By KATH GANNAWAY
THE Yarra Glen Men’s Shed was opened on Saturday 4 October, signalling the end of a four-year ‘build’ and the official beginning of a new era of productivity, mateship and community involvement in Yarra Glen.
The pride in achieving a place for men that came out of the disaster of Black Saturday and took bucket loads of persistence, hard work and generosity, was also there in bucket loads.
The members looked the part in burgundy polo shirts and caps and there was enthusiastic applause as the Yarra Glen and District Men’s Shed flag was raised for the first time by president George Miller.
Secretary Alex Largerwey welcomed guests including Evelyn MP Christine Fyffe, Yarra Ranges Mayor Fiona McAllister and Alistiar Pillie from the Victorian Men’s Shed Association.
“When the flag is flying, it signifies that the men’s shed is open,” Mr Largerway, said.
Mr Miller is a founding member of the organisation and a key driver of the project.
“From time to time you get some ideas; sometimes they’re good ideas and sometimes, not so good,” he said by way of introduction to the story (occasionally a saga) of how Yarra Glen got a men’s shed.
He said he was ‘fairly confident’ that a men’s shed could work.
“I knew also that I could not do it on my own – that I would need a lot of help,” he added.
His first port of call, he said, was the then Ryrie Ward councillor Jeanette McRae, who he thanked for her encouragement and help.
Among many others, he thanked inaugural secretary Henry Verhoeven who he said had worked very hard on the great volume of paper work that was required to secured a $150,000 grant from VBAF and Bec Nichol from VBAF for her help.
Mr Miller said donations of tools and equipment poured in once word got around that the Yarra Glen Men’s Shed was “a goer”.
He thanked the many people who made their sheds and back-yards available to store everything until their big shed was ready.
Ms Fyffe said the event marked a great moment in time with the 55 members joining an organisation of an estimated 30,000 men who belong to more than 400 sheds around Australia.
“Members of men’s sheds come from all walks of life,” she said.
“The bond that unites them is that they are men with time on their hands and they would like something meaningful to do with that time,” she said, congratulating the members.
Her congratulations were echoed in messages read out from Casey MP Tony Smith and Seymour MP Cindy McLeish.
Cr McAllister said she knew from her very first encounter with the group two years ago, what a special place the Yarra Glen and District Men’s Shed would be.
“I met about 40 people and thought ‘wow! this is a great men’s shed.
“I discovered that were over 100 people on the books, and then found they didn’t have an actual shed,” she said.
She said men attended men’s sheds for all sorts of reasons from friendship and fun to getting away from home, their love of working with their hands or simply to fill in time.
“But, there are also many stories of people who have been through a really hard time over the past few years and it’s important for them to come together, share their stories and have something practical to do in their healing,” she said.
The Yarra Glen Men’s Shed is open on weekdays from 9am to 4pm and on weekends by arrangement… or when the flag is flying.
