Newstead Men’s Shed has been successful in receiving a grant of $26,504.
Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards visited the shed on Tuesday this week to make the funding announcement.
The shed is one of 30 Victorian sheds to share in a $1 million state investment into Men’s Sheds across the state.
The funds will assist with the extension of the current shed, located behind the iconic men’s shed shopfront. The extension will create more space in the existing steelworks bay, plus space for people to get together and socialise in a dust-free environment, and will include a digital space for IT equipment.
Shed Secretary Graeme Lees told the Mail that the shed currently has 33 members, many of whom aren’t tradespeople, and would simply like to get together for a cuppa and chat.
“The extension will allow us to cater to their needs and provide a space for them to sit and connect,” Graeme said.
“We realised, particularly during COVID, that many of our members are limited with technology, and with the increased space we can have a dedicated area to put IT equipment and run training on emailing etcetera.
“We have also been working with age care facilities such as Shannon’s Bridge, running workshops for the members and we have such limited space that we’ve had to hire facilities. It will be great to have the space to run the workshops here at the shed,” he said.
Members of the Newstead shed have raised an additional $13,000 through fundraising to assist with the works. Fundraising efforts have included community BBQs as well as the sales of hand-made crafts and tables. Sixty of the beautifully handcrafted timber, outdoor tables have skilfully been crafted by members of the shed and sold to individuals, Mount Alexander Shire Council, Castlemaine Salvation Army, and the Castlemaine Lawn Tennis Club.
MP Edwards congratulated the Newstead Men’s Shed and said they were an important part of the Newstead community.
“Since their new shed was opened, they have gone from strength to strength with increased membership and participation in the broader community,” she said.
Victoria is home to over 360 Men’s Sheds that provide practical and engaging spaces for men to connect, socialise, learn new skills and work on common building projects together. Men’s Sheds support local communities in many ways, running first-aid courses, building picnic tables, and making toys for local childcare groups.
“The grants allow an opportunity to undertake refurbishments that will ensure an existing men’s shed is fit for purpose so that safe, productive, and accessible meeting places are available to our diverse men’s sheds groups,” Ms Edwards said.