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Melbourne Men’s Shed unveiled

Melbourne Men’s Shed unveiled

The highly-anticipated Melbourne Men’s Shed was officially opened on Monday, September 7 at Federation Square, in what is a first for residents of Southbank and the CBD.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and Minister for Families and Children and Youth Affairs Jenny Mikakos were among a number of distinguished guests who joined Melbourne Men’s Shed chairman Alan Seale to unveil the new facility.

Funded by the City of Melbourne as well as both past and present state governments, the Melbourne Men’s Shed offers local men a place to repair toys for the Royal Children’s Hospital, information about healthy living and take classes in a range of activities.

Having been operational since March, the centre is already home to more than 30 members and is open to everyone, including retired, unemployed, disabled and socially disadvantaged people.

Minister Jenny Mikakos praised the work of shed members who had contributed more than 400 hours of volunteer labour to make the project possible.

“I have to say, as someone who’s visited a number of men’s sheds right across the state now, I think this has to be the flashiest men’s shed that I’ve seen to date!” she said.

“This shed came about because of an identified need for a space where people could meet, undertake projects, learn new skills, share experiences and give back to the community.”

“It really is very impressive walking in here and it’s great to see a wonderful turnout here to celebrate the hard work that’s gone into making this Melbourne Men’s Shed possible.”

Located on level one of the Federation Square car park on the corner of Flinders St and Russell Court, the Men’s Shed is housed inside the former home of Travellers Aid, which worked out of the space during the Commonwealth Games.

In February last year, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle joined former Victorian Minister for Community Services Mary Wooldridge to announce council and State Government funding for the project.

Federation Square, Monash University, the Rotary Club of Central Melbourne, the East Melbourne Group and Woods Bagot Architects also contributed significantly to the project.

The Lord Mayor said the Men’s Shed was a fantastic use of the empty space and praised both past and present State Governments for helping make the initiative a reality.

“It doesn’t seem like 14 months ago when Mary and I stood in here with many of you in what was an empty shell,” he said

“Mary, to her great credit and, as Jenny said, put State Government money behind it and the city wanted a men’s shed that was a Melbourne Men’s Shed.”

“It is a part of that greater movement in creating a kind of social glue – bringing people together and making communities and that’s what our city is about.”

The Melbourne Men’s Shed is open on Mondays (10am – 2pm), Tuesdays (10am-1pm) and on the second Saturday of each month (1pm – 3pm).

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