It's a fine excuse for a bunch of like-minded guys to get in a shed on a Saturday morning and blather away about politics, rugby, problems of the world and the universe.

And by day's end they will have made a small but valuable contribution to the export industry, raised some valuable funds for a local Lions project, had a sausage sizzle and 'a glass of water” and a thoroughly enjoyable blokes' time.

Mount Lions Saturday morning sling rollers - Barry Jamieson, George Pocock, Haydn Boyle and Eric Judson. Photo by Chris Callinan

It's a Lions fundraiser story that started about 25 years ago and goes backwards and forwards to Europe many, many times.

'I was working for a shipping agency. Did for about 50 years,” says Papamoa's Jim Burch. 'And I was responsible for all the Zespri ships coming in to load kiwifruit.”

And when they loaded the pallets of kiwifruit aboard the conventional ships, those distinct from container ships, they used something called ‘endless slings' to load the pallets into the holds.

Two of the circular sturdy nylon webbing slings would be fed through the base of each pallet, up the side of the kiwifruit trays and attached to the hook on the ships crane.

Up they would go onto the ship and off they would go to Europe. And when they were finished with, the slings would be sent back to New Zealand.

They aren't cheap because they are made to a certified standard, six metres long and endless – a circle in other words – with a safe working load of 1.2 tonnes. And they could be re-used. This is where Jim, a shipping agent, came into the picture 25 years ago. He saw an opportunity.

'The shipping company said we have to do something with these slings. I thought they would be a great fundraiser for the Mount Lions Club and we have been doing it ever since.”

So regularly throughout the six month kiwifruit season, on a Saturday morning a bunch of guys gather at a shed in Cherokee Place near the airport to recycle the strops.

'It's a great little earner,” says Jim. And it's a great way for a bunch of guys to get together informally and chew the fat.

When the strops arrive home they are often jumbled and in an uncertain state of repair. The guys check them for nicks, cuts, flaws and the older ones they reject. The slings are then rolled up, put in cartons and return to the port. The Lions do about 500 every Saturday morning and tens of thousands since they started all those years ago.

There's exporting, recycling, fundraising and camaraderie going down here. And in a shed. It's good.

And next door to the Lions in Cherokee Place, where the kiwifruit shipping slings stretch out onto the street, you will find other blokes in other sheds doing other things. 'There's the Bay Rodders' hotrod club, the woodturners and the motorcycle club.” And others.

'Yeah, I suppose you could consider the slings an onerous task. But we enjoy it.”