Lorne Men’s Shedders First Community Project Beat the bl**dy cockies!

A MAJOR problem with Lorne’s plague of sulphurcrested cockatoos is the ability of the birds to open rubbish bins and scatter their contents far and wide. This always seems to happen on Monday morning before the Surf Coast rubbish collection and leaves a huge mess on roadsides for locals to clean up.

The destructive cockies will often be seen working as a team in twos and threes to get a lid open before they go to work, having a party!

The Surf Coast Shire will install a gravity lock on a waste bin, but at a charge of $41 and you have to first apply then wait some time before you get your lock. The Shire declined to absorb the cost of the gravity locks following a letter from Sarah Henderson, MP for Corangamite, on behalf of the Lorne Community. So, the Lorne Men’s Shedders have now committed to help out.

The shedders are offering to fit a thick wooden block to the underside of the lid for a $20 donation, to make the bins cockie proof. Quite a number of Lorne residents have done this over recent months and it has proven very successful.

Many holiday home owners clean up and fill their bins before leaving on a Sunday night and are unaware the cockies have attacked their bin and strewn the contents over the road after they have left. Good hearted permanent neighbours do the clean up and most times the homeowners are not aware.

“People have had enough of the terrible mess cockies make when these clever birds open rubbish bins,” shedders president Allan Walls, said. “This GARRY FENTON COMMITTEE MEMBER will be our first community service by the Lorne Members. We hope to put other services in place once the Men’s Shed at Stribling Reserve is open and fully functional.”

Allan said that members are ready to fix the bin lids, “When we get your call. All you have to do is ring John Tuck on 0414 759 399.” He said if anyone could not afford the $20 donation, they will be entitled to a discount.

Now that construction of the shed is well under way, many interested people have been enquiring as to a finish date. As with many buildings it is difficult to have an exact date but the shedders are assured the shed will be in action some time in June.

The roof and wall cladding is complete with windows and doors to be installed very soon. The disabled toilet, storeroom, electrical and water connection will complete stage one to lock up. A Certificate of Occupation will follow that.

Stage two will be the fit out of the kitchen, social room, office and lining of the work area.

After that, the benches and tools and machinery will be installed.

Allan Walls wanted to pay tribute to the large number of Lorne people who have enthusiastically supported the project, and the exceptional number of donations given and promised.

“Lorne is a wonderful community and this will be a huge asset for the town going forward,” he said.