Men’s Sheds have a multi-purpose and in the first instance they are about men’s health and wellbeing in all areas, both physical and mental: an oasis where men can come together to discuss men’s business in a neutral and caring space.
There are about 1200 sheds all throughout Australia, where they first originated, and they have spread to other parts of the world. Men’s sheds may do a variety of activities from manual crafts to gardening to beekeeping. Some may undertake community projects, such as making toys for local childcare groups. Men’s sheds may provide an opportunity to learn new skills for men 18 years and older. Sheds are coordinated by the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA), and I suggest you look up the AMSA website to gain a further insight into the organisation. https://mensshed.org/
In June 2022 the idea of a men’s Shed for the valley was raised by a few long-term local men who had been meeting at their homes until an inaugural meeting was called. That resulted in approximately forty men showing interest and a committee formed to progress the intention, and Incorporation was completed in August 2022. We currently meet in a small shed inside the K.V. Public School grounds kindly offered to us on a temporary basis by Jen, the school principal. We welcome other men to join us from 4 pm to 6 pm on Friday afternoons for a chat.
Obviously, a shed is required to carry out the objectives of a Men’s Shed so we enlisted Shoalhaven City Council (SCC) in our quest. The first suggestion. was to build a shed on the KV showground, and several meetings were initiated to this end. However, due to the lack of room on the showground and the fact that Council is initiating a master plan for the ground, no resolution was reached. Another idea was the Pony Club building. This, would have to be a shared facility with other community groups, which is impossible due to machinery in a fixed position that cannot be moved, as well as the potential risk of injury and the associated insurance overheads. Furthermore, the building is nowhere near big enough to accommodate both men and machines plus a common meeting area. Extending the shed is not possible due to its location.
At our request SCC identified sites it owned for further investigation. Some fourteen sites were suggested. Most were out of the village area, some in dense scrub and all lacked the proximity of water, electricity, and sewerage. After thorough investigation the preferred site was located at Lot 7 DP 264336 (West Moss Vale Road Reserve) i.e. next door to the “Stop and Taste” enterprise.
Interest has been shown towards the design of the proposed building to be erected on the site. At this stage we have engaged a pro bono architect to advise and eventually submit a DA to Council. However, we intend to emulate the Berry Men’s Shed as closely as possible, so that it fits into the urban landscape. It has been suggested that the Shed
will be a huge tin affair which is far from the truth. I invite you to visit the Berry Shed which is built among the urban landscape as shown in the accompanying photos in a pleasant weather board style.
For those who are interested I would suggest visiting the Berry Men’s shed and other sheds at Nowra and Culburra. You can view Berry Men’s Shed using this link https://mensshed.org/sheds/berry-mens-shed-inc/
I would point out that the common areas, i.e. the meeting area and kitchen, would be available to other community organisations for meetings, etc. Should any member of the community wish to discuss our proposal with me, please call on 0421-016-068 or email on kvmensshed@gmail.com
Bruce Preston
Chairman
Kangaroo Valley Men’s Shed Inc.
https://mensshed.org/sheds/kangaroo-valley-mens-shed-inc/
