Clubs & community
Helensburgh celebrates 30th anniversary of Men’s Sheds in Australia

This year is the 30th Anniversary celebrating Men’s Sheds in Australia – and who do we have to thank for that?

A woman, of course!

In 1993, Maxine Chaseling (nee Kitto), coordinator of The Heritage Club, an activities centre for the older generations in Goolwa, South Australia, conceived the idea of a men's shed after her own father had become depressed, stuck at home and no longer able to work after suffering a heart attack.

She noticed that the only thing giving her father purpose was working in his shed. Maxine saw that when the club’s GA was working in his garage, some of the blokes who were uninterested in the women’s activities would wander over and chat with him.

Maxine started a group at the Heritage Club to give the men purpose, for socialising, and ultimately to create better health outcomes. It worked, and the men's mental health levels improved, along with their happiness.

At this point, the program was known as…The Shed.

And now there are over 1200 men’s, women’s and community sheds in Australia, and almost 1000 around the world.

This encouraging story was included in a presentation to Engadine Probus in August, and your writer was well-received by over 100 ladies and men. We discussed men’s health, the various things we do at our Shed, and discussed the Glowworm Tunnel and the Helensburgh Station Sign the Shed made.

So where do YOU fit into what I like to call Your Shed in the Burgh? We have a spot for you at the morning-tea table, a mug with your name on it, something yummy to eat and something useful to do, all whilst you chat shoulder to shoulder with a great bunch of blokes.

Come on in and have a look.

Helensburgh Men’s Shed. 199A Parkes Street. Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 9am to 3pm. Mobile: 0478 892 485

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