Men’s shed now open Saturdays

Plans are firming up for the Men’s Shed that is to be built on the Hibiscus Coast, and in the meantime the hours are being extended at the temporary shed in Stanmore Bay.

The new Hibiscus Men’s Shed chair, Maurice Browning, hopes to bring forward the opening date of the permanent Men’s Shed that will be built in War Memorial Park near the Silverdale Ruby Club.
Following consultations with the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board, fully detailed plans have been drawn up of the proposed 450sqm building.

The plans include details of the metalworking, engineering, electronics and woodworking workshops, toilet and washing facilities – and a tearoom. Full fit-out details are included, as well as the parking spaces.

Maurice says these plans, which will be submitted to the local board, will better support grant applications from the Men’s Shed and he is determined that the target completion of the new shed should fall within the 2019 calendar year.

This week, the temporary Men’s Shed at Brightside Road in Stanmore Bay will extend their opening hours to include Saturdays. From August 1 the shed will be open on Saturdays, 9.30am-12.30pm, in addition to Tuesday and Thursdays (same hours).

“With the growing demand also from a younger demographic who only have spare time on a Saturday, we have responded positively by making the Men’s Shed woodworking shop available for those members who want to pursue personal projects,” Maurice says. “Because we need to make money to support our overheads, we prefer to focus on shed-only projects on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

Interest in Men’s Shed activities has seen significant growth since the Brightside Road facility opened, with enquiries for help coming from kindergartens, schools, community groups and others. Generous donations of wood and other materials are welcomed, as this keeps down the costs of community projects.

Info: www.hibshed.com

August 21, 2019: Please note, since publication of this story in August last year, the Men's Shed's opening hours are currently Tuesday & Thursday mornings only.