Newstead Men's Shed are a group of skilled and enthusiastic men and women with a strong community focus. With many handy hands between them, they turned the former Newstead Fire Station site into their head quarters. In place of the fire truck, is the club room, where the crew gather for a cuppa (with a biscuit) and a chat, out the back is a well equiped workshop.

I first met the crew on a streetscape activation project. They enthusiastically built picnic tables and bench seats that kept people socialising safely outdoors during the COVID years. They are a delight to work with and share decades of experience and good humour between them.

Remark were engaged to document the building for reconstruction. The purpose of the project was to remove asbestos cladding, however if you are going to that much trouble, it is worth attending to some simple but effective retrofits:

• install wall and ceiling insulation, keeping the crew warmer in winter and cooler in summer

• upgrade the entry to improve accessibility

• repair or replace the roof and redesign the roof drainage to direct water away from the building and deter termites

• repair and seal the gaps 

Remark assessed and recorded the existing structure and prepared documentation for construction. The crew have moved back in, the plane has been reinstated on the verandah, cups of tea can be enjoyed in their comfortable club room, and the former Fire Station will keep standing for years to come.