Volunteers Bill Gordon, Mick Hansen, Ken Pearsall, Kelvin Boxsall and Bill McCaskill.
The Men’s Shed Harden Murrumburrah closed its door for more than three months in 2020 and COVID disruption this year has impeded on the volunteer-based group for projects and enticement to grow their membership.
There are about 25 financial members at the moment but this is expected to reduce due to various reasons such as ageing.
The Men’s Shed has been around for the past 12 years and has worked with local festivals and shows, nursing homes and day care.
Since the reopening members have been focusing on small-scale projects such as different styled pencil cases when The Times went down to visit the shed on Tuesday.
Secretary Bill McCaskill is hopeful for next year, for numbers to increase and for more active members to utilise the shed.
“The men’s shed is where men can get together, learn things, have companionship and do a bit of woodworking, metal working and projects for the community,” Mr McCaskill said.
“People can come down if they have projects they want to complete and can they can utilise the machinery here.”
Workshop spaces include a general working area with benches, saws and various tools, a paint area with metal working equipment and a welding room featuring a hydraulic press and a sandblasting cabinet.
Recreation spaces include a room with a full-sized pool table and the general-purpose room is now home to the meal area with computers on the side for members to utilise.
The Men’s Shed consist majorly of hobbyists but they do rely on handy volunteers to remain sustainable for their projects throughout the year.
They also rely heavily on community contribution and has been financially supported by Bendigo Bank and the Kruger Trust over the years.
For Christmas next month, members of the Men’ Shed will have a barbecue to wind down this year.
Located on East Street at the old railway building, the Men’s Shed is open on Tuesdays from 9am to 4pm and Thursday and Saturday from 12pm to 4pm.
Males aged 16 and above are all welcome to come check out the shed.
Christopher Tan
