Shedless Men's Shed

Men’s Shed officer Karl Walsh said the non-for-profit organisation had received a $5000 grant from the Northam Shire last year which allowed them to temporarily rent a shed.

The person they were renting off has moved so they have had to vacate the property, leaving them ‘shedless’. 

Mr Walsh said the Northam Shire had loaned the group the small room at the Sound Shell in Bernard Park, as a keep-safe for their things until they can afford to rent a new shed.

“The Shire has always been behind us and has encouraged us to apply for community grants and supported us in our endeavours,” he said.

“In the meantime we have negotiated with the Indigenous Land Council for a grant – we don’t know how much that is yet.

“We want to purchase our own shed. I think it will be achievable.”

He said it would be helpful if somebody in the community could loan the group a shed in the interim.

“But we will see what happens next week when we have an interview with the land council,” he said. 

The organisation is an outlet for men who have problems at home, ongoing social problems or health and well being issues.

The group performs jobs around the community including cleaning backyards, mowing lawns and cutting firewood.

Mr Walsh said all the money they make goes back into the shed.

“It’s going very well,” he said.

“We have made over $1000 dollars this year!”

Suicide rates are substantially higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, with suicide accounting for 5.2 per cent of all Indigenous deaths compared to 1.8 per cent for non-Indigenous people in 2014.

Mr Walsh lost his 15-year-old Aboriginal son to suicide three years ago and told the Avon Valley and Wheatbelt Advocate that the group has helped him greatly over the years. 

Express interest by contacting Karl Walsh at karl.walsh@bigpond.com.