Celebrating our local men's shed

Men's Sheds across the country have an immense impact on the shed members, but also in their wider communities. While celebrating National Men's Shed Week from 7-13 September, the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA) took a snapshot of 234 sheds across the country which collectively reported more than 200,000 volunteer hours and more than 3300 community projects and activities in the past year. More than 2000 community organisations and groups benefited from the work reported by participating sheds. The Men's Shed movement has also been credited with helping members with their sense of connection, quality of life, ability to learn new skills or share their own and give back to the community. Parkes Men's Shed president Ron Fewings said people don't need to bring skills to the table, as the shed is all about interactions with others and providing a social space. Shed member Tim Weaver said the shed provides a good place to be social which really helps improve mental health among the members. Mr Weaver said he would encourage those facing challenges, including mental health challenges, to come up and join for the social connections. Mr Fewings said their mission at the men's shed is to enjoy each other’s company, promote self-worth and work ethics while developing and haring skills for the benefit of the individual and community. While a good portion of the men's shed demographic is comprised of older blokes, Mr Fewings said the place is for everybody to share skills and socialise with others. "That's part of what we do, to look after the community in general," he said. Along with providing a place for men to gather, socialise and share skills, the Parkes Men's Shed is involved in providing a range of ongoing work for a variety of community groups and organisations. These jobs range from antique and general furniture repairs to making coverings for lamb feeders to help prevent the lambs from pulling all the feed out at once. The members have said you name it, they have done it, with members able to chase down some of their personal projects including woodworking, metalworking and leatherwork. Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA) executive officer David Helmers said the story of Men’s Sheds has always started with the men, but it doesn’t end there. "When a man finds mateship, purpose and a place where his skills are valued, that benefit flows through the shed and into the community around him,” he said. “Men’s Sheds aren’t only places where men receive support. "They are places where men participate and contribute, sharing skills, mentoring others, volunteering their time and putting their experience to work in ways that strengthen their communities.” The Parkes Men's Shed is based out of the Parkes Showground and is open from 8:30am to 1:30pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and members encourage people to come down and have a chat and see what they are all about.