Page 1222 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 7 May 2014
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For these men, men’s sheds offer an invitation to form new friendships, to re-engage in an active lifestyle, to share their own and others’ knowledge and expertise and to give back to their own community. The reasons they continue to participate revolve around the social aspects of the membership. Enjoyment of camaraderie and learning and the comfort of an atmosphere of shared respect are some of the key reasons that members attend shed activities. Over half of the members regularly attend their men’s shed in the ACT.
Many of the local men’s shed participants have indicated that their participation is a means of remaining engaged in life and with men of similar age as an alternative to spending the majority of their time at home. The men’s sheds provide these men with the means to enjoy the benefits of social connection when they may otherwise be prone to social isolation.
Indeed, the movement has spread beyond those community group men’s sheds, Madam Deputy Speaker, as you would be aware from the forum. We now have men’s sheds actually located in retirement villages. The retirement villages themselves have funded the men’s shed program. It is great to see so much support. It is particularly important for retired men in our community, with many participants stating that the men’s sheds provide a replacement for the work environment that they have left. We also know that men’s sheds are a strong nexus for the community. They open access to local networks for members and provide a connection with other community groups and activities which enrich our communities.
The men’s sheds in the ACT reflect a broad range of experience and professional backgrounds. The skills of public servants, builders, engineers, teachers, architects, carpenters, solicitors, accountants, small businessmen and many others are put to use in the development and ongoing operation of the sheds. Indeed, on my last visit to the Monash Goodwin homes men’s shed I found that not only were some of my ex-work colleagues from APS there but also I had friends there that had retired and moved into the Monash Goodwin homes facility and had taken advantage of the men’s shed there.
Men’s sheds have become an informal forum for passing on skills and for learning new skills and where members’ own skills and expertise are utilised and valued. The creation of an open community is amplified in many cases through the men’s shed management structures where management committee meetings are often open to all members and where many decisions are reached by consensus.
Some sheds are affiliated with regional or local community organisations and complete projects on behalf of organisations in the community, drawing on the expertise and experience of men’s shed members. These collaborations continue to strengthen community networks.
As the motion notes, last week, together with my colleagues Dr Chris Bourke MLA, Ms Yvette Berry and yourself, Madam Deputy Speaker, we held a men’s shed forum in the Legislative Assembly reception room. There were over 20 representatives from each of the ACT men’s sheds at the forum. Those included Giralang Men’s Shed, Belconnen Community Men’s Shed, Melba Men’s Shed, the ACT Model Railway
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