AROUND 80 members from nine Men’s Sheds in the Goulburn Valley came together in last month for their annual gathering. On the day there were demonstrations at the Mooroopna Men’s Shed, followed by lunch and speeches at the Sir Ian McLennan Centre, Mooroopna.
Representatives from the Australian Men’s Shed and from the Council attended the lunch, which coincided with National Volunteer Week, Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering held on May 16 – 22.
“We are so grateful to all of you in this room who do some form of volunteering,” said Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe. “There are so many stories of amazing volunteers that just help because they want to, and I think it’s an incredible thing. We’re so grateful to live in such a giving community,” she said.
She thanked the members for their incredible work and extended Council’s support for the continued prosperity of local Men’s Sheds.
Men can be reluctant to talk about their emotions and that means that they don’t always ask for help. Likely due to this, many men are less healthy than women, drink more, take more risks and suffer more from isolation, loneliness and depression. The Men’s Sheds movement is a powerful tool in addressing men’s health and wellbeing. Australia wide, there are more Sheds than McDonald’s restaurants, and no two Sheds are the same.
“I love the Men’s Sheds. It’s not only a place where we actually provide work for our community, but it’s a great place to bond and an opportunity to get together and talk about these issues and some of the issues that do affect us in our community,” said Cr Greg James.
To find a Men’s Shed near you or to learn more, go online to http://mensshed.org/ or reach out to your community house.
