Message from Upwey Men’s Shed

The Upwey Men’s Shed is currently on the lookout for a new location, and is reviewing a number of sites to locate its shed before funding expires.

The Shed was established in 2018 following a very well attended public meeting supported by the Upwey Township Group and Project Upwey, with the purpose of Men’s Sheds to have a positive impact on the mental and physical health of its members.

‘We would really like to find a site close to where our members are located, that has good access and space for a large shed,’ says Shed President Gerran Wright.

‘The number of older people is rising in Upwey and the financial support we have received from various levels of Government, local businesses and residents has demonstrated support for this service and kept alive our goal to establish a Men’s Shed in Upwey.

‘We have our twice weekly social meetings and general members meetings at the Upwey Township Hall. However, there is little opportunity to develop a workshop at this site, which is shared with a number of other community groups. Many people are offering us tools and work benches but we have nowhere to put them.

‘We have talked to a number of Men’s Shed groups including Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave, who have small workshops with only enough space for their own members. We currently have more members on our books than them, and with the construction of a workshop we expect our membership to rise dramatically.

‘It would be beneficial to have our shed located in areas such as the Upwey or Upwey South Recreation Reserves, where we can work with the local schools, clubs, organisations and residents to improve the amenities at these reserves and encourage men to get involved.

‘Our members want to keep their hands and brains busy with projects and building items from wood or metal. Many men’s sheds produce useful items for the community from street book libraries and park furniture to children’s toys; from restoring old cars to restoring meaning in their lives.

‘There are over 350 Men’s Sheds in Victoria and they have been great for having a positive impact on mental and physical health of their members as well as helping the local community.

‘Upwey Men’s Shed is the only Men’s Shed in Victoria without a shed. It would be a travesty for this service to be denied to the Upwey Community due to lack of support for a site.’

Gerran Wright
President of Upwey Men’s Shed

For more information, you can visit the Upwey Men’s Shed website.