Slabs, slabs, trenches and slabs #1

The last few weeks has seen significant, physical change at the centre.

New Retail Shed:

On the 17th of August, the slab of the new retail shed was formed up, and over 60 tonnes of concrete was poured the following day.

The contractors encountered a number of technical issues with regards to the slab's footings, due in part, to the high level of the underground water table (pictured below).

Fortunately, the technical problems were resolved and the work on the large retail shed's slab pour went ahead without a hitch.

Pictured below is the Concrete truck's "Elephant trunk" pouring concrete directly into the retail shed's formwork.

By mid-afternoon on Tuesday the 18th of August, the pour was complete and we had our first indication as to the eventual scale of the new structure.

500sqm of floor-space is a lot!!! of floor-space to work with, however we are looking forward to stocking the new shed full of freshly-sourced, second-hand material for our valued customers to enjoy.

Interactive sculpture sessions with locally-renowned sculptor Rick Pettit (entry #2)

Sculptor, Rick Pettit has been crafting one of the two, four-metre Turpentine wharf beams on site for the last two weeks.

http://salamanderrecycle.blogspot.com/2009/07/interactive-sculpture-sessions-with.html

The basic shapes of a number of various characters on the first totem pole have already been hewn from the wood.

One of the most-defined figures derived from the totem so far, is that of the Phoenix.

The legend of the Phoenix has been around for many centuries. There are various concepts, but the basic idea is that the Phoenix, being a mythological creature, would live for 1000 years. As the 1000 years came to an end, the Phoenix, according to legend, would build its own funeral pyre, and throw itself onto the flames.

As it died, the Phoenix would be reborn anew, and rise from the ashes to live for another 1000 years.

The correlation between rebirth and recycling are obvious; however the symbolism associated with the Phoenix is powerful and still relevant, even in today’s often cynical world.

Rick is skilfully combining the use of various tools like the contemporary chainsaw and angle grinder, with that of the ancient adze and axe to extract personas, such as the Phoenix, from the timber.

Mr Pettit's artwork is an inspiration to us all, and perhaps his efforts will inspire you to enter our art competition: PROJECT PHOENIX 2009.

The flyer artwork is pictured below, with full competition entry details being found on this blogsite at:

http://salamanderrecycle.blogspot.com/2009/07/competition-time.html

Donation of a second-hand racking system sought

We are on the lookout for a corporate or private donor, who is able to provide an obsolete racking system to fit out the new retail shed once it is built.

Ideally, we are interested in longspan shelving 2400mm high, 600mm deep with three adjustable shelf levels per bay (pictured above), but would obviously be willing to look at alternative options.

Interested parties may contact us via email on salamander.recycle@gmail.com or call Gerard on 0429 846 242.

Interactive sculpture sessions with locally-renowned sculptor Rick Pettit (entry #1)

The R&R is proud to announce that we have attained the services of locally renowned sculptor Rick Pettit.

Rick will sculpt two, 4 metre-high Totem poles out of a single, hundred-year-old Turpentine wharf beam.

The Totems will commemorate the opening of the new retail shed, scheduled for December 2009 and when completed will be located at the main pedestrian entrance of the new retail shed.

Mr Pettit is generously donating his time to create the two unique carvings, which will represent the ethos of recycling through the time-honoured use of rebirth symbology.

Rick will create his masterpieces on site at the R&R and as a result, community members are encouraged to visit us at the Centre over the next few months to witness the emergence of what we anticipate will be extraordinary works of art.

NB: Due to the external location of the designated sculpting area, the sessions will be held during suitable weather conditions.

New computer repair facility approved

The application for new facilities to repair second-hand Personal Computers (PCs) has been approved by Port Stephens Council. Work has commenced, with the ground preparation already underway (shown below).


We have a number of qualified volunteers who specialise in PC maintenance, and due to their sterling efforts we have outgrown the present location where maintenance works are carried out.


At the moment, PCs are repaired in a very noisy workshop area which is obviously not the preferred environment to concentrate on delicate repairs. So as a result, a decision was taken by the Board of Directors to develop a stand-alone facility, specifically dedicated to the repair of PCs.

Businesses, organisations or individuals may be in the process of upgrading office equipment; or they may have items such as old PCs, Fax machines or Photocopiers gathering dust in a store room.

Everyone is encouraged to donate their obsolete equipment for the purpose of extending its lifespan.

Donated hardware is serviced by trained technicians and is channelled back into the community via our onsite store.

For peace of mind; great care is taken to ensure that the hard-drive of every recycled PC is cleared of sensitive data. We guarantee privacy via the procedural installation of a ‘hard-drive eraser’; which permanently removes private files and data.

Our donor's support of this initiative provides a much-needed alternative option for members of the community, unable to afford costly retail prices.

So if you have a PC with an operating system no earlier than Windows 98...we'd be interested in hearing from you.

Don't throw it out... We'll take it!

Competition time: PROJECT PHOENIX 2009

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To commemorate the launch of the new shed, which is scheduled for an early December 2009 opening, the R&R is putting up AU$200 in prize money for the general public to enter our Sculpture and 3D signage competition "PROJECT PHOENIX".

There are two main categories to the competition:

• SCULPTURE: Interesting designs in sculpture to embellish the gardens of the centre.
  
• SIGNAGE: 3D internal and external signage which will be hung from the walls and ceilings to identify various areas throughout the facility.

Participants entering the 3D signage competition may choose to create a three-dimensional sign from the following sub-categories:

• Furniture
• Computers
• Toys
• Books
• Garden Equipment
• Collectables
• Plants
• Electrical and lighting
• Pictures and frames
• Suitcases and handbags
• Audio Visual
• Toys and games
• Sporting
• Clothing
• Bric-a-Brac
• Kitchenware
• Telecoms
• Fishing
• Vacuum cleaners
• Tools
• Bits-n-Bobs
• Seasonal
• Building materials

The new shed would be a shell without the human-touch, so we encourage all artists; amatuer or professional, young or old, near or far, "good" or "bad" to get their entries in for consideration.

The competition winner will be determined by a panel of judges and no correspondence will be entered into.

1st Prize AU$200

Participants must submit all artworks by 30th October 2009

Street address: 360 Soldiers Point Road, Salamander Bay, 2317
Mail address: PO Box 425, Salamander Bay, 2317
Email address: salamander.recycle@gmail.com

Unsuccessful entrants will have the option of donating their piece to the R&R for the purpose of displaying their art to the general public.

NB: These entrants will maintain full ownership of the donated artefacts and the pieces can be removed as and when required by the rightful owner.

Hello, good morning and welcome...

The Centre is about to go into a redevelopment and construct a brand-new, 500sqm retail shed; the structure will replace a number of old lean-tos, out-houses and sheds (pictured above) deemed surplus to requirements which, as a result, have been carefully dismantled to make way for the imminent arrival (of course, we'll reuse the material from these obsolete buildings elsewhere).

The new facility will give us the opportunity to expand our retail offer and provide us with sufficient covered space, for the foreseeable future.

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We'll be able to store perishable goods such as sofas and other bulky items of furniture which historically have been exposed to the elements and unfortunatley ruined and sent to landfill (which obviously defeats the purpose of recycling).