Rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into an ANZAC project in the workshop has been the perfect way to forge a friendship, say Ryman village residents Roger and Tony.
“If it wasn’t for the village workshop, we wouldn’t have known each other,” says Roger, who moved into the village in October last year. “It’s been great getting to know Tony. We’ve got quite a bit in common.”
Inspiration for the project came from the village’s Activity and Lifestyle Coordinator, Tracey, who told them about a similar idea that had come from another Ryman village. Residents there had crafted silhouettes of soldiers and poppies out of plywood to decorate the village grounds for ANZAC Day, and provided them a few samples to use as inspiration for their own village.
With Tracey supplying the materials they needed, Roger and Tony quickly cut out the shapes in the workshop, then sanded and painted them.
“We’ve made eight soldiers and 20 poppies plus the smaller poppies that go on the soldiers’ chests which we will place around the gardens and outside the resident lounge here,” Roger says.
“And as the village grows, more will be added, giving us ongoing work when required.”
Above: Tony and Roger with fellow workshop enthusiast Clive.
The standalone workshop has not only provided Roger and Tony with a fun place to hang out, it’s provided a refuge for their valued tools.
While many of his tools had become surplus to requirements for Roger and Tony, there were a few which were too special to give away.
“I made my own bench vice back in 1968 and I didn’t want to part with it. It was sentimental to me because I’d made it,” Roger says.
Both men acknowledge that the downsizing process can be tough for some, but Roger says he faced the situation in a pragmatic way.
“Coming to a retirement village was just a natural thing for Noeleen and I, but I had to come to reality about what I thought I could take with me,” says Roger.
“As soon as I heard about the residents’ shed, that was a plus for me. It’s a bit hard to give away a lot of your tools, so this meant I could donate my tools to the shed and still get to use them, and the rest I sold or handed over to friends.”
He adds: “I’m quite surprised at the amount of machinery and tooling that has been donated.”
Tony says he could have used the garage to store his tools, having done so at his previous home in a lifestyle village before moving to the Ryman village in 2023.
“We like the fact there will be care options here, so we persuaded ourselves to come to Ryman and we just love it. I’ve gone from a one-bedroom to a three-bedroom townhouse, but it was good to be able to give my tools to the shed here.
“Particularly my bench. I’ve had that bench for 40 years; I brought it with me from South Africa.”
As for Roger’s bench vice – having thought he could put it in the workshop, he was greeted with the fact that there was already a vice in there.
“There was one there already – and it was Tony’s! I couldn’t really say ‘take that out’ to Tony!” he laughs.
“But there’s also a garden shed here at the village, so I asked them if they had a bench vice, and they didn’t so they’re very happy to have one now!”
Above: Some of the poppies Tony and Roger have created.
Both Tony and Roger did fitter and turner apprenticeships as young lads and they know their way around power tools.
“I helped my father to build two yachts back in South Africa, and we sailed in them around South Africa and further up the coast as well,” says Tony.
Roger, formerly from rural Canterbury in New Zealand, expanded his skills by pairing up with his builder brother for a short while before returning to his engineering trade. He later became an engineering manager, a busy role that required him to travel around the world.
Both Roger and Tony are enjoying the prospect of flexing their woodworking muscles again on projects with purpose, including the odd repair job for fellow residents.
Roger and Tony have found more than just enjoyment of a shared hobby and a home for their tools in the residents’ workshop – they’ve also built a lasting friendship. With a lot of projects in the wings, the workshop is a place where memories are made, and community spirit thrives.
Above: Roger with some of the tools available in the workshop.