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Progress is being made towards creation of a local Men’s Shed, with the formation of a committee of six tasked with getting the project off the ground.
The goal is to establish a shed where members can work on their own, or community, projects. There are 22 of these in NZ, and some have more than 100 members.
Men’s Shed North Shore chair Ross McEwan of Orewa raised the possibility of a local shed with the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board three months ago (HM May 6). He is providing a guiding hand for the local Men’s Shed committee.
The Hibiscus Men’s Shed committee members are all keen ‘sheddies’. Peter Moorcraft says when he retired, he moved to a smaller property. “You have the time to spend on projects when you retire, but you don’t have the space, exactly when you need it most,” he says.
That’s the reason the concept is so popular with retired people, mainly men. The sheds generally have woodworking, engineering, electronics and model making equipment, which is donated or purchased.
Among the committee’s first tasks is obtaining Charitable Trust status, a process that is almost complete.
Quotes have also been obtained for constructing the shed, providing an idea of the amount of fundraising that will be involved. Chair Stuart Johnston says the group is looking down the barrel of $250,000 to build the shed and get it ready for use.
“We need to get some idea what our membership might be, so that we can ensure the shed is large enough,” he says.
It is hoped that the local board will be able to lease suitable land to the Men’s Shed, and at present a spot in Victor Eaves Park in Orewa is the favoured option.
