Men Plan to build shed

The Tamworth Leader carried a story about the group of men in Tamworth setting up a Community Men's Shed. The story covered the visit of Kim Hopkins to Tamworth to addresss the West Tamworth Rotary Club and other interested individuals and organisations in Tamworth.

Men Plan to build shed

A proposal to establish a men's shed in Tamworth could prove an importnat stimuli for the socail lives of retired and semi-retired men in and around the city.

Bob Murray is part of a small group working to start a men's shed in Tamworth and has enlisted the aid of Central Coast-based Kim Hopkins to present a case for a shed.

Mr Hopkins spoke to members of the Rotary Club of Tamworth West on Monday evening and described how a men's shed works at Kincumber on the Central Coast.

He said since the shed had opened in Kincumber, the demand had grown to the point where they were looking at expanding it by 30 per cent to cater for those who use it.

Membership of the Kincumber men's shed was just $5 a year plus a gold coin donation every time an individual used it. The tools on offer included machines like wood planers, table saws and metal benders.

"These are the kind of tools not everyone can afford but they are able to access them at the shed." Mr Hopkins said.

Mr Murray said by establishing a men's shed it was not only about catering for "older blokes but young blokes as well".

Mr Hopkins is also working establishing a men's shed at San Remo - funded in part by a grant from the Premier's Department.

The University of Ballarat conducted a study on men's sheds and found that 50 percent of the those who used the shed went there and nowhere else.

He said the social contact at a men's shed proved important for retirees and was an answer to the symptom officially titled "underfoot syndrome".

"The social interactions at a men's shed is so important because often these men are not getting any contact anywhere else" Mr Murray said.

He said a men's shed was not just for "fit able blokes but it was important for stroke victims and who were disabled" as well.

Mr Hopkins said the men's shed program was an important conduit for mentoring younger people with social issues.

"Kids with problems are completely at ease with 15 grandfathers looking after them" he said.

Simon Chamberlain
Tamworth Leader
23 May 2008