The Man's Message
Established 2003 | "Tetritus fortis sine gym"
Friday, March 20, 2026
Crew of the Weeks
With several stunner reviews between them it's only fair this issue's COTW be awarded to dynamic duo Sachin Smith & Sergio Diaz Orozco. One customer in particular felt their attentive and efficient work ethic was worthy of heavy praise:
"The movers both listened, understood the task, gave knowledgeable suggestions and made the work easy. They worked quickly, and without complaint, and had the job done well under the estimated time. Incredible work. Sachin and Sergio were both amazing - friendly, understanding, knowledgeable, funny, and great at their jobs to boot. They made the work look easy, and took a massive load for me during a very busy time at my workplace. Having worked with poor movers before, the difference that people like Sachin and Sergio make is incredible. 11/10"
Spectacular effort you two, come have a chat with Jack Tandy to collect your reward.
Trivia Time!
Friday, 24th April - lock it in your diary.
It's high time The Man hosted another staff event and this time it's trivia! Alex Morris will once again don the sparkly jacket as our in-house trivia host to ensure everyone has a rollicking good time.
Prizes galore. Drinks & food will be provided courtesy of the Man. RSVP essential. The venue is still TBC so more info will be sent out via text and published in the next edition of The Man's Message.
Check the link
How to protect a fridge in a tight hallway in 90 seconds.
If the customer lists a large/double door fridge or a gas lift bed, there should now be a link in the private notes for a quick 90 second clip on easy and effective ways to prep them.
Large/Double Door Fridge - Easy way to wrap, strap, & carry.
https://tny.mwav.org/doubledoorfridge
Gas Lift Bed - Simple explainer on how to dis & reassemble (Starring Brock Woolley & Alex Morris)
Dunk Report
Shifters move up a gear... or three. After a tight match against 2nd placed "And One Nation" in which Shifters prevailed by 6 points, MWAV's rebound heroes sensationally put their foot on the collective throat of the league by thrashing "No Look Turnovers" by a whopping 46 points. That's more than triple their score. In a game that can only be described as pure bully ball, Shifters sent a clear warning to the league that they are coming for the chip. They have moved up to 5th on the ladder and are only two wins away from 2nd. Now is the time for Shifters to keep the pedal to the metal and for us to inspire them to keep going.
Wanna help lift the team to the next level? Roll up to the Coburg Basketball Stadium & strap yourself in with the Shift-heads™ cheer squad.
Shifters upcoming games:
25 March 7pm vs Misfits (9th)
1 April 9:15pm vs Hoops I did It Again (12th)
The Lifters Guild
The most recent meeting of The Lifters Guild proved fruitful exchange of ideas. Below is a summary of what was discussed.
Committee Name - The Lifters Guild voted in favour of being named “The Lifters Guild” rather than “The Movers Council” 7-4. The Lifters Guild shall henceforth be known as The Lifters Guild.
Update On The New System - Mark Putter stated the IT dept are roughly a month or two away from launching the new system. They continue to test and retest in an attempt to iron out any and all creases in the software.
The Guild put the idea of the truck phones permanently logged into the system forward to Mark who thought it was a good idea worth investigating.
Review Period Of New Employees - There will be a review held for new staff at the 3 month mark to show that they have understood and improved from their training shifts.
Reinstate Weekly Truck Cleanliness and Equipment Checks - Agreed that the cleanliness of Abbotsford trucks is a growing issue - just like the pile of chicken bones behind the driver's seat found in Stingray.
Trainer Training - Trainers need to ensure the booklets are being filled out correctly to ensure optimum training is being delivered to give trainees the bests hope of succeeding.
Abbotsford BBQ Should Be Downstairs - This is generally agreed to be a terrible idea but will be trialled for one week in order to increase "the vibe" of the Friday BBQ.
Workplace Health & Culture Audit - Matt advised of a mandatory external culture review must commence before 30 June.The Lifters Guild voted in favour of the VECCI culture review 12-1.
Staff Social Event - Unanimously voted in favour of Alex Morris hosting another MWAV Trivia night. See Trivia Time! section above.
Next Meeting - Will be held in the ABB meeting room on Friday, 17 April 2026.
Problem Move
"Just take the pot upstairs, thanks." - Grateful customer
Has this ever happened to you? Sometimes customers ask us to perform challenging manoeuvres which seem ultimately doable but fraught as your spider-senses fire on all cylinders. This happens to all of us. Here are three ways to get that big heavy pot upstairs.
#1 Trolley Lift:
Old faithful. One lifts the trolley plate, the other lifts the top sides. "When life gets hard, pop it on a trolley" - Rocco Rossouw (761)
Pros: Easy to initiate & perform for small to moderately large square pots.
Cons: Can be difficult to manoeuvre on tight & turning staircases.
