General News
22 September, 2023
Thirty years of mateship - Benchmark celebration
Offering Australian men so much more than merely "somewhere to go and something to do", Men's Shed Week has just celebrated 30 years of mateship. Establishing its first community shed for men in 1993, the initiative has since grown to encompass more...
Offering Australian men so much more than merely "somewhere to go and something to do", Men's Shed Week has just celebrated 30 years of mateship.
Establishing its first community shed for men in 1993, the initiative has since grown to encompass more than 2500 Sheds across 12 countries with 1297 people benefitting from the membership.
As a vital community investment delivering programs and activities that foster community spirit and inclusiveness, Men's Sheds are commonly known as "a place where older blokes can go to tinker and have a cuppa".
However, they also play an important role in the overall improvement of health and wellbeing, while also encouraging men to positively engage within their communities.
“The 30th anniversary of the birth of Men’s Sheds was truly significant for thousands of men and their communities,” Australian Men's Shed Association executive officer David Helmers said.
"It was a celebration of three decades of connection, community and camaraderie built on the shoulders of shedders around the world,” he said.
Mr Helmers said one of the most wonderful things about the Men’s Shed movement is that is has been a grassroots and community effort at all levels.
“Our community is not a product of a person’s idea as there have been, and continues to be, many great contributors to our still growing community,” he said.
Wimmera Men's Shed Networks' Geoff Witmitz said while it was "business as usual" for the Horsham shed members, new members are always welcome.
"The Men's Sheds are already well known among their local communities, but we invite new members to come along and see what we're about," Mr Witmitz said.
Horsham Men's Shed has 12 members, many of whom are aged over 80.
Since its inception in 2005 when a group of men gathered at Ivan Sherriff's property, it has been a place for men to go to share and retain their skills, share some light-hearted banter, and have a conversation about health issues.
Moving to O'Callaghans Parade in 2016, the shed now hosts men from all walks of life who engage in wood and metalwork, furniture repairs and sales, and assisting local organisations with products.
"When Ivan retired due to ill health, Geoff got us licensed to use the former ambulance station and we moved here," Shed member Chas McDonald said.
"We worked to improve the accessibility, including adding disabled access, security lighting, dust extraction, made work benches and moved all of our tools and equipment over," he said.
"We are support for each other and enjoy passing on our skills to others."
Horsham Men's Shed is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
To find out more, call Geoff Wimitz on 5362 3445.