat Olson travels to Europe next week. Safe travels Pat.

In light of his coming absence, Pat asked that the partition wall be built ASAP. 

John M, Jan W and Pat O will build the wall Sunday June 14th, complete with a locking passage door. 

Access to the shed shop will be through the roll-up door. Keypad to control our roll-up door is mounted on the frame of the adjacent door. 

Door code will be shared as needed prior to policy and documentation being developed.

Looking ahead:

Brian H was madly whipping a new website into shape while we (listed above) sat about jawing and cracking wise. He listed several upgrades when describing the plan to me, but my eyes glazed over before the good man finished the sentence, so I’m unable to relay the news. My apologies. I have every confidence the new item will work better, serve our purposes more effectively, and draw interest to the shed.

Thank you Brian for webmastery!

Building and marketing bee houses and robin nest platforms to advantage got a mention – thanks Gregg. Roger offered to compile a schedule of craft fairs, farmer’s markets and the like to aid planning. Thank you Roger.

Since the KMS BBQ generates good revenue, it’s likely to be a repeat function. In light of this, Gregg (I think) suggested more folk obtain FoodSafe credential. Gregg, Ian and Tuyen volunteered to complete the course. Thanks gentlemen. I paid about $26CAD for a BC gov’t approved course online. Here’s the link to the course I took.

Wednesday morning the executive branch met virtually to review several policy items.

• By-laws will be revised over the summer
• AGM date will be set for early fall
• Suggestions for considerations from members welcome
• Some documentation and policy is in development. These items will help with record keeping, internal communication, and dispute resolution; in the event of.

Rob H is headed solo to Singapore for a couple weeks. Safe travels, Rob.

That’s a wrap.

Please correct this if I err.

Best regards,

John McWilliams