THE Griffith Men’s Shed celebrated its 10-year anniversary on Monday.
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It’s a small milestone, but one needing to be recognised for its broader contribution to the community.
A changing demographic means a need to adjust our priorities, and an older population means a growing need for more publicly accessible activities for an older generation.
Soon we’ll be needing to focus funds beyond playgrounds and skate parks to older age-specific facilities.
Especially as the baby-boomer population turns its focus from work to retirement, the Griffith Men’s Shed is a perfect example of a well-utilised facility struggling to get by.
The idea of starting the group where men could gather a few times a week and work on projects saw 32 people attend a meeting, in November 2006.
A $500 loan from a local member saw a small shed erected out the back of Griffith Skills and Training with a few woodworking tools and community support saw the Griffith Shed for Men off and running.
It’s worthy to note the project only got off the ground and maintains relevance thanks to Griffith people donating their time, money and resources to the facility.
President Greg McCarten said a great deal of generosity and support has seen the shed grow from humble beginnings to the its current home at the former Kalinda School.
A small facility in its infancy, the shed now features facilities complete with two fully-stocked workshops.
“It’s been an incredible journey from where we started in a little shed but it is through the generosity of others that got us to where we are now,” Mr McCarten said.
Mr McCarten said it has been a great experience seeing the shed make a difference to the lives of some many people and no job was too big or small.
“It is great to see how the shed makes a difference to the men’s lives,” Mr McCarten said.
It’s the kind of resilience keeping such a useful and dependable volunteer-run facility alive.
However, let’s hope this attitude doesn’t hinder the group from government funding it so urgently needs.
Success and generosity is keeping this facility open.
It’s time to see these traits rewarded with some long-term thinking and commitment from governments, because these are the types of activities more and more people will be reliant on in the coming decades.