#2 Shoulder Dolly:
The lift that comes from within. The big zen seat belt & harnesses.
Pros: Saves your back. Looks fun. Frees to hands to counter the possible left & right movement of the pot.
Cons: Can slide on the seatbelt toward the bottom so start with the pot already there. Higher risk of slipping for a pot with a narrow bottom.
#3 Strap Webbing:
Apply multiple interwoven straps - both horizontally & vertically (think Xmas ham webbing) to give you multiple handles and disperses the points of tension to minimise the likelihood of damage. *Needs to be tighter to remain in place on spherical shapes.
Pro: Multiple points of contact for optimum manoeuvrability.
Cons: Watch you don't crush your fingers. Takes an extra 30-40 seconds of prep.
NEVER FORGET - If you can't lift it safely, don't lift it. No. Hero. Moves.
Do you have other solutions to this problem? We'd love to hear all about it via the anonymous suggestion box or email the office.
Safety Tip
Most injuries occur in & around the ramp. If you're working in an XL it's important to remember that whilst walking up the ramp is the quickest option, pausing to use the hydraulic lift on heavier awkward items can be the safer and more efficient option.
Insurance info woes
Some confusion this week around a recent vehicular accident led to a rather upset and stressed individual calling the office to voice their concerns.
A reminder that if you are driving any vehicle in Victoria and are involved in a vehicular accident, you must stop and provide your personal details to the other driver(s). Especially if this is a work vehicle, please do not withhold your name or other essential information as it's not only illegal but makes you - and by extension MWAV - look incredibly sketchy.
A quick cheat sheet of what to do after an accident can be found over on Transport Victoria's website. While swapping details, you can let the other party you are not the owner of the vehicle and that they will need to call MWAV head office if they'd like to follow up.
The Vibe
A rock-solid vibe this issue with a small handful of complaints somewhat bringing down an otherwise great overall response. Key feedback centres around unreported damage with a few otherwise happy customers understandably disappointed to discover a fresh ding on their new fridge. Remember to always lodge a damage report when damage occurs, no matter how big or small.
Tommy's Tales
Ikea tallboy support beams, a nemesis of movers and the damage department alike due to their unbelievable fragility and general flimsy-ness. From bumping against something to accidentally sneezing in the general direction of the unit, it's often very difficult to move these items without causing damage.
This particular incident was resolved with an on-the-spot discount though with Ikea furniture specifically, it's always worth getting ahead of potential damage if possible. When you spot this type of flimsy, flatpack style, ready-to-fall-apart item, have a quick chat with your customer and explain that you're happy to move it as-is but are worried about potential damage.
Getting ahead of any potential damage where possible is always a great practice and helps to avoid copping the blame when things inevitably go wrong.
Melbourne Comedy Festival
Who: Stuart Daulman
What: This is Your Comedy Life
When: Sun 29 March @ 4:30pm (55 mins)
Where: Comedy Republic
Tix: Click here
Discount Code: LIVELAUGHLOVE
This Is Your Comedy Life marks a major milestone for Melbourne favourite Stuart Daulman – 20 consecutive years performing at Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Two full decades of characters, chaos, storytelling and the kind of beautifully strange humour that only Stuart can deliver. This brand-new 2026 show is both a celebration and a reckoning – a look back, a leap forward and a loving tribute to the city and Festival that shaped him.
Across 20 years, Stuart has created a small universe of oddballs, eccentrics, fragile men, confident idiots and deeply committed characters that live somewhere between theatre, sketch and stand-up. In This Is Your Comedy Life, he opens the doors to that universe with a warm sense of reflection and a knowing wink. Expect old favourites, new creations and a few surprises pulled from the vault. It’s part retrospective, part fresh hour, part fever dream.
But this isn’t a 'best of' show – it’s a show about why someone keeps coming back. About what it means to grow older inside a festival that has watched you grow up. About the gigs that soared, the gigs that cooked themselves alive and the strange, heartfelt moments in between. Stuart explores the highs, lows, left turns and late-night $5 pint-fuelled revelations that come with dedicating 20 years to comedy in Melbourne.
With his signature blend of theatricality, warmth, absurdity and impeccable timing, Stuart Daulman guides the audience through slices of his comedy life: the moments on stage, backstage, off stage and other stages (lol). It’s nostalgic without being sentimental, silly without being shallow and full of genuine love for the Festival, the craft and the community that has kept him going.
Stuart Daulman, This Is Your Comedy Life is a celebration. A thank-you. And a brand-new chapter. Not to be missed.
BUSBOY
Hey gamers, Tommy J here. I'm making a video game and it's coming soon!*™
Check out the trailer and if you have a Windows PC, you can sus out the Steam page or have a squiz over on itch.io