FOUR years ago, the Wheatbelt town of Moora, 177 kilometres north of Perth, became home to its very own men’s shed.
It was formed in 2013 following a meeting of interested parties with representatives from Wheatbelt Men’s Health.
The not-for-profit Moora Men’s Shed has three main objectives:
p To advance the health and well-being of male members of the Moora community;
p Provide a safe, friendly environment where men feel they belong;
p Allow members to work on meaningful projects in the company of other men.
The group has gone from strength to strength and currently has about 45 members, ranging in age from around 18 years right through to men aged 90 or older.
Several members have varying degrees of disability and so have a carer in attendance when they visit the group, and some benches have been modified to allow wheelchair-bound members to work productively.
Its current home is in the local agricultural society’s wool pavilion, which means they have to tidy up and make way for exhibits when the Moora Show is held each year.
It has managed to secure funding to build another shed, right next to the existing shed, which will become the official home of the Moora Men’s Shed, but still be available for additional display space on show day.
The new shed will be a multi-purpose facility that will cater for the needs of not only the men’s shed but also the Moora Netball Association (MNA) and the Central Midlands Agricultural Society (CMAS).
It will incorporate an office/meeting room for the use by all three organisations, as well as a storage area for the MNA; both in-house and public showers and toilets; and a large recreation and relaxation area.
This big area will be used for people to have a cuppa, play games or read, as well as for activities such as photography, computing, playing music, and holding training talks or forums.
It could also lend itself to being an area other local groups could use as a meeting place when not in use by the men’s shed.
A major part of the structure will be for machinery and equipment, as well as work areas.
The Moore Men’s Shed and the Shire of Moora secured $8000 from Royalties for Regions to have preliminary plans drawn up.
To help fund the building of the new shed, a joint Moora Men’s Shed and CMAS building fund has been established.
Further major funding has subsequently been obtained from Lotteries WA and Royalties for Regions Community Chest fund for the detailed planning and construction.
Site works have started, ready for the sand pad to be installed, and it is hoped it may be completed over the next 12 months.
The shed is open each Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-12 noon, although it can be open to two or more members as required at other times.
Moora Men’s Shed secretary Bill Lullfitz said as well as working on their own projects, members could work on “shed projects”.
Projects completed so far include the erection of a hen house at the Central Midlands Senior High School in Moora; the construction of poultry cages for the Central Midlands Agricultural Society; the construction and erection of seats and a covered picnic table with seats along the Carnaby Walk Trail for the Rotary Club of Moora; the refurbishment of the metal trellis in the garden of the local frail aged lodge; and the restoration of a vintage rocking horse donated by Moora resident Joan Main.
Mr Lullfitz said in the near future some members would be undertaking a project that would see them repair and restore one of the earliest chaff cutters from the Moora district, belonging to Wes Porter, and an early model grain winnower, from David Hall.
Once restored it was likely the machines would be donated to the Moora Historical Society.
The group is also considering a number of other projects, one of which is the construction of a high-quality lectern for the Moora Performing Arts Centre.
A member since the group was formed, Mr Lullfitz said he had heard numerous comments from the wives of members who said joining the group was the best thing their husbands had done.
“They say it got their husbands out from under their feet, and also gave them something to look forward to,” he said.
For Mr Lullfitz, he said it was ironic that he had his own shed kitted out with tools yet never used them because he was always at the men’s shed.
He said it was an ongoing project to hold workshops at the shed each year on topics relating to men’s behaviour and their thinking.
“We want to keep doing the workshops, because it tells people we are here, and that there are good people to come and talk to,” he said.
