THE Menshed Geraldton has been a place for males of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to visit for more than a decade.
So it’s fitting that the group, which proudly runs under the key principals of community, health and well-being, is finally getting a permanent home within the coastal city, 424 kilometres north of Perth.
According to chairman Ross Barden, the group has had four different homes since its inception in 2007/08.
In recent years it has been fortunate to have a local businessman allow them to use a building on Marine Terrace, a prime real estate location at the western end of the Geraldton central business district.
For the past five years the group has used the building rent-free in exchange for maintaining it, paying its own bills and on occasion completing work for the businessman.
The building is for sale however the location is too expensive for the group to purchase as it is self-funded and operated by volunteers.
The group has been working on a business plan to establish a permanent home and signed a lease an eastern suburb block with the City of Greater Geraldton, where they could house a sea container to store timber and equipment.
But as fate would have it, a new base has been built for the Geraldton Country Fire and Rescue Service, which was officially opened last year, leaving the old station vacant.
Mr Barden said through the persistence and lobbying from former local National Party MP Paul Brown, the group was granted use of the old fire station on Durlacher Street.
This means the group will surrender its block lease on and focus on moving into the old fire station, fast-tracking its plans for a permanent base.
“It’s a dream come true,” Mr Barden said.
Here they will have the perfect building to work within, with plans for timber and metal work areas; room for the storage of recycled materials and tools; a computer repair and rebuild area; a blacksmith forging and design area; a glass work and designs area; a leadlight work and repairs area; and an area for spray and general painting.
There was also plenty of room for a long-term project area, such as stripping down and rebuilding tractors, caravans, boats, planes, trucks and farm machinery, where Mr Barden said people could come and go to suit themselves while working on projects such as those, without any pressure of finishing times.
“Many people do not want to make things, but enjoy these types of projects,” he said.
There was also plenty of parking available around the building, and a bus stop right out the front, while inside there is a meeting room, big open area for forums or functions, a quiet reading room, computer room, and kitchen.
In the meantime, the shed will continue to operate as normal as it has for the past 10 years, with its open-shed policy and focussed on making items for the public and community.
Mr Barden said it operated differently to many other men’s sheds around the country, in that it was open from 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday, but many of the 40 or more men who visited on an average week would start earlier and not knock off until 5pm.
“Old habits die hard,” he said.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Menshed Geraldton were designated shed days for everyone to work on community projects for the Mid West.
“This is a huge part of our shed, looking after people who cannot do things themselves or have no one or family to assist them with items around their home,” he said.
“We also assist other community groups, organisations, schools, incorporated bodies – we are always here for them when needed.”
Mr Barden said projects involved making things that people could not afford to buy, as well as repairing items such as lawn mowers, computers, clocks and broken furniture.
These tasks would also be completed on other days of the week and even weekends if required.
The group has been trialling open days on Sundays for the past year.
Mr Barden said the feedback had been very positive and they were now investigating opening on Saturdays from next year to cater for people who were still in the workforce, attending TAFE or university during the week – or even office workers who wanted to learn how to repair or make things.
He said many men seemed to have lost their identity in today’s world for a range of reasons, including marriage breakdown, illness, addiction, mental health issues or even loneliness, and needed a chat and somewhere to go.
“We give everyone things that they can do, through trial and error as everyone is different,” he said.
“It is very gratifying to see the look on their face when they find there is something they can do.”
One example was making timber stars for the palliative care section of the local hospitals for their Christmas trees.
As someone passed on, a star was made with their name on it, which was presented to the family each Christmas.
Mr Barden said after the wood was cut, some men were given the task of sanding off the edges with small electric sanders or sand paper.
“You should see the change in them – useful again, they do smile once again,” he said.
“There is always something they can do, some are happy sweeping the floors and cleaning up – useful again and happy.”
Mr Barden said they had been well supported by the local business community over the years, who donated items to the men’s shed that they would normally dispose of.
“There is nothing that we cannot reuse or recycle, this is a motto we use often,” he said.
Timber pallets were one of their most recycled items, and they could not get enough of them.
But Mr Barden said above all, more than 60 per cent of their work was for the community, promoting health and well-being, as emphasised in their logo – ‘For the goodness of men’.
He said many men were diagnosed with or had treatment for a range of mental health issues but didn’t know where to go next.
“It should be your men’s shed,” he said.
“If they come to the shed next they can sit down for a cuppa with us and we tell stories about each others’ problems which puts them at ease, so they tell their story.
“They are assisted by talking to others, we help each other, and it works.
“Many groups need somewhere for the clients to attend, and they ask the Menshed, and we say yes.”
In 2014 it was a joint winners of the Premier’s Australia Day Active Citizenship Community Award for the City of Greater Geraldton.
While it may have managed to secure some funding in the past, the group plans to apply for more grants this year to build things that the community of Greater Geraldton requires for its residents.
