Welcome To The Crows Nest District Men's Shed
As a member of the Crows Nest District Men’s Shed you can engage in a wide range of activities that are creative, challenging and can provide value to our local community all in a safe environment among mates.
Who We Are
Crows Nest District Men’s Shed is a not-for-profit, non-commercial community organisation providing a safe and friendly meeting place for men to work on projects in the company of other men. Established in early 2018, our first home was at the Crows Nest Showgrounds, very generously provided by the Crows Nest AH&I Society. A new shed has been constructed near the Community Nursery with the help of grants from the Federal Government and others. We have moved to the new shed and are busy outfitting it. It has become the setting for members to meet, socialise and undertake meaningful projects, at their own pace and in their own time with guided supervision by experienced members if needed.
We are incorporated, have Charity status and also Deductible gift recipient endorsement. Our Shed is affiliated with both the Queensland Men’s Shed Association and Australian Men's Shed Association.
A major objective of the Men’s Shed is to advance the health, well being and social inclusion of all members through interest-based activities. We do this by welcoming men to meet and work on projects that are first and foremost personally satisfying and in many cases making an important contribution to the wider community.
What We Do
Crows Nest District Men’s Shed is a place for members to meet in a convivial atmosphere, gain knowledge and improve their health. It’s a place where they can learn or teach a variety of professional and trade skills, or just relax in the company of other like-minded men. The Men’s Shed also provides opportunities for members to undertake personal, Men’s Shed or community-based projects. Members’ interests span an extensive range of activities. They include woodwork, wood turning, toy making, metal work, small engine repairs, gardening, computing, leather work, library and book group, health and welfare group, music and instrument playing and upholstery. Additional activities to keep pace with membership needs and aspirations will always be considered.
History of the Men's Shed Movement
Mens Sheds are not-for-profit organisations that originated in Australia, to advise and improve the overall health of all males. However some have expanded their brief to allow anyone regardless of age or gender. They normally operate on a local level in the community, promoting social interaction and aim to increase the quality of life. There are over 900 located across Australia, with thousands of active members. Men's sheds can also be found in Estonia, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, United States, Canada, Africa, Finland, New Zealand, Denmark and Greece.
In Australia in the 1990s a number of issues were raised about men's health. In Australian culture, there was little encouragement for men of all ages to socialize and discuss their feelings and wellbeing. This problem was identified at a men's health conference in the mid-1990s and plans were put in place to improve a number of aspects relating to men's health.
The roots of The Men's Sheds movement have been traced back to the 1980's with work in Broken Hill, New South Wales, and the lives of former miners. Some attribute the origins of men's sheds to the Albury Manual Activities Centre, also known as "Albury Men's Shed" which opened in 1978. Work in Adelaide, South Australia focused upon the gender biased and inappropriate care of older men living with dementia in care settings and work with Vietnam Veterans in South Australia also played it's part.
In many ways men's sheds can be seen as extension of the original nineteenth century idea of working men's clubs in the UK and Australia: "to provide recreation and education for working-class men and their families". In time working men's clubs increasingly focused on charitable work and recreational activities typically associated with pubs. Whilst acting as hubs for information exchange, the community educational aspects foundered, as men's sheds remained in people's homes typically at the bottom of the garden.
The Australian Men's Shed Association was established in 2007 by the Australian independent community based men's sheds to represent, support and promote the Men's Shed Movement and to act as a central hub for information exchange. The Australian Men's Shed Association is funded by the federal government to provide initial and ongoing practical support for the development of all men's sheds.
The first country in the Northern Hemisphere to have an association is Ireland, where the Irish Men's Sheds Association was established in 2011 to support the development and sustainability of men's sheds. The member Sheds of the Irish Association are from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. One notable difference between the men's sheds in Australia and Ireland is the age demographic of the participating men; in Ireland men of all ages participate while in Australia it is mostly retired men. In February 2013 Westhill & Districts Men's Shed opened its doors as a constituted charity, to be the first men's shed following the Australian model, in Scotland.
