KMS .. The Invitation

A laminated and wall mounted version of the original invitation for the men of Kincumber to join the shed.

This was prepared after the ground had been cleared and the slab poured but notionally before the Shed itself was erected.

A realistic vision for Kincumber Men's Shed

A realistic vision for Kincumber Men's Shed

December 2006

What has been achieved so far ?

• Kincumber Uniting Church has provided land for the shed with initial power and toilet facilities
• A concrete slab was poured on 24th November 2006 using a community funded donation
• A community donation of $8,500 has ben given for half of the shed building to supply and erect
• A meeting of 20 sufficiently concerned men was held early in November to discuss this plan and implement this important project

What are the current activities?

A steering committee of 6 has been appointed to co-oridnate planning, fund raisin, assessing OH&S Issues and to arrange opening February 2007


What will be the initial Function of the Kincumber Men's Shed?

Council's development determination consents to opening on 2 day per week for groups of 10 men wishing to support one another, to enjoy company of kindred spirits and acquire technical skills - in a workshop environment


What will be the activities down the track ?

• To amend the development determination to have the Men's shed operating up to 6 days per week
• To introduce shed use for marginalised youth (male) to develop handwork skills in the mentoring company of mature men
• Ton introduce shed use for handicapped people teaching woodworking skills
• To introduce shed use for indigenous marginalised male youth who would be helped by acquiring woodworking skills
• To introduce shed use in Saturday for regular working men desiring knowledge of woodworking
• To introduce shed use by ladies (exclusively) who wish to acquire skills associated with woodworking
• To consult intensively regarding all of the above with Kincumber Men's Shed membership and community for potential introduction of any new activities

What will the future needs be?

• To secure a paid part-time Co-ordinator to manage the intensive use envisaged above
• To develop a pool of volunteer "teachers" for all groups of people using the shed: hobbyists, the marginalised young men, the handicapped, the indigenous marginalised young men, the regular working men and the ladies seeking to acquire woodworking skills

The most important thing is not necessarily having a shed but what goes on in the shed!

First shedders on the slab

Wally Morison, Dave and Alan Sparkes in an historic photo out on the newly poured concrete slab for the Kincumber Men's Shed, in the grounds of the Kincumber Uniting Church.

Photo courtesy P. Jessop

Slab Completion

Concrete slab for the foundation of the Kinumber Men's Shed was completed on 24 November 2006. 

Aerial view

Shortly after the slab was poured aerial photos of the site were taken for Google earth. So heres the site before the shed was erected to cover the slab. Click on the photo for a larger view or have a look at Google Earth at the coordinates for the Kincumber Men's Shed.

33° 28' 12.36 S / 151° S 23' 36.32 E

KMS undeveloped site

This photo clearly shows the site for development of the shed.

In this Google Earth image of the Kincumber Men's Shed site there is no excavation or slab. The church grounds and parking ares can clearly be seen along with the existing maintenance shed along the rear boundary. Kincumber Mountain can be seen rising to the left of view and in the far distance the proximity of the Pacific Ocean can be seen as a deep blue line at the horizon.

Kincumber Day 2006

Gordon Cook waits patiently now the stall is all set out with demonstration items and that wonderful sign to attract all comers.

The scroll-saw seems an effective way of attracting peoples attention to the stall and from there have a conversation about what goes on at the shed ... who we are and what we do there.

Design Garages

early drawing plan
or the Kincumber Men's Shed
produced by Design Garages

KMS early Site Plan

Site Plan for Kincumber Men's Shed located within the precinct of Kincumber Uniting Church. Prepared during the early development of The Shed.

Development Application

Development Application

DA 30686 submitted July 2006


Advertised 5 -19 July 2006

Shed locations

The yellow dots indicate the location of men's sheds in community contexts, open or planned to open by July 2006.

This map prepared by Professor Barry Golding from the University of Ballarat, Victoria.

As Barry noted in his addresss to the Mens Shed Conference in 2007,
most of the Mens Sheds are located below a line drawn just north of Brisbane. Whether this is an effect of temperature, population concentration or some other factor was not addressed in this study.

The full report can be found here.

Katoomba Mobile Shed

Katoomba Men's Shed have developed a mobile shed. Well at least its temporary even if it isn't mobile. The men from the local shed were out promoting their project and men's health during the Winter Magic Festival. You can see they are wearing the warmest of clothes as it has even been known to snow for that final touch of winter magic.

Trevor Donnelley (centre) and the
Katoomba Mens Shed mobile shed.

The Winter Magic Festival is held every year in the main street of Katoomba to coincide with the winter solstice. Local residents adorn themselves in all manner of fancy dress for the occasion. The stalls of commercial sellers and promotional exhibits lend a busy atmosphere that is supported by parades, displays and music all through the day. At night the music and dancing picks up for an evening of revelry.

Inaugural Steering Committee

Inaugural Meeting of Kincumber Men's Shed resolves to open the shed by January 2007.

Suggested Interior Layout

The 'Suggested' Kincumber Men's Shed Interior Layout.

This was based on two premises..

1. Dimensions of the Shed
10 x 12 x 2.7 meters

2. Inclusion of a Mezzanine similar the St Vinnies Woodwork Centre in West Gosford.

Internal layout

An early plan of the shed that includes proposal for the internal layout of benches toilet and work areas.

Concept Model

An early concept model preprared to show how the site would look with a Men's Shed in-situ on the grounds of the Kincumber Uniting Church (KUC).

Although gabled in the opposite direction and more open than the eventual shed it was a good attempt at giving the idea of the physical structure of the shed. Set adjacent to the pre-existing KUC sheds, amid the open lawns and in front of tree lined perimeter, no wonder the community was keen to progress this valuable community asset.

KUC agree to DA

Kincumber Uniting Church agreed to the proposition that the DA be sumitted.

Scale Plan 1:500

This Scale Plan 1:500 was prepared to show the route for Power and Water to The Shed

Nambucca Men's Shed

Nambucca Men's Shed has a wide range of activities that include woodworking, boatbuilding, welding, auto-work, arts & crafts, literacy & numeracy training.

The Nambucca Men's Shed was started when a worker in the community services department at the Nambucca Shire Council realised that the loneliness faced by many retired men is made worse when they move into a retirement home - and lose their shed.

This is the inspiration for the men's shed, a community workshop where people can use tools and share ideas.

Geraldine Doogue presented a item about the Nambucca Mens Shed on Life Matters.


________________________

Stuart Holmes
Nambucca Men's Shed
email
phone (02) 6568 5090