As you read on Page 3, the men of the Narooma Men’s Shed are still looking for a permanent home.
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In 2010, right across Australia, Men’s Sheds sprouted up everywhere. Over 900 currently exist and Narooma Men’s Shed is one of these.
They have been fortunate enough to have been given the use of the disused Narooma Hire buildings on Glasshouse Rocks Road owned by Col Macauley, a member of the Narooma Men’s Shed himself.
The men’s shed feel comfortable enough at this location to have done significant improvements and most recently to have spent their government grant on a building a big new shed on Col’s property, but ultimately they will have to hand the new shed and all their other workshops back to him.
State Member Andrew Constance who secured the grant to purchase the Narooma Men’s Shed shed was there at Friday’s official opening.
“I congratulate you for your tenacity,” Mr Constance said, noting he had to keep going back to the Department of Premier to keep the funds rolling over.
President Wal Sheehan said from a walk-up start in July 2016, the new shed was completed prior to Christmas 2016.
All the work to commission the shed, surveying, earthworks, concrete, construction, stormwater and more was undertaken by the local Narooma tradesmen that went out of their way to keep the project within its tight budget.
“Great community support like this, needs to be acknowledged and demonstrates how strong the local support is for Narooma Men’s Shed,” Mr Sheehan said. “The new shed will provide, over the next two years of the lease, a great opportunity to expand both membership and new activities at the Narooma Men’s Shed.
The men are however concerned about their future in 2019.
“The local community will be faced with the dilemma of potentially losing a wonderful local community resource which currently addresses men’s health providing tangible and broad support to the local community, unless we can find a permanent home,” Mr Sheehan said.
The Narooma Men’s Shed has become a strong community resource, providing assistance to organisations including Red Cross, IRT, ESTIA Health, CWA, Narooma Kindergarten and High School, NADOC, WIRES, Montague Arts and Crafts Society, Vinnies, Narooma Lions and Rotary clubs.
