Men’s shed meeting is first step

A second and more formal meeting was held by a group of locals last month to discuss and plan for the possibility of a Southbank men’s shed.

It was an historic event, being the first-ever public meeting in the assembly hall at the recently-opened Boyd Library.

The overriding message to come out of the meeting was to be patient, with several guest speakers warning the crowd that any shed will take time.

The Victorian Men’s Sheds Association’s president Paul Sladdin put it simplest when he said to the group: “It’s like that old shampoo commercial. It won’t happen over night, but it will happen.”

He was the key speaker to the gathering, which also heard from representatives of the Werribee, Melton and Daylesford men’s sheds.

Mr Sladdin went on to inform the group that, for a shed to be successful, it must come from the community.

“You as a community need to own it, and you need to drive it,” Mr Sladdin urged.

He explained the popularity of the sheds nowadays and said that there were 230 sheds around Victoria and 812 throughout Australia.

“Most sheds have an auspicing body, but the ones that have lasted a long time and have been the most successful are those driven by the community and are owned by the community,” Mr Sladdin said.

“There is no point re-inventing the wheel. Utilise the experience of the other sheds, and both the Victorian and Australian men’s shed associations. Keep driving it, keep owning it and make sure it happens.”