A local men’s shed is inviting community members to join its Open Day event.
Badger Creek and District Men’s Shed (BCDMS) will open its door on Wednesday 10 September, during Men’s Shed Week.
Secretary Graeme Chester said becoming a member of a men’s shed provides a safe and busy environment where men can find ways to be productive, contribute to the community, connect with friends and maintain an active body and mind.
“There is no pressure. Men can just come and have a yarn and a cuppa if that is all they are looking for,” he said.
“Men’s shed’s members come from all walks of life, have some time on their hands and like to do something meaningful with that time, including having a chat over a cuppa with new mates.
“The men’s shed movement has become a powerful tool in addressing the health and well-being of its members and creating opportunities for men to contribute to their local communities.”
The men’s shed movement originated in Australia in the ’90s and has grown to encompass more than 2500 sheds in 12 countries.
In Australia, there are more than 1200 sheds with over 50,000 members.
In the Healesville area, the BCDMS started in 2014 and is located at 360 Badger Creek Road, Badger Creek behind the Badger Creek CFA.
Mr Chester said the BCDMS fosters a safe and happy environment where men can work on personal, community, or shed-specific projects in the wood and metal workshops.
“Some of the BCDMS members are interested in photography, and they meet weekly for discussions or excursions,” the secretary said.
“Community projects undertaken by the shed include restoring the Willy Jeep for the Healesville RSL, making bird nesting boxes for distribution in bushfire and storm affected forests, mentoring Cubs in making bird nesting boxes to achieve their environment badge, mentoring students from Badger Creek Primary School in making small projects to assist their tactile learning and conducting Technology4Seniors course to assist older community members in the use of their digital devices.
“We also maintain the grounds for the Badger Creek CFA and Badger Creek Hall.”
The men’s shed is not only for retired men.
It is also open to the younger generation, where they can gain hands-on experience in carpentry and metalwork, and chat with experts in the field who can advise them on the steps to becoming a professional carpenter or metalworker.
“We’ve discovered that when young people come, they are not sure which direction they want to go. It might be wood carpentry, cabinet making, all the stuff that you can do as a builder or in metal work,” president Greg Suhr said.
“Right here, they have the experience of older men that have already done all that, and they can tell them the steps to go through.
“Kai Goodman was with us for a couple of years. His family discovered that he loved woodwork, and he’s now got an apprenticeship to do carpentry.”
This year Men’s Shed Week will be held from Monday 8 September to Saturday 13 September under the theme ‘Building Healthy Communities’.
As part of Men’s Shed Week, the BCDMS will hold Open Day from 10am to 2pm on Wednesday 10 September.
“Everyone is welcome to visit the shed at 360 Badger Creek Road, Badger Creek and have a chat and cuppa over lunch,” the secretary said.
People with any enquiries about the Open Day are encouraged to contact Mr Chester by phone on 0412 165 420.
