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Progress towards the building of the Hibiscus Men’s Shed in Silverdale is going ahead in leaps and bounds according to chair Maurice Browning, with a large chunk of funding recently received.
Around $151,000 was needed to construct the shed’s exterior. The money has come from a range of sources, including the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board ($50,000), Foundation North, and $50,000 from an anonymous donor.
“All that hard work by volunteers doing funding applications has finally paid off,” Maurice says.
The 450sqm shed has been ordered from Fair Dinkum Sheds. It will include a 12m x 5m space with commercial kitchen that is available for community groups to hire, with the remainder of the space to be filled with the Men’s Shed workshop equipment.
Maurice says provided the necessary groundwork can be completed in July, which is weather dependent, the group has set an ambitious target of being able to have the exterior of the building up by Labour Weekend.
The interior fit out is going to cost an additional $100,000 (including the commercial kitchen). Maurice says funding applications for this are now underway.
“It’s exciting to see it all taking shape and things are moving quite quickly now,” he says.
The Hibiscus Men’s Shed Trust has been working towards establishing a purpose-built facility on the Hibiscus Coast since 2015.
Men’s Sheds operate around the country. They consist of not-for-profit community workshops where, for a small fee, members can drop in for a chat and to work on practical tasks. As well as the satisfaction of the work itself, a large part of the Men’s Shed’s popularity and success comes from the opportunity to talk with others, bringing recognised mental health benefits.
