Download - South West Alliance of Rural Health

Balmoral Bush Nursing Centre
STORIES OF OUR SERVICE
The Men’s Shed
It sounds like hammering, but the
Balmoral Men’s shed feels like mateship.
The Men’s Shed program is a weekly
program where men and women in the
district gather and build, upholster,
paint, repair and socialize.
“Men’s Shed has a definite feeling of
mateship. It’s also about ownership as
clients work on what they want,” said
Coordinator Lyn Iredell who oversees the
program assisted by Heather Smith.
While Men’s Sheds are now common,
the Balmoral program was one of the
first in Western Victoria. It started in
2006 as an avenue to enhance the
Planned Activity Group (PAG). The
Centre targeted the creation of a Men’s
Shed as a program that would be more
male- focused, have a more “blokey”
feel. The demographic of males over 50
had been one the BNC had strategically
identified.
“Our Men’s Shed is certainly a program
that naturally links with everything. The
Shed teams up with the Red Cross at
Balmoral’s annual Easter Market to
display what they’ve made, and they
have worked with the Balmoral Show
teaching children to make wooden toys.”
says Lyn Iredell.
This partnership of young and old
making wooden pencil cases and toy
helicopters together was a good
example of how the program connects
with the community. Often community
people bring items to repair to the
Men’s shed. Wonky chairs, damaged
market umbrellas and cupboards which
need a facelift are revitalized for
community members who don’t have
the time or expertise for such repairs.
After the 2009 Black Saturday fires a call
went out from Wildlife Victoria for
citizens to build possum habitat boxes.
The Balmoral Men’s Shed responded.
They’ve also made six very substantial
picnic tables from donated red gum and
for the local recreation reserve and have
crafted benches available for sale.
Lyn Iredell notes the perfect fit the
Men’s Shed has with the Health
Department’s Active Service Model,
which encourages clients to continue to
do for themselves rather than an over
reliance on care givers, “The idea is that
people maintain activity and stay
healthier longer by doing for
themselves—that’s exactly what Men’s
Shed is all about really.”
With the exception of coordinator
wages, the Men’s Shed program is selffunded
by the sale of products and
donations from the community
members.
Below: Neville Merryfull at the Balmoral Men’s Shed
Top: Men’s shed at the Show - Bob Paterson demonstrates to
younger generations Tom and George Austin how to make a
wooden helicopter at the Balmoral Show
Bottom: Men’s Shed mateship - Neville Merryfull, Ivan Harris,
John Norris and Bob Paterson building a chook house
Shown from left: Men’s shed participants Bob
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