“Shedding” emotional walls through community connection

Feature in Whitehorse City Council's Caring for the Community news

From the outside, you may think that our Men’s Shed is simply a group of men coming together to work on some hands-on projects. While that is definitely true, the ‘shedders’ will tell you that there’s a lot more to their meetings than just getting on the tools.

“Our mission is to provide a safe, inclusive and positive space for men to come together to work on meaningful projects, benefit from connecting with fellow ‘shedders; and learn a range of skills in a spirit of camaraderie and support,” explained Manager Stewart Blair.

Founded in 2006 (and formerly known as the Whitehorse Men’s Shed), the initiative started in Box Hill with about 20 shedders. These days, the Men’s Shed is over 50 members strong, and the shedders meet weekly.

“There are different groups, and we run our shed on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 10am to 3pm. We also have monthly lunch barbeques, which is a highlight for many,” said Stewart.

“We have social groups addressing social isolation, NDIS-specific groups, youth programs for disengaged students, and sessions designed to accommodate vulnerable groups, men with dementia, physical frailty and chronic health conditions.”

Read our feature in Whitehorse City Council's news, and see what the Men's Shed means to some of our Shedders. 

Find out more about our Men's Shed here.