By Jesse Graham
YARRA Glen residents will find it easier to get around, with the Men’s Shed unveiling a rentable mobility scooter.
Yarra Glen and District Men’s Shed president George Miller and secretary Alex Lagerwey unveiled the scooter with Optima Batteries’ Graeme Hicks at the shed’s open day on Wednesday, 1 February.
Mr Lagerwey told a crowd of visitors and shed members that the scooter was donated to the shed missing a key and suffering flat batteries and tyres.
“The flat tyres were a pretty easy fix, we got a key cut at the locksmith and the batteries were so flat they were invisible. In fact, there was none,” he said.
He said that, now the scooter was operational, it would be available for people in the community who became “temporarily immobilised”, due to injury or illness.
The scooter will be offered on a no-charge basis, but anyone wishing to rent it will have to become a member of the Men’s Shed to be covered by the shed’s insurance policy.
“If there are any community member males, they can just join up at the shed to become eligible to use it,” Mr Lagerwey said.
“Of course, sometimes females become immobilised temporarily, as well, and we certainly want to extend the use of it to the female community as well and so what we’re working on is an associate membership, so the ladies can become members to enable them to use the machine and to be covered by our insurance.
“I think it’ll be a useful community service.”
Mr Hicks then took the scooter on its maiden voyage around the shed’s car park, before Yarra Glen’s Diane Roberts, whose husband is a shed member and is recovering from a stroke, took the second ride.
Ms Roberts said using the scooter would enable her husband to visit the shed during his recovery without having to walk long distances.
Mr Miller said being offered the scooter, by a Wandin resident, was “too good an opportunity to just let go”.
“It was an offer that we considered and we could see the potential for the community, so we took up the challenge,” he said.
“Surely, we can help somebody.”
Membership at the shed costs $25 for an enrolment fee, followed by a $40 annual membership fee – which will rise to $45 after 1 July.
The Men’s Shed currently has 45 members, and the shed is open from 9am-4pm Monday-Friday.
“That membership entitles you to come into the shed and use the facilities whenever you like,” Mr Miller said.
“There’s no pressure – you just come and do your own thing, and if you want to do your own project, we’ve got materials here and you can use that free-of-charge.
“If not, you buy it or we buy it and you can come in and help us do some of the community projects and get involved.”
For more information, visit www.yarraglen.com/mensshed.
